As a reminder to everyone:

If you can afford it, you can 100% just... Buy a phone online and use it with your carrier. Make sure it's carrier unlocked, but yeah. All but one of my phones (bought in an emergency) was bought this way, and I've been through... 5 or 6? carriers and never had an issue

Make sure it’s carrier unlocked, but yeah.

I'm all for buying my own phones and not getting one bundled with service. However, many times getting a carrier unlocked phone carries a price premium. As long as you're fine sticking with your current carrier, they can even be carrier locked and work just fine. I agree though, ownership of your phone outside of your carrier's billing is the right way to go.

Well, I wouldn't call it's premium. Unlocked is closer to MSRP, whereas carrier locked is being subsidized by the carrier and whatever requirements they have in place. You'll usually end up paying more in the long run then if you went with unlocked and a MVNO.

However, many times getting a carrier unlocked phone carries a price premium.

That's a good point. I've started advocating for buying phones lightly used (1-2 generations behind). Until just a couple of months ago, I was rocking a phone from 2019 with no issues. When I upgraded recently, I bought a Pixel 9 from a reseller selling one with an open box and a slight scuff on the bezel (that gets covered by a case anyway). Now I have an almost new phone that works like a dream for almost 75% of what I would get buying it directly from Google.

You’ll usually end up paying more in the long run then if you went with unlocked and a MVNO.

You're missing a component: you can buy used phones and go with an MVNO and skip the contract subsidy requirement for savings

I purchased a used carrier locked flagship phone for $250 when they were still selling for $1100 as new carrier-unlocked, then put it on my MVNO which is a subsidiary of the primary carrier (so the carrier lock doesn't matter).

You can't get those cost savings with a new contract phone nor a new carrier unlocked phone.

Yep, this is what I do too and what I as pointing out. The carrier locked phones are even cheaper used than carrier unlocked.