We have been getting a lot of questions on Twitter about what the Palm Pre will run without a contract and also what it will cost existing customers who want to upgrade to the device. Right now Sprint customer service is telling people that the Palm Pre will be $549 if you choose not to sign a 2 year commitment ($50 cheaper than an iPhone 3G without a contract).
This option is mainly for people who want to buy and unlock the Pre to use it with carriers other than Sprint. The majority of people will obviously end up signing a 2-year commitment and get their hands on the device for $200 after the mail in rebate.
For those of you who are already Sprint customers and looking to upgrade, the Pre’s pricing gets a bit more confusing. The Pre will cost pre-existing Sprint customers $299 or $375 after the mail in rebate, depending on which discount you qualify for.
Also, it’s worth noting that Best Buy will be selling the Pre for $200 up front, that’s right, no mail in rebate. So for those of you who are like me and hate dealing with mail in rebates - buy your Pre from Best Buy.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve been out of contract for a few months with Sprint and have planned on getting the Pre, assuming I like it when I finally get to play with one. If they think I’m going to pay $299 as an existing customer when newbies get it for $199 they’re wrong. When the Blackberry Pearl came out I called them and told them I would pay the new customer price and they said that was fine, so I’m pretty sure as long as you make it clear you’re not paying more as an existing customer than they’re charging newbies with no loyalty, you should get it at the lower price.
Will there be any pre-ordering option? (I saw the question in that chat picture.)
None of my local stores know anything yet, not even if they’ll be able to get any in for the launch date, so they haven’t been able to answer the question.
Well it’ll still be worth it, whatever the price!
I just confirmed with sprint customer service. The phone will be $299 with $100 rebate if you are out of contract. I am printing a copy of the transcript and taking it with me in case they give me any push back.
I have a cero plan and yet again I cannot buy a phone that will work with my plan. I love that when ever there is phone that is worth buy sprint screws me over again and limits the phone to the Sprint everything plan. Want a blackberry gotta pay $20 extra a monthh, want an instinct gotta change to the everything plan, want a palm treo pro, gotta pay the second highest phone price that sprint charges. I’m just bitter from all these months of waiting for the palm pre and finally hearing that its going to be release next month, but the wait was not worth it because I don’t have the right plan!
well I’m out i guess. i’m a premier customer and would get $150 off but at 299 thats 100 dollars too much. i would have settled begrudgingly for $199 but its crazy to make us pay that much…
@Matt, if you’re on SERO (no cero) you won’t get much sympathy. You should understand that there may be restrictions for people that are on unpublished, insanely discounted plans.
And to whoever wrote this post: you can’t “unlock” the Pre to use on other carriers. In fact, you can’t unlock ANY Sprint phone to work on other carriers. Sprint and Verizon use CDMA networks and you can’t unlock each carriers’ phones and use them on the other carrier’s network. It doesn’t work like it does in the at&t/t-mo world of GSM networks.
I have been a Palm Treo power user/lover ever since it came out and I live in one of the biggest cell phone/smart phone markets in the world (Miami). I have seriously been considering switching to Sprint just so I can use the new Pre. So when I go into the local Sprint stores to see the new Pre, I expect the “Advocate” to bring that little sucker out and show me what it does without question. (No “pre-qualifying” me.) Instead, I am told that they do not have it in yet, (Big lie) and that while the phone is capable of multitasking Sprint’s network is not. (Big mistake)
I’m sorry but I just won’t be switching to Sprint and it’s now doubtful that I will wait for the Pre to be available unlocked to use on another network. Palm had their chance to keep me and they blew it. The only question now is: who will get my business?
Sprint is lying when they say they don’t have it in!! They’ve had it them in the store since mid May. My sister is a manager a the sprint store. She is going to tell me what I need to know about this phone. Forget the whole right to privacy thing that they aren’t suppose to share. Sprint has this phone in already!!! They (Sprint) are training 1-2 personel/reps in every store nationwide on everything about this phone. So that when it does release (June 6th) the stores/reps won’t look so stupid as they ususally do selling top notch phones with out really knowint the degree of the phone and its capabilities.
I arrived at the local Sprint store at 10 this morning, and waited in line for over half an hour.
When I finally reached the counter, I was told “We actually don’t have any more, but we can ship when they become avail…”
I interrupted and asked why they did not tell all the people waiting in line that. I was told…”We aren’t allowed to say that.” They aren’t allowed to say that to the people waiting?
I did the other people in line a favor, loudly saying “They don’t have any more Pres, and they won’t tell you that.” as I left. The entire line left as well.
I am going to switch and get an iPhone, something I should have done years ago. GOODBYE, Sprint. This is not how you treat a customer of over a decade!
I had the worst customer service ever the day I decieded to look at the palm pre…I did not even get to look at it, before the rep asked me if I was already with sprint. Then he took me to the computer to determin my price before letting me look at it… 445.00, and that’s after my upgrade discount. I told him that’s ridculous, when new customers get it for 199.99, he continued to argue with me & and treated me like I was stupid. Well then Sprint called to see how my service was, I told them…they advised me that was wrong and they would have someone contact me….well they did…This person was just as bad…very arguementative, especially when I told him I am considering switching to AT&T. I did not think I would ever get off the phone with this RUDE rep. Wow this is the first carrier, that was soo “strict” about company policies even if it means losing a customer….Oh well, I think they will be loosing me very soon, if not right when my contract is over, I am gone!
Iphone G3S Here I come!!
Wrong. I am an existing Sprint customer for over 8 years. I went to the store to go purchase one and the man said it cost $508 for me because the $199 deal is only for new customers. Thanks a lot Sprint. You’ve just pissed a lot of customers off.
Word