Buying An iPhone
Outright / Prepaid / Contract Free

As a smartphone customer, you might have looked at phone plans and prices in the past and wondered to yourself, "who on earth would ever consider buying an iPhone outright?"

And you have a point.  An iPhone will cost you hundreds of dollars more if you don't buy it on a plan  - which is what "buying it outright" means - and what's more, for that price, you won't even have any phone service.  You'd just have an iPhone that can't call anyone. What a ripoff, right?  Just look at the prices for smartphones if you buy them outright!

Well, not so fast.  For a lot of people, buying an iPhone outright makes a lot of sense.  Let's consider a few of those people:

Travelers

Why travelers?  Because some travelers want to use an iPhone but don't want the costs associated with being stuck on a network's plan - heck, they don't even want the network, period.  Some people "unlock" their iPhones which allows them to go with other call plans, including buying calling cards.  For international travel, this can actually save a lot of money and reduces roaming charges if not eliminating them completely.  Buying the iPhone outright for several hundred dollars more might seem like a heck of an investment, but it's actually saving them money every month because they're not on the long term 24 month plan.

Money savers

Some people would consider buying an iPhone but realize that if they go with a much cheaper phone plan and unlock their iPhone, they'll save hundreds of dollars over the next year.  Yes, you save money on the iPhone when you buy it on a post-paid contract, but you also sign a commitment to pay thousands of dollars over the next year or two.  Some people have crunched the numbers and simply figure an iPhone is cheaper to have if they buy it outright and determine their own plan. Even if you don't think that this is "your sort of thing," it can be worth a try.

What's the best option for you?  There's no way you shouldn't at least give heavy consideration to buying an iPhone outright.  A lot of people aren't sure how to handle it - they'd rather just sign a contract and let it be done with - but for the savvy customer, there are other options available. 

Don't simply accept the contract because it's how many people usually buy it; really dig in and ask if it's the right choice for you.