Sprint is just about the last US wireless carrier to offer their customers an arguably much deserved break on their ETF. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have all rolled out prorating policies that has them reducing the Early Termination Fee based on how much time is left on a wireless contract, so it was only a matter of time before Sprint followed suit.
We’ve been expecting Sprint to prorate their ETF before the end of the year, but we really didn’t expect the announcement so soon. Following on the carrier’s announcement that they were working on overhauling their billing system to account for a reduced ETF, Sprint has gone official with their prorating policy.
As of November 2, Sprint will start chopping away at their $200 Early Termination Fee after the 6th month of wireless service. After month six, Sprint plans to forgive $10 for every month of service. Sprint’s prorating policy leaves customers with just a $100 ETF after 15 months of service – one of the lowest prorated ETFs in the industry. And, there are even provisions to drop the ETF down to a meager $50 should the customer terminate the contract before term.
So, if you’re planning to get yourself a new Sprint handset, you might want to hold off for at least another day. The prorated ETF policy only applies to wireless contracts initiated, renewed, or upgraded on or after November 2, 2008.
Welcome to the prorated ETF-club, Sprint!