The joys of ditching your cell phone contract

In the times we live in, everyone has a cell phone and everyone has a cell phone bill.... unless you are a hipster then your parents pay it but that is besides the point. Cell phone bills are generally tied into the 2 year contract that you pay each month for around...... 70-80 bucks depending on what phone you have but most people have smart phones and most people visiting hubpages also have smart phones because they were smart enough to load up the internet and navigate it. When picking out a phone we generally also get a nicer phone that starts around $100 if you want something newer and up to $200 for the latest and greatest iPhone or other Android device. So if we do the math we pay about $1700 on our 2 year contract and then the cost of the phone. Why has this become normal in a age where technology has gotten so much better but prices go up? Providers are taking away unlimited plans and also not offering as many options making you pay $20 for an unlimited text plan that cost virtually nothing. I recently got out of my contract and switched to a pre paid plan and I am more than happy at what I have done. I spend $30 a month for unlimited data/text and 100 minutes of talking which is fine since I hate people and don't talk to anyone anyway. At $30 dollars a month that means I spend $720 over two years which is a $1000 dollars savings over the life of someone who has a phone on a 2 year contract. Cell phones are one of our most "needed" things that we use on a everyday basis. They have become our lifeline to the world, productivity, fun, friends, family, porn, games, Craigslist, and pretty much everything else you can think of. Service providers know this and they take full advantage of our need for their products and service. Hopefully this quick little article can shed some light on how you can save a few bucks and what it means to be truly free and off a contract.

Most people don't even know what going off contract means or how to even go about it. This isn't a full tutorial on how do it but it gives you the reasons why it rocks my socks off.

• What it means: You basically buy a phone at full retail and then pay monthly to have service on whatever carrier you choose to use. This differs from a contract because you can leave them at any time without having to pay an early termination fee. It is a month to month agreement that you can be free to do whatever you wish.
• Why is the plan cheaper: Pre paid plans are much cheaper because the provider is just providing the cell phone service and not the price of the phone. When you sign up for a contract you generally get a phone at a cheaper price but to make up for that, they charge you a ton more for your service plan and make a lot more money over the 2 years.
• How do you get a phone: You have to buy a phone off for retail value, that means you pay what the phone actually cost rather than the discounted price that you would pay for a contract. For example an iPhone runs I believe $650 without a contract. I bought a Nexus straight from Google which cost me $350 which in my opinion is far better than an iPhone but then you won't be as cool as everyone else at Starbucks. So that is the first step, the term is Unlocked which you can actually unlock current phones you have once your contract expires.
• No carrier add on crap: When you get a phone off contract there is usually never any added on carrier apps or programs such as Verizon Navigator, or one of AT&Ts managers. Those programs are annoying and really who uses them? Also, let's say Google comes out with a new update to Android, if you are on a carrier you have to wait for the carrier to allow the update rather than just get it when it first comes out. Carriers can dictate what you put on your phone.
• Benefits: Cheaper plans, freedom to move from carrier to carrier at any time, no carrier restrictions, phone retains better value unlocked, no contracts, great phones, it's your phone, you do what you want, when you want, how you want.... why you want?
  
  
• Negatives: Phone is more money upfront (which isn't really bad when you make up for it in a 2 months), some carriers don't allow all phones, a little confusing if you have never done it before, you will have to explain to everyone why you pay so much less and it gets annoying after a while
• Why is it better for baby Jesus? Contracts are the Devil, and baby Jesus... man oh man he does not like the Devil

So there you go. The quick look at why unlocked phones can save you a ton of money and hopefully a little help into what it all means. You can comment and ask any questions you may have. Hope you enjoyed it.