How I Got Our Cell Phones for Minus $220

A couple of years ago, we decided to finally give in and join the cell phone generation. Not too much for major day-to-day use but to have for 'just-in-case' and to be able to keep in touch with each other. So I checked around and researched family plans and found the one that seemed to give us the best bang for the buck (ours happens to be T-Mobile but everyone should figure out the right carrier/plan for themselves).

I went looking around at the local cell phone dealers and they all had phones that they would give free if we signed up for an annual contract... but those phones were usually low-end models. They did have some nicer phones available and they would offer discounts on those (like a $200 phone for $75), but I was questioning adding the cost of a phone on top of a cell plan.

I decided to do a little digging on the internet, just to see what was available. And was I surprised.

There were a bunch of companies offering the same cell phone plans and phones, but with much better incentives. One I found was offering the $200 phone I had seen at the dealer, not for $75, not even for free, but actually offering a $110 rebate per phone if we signed up for a family plan with a minimum of two lines! Yes, we were getting the phone for free PLUS a total of $220 back, for what we would've had to have paid $150 if we bought two locally.

The cost of the service plan was a fixed price from T-Mobile, so it wasn't as if this were something of a come-on to buy equipment that they would make up the difference on the service side. Since any needed later dealings with the cell phone company would be through the carrier anyway, buying over the internet as opposed to local wouldn't make a major difference (I did research the company a bit to make sure they stood behind the phones if somehow they arrived defective etc.).

So the choice was pretty simple, to get the service plan and the phones we really liked, and to pocket $220 (about a third of the cost of the annual service plan) in the process.

I will note that the deal did involve submitting two separate rebates with somewhat higher restrictions (one rebate had to be submitted after the second month of service but before 90 days and the second after 6 months of service but before 210 days). Still, as long as I paid attention to the rules and time frames, it was still pretty straightforward.

To help remember them, I kept the papers hanging on a refrigerator magnet for a bit less danger of it being in the back of my mind and having the dates pass. And when the time came, I made copies of the needed bills and receipts and got all my rebates back timely, all $220 of them. It made me feel like I had gotten or first year of cell phone service at a third off (and having nicer phones to boot).

So if you need to buy a service that is filled with tons of competitors selling a service provided by a larger company, such as cell phones, satellite TV, and so on, take some time to see the deals possible on the web and you may find them too good to pass up.