5S AT&T Next Users Upgrade to iP6?

[tx2005]

The old plans the subsidy was the cost of doing business.

There were no 2 tiered plans prior to mobile share.

May sound good, but is better for AT&T

So I guess until AT&T forces me onto a mobile sharing plan the subsidy is worth it in the end.

Looking at my bill I pay around $90 plus taxes/fees so around $100 a month. Add on the $12.50 which is the $300 for the 32 gig 5s I bought. Avg $112.50

If I were to do AT&T Next, I could do the 2 gig mobile share and assume I get 1 GB overage to hit 3gb. That's $65+$15 overage for $80. Add on the. $37.50 for the 12 month upgrade option and I'm at $117.50. Now I add on fees on top and I'm looking at $125-130 a month. If I did the 18 month upgrade option that drops about 6 dollars but it's still around $119-125.

So on Next I'm at least paying around $10 extra a month if not up to $25 extra for the 4 gig plan (15 extra if you count my current $10 overage fee).

Other than an "easy" way to upgrade, I don't see a benefit for a single line customer on the old plans.

 

[C DM]

So I guess until AT&T forces me onto a mobile sharing plan the subsidy is worth it in the end.

Looking at my bill I pay around $90 plus taxes/fees so around $100 a month. Add on the $12.50 which is the $300 for the 32 gig 5s I bought. Avg $112.50

If I were to do AT&T Next, I could do the 2 gig mobile share and assume I get 1 GB overage to hit 3gb. That's $65+$15 overage for $80. Add on the. $37.50 for the 12 month upgrade option and I'm at $117.50. Now I add on fees on top and I'm looking at $125-130 a month. If I did the 18 month upgrade option that drops about 6 dollars but it's still around $119-125.

So on Next I'm at least paying around $10 extra a month if not up to $25 extra for the 4 gig plan (15 extra if you count my current $10 overage fee).

Other than an "easy" way to upgrade, I don't see a benefit for a single line customer on the old plans.

Correct, as mentioned before, Next can be better for some on some plans and not as much for others. Depends on individual situations.

 

[theonekcrow]

But it's either Next or a 2 year contract. If you're buying the phone out right, you're getting the same pricing plan as you would using Next. So yes there is a benefit using Next when paying off the phone, because once the phone is paid off, you're monthly phone bill gets cheaper.

You either pay for it up front or over time, but either way you're paying the same price.

I actually did the math one time, and on AT&T 's value share plans, over the 20 month period on a Next-12 plan, you are paying only $1.00 more than if you were to buy the device outright (with service charges over that same period on both purchases).

It's about $300 more over a two year contract.
.

 

[nostresshere]

I actually did the math one time, and on AT&T 's value share plans, over the 20 month period on a Next-12 plan, you are paying only $1.00 more than if you were to buy the device outright (with service charges over that same period on both purchases).

It's about $300 more over a two year contract.
.

Yes, this is correct that next and outright are pretty much the same price for many/most folks.

And, contract is more expensive. Sadly, many on contract do not see it that way and keep doing it.

And, just as sad, folks think of NEXT as a forever contract and miss out on the advantages of that program. (delayed payment, upgrade option at one year,option to pay off at any point in time)

 

[tx2005]

Yes, this is correct that next and outright are pretty much the same price for many/most folks.

And, contract is more expensive. Sadly, many on contract do not see it that way and keep doing it.

And, just as sad, folks think of NEXT as a forever contract and miss out on the advantages of that program. (delayed payment, upgrade option at one year,option to pay off at any point in time)

I agree that on mobile sharing plans next is a good option in a lot of cases due to the $15-25 savings vs a contract.

The exception I think is for people like me on the old plan structure that doesn't have the additional $40 service charge. I fail to see the benefit of Next on an old plan.

 

[nostresshere]

...The exception I think is for people like me on the old plan structure that doesn't have the additional $40 service charge. I fail to see the benefit of Next on an old plan.

