Best deal on a new contract?

[netter123]

I'm currently with AT&T and thinking of moving to T-mobile when the Mytouch hits next month. I'm planning to sign up for two of them on a family plan (for my wife and I). Any suggestions on how to try and get the best deal possible from them?

Currently, I'm thinking I'll probably order the phones and service through Amazon, where the options for $30 for unlimited data and $10 for unlimited text per line. I'm hoping that within the first couple weeks while I'm still in my trial period, I would be able to call T-mobile and negotiate a lower price for the plan by threatening to return to AT&T. Thoughts?

Does anyone know if it's possible to negotiate plan/data package prices directly from T-mobile as a new customer? And if I did that, possibly still get a discount on the phone as well (since I'm expecting it to be cheaper through Amazon)?

Any experiences or ideas about negotiating the best deal with T-mobile as a new customer would be appreciated.

 

[NunyaBidnez]

I copied and pasted a post I made a couple of months ago. Hopefully it'll provide you with some useful information that will allow to make an informed decision.

***SECRET TO GETTING A FREE PHONE***

(Well, virtually free)

You're probably used to buying phones on contract so here's a way to get a new android phone "virtually free" from T-mobile without signing a two year agreement. I will be using the 500 minute + unlimited text + unlimited web plan with the "MyTouch 3G Slide" phone for the following example, though it'll work for nearly all the Plans available with T-mobile.

T-mobile offers the above plan in two forms: The "Even More Plus" plan and the similarly titled "Even More" Plan. The "Even More Plus" plan cost $60 per month with no contract. The only stipulation is that you pay the full retail price ($430) for the phone. The second option, the "Even More" Plan, costs $80 per month and offers a subsidized ($180) phone but requires a two year agreement. Since the "Even More Plus" plan is $20 cheaper per month, at the end of 24 months, you would have saved $480, which more than covers the cost of purchasing the phone at full retail value.
($20 x 24 months = $480 in savings - $430 phone = Free phone + $50 extra saved)

Now here's where it gets really interesting:
T-mobile offers an "Equipment Installment Plan" which allows you to pay off the cost of the phone over the course of 20 months. For the MyTouch 3G Slide that comes out to $21.50 per month ($430/20 months = $21.50). For 20 months you'll pay $81.50 ($60 plan + $21.50 EIP) but after that your phone is paid off and in the last 4 months you only pay for the $60 plan. After 24 months, your total costs for the "Even More Plus" plan with a MyTouch 3G Slide will be $1870, with the added bonus of not being under contract.

Compare that to the "Even More" contract plan which will cost you $80 per month for 24 months, plus an additional $180 for the subsidized phone. At the end of two years you would be spending $2100 and be locked into a contract.

Hopefully I have explained this well enough to show you that subsidized phones end up costing the consumer more money in the end, and takes away your freedom to change carriers by locking you into a contract.

 

[Artemis68]

For newer customers, I think EM+ is best.

Of course, I am under contract with T-Mobile but I have an older grandfathered plan that's great and I'm saving over the newer ones. But the current EM? No way, they stink. Go with EM+ and pay for the phone in 20 installments. You roughly pay the same per month as EM but that's WITH the phone included, plus you're not under contract.