The upgrade fee is absolutely is erroneous is some situations. A fee indicates a service is being performed. If I purchase a phone at Best Buy and pay full price, then take the phone home and remove the SIM card from my old phone and place it in my new phone - Verizon did absolutely nothing. You can't charge a fee for nothing in return. It's that simple.
If you go to Best Buy's website, they sell unlocked phones. However, they don't sell the 'latest' phones unlocked - even if you pay full price in lieu of a payment plan. I'll assume this is a racket for the carriers to collect upgrade fees. In my opinion, Best Buy helps to facilitate these erroneous fees.
Best option is to purchase the phone directly from the manufacturer if you are willing to pay full price and swap the SIM cards yourself. At least this SHOULD save you $20 - $40. If they are still somehow charging you this fee when swapping one unlocked phone for another, then maybe it's time to find a new carrier.
Personally, I refuse to be locked into to any carrier any more. If you can't afford full price, there are other options for payment plans (I.e. Apple Card). The statement about 'upgrade fees allow us to provide you with the best customer experience and value' is another way of saying - paying us more money for no additional service helps our margin. This is not the justification a customer wants (or deserves) to hear.
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