How to Decide if the Sprint Upgrade Fee Is Worth Paying

Sprint is a popular cell phone service that offers many popular choices and advantages. One of the features that users enjoy most is the ability to upgrade from one Sprint phone to another. For customers who maintain an account in good standing that does not have any unpaid or past due balances, Sprint offers these upgrades that are particularly in demand for the newer iPhone models. For example, they are offering upgrades to iPhone Forever lease plans and models these days.

The downside to this wonderful upgrade feature is that Sprint charges for the convenience. When they introduced these fees, they were only $18, a relatively small surcharge to pay to be able to get the latest and greatest iPhone model on the market. The problem is that Sprint got wise to the great deal they were offering and subsequently raised the charge to $36, no longer an inconsequential amount. Because all of us want a more affordable cell phone plan without being too cheap and getting poor service, the question many users find themselves asking now centers on the question of value. Is the Spring upgrade fee worth paying at the steeper prices?

What Customers Get for the Upgrade Fee
It is important to think about what all is entailed with doing this upgrade. On the one hand, there is the $36 fee, but on the other is the fact that Sprint will require customers to enter into an extension or renewal of contract in order to qualify. These leases are typically two years.

With the iPhone Forever plan, Sprint is offering more of a club membership than simply a one time upgrade. Customers gain the privilege of having the next iPhone when it launches. Another thing to consider is that Sprint will not guarantee that the monthly payment amount will remain the same. They also will not promise customers a certain phone selection, or fixed rates for the service plan. If a customer chooses not to go ahead with the upgrade because of the fee involved, then he or she will still have to finish up the existing lease term before escaping from the plan. More information on this upgrade and special leasing club is available at Sprint’s website.

Is It Worth The Cost?
To decide if the Sprint upgrade fee is a good value or not, customers have to come to grips with how badly they want to have the latest and greatest iPhone or other smartphone on the market every time it comes out. Iphones have a habit of selling out quickly and becoming backordered. Not having a way to reserve one in advance of its being released could mean not having the latest model and coolest cell phone when everyone else does. That is a steep personal status and prestige price to pay to save $36.

Alternatives to Paying the Upgrade Fee And Still Getting A Newer Phone
There is another way for Sprint customers to obtain a newer cell phone than the model they currently have without paying the upgrade fee. This involves buying an unlocked cell phone that can come with all of the desired features at a far lower cost than what Sprint, or any other cell phone provider would charge for it for that matter. In fact these unlocked cell phones are commonly available for approximately half as much as the major carriers like Sprint charge for the phone. So a phone that Sprint would sell for $800 would only be $400 this way. The unlocked cell phone can take the Simcard from Sprint or any other carrier.

The problem with this solution in the example is that now the customers are paying $400 for a phone that they could have obtained for only the $36 upgrade fee plus a two year contract extension and a monthly lease plan. In the longer run, it may save money to pay the steep unlocked phone price upfront and not come out of pocket the monthly lease fees and upgrade fee. Still, fronting even half the price Sprint would charge for the newer phone without extending the plan is a lot of money at one time.