Originally Posted by
CPRich
Previous plans with "discounted" phones just build the $20+ (after your $200 up front) into the monthly rate. You end up paying the same - nothing is for free.
Or in many cases more, since, as you note, you have to pay $200 upfront, plus the more expensive rate plan.
At this point everyone seems to be roughly in the same ballpark for pricing, give or take. T-Mobile's free international data is huge for me, so it's worth paying a bit more (though in my case it's a bit less) for.