Wireless, Cable & Internet Plans: Activation and Upgrade Fees
When you start a new line of service with a wireless phone carrier or upgrade your phone, you may pay an activation or upgrade fee, ranging from about $25 up to $45. Ask the carrier to waive the fee. Or watch for promotions—carriers sometimes drop the activation fee for a limited time, says Tina Chang of WhistleOut.com, a phone-plan comparison website.
Sprint, for example, recently offered a promotion for a year of free unlimited data, talking and texting and waived activation fees for those who switched to the carrier and brought their own eligible, unlocked phone to the plan. With some companies, you may avoid the upgrade fee by purchasing an unlocked phone from outside the carrier (say, from the manufacturer or on Amazon.com or eBay). Verizon Wireless charges no upgrade fee if you buy an unlocked phone and put your previous phone’s SIM card in it yourself.