I am assuming that there is no advantage for you to switch to a new plan? In my case, it saved us well over $1,000 a year to switch -maybe $1,500 with the tethering option.

 

[Primejimbo]

I actually did the math one time, and on AT&T 's value share plans, over the 20 month period on a Next-12 plan, you are paying only $1.00 more than if you were to buy the device outright (with service charges over that same period on both purchases).

It's about $300 more over a two year contract.
.

Well things might have changed, and it's cheaper for me and I didn't even add in a data plan at the time for the 3 cell phone while I was on my old phone plan. $200 for 2 smart phones and 1 dumb phone to me was just way too much, and probably another $25-30 for a 3rd data plan? That's just way too much for 3 smart phones. I am glas I made the change.

 

[Primejimbo]

Yes, this is correct that next and outright are pretty much the same price for many/most folks.

And, contract is more expensive. Sadly, many on contract do not see it that way and keep doing it.

And, just as sad, folks think of NEXT as a forever contract and miss out on the advantages of that program. (delayed payment, upgrade option at one year,option to pay off at any point in time)

I think people are missing the point on these bring you own phone, buying it out right, and Next.

Looking at this screen shot, to me Next is just the payment plan now. I have said this before that the new plans are just that, new plans. You get these same prices of you bring you own phone, buy it out right, or next.

"**No Annual contract options including AT&T Next, bring your own, purchase at full prince or month to month"

So technically I'm not even on Next because I own all 3 of my phones.

 

[Steve686]

I think NEXT was also a way ATT started to wean everybody off of the usual subsidized purchase with a 2 year contract.

This, in turn, led to the monthly rates per line being dropped that were "NEXT'd".

All I know for sure is that my 2 lines on the family share plan went from almost $250/month to $145/month after I put both lines on NEXT, and I got 10GB of data versus 5GB.

I believe. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[djransom]

Just got my 5S back in Feb and in order for me to gee the 6 I would have to trade in my device plus pay $392. Might wait till the balance gets a little lower or wait till the stock finally settles at the AT&T stores and make this move. I do know that once I do I will do next 12 instead next 18 again. That way I can upgrade every year.

 

[bohbot16]

I think NEXT was also a way ATT started to wean everybody off of the usual subsidized purchase with a 2 year contract.



This, in turn, led to the monthly rates per line being dropped that were "NEXT'd".



All I know for sure is that my 2 lines on the family share plan went from almost $250/month to $145/month after I put both lines on NEXT, and I got 10GB of data versus 5GB.



I believe. Correct me if I am wrong.

The new plans that include a shared data bucket, unlimited talk+text, and a discount for being off contract are named "Mobile Share Value". These plans can be combined with Next, but don't need to be. Next is just the new system to spread the price of the phone out over 20 (Next12) or 26 (Next18) months.

You switched from a Family Share to a Mobile Share Value plan, which lowered your monthly bill. In addition, you can purchase an iPhone 6 through Next, which will raise your monthly bill.

 

[TAI182]

So I guess until AT&T forces me onto a mobile sharing plan the subsidy is worth it in the end.

Looking at my bill I pay around $90 plus taxes/fees so around $100 a month. Add on the $12.50 which is the $300 for the 32 gig 5s I bought. Avg $112.50

If I were to do AT&T Next, I could do the 2 gig mobile share and assume I get 1 GB overage to hit 3gb. That's $65+$15 overage for $80. Add on the. $37.50 for the 12 month upgrade option and I'm at $117.50. Now I add on fees on top and I'm looking at $125-130 a month. If I did the 18 month upgrade option that drops about 6 dollars but it's still around $119-125.

So on Next I'm at least paying around $10 extra a month if not up to $25 extra for the 4 gig plan (15 extra if you count my current $10 overage fee).

Other than an "easy" way to upgrade, I don't see a benefit for a single line customer on the old plans.

This is basically identical to my situation, and I am planning on starting up Next for the iPhone 6.

I'm already on Mobile Share, though, and receiving the $15 discount. The second I buy another phone on contract, I lose that discount. That is why Next is a little more appealing to me.

