2014 will be the year of the cheap smartphone. With smartphones maturing to the point where you really can’t tell one from the other for most everyday uses the only sensible way to compete will be on price. We’re already seeing this from the carriers through buy one get one free deals and even offers from some carriers to pay for your termination fee in an attempt to woo you away from the competition.

For years, the business model  in the smartphone industry has been to subsidize the phone and then hide the costs in your monthly fees which is probably the best business model for any business – a subscription model. The cost of the phone is really of little importance to the carrier nor do they really care what phone you have. They care about the smartphone plan you have.

And that means there’s some really good deals on smartphones this year so far if you know where to look. Of course, you can always do the same thing  as you’ve always done and pay for the phone on contract where you pay anywhere from free to multiple hundreds of dollars assuming you will commit to a contract.

But I think the best way is to just buy your phone outright and then choose the carrier/plan you want. There’s many ways to buy smartphones for less:

1. Check the carriers – they often offer refurbished phones for less than the price of a new phone. You can buy a refurbished iPhone or Android phone for less than you would pay for a new one. Now that there’s the Verizon Edge and  T-Mobile’s JUMP program and it’s been out for six months – expect to see more refurbished phones  on the market as the trade ins become available for resale as refurbished phones.

2. Check Swappa. Swappa is an online marketplace just for smartphones.  Not all of us keep their phones for an extended length of time and upgrade often. Buying a used phone from swappa is a great way to get a deal on a near new smartphone.

3. Craigslist is of course, a great local classifieds site where you can meet the person and pay cash for your phone. Remember to use safety precautions to be sure you are safe when partaking in a craigslist transaction. I suggest that you meet in person in some public place rather than inviting a stranger to your home.

4. Ebay is another online marketplace you can use to buy a smartphone for less than retail price. I’ve found great deals on eBay as  individuals sell their older phones or even new phones for less than full retail price. I like the fact that if you’re patient with eBay you can eventually get the phone you want at a price you want to pay.

5. Check the other carriers. If you can think about using other carriers like straight talk, republic wireless or some other lesser known carriers like boost or cricket you may be able to save some money on both the phone and service.

6 . Amazon often offers better deals on smartphones for all the carriers than you can get buying direct from Verizon, T-Mobile or others. You can get some great deals on brand new smartphones at Amazon.

If you take your time and do your research and check for deals via all the methods above you’re sure to get a great deal on a new smartphone this year.