What are the cheapest plans for an iPhone?

Getting the cheapest iPhone plan isn’t only about getting a great deal on your phone ‘ but there’s also the monthly payment to consider.

Looking at all the factors — the upfront phone cost vs. the monthly payment cost compared with data charges — will help you determine which cellular phone company’s plan and phone cost will work best for you.

In our research, here are some of the best deals we’ve found on the iPhone 7 purchase and coordinating data plans. We’ve included both pay upfront deals on phones and pay in monthly installment deals on phones.

Before you switch cell phone carriers, though, it’s important to read the fine print.

Now, onto some of the best iPhone 7 deals.

Cheapest pay upfront iPhone 7 Plans

Boost

iPhone 7 pay up front price: $449
$30/month for 2GB of 4G LTE
$35/month for 3GB of 4G
$40/month for 4GB of 4G

Boost definitely had the best price on phones and a great deal on data plans as well. Note that the data prices are for customers enrolled in Auto Re-Boost, Boost’s monthly service plan discount that is available to all single-line customers and the primary customer on family plans.

If you choose not to enroll in Auto Re-Boost and pay manually each month instead, there is a $5 per month increase on each data plan.

Boost offers no-contract plans for their customers and you can keep your existing number when you make the switch.

Virgin

iPhone 7 pay up front price: $549
$35/month for 5GB of 4G
$45/month for 10GB of 4G

While the Virgin phone price is $100 higher than the Boost price, it’s still a competitive price compared to most cellular phone companies.

Virgin is also one of several cellular phone companies that will buy your phone if you purchase a phone from them.

Virgin offers no-contract plans for customers, you can keep your existing cellular phone number and they have great prices on international calling as well.

Sprint

iPhone 7 pay up front price: $649
$30/month for 3GB of 4G
$45/month for 6GB of 4G

Although Sprint’s phone price is higher than Virgin and Boost, their data prices are competitive and they have great values on other plans such as occasional specialized deals on multi-line plans (currently $22.50 per month for four lines with unlimited 4G LTE data for the first year).

Like most other cellular companies, you can bring your existing phone number to Sprint.

Call 855-644-7554 for more details.

Cheapest pay monthly for your iPhone 7 plans

Consumer Cellular

$650, or $50 upfront and 24 additional payments of $25/month
$30/month for 3GB of 4G ($55 per month with phone)
$40/month for 5GB of 4G ($65 per month with phone)

Consumer Cellular wins our pay-per-month for your phone pricing search, with plan/phone payments as low as $55 a month.

Consumer Cellular also offers no-contract plans, and you can change your plan as often as you’d like without incurring any additional charges.

Additional discounts are available for AARP members as well.

Verizon Wireless

$649 up front, or $0 down and $27.08 per month for the phone
$35/month for 2GB of 4G ($62.08 per month with phone)
$50/month for 4GB of 4G ($77.09 per month with phone)

Although they don’t offer as great of a deal as Consumer Cellular, Verizon still runs fairly competitively pricing on their phone and their data plans. However, Verizon does require that a contract be signed on some of their plans.

On the positive side, they also offer a 15% discount on their service plans to active military members and veterans.

Simple Mobile

$36.98 for 24 months ($887.52 total)
$40/month for 4GB of 4G ($76.98 per month with phone)
$50/month for 5GB of 4G ($86.98 per month with phone)

While Simple Mobile does charge more for their iPhone 7, they do break it down into affordable monthly payments.

Like Boost and other cellular companies, Simple Mobile also offers a discount on the monthly plan fees of between $2.50 and $5.00 if you enroll in their Auto Re-Up program, which automates your monthly plan payments using a debit or credit card.

Should I lease my iPhone 7 or buy it outright?

Some cellular phone companies, such as Sprint, offer lease options available for the iPhone 7 instead of outright purchases. You might be asking: Is it a better deal to lease a smartphone or to purchase it?

Personally, I’m not a big fan of leasing in general. When you buy your phone you own it. That means you can later sell it or trade it in if you’re looking to upgrade.

But if you’re set on exploring the leasing option, here are a couple of questions you can ask yourself before making a decision on which option is right for you.

How long do you plan on keeping the phone?

The general rule here is that the longer you plan on keeping your phone, the more cost-efficient it will be to purchase it outright. If you’re someone who likes to trade in your phone every time a new model comes out, you may be better off leasing.

Have you worked the numbers for both scenarios?

Every cellular phone company runs leasing and purchasing pricing a bit differently. While it’s generally a bit less expensive to lease, it’s important for you to compare all of the costs and terms when deciding whether you should lease or buy your iPhone 7.

Part of good money management begins with assessing each expense — I like to call this the Challenge Everything Budget — you have and determining how you can lower that expense in order to increase the amount of cash you have to save and invest each month.

Since cellular phone service can be expensive, shopping around for the best prices and service value will be worth your time and may just help you grow your wealth.

Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone (not those of any companies, products or services mentioned) and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Scam alert: Fake iPhone apps

Source: Scam alert: Fake iPhone apps by Clark on Rumble