Although not listed on their website as of yet, Telus has confirmed to our source that a new tier of “Your Choice” plans called “Premium Plus” will cater to those that want to put a smaller ‘down payment’ on their new device, and then make larger monthly payments. You will pay for the device one way or another, but this gives users that may be scrapped for cash to put less out-of-pocket cash up front and distribute the higher balance over the remainder of the term by paying an extra $10 per month on their monthly plan.
This type of arrangement allows a user to get that phone they have always wanted – for instance; you can purchase a 64GB iPhone 6S by paying only $360 – not the usual $610. The Samsung Galaxy S7 with 32GB of storage would only be $50 upfront rather than $250. The purchase and activation are listed as “in store only,” possibly, as an incentive to make purchases at retail stores rather than on-line. For those that would rather pay more upfront and a lower monthly rate, those plans are still available. Telus told our source that this new plan is for those “who value lower upfront costs.”
The Premium Plus plans will cost customers $65 for 300 local minutes, $70 for unlimited local calling, and $75 for unlimited nationwide calling. The price of data is included as a separate option – starting for $25 for 1GB – putting the price of a Premium Plus Plan with unlimited nationwide calling with 1GB of Data at $100 before all of the taxes are applied. The idea is not to give you the lowest price – just options in how you pay for your new device.
Smartphones are becoming increasingly sophisticated and expensive. There once was a time when the carriers ‘ate’ the high price by way of subsiding the cost of the device, figuring that they would make up the difference by making the customer sign a 2-3 year term agreement. Those days are long gone as carriers look to find ways to make more money off of each user – Average Revenue Per User or Average Revenue Per Unit (ARPU) – is the term used for financial reports. The cost of maintaining, expanding, and upgrading a mobile wireless network is tremendous. While these new plans do not actually lower the overall costs, they do allow you to determine the cash flow that suits your budget.