Originally Posted by
BigFlyer
Although it's not the question you asked - why not forego the subsidy in exchange for the lower monthly rate and take AT&Ts free financing offer. I believe you end up paying about the same per month, and there is no ambiguity about what you paid for the phone.
Make sure that makes financial sense.
This article indicates it actually comes out a little more expensive than the 2-year agreement with subsidized phone does, and since with the 2-year contractual agreement, you own your phone in the clear and can sell it (and 2-year-old iPhones still hold multiple hundreds of dollars in value on the secondhand market), you could come out a decent bit ahead that way.