$100 phone perk offer limitations
I'm trying to understand the Fizz phone offers and the recent $50/$100 perks.
I have Internet and Mobile plans on separate accounts, which Fizz says can not be merged (yet).
I have a $100 phone perk in my Internet account.
If I purchase a phone using this perk from my Internet account, can I then use it on my other Mobile account without further obligation, or is the phone price and/or discount tied to the account it was used on.
The fine print sounds like I need to have (or open) a mobile plan and keep it active for 24 months. I have a mobile plan, but on a separate account.
Answers
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And if I just buy a phone without the perk, does that have limitations?
If I give the phone to a friend, or walk to another provider with it, will I suddenly discover some clawback?
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Hi Jacques,
the gift card is a discount that is offered to you to reduce the purchase cost, but when the purchase is made, it does not interfere with the fact that you will be able to use the same new device on your other Fizz account.
However, if there are no discounts used to buy the device you want to purchase, you can get the device at full price and dispose of it as you wish.
*The important thing is that the number of active mobile plans in your account is the same as the number of phones you bought with a rebate. So, if you only bought one phone with a rebate, you need at least one active mobile plan in your account.
Source: https://fizz.ca/en/faq/how-do-promotional-rebates-offered-some-phones-sold-fizz-work
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Here’s everything the fine print says about discounts, and if you leave Fizz after using one for a phone purchase:
A promotional rebate is sometimes offered for a limited time on the suggested retail price of some phones offered on fizz.ca.
If a promotional rebate is offered on the phone you’re considering, remember that this rebate is conditional on you having an active Fizz mobile plan for an uninterrupted period of several months following the purchase date of that phone. Or, if you don’t already have a Fizz mobile plan, that you activate one within 7 days following the delivery of your phone and that you keep that plan active for an uninterrupted period of several months.
How many months does this uninterrupted period represent?
- If you bought your phone before 2021-05-27 include, this uninterrupted period totals 12 months.
- If you bought your phone after 2021-05-28, this uninterrupted period totals 24 months.
If you leave Fizz before the end of that period, we’ll for one be very sad to see you go. Two, you’ll have to refund the prorated portion of the promotional rebate corresponding to the number of months remaining on the initial term of this period. This amount will be invoiced using the payment method associated with your Fizz plan when you unsubscribe. The same billing method will be used if you had chosen to pay in monthly instalments with PayBright: no amount will be added to your agreement with PayBright.
These fees are not penalty fees. The promotional rebate you enjoyed when you purchased the phone is simply divided by the number of months corresponding to the uninterrupted period that applies to you. You therefore only pay the portion of the rebate that corresponds to the leftover months during which you will no longer have an active Fizz mobile plan.
Here’s how to calculate the amount due:
1- Locate the rebate on your invoice. Or, if you’re shopping and haven’t purchased yet, the amount of the rebate corresponds to the difference between the crossed-out price and the price that is posted.
2- Divide that amount by 12 or 24 depending on your situation. Let’s call that result the monthly portion of the rebate.
Ex. $120/12=$10/month
3- Calculate the number of months from your purchase date to the date at which your plan will be deactivated.
A part-month is rounded up to a full month.
So for example, for 4 months and 2 weeks, we’ll use 5 months.
4- Substract these months from the initial months (12 or 24 depending on your situation) to get the number of leftover months.
Ex. 12-5 = 7. There are therefore 7 months left.
5- Multiply the monthly portion of the rebate with the number of leftover months to get the amount due.
Ex. $10/month x 7 months = $70 + taxes
You can also consider these other options.
If you have another active mobile plan in your account:
The important thing is that the number of active mobile plans in your account is the same as the number of phones you bought with a rebate. So, if you only bought one phone with a rebate, you need at least one active mobile plan in your account.
If you don’t have another Fizz mobile plan:
You could consider changing your plan instead of unsubscribing so it meets your needs, and allows you to make it to the required months (12 or 24 depending on your situation). Or, to decrease it to its bare minimum. That way, perhaps the price will be less than the portion of the promotional rebate corresponding to the leftover months.
Source: https://fizz.ca/en/faq/how-do-promotional-rebates-offered-some-phones-sold-fizz-work
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So the problem arises when you have multiple accounts—which you can't merge—and you want to use a perk from one for a plan in the other.
The perk comes with no obligations besides that it must be used on the current account. The obligations come with the 'discounted' phone prices.
And in case anyone wonders why you might have multiple accounts, that's an easy one to answer. A family has several phones but expects the kids to eventually move out. So everyone gets their own account, even though they may for the moment all be living at the same address. Then when they do move out, it's easy. The other route (one account with four plans becomes four accounts with one plan each) is currently 'impossible'.
My mobile plan sticks with me forever, but the Internet plan is tied to a physical location. If I live with roommates who come and go at different times, when I plan to move, I just might want to transfer the account to the people staying but keep my mobile plan with me. If they aren't in separate accounts, it's currently 'impossible'.
Since I can get a decent phone for $350 that works on the Videotron network, the Fizz phone options look a little less appealing.
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