Are you a member of this cult? This group has been around for decades and like all of their following, it doesn’t matter what apple puts out as new products, they are there standing in line waiting with fists full of cash and their like new last year model ready to trade in for a credit. As a wireless veteran I have seen all kinds of marketing gimmicks that lured customers into financing a phone. Sure there are a ton of YouTube videos outlining how you can get a new phone for basically free. You only have to commit to a 2 year plan that you will pay inflated prices for your cell phone service. It really hasn’t changed that much, other than you can’t get this special pricing every day. You can get on the apple lease program. They don’t call it that, but that is what it is. You are renting your iPhone forever, until you decide to pay it off, or wait for the lease/pay off to run out. If you are like me, I upgraded when the 16 came out, with the 15 Pro Max. Keep in mind, I came from an 11 Pro Max. That phone technically still works if you use Air Pods for phone calls. I think the microphone went out, and people couldn’t hear me.

So rather than being tempted by the dozens of reviews, pictures, and social media posts, I decided it would be best to NOT commit another 2 years of overpriced cell phone service. Let’s be honest, how much “talk” time do you really use every month? Exactly. Unless you use it for work, then of course you are going to talk a lot. So what is it you are paying for exactly? Internet, text messaging. And if you are on WiFi, which is almost everywhere, then you don’t need phone service. In fact, I know of a lot of guys who use a Voip number like Talkatone, and their phone only works in WiFi. I actually have a QR code in my guest bathroom so my friends can connect to my high speed internet. Your router should have that feature. I also have it in the guest room for when visitors come. I actually hate having to spell out the WiFi password everytime someone comes over. So if you are looking to cut corners and you just realized you are almost always in WiFi, then just cancel your service.

Now if you absolutely can’t get rid of your service, AND your device is unlocked, you have an option. Also keep in mind you can buy an unlocked iPhone many places, such as the apple store. What I did was take my personal iPhone 15 and move it to Mint Mobile. I had to prepay for a year, no big deal, and activate it. So before on Tmobile I was paying for 2 lines, about $150 a month. That also includes the lease payment on my current phone. But now with the new line for one year, it came to $16.67 a month. <drops mic> You know data alone costs more than that on other providers. My phone still works on the same Tmobile network, 5G. Same number. E sim. Super simple. So here is the tricky thing, when you transfer your number you need a special pin. Not your security pin. You have to go into the Tmobile app, generate the pin, and it is good for 48 hours. I did not know this, and of course my port requests were denied. So thankfully Madelyn at Mint Mobile was a delight. Totally a five star experience. She ported my number, did a 3 way call and then walked me through the rest, which was all done via their app. Very cool. So it came to $200 for a year. All those sneaky fees and taxes are included. It has been a very smart move and will help the monthly cash flow. So if you are curious, here is my referral link. http://fbuy.me/vfrx3 By using this link you will get a friend credit!

I had a friend years ago who wanted my stamp of approval on things. He said, If I had all the research and spent my own money on it, then he wanted it too. And so conjured #AaronApproved.