Do you really want to pay over $550 and buy Palm Pre Plus without contract? What are you planning to do with this no contract Palm Pre Plus? Unlocked it and use it on another carrier? Seriously, if you are planning to stay with Verizon Wireless, why not get a huge discount on the Palm Pre Plus - we are talking about $470 hard-earned cash here. The final price for the Pre Plus will be only $79.99 after instant rebates. Yes, instant. No need to fill out form and drop it in a mailbox. If you are not use this is the perfect phone for you, you can always test drive it for 30 days from Verizon Wireless or Sprint. Same applies to other carriers too. They all offer 30 day free trial. If for any reason you don’t like the phone, you can simply return it without paying the early termination fee. I don’t see any advantage of buying the Palm Pre Plus with no contract. It’s true that you would need to stay with the same carrier for 2 years (unless you opt for paying the ETF), what good is a smartphone without being a fast 3G network. 30 days is good enough to find out if the network is perfect for you.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I think the argument is that Verizon is making their 29.95 a month data plan mandatory on top of their already pricey voice plan. I have wifi available just about everywhere I use a phone. I don’t need to pay for a 3G data service a will rarely use. Verizon is adding a tidy 720.00 to their coffers for a two year contract for a service that not all customers want or need. That is quite a bit more than the unlocked, no contract phone price.
@ Ric
My thoughts exactly.
I just got mine online from Verizon for $49.
Okay, all the facts stated in the article may be true. But i already have a Verizon phone and wish to upgrade to the Palm Pre Plus, but still have about a year and a half left on my contract. So the only option would be to buy it without a contract unless I am mistaken.
@ryan
If you have a featured phone. Verizon has a promo on upgrading to a smart phone at any point in your contract. Another idea, (I haven’t tried or know the rules behind this) if your are willing to pay the full retail price of $599. then pay for the ETF of $175 and sign up for a new contract for the pre at $50… you’ll still come out on top. Don’t disclose what you are doing of course. However, threatening an early termination will cause them to most likely hook you up will the pre just to keep you as a customer.
Hey guys, at least you can buy the &&$$@ phone. im still trying to get my hands on a pre’ . still using a palm treo 680 with major damage but i dont want to have to buy any aussie LG (load of garbage), and am hoping it will hold out a few more drops on site. welcome to my world ..aussies 20yrs behind! 3g is their new invention….
So my contract is up this month and I can get the Pre Plus for free with new every two. I don’t want to spend $30/month on a data plan b/c I get wifi at home, work, and most of the places I hang out. Can I sign on for another two years to get the free Pre Plus, then switch my plan back to my old phone online and get out of the data plan? I did this with my Blackberry (the reason was legit) and had no problem, never even had to talk to a rep.
The argument, for me, is that Australia doesn’t have CDMA, and the Pre is difficult to find in GSM (it seems only in the UK and some Euro markets).
Oh, and jennifer, I feel your pain! I live out in country SA, reception is a bitch, unless you’re with Telstra, and… well, Telstra.