Is this the end of the phone subsidy?

For years, smartphone shopping has gone something like this: Pick the latest phone, pay a one-time fee of $200 for it, and agree to a monthly rate for calls, texts and data. Consumers were getting what seemed like a massive discount on a new device that really cost roughly $650 in exchange for signing a two-year contract.

But AT&T has recently made a series of small changes to herd customers away from these agreements. In their place are plans that eliminate the price break off the price tag of the phone — and spread that cost over 12, 18 or 24 months. And — in a twist that will test the skills of even the most budget-conscious customers — the company offers a set of different discounts depending on which of 10 data plans you choose. The more data you buy, the bigger the savings, of course.

Confused? You’re probably not alone. In general, Mike Gikas, an editor of the non-profit Consumer Reports, called this type of billing — which AT&T has labeled “Next” — a “good trend” for consumers. Many people will see their bills stay the same or go down because of the discounts on data. But, he added, the complexity of these bills, could “force customers to do things that are counterintuitive.”