To all the 2degrees, Spark, One NZ and other reps,
I want to purchase an iPhone 15 Pro.
I don't mind going on a $90 or below plan for a few months. I'm currently on a Spark $90 on-account plan with free Spotify.
What is the best way/strategy to buy an iPhone and save as much as possible?
I also have an iPhone 10 that I want to exchange.
Cheers.
To a degree I prefer buying used phones.
I usually go a gen behind and looking for a bargain… although at the moment phones are just so similar to each other year-on-year that I couldn't imagine a lay person being able to tell the difference between an iphone x and 15 in a case except for the new notch. Out of a case 12 and 15 are more or less identical and my nan would never know
Exactly. People who aren't good with money and are materialistic typically go for the latest phones. Phones have gotten so good these days that the upgrades are very minor and incremental. Even a mid-range phone is plenty decent for most people. My $550 Poco F5 Pro is way cheaper than an iPhone SE 3rd Gen that costs like $900 and everything about my phone (camera, battery life, etc) are just way better and more value for money. But some people will always pay $$$ for the latest and greatest iPhone and they do this on a yearly or bi-annual basis, but what's the point? That's how you become poor, by making poor financial decisions. That's why most people will never be able to reach the 1%.
I used to work for a place that sells phones and does finance, sometimes interest bearing finance…. and naturally Im not a registered financial advisor, so all I could do was grit my teeth and mention ALL of our financing offers.
Some people treat the difference between their outgoings and income like free money. It's insane. I once signed someone up for 12m interest bearing for something right on the minimum purcahse, which mightve been $500. At ~26% interest with a $50 fee. It wasn't even a necessity product from memory.
Admittedly, Im using a pixel 7 now. I purchased it as a bit of a milestone celebration for myself. Im hoping to get 3 years out of it before I even start thinking about another one. A few years ago (before getting and subsequently no longer having work phones) I hopped every 8-12 months, never the latest … but trademe / marketplace bargains. Now that just sounds like work for no gain
Bit late now, but 2degrees offer a bonus discount for trade in.
I've checked, now you get $400 off on $75 monthly plan (https://www.2degrees.nz/shop/mobile-phones/apple/iphone-15-p…) and you can trade in your iPhone X for an extra $205 based on their online calculator.
I got a 15 pro max last week using this exact deal. I also had an iPhone X I wanted to trade (great condition, everything works etc) but 2 degrees actually refused, despite what the online calculator said.
There's also a black friday special on 2Degrees with 50% off for 6 months (min. 9 month term)
So you could save an additional $225 with a $75/month plan.
Actually, I'm not sure you can get both discounts together… at least not online… I would give them a call or drop into a store and try you're luck!
Oh no, what was the bonus discount if I may ask?
As the others have mentioned above $x off the new iphone 15. From memory it was $600 off before. Right now it's $400 off when you're on $75per month plan.
Thanks a lot. I'm currently with Spark with the free Spotify plan and wanted to keep being with them only due to their incredible network, so was wondering if they have any deals as such or upcoming? Also, any cheapies member who works for Spark know a loophole for pricematching etc?
2degrees have half off plans for 6 months various retailers sell their plans and usually give some form of freebie or discount as a part of it.
Go Kogan and use the money saved towards your new phone.
Exactly! 365 day plan on BOGOF for the wife and I, cheap as chips!
Agree with others, what is in $90 plan which you can't get in let's say $40 or less plan(Kogan is even cheaper). If you add up that difference across 24months that's quite a lot.
Never get the latest model, always get a prior gen, you're honestly missing nothing. The phone industry hasn't been innovative for years now.
To anyone using a phone as a status symbol to fulfil their self esteem needs, please rethink this strategy and the people you surround yourself with!!! And what happened to only using credit for something that will net you more money in the long term? If you can’t buy a luxury good outright there’s never a good reason to finance it 😤
A bit of a paradox here, as buying a phone as part of a mobile plan is never the way to save money. Personally, I think paying $90 for a mobile plan is pretty ridiculous, considering that it's rather overkill. You could get a decent fiber connection at $70 or less with much better speeds. As for Spotify, I personally don't have a need for premium. I can skip ads completely on both Android and PC. Haven't heard an ad in years. There are solutions out there on Github if you just Google. I get unlimited data and call/text as part of my company's mobile plan anyway, so I have no need to pay for a mobile plan. Not to mention you can get a Kogan SIM card for $5 and get like 15GB of data for 30 days. That should be plenty for most people and should cover most messaging/call situations (Whatsapp, Messenger, etc) as nobody really uses text or traditional calls anymore.
As for the iPhone itself, I'd personally look up 2nd hand ones on TM or FB marketplace. My gf bought her iPhone 14 new for $1100 when it was going for $1500+. Plenty of good deals out there that can immediately save you $$$. By the time your plan comes to 12~24 months term, a new phone would have been out and you probably would be still paying over the retail value eventually.