6. Keep the Old Phone
As long as your old phone is still dependable, keep it. You’ll save substantially by not immediately upgrading every time a new phone rolls out or you become eligible. You won’t be making monthly payments and that could add up to pretty substantial savings.
Drop your insurance after the phone is about a year old. At that point your phone value has diminished. Instead set aside money monthly to buy a new phone if you break the old one.