No, the cost of the discounted phone is incorporated into the ETF. I left ATT for T-Mobile after paying an ETF to unlock my phone. The trouble was that it left me without a phone for ~2 weeks: You cannot pay your ETF until your account is cancelled and your final bill posts. I cancelled the account just before the final bill was generated, but still had to wait a few days for the bill to post, another few days for my payment to process, and another few days for my phone unlock request to go through. They drug their feet through every step of the process.