Sprint to Offer Prepaid iPhone 4S on Virgin for Just $30 a Month
Virgin Mobile will charge $649 for the iPhone 4S, and will offer the phone for a service fee of just $35 per month, or just $30 for autopay customers. Upon reports of the news shares in Sprint rose almost 1 percent to $2.74.
On Thursday Sprint Nextel Corp confirmed that its Virgin Mobile prepaid business would start to offer the iPhone 4S later this month. The deal means that Virgin customers who choose not to commit to a two year contract with Sprint for the iPhone, will be able to still purchase the device on Virgin and pay a much cheaper monthly fee, however, the catch is the phone purchase price will be more than three times the price as the phone on Sprint's usual two year contract.
Currently Sprint customers signing up for a two year deal will be able to get the iPhone 4S for just $199. Virgin Mobile customers will have to pay $649.
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It is unsure how many Virgin Mobile customers will be happy to pay that sort of money, as most of their current customers are more cost conscious. However, the much cheaper monthly fee may attract some.
Virgin customers will be able to sign up for the provider's usual $35 per month tariff, which would get them 300 minutes per month, as well as unlimited text messages, and unlimited 3G access on Sprint's network. If customers want to save an additional $5 on that they will be able to sign up for autopay to get a monthly fee of just $30.
Sprint has confirmed that the iPhone 4S would be available on Virgin from June 29.
