Total cost of ownership · 36-month horizon
Every scenario below is settled in full at the end of the horizon: unpaid device balance due, unearned credits gone, the phone in your hand valued at what you could sell it for. Lower is better.
| Scenario | Net NPV | Nominal | Per month | Per line/mo | vs baseline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Keep phones, switch to MVNO Nobody buys a phone (the baseline) | $3,157 | $3,220 | $87.71 | $43.85 | baseline |
| 02 K&S now, Pixel at month 3 LI keeps the S25U for the payoff reimbursement, then trades it for the Pixel at month 3 | $6,082 | $6,339 | $168.94 | $84.47 | +$2,924 |
| 03 AT&T Extra x2 — Pixel 256, Fold U 256 LI: Pixel 256, LU: Fold U 256 | $6,492 | $6,704 | $180.33 | $90.16 | +$3,334 |
| 04 AT&T Extra + AT&T Premium — Pixel 256, Fold U 256 LI: Pixel 256, LU: Fold U 256 | $7,150 | $7,402 | $198.61 | $99.30 | +$3,992 |
| 05 AT&T Premium x2 — Pixel 256, Fold U 256 LI: Pixel 256, LU: Fold U 256 | $7,251 | $7,510 | $201.42 | $100.71 | +$4,094 |
| 06 T-Mo More x2 — Pixel 256, Fold U 256 LI: Pixel 256, LU: Fold U 256 | $7,536 | $7,817 | $209.34 | $104.67 | +$4,379 |
| 07 AT&T Extra + T-Mo Beyond — Pixel 256, Fold U 256 LI: Pixel 256, LU: Fold U 256 | $7,538 | $7,816 | $209.40 | $104.70 | +$4,381 |
| 08 AT&T Extra + T-Mo More — Pixel 256, Fold U 256 LI: Pixel 256, LU: Fold U 256 | $7,704 | $7,995 | $214.01 | $107.00 | +$4,547 |
Promotional credits are earned monthly. Leaving early means paying off the device and losing whatever credits have not yet landed, so the curve tells you when a deal stops being a trap.
Present-value dollars. Negative figures are money or value coming back to you.
| Component | keep_mvno | ks_then_trade | combo:liv=extr_pixel256+LU=extr_foldu256 | combo:liv=extr_pixel256+LU=prem_foldu256 | combo:liv=prem_pixel256+LU=prem_foldu256 | combo:liv=more_pixel256+LU=more_foldu256 | combo:liv=extr_pixel256+LU=beyond_foldu256 | combo:liv=extr_pixel256+LU=more_foldu256 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service charges | $1,520 | $5,406 | $3,852 | $5,304 | $5,406 | $4,933 | $5,811 | $5,237 |
| One-time fees | $0 | $70 | $70 | $70 | $70 | $70 | $70 | $70 |
| Device paid upfront | $0 | $298 | $299 | $299 | $299 | $299 | $299 | $299 |
| Device installments | $0 | $3,083 | $3,191 | $3,191 | $3,191 | $3,191 | $3,191 | $3,191 |
| Early payoff balance | $0 | $95 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Value of phone traded in | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| Payoff on traded-in phone | $700 | $700 | $700 | $700 | $700 | $700 | $700 | $700 |
| Promo bill credits | $0 | -$2,719 | -$2,075 | -$2,870 | -$2,870 | -$1,943 | -$2,870 | -$2,163 |
| Switcher reimbursement | $0 | -$658 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Perk value claimed | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | -$169 | -$118 | -$84 |
| Resale value of phone in hand | -$263 | -$1,393 | -$745 | -$745 | -$745 | -$745 | -$745 | -$745 |
| Total | $3,157 | $6,082 | $6,492 | $7,150 | $7,251 | $7,536 | $7,538 | $7,704 |
Darker cells cost more at that exit point. The last column is what you would hand back if you walked at month 12: remaining device balance plus forfeited credits.
| Scenario | 12 mo | 18 mo | 24 mo | 30 mo | 36 mo | Forfeit at 12 mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keep phones, switch to MVNO | $1,855 | $2,180 | $2,496 | $2,831 | $3,157 | $0 |
| K&S now, Pixel at month 3 | $3,619 | $4,300 | $4,853 | $5,464 | $6,082 | $4,794 |
| AT&T Extra x2 — Pixel 256, Fold U 256 | $4,626 | $5,057 | $5,487 | $5,992 | $6,492 | $3,964 |
| AT&T Extra + AT&T Premium — Pixel 256, Fold U 256 | $4,887 | $5,421 | $5,951 | $6,554 | $7,150 | $4,614 |
| AT&T Premium x2 — Pixel 256, Fold U 256 | $4,922 | $5,473 | $6,020 | $6,639 | $7,251 | $4,614 |
| T-Mo More x2 — Pixel 256, Fold U 256 | $4,984 | $5,593 | $6,196 | $6,871 | $7,536 | $3,856 |
| AT&T Extra + T-Mo Beyond — Pixel 256, Fold U 256 | $5,022 | $5,622 | $6,216 | $6,881 | $7,538 | $4,614 |
| AT&T Extra + T-Mo More — Pixel 256, Fold U 256 | $5,051 | $5,686 | $6,315 | $7,014 | $7,704 | $4,036 |
Cheapest over 36 months
$3,157