Samsung Introduces Access Program With Phone Upgrades Every 9 Months

To kick off a new month and increase Galaxy S20 sales, Samsung introduced a new Samsung Access program today. The program is a monthly subscription service that gets you a new phone, access to Microsoft 365, Samsung’s Premium Care, a bunch of cloud storage, and early upgrades for whenever the next big Samsung phone comes out.

What is Samsung Access?

Samsung Access is being billed as a “new subscription on your terms.” I have no idea what that means, because there are a clear set of terms here, but it sounds fun and empowering, right?

More specifically than I described above, Samsung Access is a monthly subscription service that gets you a Galaxy S20, S20+, or S20 Ultra, along with an additional package that includes Samsung Premium Care, 1TB OneDrive cloud storage, and Microsoft 365 Personal (for up to 5 devices). Samsung says that you can upgrade to a new phone as a part of this program every 9 months or you can upgrade earlier by first paying $100.

How much does Samsung Access cost?

The best way to explain the cost of Samsung Access is that it all starts with you choosing an unlocked Galaxy S20 series phone. That will determine your base monthly price before you tack on an extra $11/mo for the additional services.

For example, a Galaxy S20 through Samsung Access would cost $37/mo. On top of that cost, you’ll pay an extra $11/mo ($7/mo for Samsung Premium Care + $3.33/mo for Microsoft 365 Personal), bringing your monthly total for a Galaxy S20 in the Samsung Access program to $48/mo. Obviously, the S20+ and S20 Ultra raise that monthly price.

You can cancel Samsung Access for free after subscribing for 3 months or pay $100 to cancel early.

Is Samsung Access worth it?

Hey, friend, that’s a great question. I have no idea! What you would need to decide is if 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage has value to you and if you are a big Microsoft 365 user (365 Personal includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, Access, and Skype). Also, if you want Samsung Premium Care, because you assume you’ll drop your phone or want to extend the warranty.

I say that all because this program isn’t exactly cheap. The example above, over a 9 month period would cost $432. If you didn’t have Access or any of those extra services, a Galaxy S20 would have cost $375 over that same time. Of course, Access allows you to trade-in for a fresh new Samsung at that 9 month spot, with no questions asked, so maybe paying for those extra services is worth it.

To get started with Samsung Access, head on over to Samsung’s Store.