200$ ... What's the catch?

[takeshi]

Verizon advertises a $200 price tag for the droid, but there's got to be a catch, though.

Yeah, it's right on the page for the Droid next to the price on Verizon's site. See where it says "2-yr Contract Price"? The 2 yr contract is the "catch". There's a drop-box if you want to see the 1 yr and month-to-month prices.

The info is all there on Verizon's site.

Wirefly.com and Amazon have the Droid for $99 with a new 2 year contract. If you can, jump on that!!

If you go with an authorized agent definitely make sure that you fully read and understand their fine print. They tend to tack on additional requirements and tend to penalize you with a fee if you don't adhere to their additional terms.

 

[zakany]

Compared with the contract cost, the purchase price is immaterial.

 

[papy72]

insane cat, here is a quick summary.

droid is $200 with a 2 year contract. if you have verizon now and it's been 2 years, you'll get $50 more dollars off the price, or you can look around for better prices, i think amazon sells it for 150 or less (still with a contract).

a 2 year contract requires both minutes ($40/450 minutes/month minimum) and a data plan ($30/month). ~80/month or so if you include texts and fees.

with no contract the phone alone is 550ish. but there's no reason to get it with no contract.

I'm glad to see some people actually trying to answer the OP, instead of just throwing out random thoughts that seem a bit aggressive. At least, that's how I would have taken them.

I will add to the above response: You get 30 days to evaluate your Droid purchase before becoming locked into your contract. And that contract comes with a hefty $350 Early Termination Fee. Moral of the story: if you buy it and find yourself not sure you want to keep it, don't wait too long before trying to take it back.