How to spend $1,000 on your Verizon iPhone without even trying

Verizon customers will be able to switch to an iPhone 4, but it might get costly.The costs of switching to an iPhone on Verizon could add up
Recent Verizon phone buyers would get a $200 rebate, but could lose the iPhone discount
Early-termination fees, new data plans could also pile onEditor's note: Amy Gahran writes about mobile tech for CNN.com. She is a San Francisco Bay Area writer and media consultant whose blog, Contentious.com, explores how people communicate in the online age.

(CNN) -- Now that Verizon is about to start selling the iPhone 4, there's a lot of buyer's remorse in the air.

Over the recent holiday season, many people purchased Android, BlackBerry, and other smartphone models from Verizon.

In an apparent attempt to ease (or perhaps capitalize on) customer grousing, Verizon is offering to reduce the cost of switching to its iPhone 4. On Tuesday, Boy Genius Report noted that Verizon's iPhone 4 FAQ page now includes this item:

Q: I just purchased a new smartphone during the holiday season, but if I knew that iPhone 4 was going to be available soon I would have waited. What are my options now?

A: Current Verizon customers who purchased and activated new smartphones, feature phones or certified pre-owned phones between Nov. 26, 2010, and Jan. 10 2011, are eligible to receive up to a $200 Visa debit card when they purchase an iPhone 4 at full retail price by Feb. 28, 2011 and return their existing phone. Note: This offer is only available on consumer accounts with five lines or less, who are purchasing iPhone 4 through Verizon Wireless retail stores, telesales, or through verizonwireless.com.

So, what's the "full retail price?" According to Verizon Wireless, iPhone 4 prices start at $200 for the 16GB model. But that's the subsidized promotional price that comes with a new two-year contract.

Farther down in the FAQ, they note that the "iPhone 4 will also be available for purchase at full retail price: $649.99 for the 16GB model, and $749.99 for the 32GB model."

That's a pretty steep price tag. I doubt many customers would think getting a $200 rebate would sufficiently offset that expense.

But for any smartphone, the cost for the device is only the beginning. Data plan costs -- and their associated terms, limitations, and extra fees -- constitute most of what users pay over the life of the phone.

So far, Verizon has not revealed prices and terms for data plans for its iPhone 4. If some of the carrier's existing plans for other smartphones are applied to the iPhone 4, then it's likely that customers already on those plans would just be able to swap their phones.

However, if you'd need to switch to a new plan in order to use the iPhone 4, it's unclear whether early termination fees would apply. These can run as high as several hundred dollars, especially for recently purchased phones.

Verizon's advanced devices page notes that its early termination fees can run up to $350. Generally, early termination fees are higher the sooner after purchase that you cancel a contract -- which would be the case for Verizon smartphones purchased over the period covered by this rebate.

You could sell your current Verizon smartphone on eBay or Craigslist, and probably get more than $200 for it. But you'd still be stuck with your existing Verizon contract, which you may or may not be able to use with a Verizon iPhone4. And Verizon's $200 trade-in rebate requires that you return your old phone. So unless you sell your current phone for well over $200, this probably wouldn't be a good deal.

So here's the bottom line:

Say you bought a Motorola Droid Pro from Verizon on Dec. 24, 2010. You paid $180 for this device after a $100 mail-in rebate (which means that right now you're probably still waiting to receive that rebate debit card, even if you remembered to file the paperwork promptly).

But you really, really want a Verizon iPhone 4. So you select a package of talk, text, and data service that, with fees and taxes, ends up costing about $110 per month for 24 months.

When Verizon's iPhone 4 comes out, you swap in your phone and wait to get your $200 rebate card. In the meantime you're $650 out of pocket on the new phone.

If you're lucky, the iPhone 4 plan will cost no more than your current plan. But if you have to cancel your old contract and get a new one, you might have to pay another $350 for early termination.

So that's $930 in total device costs, minus $300 in total rebates due, for $630 in net device costs. Plus a possible ETF penalty of $350. That brings the total potential iPhone 4 swap cost to $980. And meanwhile, you're paying $110 per month or so for service. (The economics could be better for Verizon customers with family plans.)

