I don't know about cheapest iPhone purchasing options because that is part of why I switched to Android (cost).
However, I do know some things about cell plan costs! I use Consumer Cellular, which piggy-backs of the AT&T network and is currently marketed mostly to AARP members. It is the cheapest thing I could find that meets my needs (and I looked a LOT). You pay for minutes and text/data separately, so if you hardly ever talk on the phone you can go for a really low # of minutes and more data. Also, there's no contract, and you can adjust your plan mid-month with no penalty. So if you're like "oh no I might actually use 3 GB after all!" the most it will do is just bump you up to that plan. It has a 5 GB plan and then after that it starts slowing your roaming data and charging an extra $10 per GB, but even when we had TWO PEOPLE playing Pokemon Go on our plan we never hit over $100/month for our cell bill.
Currently my cell bill lives in the $60-80/month for two people using both minutes and data, and if I'm careful about remembering to turn wifi on then it can be lower.
There's another provider called Metro PCS which piggy-backs off of T-Mobile and offers more "you want a LOT of data" options. For the amount I use, it's not cheaper, but. That is also a thing.
One thing to know is that if you get a cell phone through Verizon, it will mostly likely be locked to Verizon's networks. So even if you want to switch to AT&T you will have to get an entirely new phone. It is possible to get an "unlocked" iPhone but it costs a little bit more usually.
Gamestop sells refurbished iPhones. I don't know if the price is that much better, but I was looking at trade-in options when I was like "do I really want a shiny shiny phone." The older models will probably not have as much longevity because of planned obsolescence.
I hope some of this is helpful and not just like, an overwhelming infodump.
no subject
However, I do know some things about cell plan costs! I use Consumer Cellular, which piggy-backs of the AT&T network and is currently marketed mostly to AARP members. It is the cheapest thing I could find that meets my needs (and I looked a LOT). You pay for minutes and text/data separately, so if you hardly ever talk on the phone you can go for a really low # of minutes and more data. Also, there's no contract, and you can adjust your plan mid-month with no penalty. So if you're like "oh no I might actually use 3 GB after all!" the most it will do is just bump you up to that plan. It has a 5 GB plan and then after that it starts slowing your roaming data and charging an extra $10 per GB, but even when we had TWO PEOPLE playing Pokemon Go on our plan we never hit over $100/month for our cell bill.
Currently my cell bill lives in the $60-80/month for two people using both minutes and data, and if I'm careful about remembering to turn wifi on then it can be lower.
There's another provider called Metro PCS which piggy-backs off of T-Mobile and offers more "you want a LOT of data" options. For the amount I use, it's not cheaper, but. That is also a thing.
One thing to know is that if you get a cell phone through Verizon, it will mostly likely be locked to Verizon's networks. So even if you want to switch to AT&T you will have to get an entirely new phone. It is possible to get an "unlocked" iPhone but it costs a little bit more usually.
Gamestop sells refurbished iPhones. I don't know if the price is that much better, but I was looking at trade-in options when I was like "do I really want a shiny shiny phone." The older models will probably not have as much longevity because of planned obsolescence.
I hope some of this is helpful and not just like, an overwhelming infodump.
Also *waves*