The Venus can get pretty cheap. You can get it for $199 if you purchase it here online:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/...t&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=3298
......plus, I have a a $100 credit for free upgrade in March bringing my total down to just a measly $99!!! Of course there are a lot of phones for under $100 so you can get phones for FREE, but why bother when you can apply that $100 for a nicer phone and pay the difference? I would go that route and the Venus is sexy. FOr the women, they have pink, lol.
If your phone breaks, you have insurance (you pay monthly to have the insurance coverage) that will cover it. Warranty does not cover breakage or the phone getting wet, etc. Verizon factory warranty only covers defects with the phone. This one phone a friend of mine had before would constantly drop calls for no reason when it clearly should have worked. I went with him to the Verizon store and he got a free replacement. I have no insurance. As long as you take care of it and don't drop it often, it will work for years (until your next free upgrade, hehe).
To get discounted phones like the upgrade deal, you need to renew your contract with Verizon Wireless. I see no reason to switch carriers since VW is the best I've ever had and I need a cell phone-----might as well keep on going. I don't mind.