Want an Apple iPhone 5? Go Post Paid.

If you are reading this, you probably want an iPhone 5 and are on a budget. If money was no object, you would pick you favorite carrier, select the phone that you want, and not bother worrying about value for money. So lets look at value for money.

Paying cash for an iPhone 5 on postpaid plan does not make Sense. You have a heavy cash investment up front, and over two years, you would spend as much as a good postpaid plan anyway. If for example you only use Php500 a month on your phone on postpaid load this is how much an iPhone 5 16 GB would cost over two years.

Globe iPhone 5 16 GB 
Cash price - Php35,400
Load @Php500 a month for two years - Php12,000
Total = Php47,400

So lets look at my favorite Globe post paid options. Plan 1799 will give you unlimited data, Php800 consumable a month and your two year cost is

Php47,976.

With Smart the situation is similar,

Smart iPhone 5 16 GB
Cash price - Php33,600
Load @Php500 a month for two years - Php12,000
Total = Php45,600

Data Plan 1500 is a Php46,000 commitment over two years. But the situation is not a clear cut as with Globe. Php500 a month load versus unlimited data, 60 minutes of calls and 120 SMS. This plan is a little thin on calls and SMS. Still, it is nice to have unli data on a smartphone.