Hi Folks,
What’s your strategy for getting the best value out of your money when it comes to mobile costs (device + plan)?
My approach has been to buy the previous year’s flagship outright at a heavily discounted price (usually around 50% off the original RRP, in the $700–800 range) and keep it for about 4 years.
This has worked well so far: I used a Huawei Mate 7 Pro for 4 years, then a Huawei Mate 10 Pro for 4 years, and now I’ve been using an S22 Ultra for the past 2 years. Retired phones usually get passed down to a parent or sibling overseas.
For my mobile plan, I’ve been on Boost Mobile’s $300 annual plan — mainly because it includes international calls, which my parents use to keep in touch with relatives.
Looking at my replacement pattern, my total telecommunication cost works out to roughly $500 per year ($200/year for the device, plus $300/year for the plan).
How much do you guys spend annually on your phone + plan?
And what’s your strategy for getting the best value?
When wife was first using the phone, battery was lasting a long time. With constant use of social media + taking many photos/videos, it drains much faster than mine even though I play a game 'war and order' almost every 30mins. I believe the battery was brand new but degraded based on her usage.