When you purchase a device from a carrier, you have to pay an activation fee on top of the price of the product. At AT&T, the activation fee used to be $36, but it seems the carrier has decided to charge more to activate the devices.
Recently, AT&T decided to increase the activation for customers purchasing new devices from the carrier to $40, a bump of a minor $4. The bump in the fees also applies to upgrades as well.
This makes AT&T price higher than its competitor, with Sprint charging $36 while Verizon charges $35. It’s a move to push people to use AT&T’s Next Program, as customers often find contracts to be a hassle.
Activation Fee
The activation fee is a $40 one-time charge for activating a new line of service with us. An activation fee is applied to each device added to a new wireless account and each additional device added to an existing account. The activation fee will be added to your first or next bill.
Upgrade Fee
The upgrade fee is a $40 one-time charge that applies when you purchase a new wireless device at a discount to replace an old device. The upgrade fee will be added to your next bill.
What do you think about this move from AT&T? Well, personally I prefer off-contract handsets as you’re not bound, what about you?
Source: Android Police
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