T-Mobile was the first, AT&T came next, and later this month Verizon will launch their own respective “upgrade whenever you want” phone plan. The key clause with all three operators is that you need to give them your “old” phone back. What do you think happens with those phones? They get refurbished and sold to people at a discounted rate. What kind of discounts are we talking about? How does $30 for a Samsung Galaxy S4 sound? Yes, you need to sign a two year contract, but still.

Now I perfectly understand that whether you pay $30 or $300 for your phone, it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things because you’re signing a two year contract with monthly payments that get close to $100, but (sadly) most American consumers don’t really think like that.

Are there any dangers to buying a used phone? Well, you’re going to have to trust AT&T on this one. They say the GS4 units they’re selling are “certified”, but what does that really mean? The screen likely isn’t cracked, which is the most important thing, but as for the condition of the battery and scratches on the back of the device, your milage may vary.