After cutting prices on many of its smartphones, AT&T increased its early upgrade fees. The increased fees are only for customers who are not eligible for a discounted two-year upgrade price.
The AT&T smartphone upgrade is increased by $50. AT&T customers who want to buy a smartphone early with a one-year contract will have their fees increased by $150.
"We've updated our early upgrade and no commitment price points for
smartphones and feature phones," said an AT&T spokesperson. "Only
customers who are not yet upgrade eligible or who do not want to sign a
contract are impacted. As mobile devices become more sophisticated,
their cost goes up. This change reflects the increased costs, while
still allowing us to offer customers the latest device before they
qualify. We're happy to discuss individual account and upgrade needs
one-on-one with customers."
We like that last sentence. You could try crying, "I'm going to buy an
iPhone or HTC ThunderBolt at Verizon" to see if that works.
AT&T is also raising the early upgrade fee on quick messaging
phones by $10 for a one-year contract and $20 for a two-year contract.
In October, AT&T increased the early upgrade fee from $75 to $200 except for the iPhone.