Bottom line is: that $200 rebate probably won't really make this switch cheap, or even affordable, for most Verizon customers. Some people will still do it, of course -- and the phone-swap rebate might be enough to nudge some people over the edge into iPhone territory.

But I'm sure they'll still grouse about it.

The opinions expressed in this post are solely those of Amy Gahran. Thanks to Lisa Williams of Placeblogger for suggesting this headline.

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How to Switch from AT&T to the Verizon iPhone

A Verizon iPhone: You knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. Now that the moment has finally arrived, you're ready to make the switch. But how much is it going to cost you? And what are you going to do with that AT&T iPhone?

Early Termination Fees
As the old adage goes, you can't get something for nothing, so you're going to have to pay some early termination fees if you choose to opt out of your AT&T contract before it ends.

If you signed up prior to June 1, 2010, AT&T's early termination fee is $175, minus $5 for each full month of service commitment that you have already completed. So if you bought an iPhone in June 2009, your early termination fee will be $85 if you cancel before the end of January. Not bad.

If you signed up on or after June 1, 2010, AT&T's early termination fee is $325, minus $10 for each full month of service commitment already completed. So if you just signed with AT&T when the iPhone 4 came out at the end of June, you're looking at a $265 early termination fee if you decide to sever ties with AT&T before the end of the month.

If you couldn't hold out and just bought an iPhone 4 around the holidays, you're (sort of) in luck. You can terminate your contract with AT&T within 30 days of signing, provided you pay for any service fees and charges you have already incurred.

If you are terminating your contract within the 30-day window and bought your iPhone directly from AT&T as part of the contract agreement, you must return the phone to AT&T or you will be subject to pay an equipment fee that is equal to the maximum amount of the difference between the full retail price of the phone (without a contract) and the amount you actually paid for it. You may also be subject to a 10 percent restocking fee.

In layman's terms, if you terminate your contract within 30 days and don't return your iPhone to AT&T you will be forced to pay its entire retail price to keep it (which can be as much as a whopping $699 for the 32GB version). Keep in mind that you can't use your AT&T iPhone on Verizon's network, so make sure to return it ASAP.

What to do with an old iPhone
Once you've made the switch to Verizon and find yourself stuck with a useless AT&T device, don't start using it as a hockey puck yet. Just because you've decided to make the switch to Verizon doesn't mean that everyone else has.

Chances are there are plenty of people out there who would be willing to take that old iPhone off of your hands—especially if they live overseas where a GSM cell phone with a SIM card slot could potentially used on another network. You should able to sell your old phone on eBay if the price is right. Craigslist is another good option, but beware of scammers.

Before you sell your phone make sure to wipe it clean of all your personal content. Select Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Keep in mind that this process may take a little while, so it's best to do this before you're already on your way to the post office to ship your phone out to the highest bidder.

There are also Web sites like nextworth.com, that, at the time of this writing, are willing to pay $408.30 for a like-new 32GB iPhone 4, which isn't a bad deal at all. In addition to this, there are some retail stores like Target, for example, that offer credit for old electronic devices. Depending on the condition of your phone, you can receive anywhere from a few bucks to as much as $200, which should help offset those early termination fees. Radio Shack has also offered trade-in credit for iPhones in the past, so you may want to check to see if it brings back this offer.

Of course, you can also choose to keep your old iPhone. Even though you will no longer be able to make calls, text, or go online via its 3G connection, the iPhone is still a killer PMP. When stripped of its cell phone powers, it essentially becomes an iPod touch. You can still use the phone to access the Internet and the App Store over Wi-Fi. When you're not in reach of a wireless network, you can still listen to music, watch and record video, take pictures, or use any of the apps you've already downloaded that don't require a 3G connection.

Even without the phone, the iPhone is still a pretty useful all-around device. But if you're switching from AT&T to Verizon just to get one, you already knew that.

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