 

[Uabcar]

From two AT&T reps:

Image

Image


You CAN pre-order next year's iPhone and THEN trade in your current phone.

Great! thanks for getting the clear answers. The two key points I care about (as you do) are the ability to get the next phone ordered on launch day - AND that it can all be done via Apple (vs AT&T).

To further support the info you got from AT&T, I was in an apple store today for the iP5 battery replacement recall. While waiting - I asked them the same questions 5 ways to Sunday. They said essentially the same thing. The key was to ensure that you had made 12th payment prior to the next order date (they suggested paying it a couple weeks earlier than usual - and possibly in person at an AT&T store) - so that their systems would be in sync and see you as eligible. They said that you'd have 5 days to take the old phone, in person, to an AT&T store.

 

[TAI182]

Great! thanks for getting the clear answers. The two key points I care about (as you do) are the ability to get the next phone ordered on launch day - AND that it can all be done via Apple (vs AT&T).

To further support the info you got from AT&T, I was in an apple store today for the iP5 battery replacement recall. While waiting - I asked them the same questions 5 ways to Sunday. They said essentially the same thing. The key was to ensure that you had made 12th payment prior to the next order date (they suggested paying it a couple weeks earlier than usual - and possibly in person at an AT&T store) - so that their systems would be in sync and see you as eligible. They said that you'd have 5 days to take the old phone, in person, to an AT&T store.

Nice! Thanks for getting even more specific info. I'm glad to hear the about the 5 day window.

I'm pretty sure Next is the way to go for me.

 

[Uabcar]

One more question - How do iPads work? I currently pay $10 ea. for two iPads - which share my 6 gig data plan with three iPhones.

If I switch to Next for the phones- will these 2 iPads still be $10?

 

[gsusser]

I lost my 5s in May and got a new one using next. I regret that now. I generally don't change phones for 2 years. However, the new 6 has me salivating and I want it. I'm willing to completely pay off my next lease. Will AT&T unlock it if I pay it off? Would that be my best option assuming I'm gonna keep the 6 for 2 years?

 

[nostresshere]

One more question - How do iPads work? I currently pay $10 ea. for two iPads - which share my 6 gig data plan with three iPhones.

If I switch to Next for the phones- will these 2 iPads still be $10?

Not sure, but both of our ipad tether from our iphones those few times we do not have wifi signal. No extra charge for ipad.

 

[Psypher]

From two AT&T reps:

Image

Image


You CAN pre-order next year's iPhone and THEN trade in your current phone.

I had the same question. I decided to test this by attempting to order a 5S with an account that already has a 5S from last year on the Next plan. This could be helpful for anyone who is looking to upgrade from a 5S to a 6 and does not want to wait in line at an AT&T store.

First I tried ordering it from store.apple.com and doing a Next upgrade. It came back and said that I had one more payment left on my account to make before I could upgrade with Next, but if I go to the AT&T store, I could pay the one month and be upgrade eligible.

To expedite this, I went onto att.com and paid off my latest bill. I went back to store.apple.com and now it says that I am eligible to upgrade, but I got the following error message: "You are eligible for a Next upgrade. However, we do not support Next upgrades on the Apple Online Store. You can purchase an iPhone with your Next upgrade by visiting an AT&T store."

I then went and tried to purchase the same 5S on AT&T's website. Here it said I was eligible as long as I traded in my current device. I kept going through the check-out process and it asked me a few questions about my current device such as "Does it turn on, is it in good condition...". After saying yes to everything and confirming eligibility, it said they would ship me a box with my new phone and I had 30 days to ship back the old one. If the condition was not good enough, they have the right to charge me some fee. I then cancelled out of everything.

In conclusion, if you are looking to pre-order your iPhone 6 online and you already have a phone on AT&T Next, I recommend you do the following:

1. Make sure you've paid 12 consecutive payments against your current phone's installment plan. If not, pay your final bill or call support (or go to an AT&T store) and see if you can make early payments against your installment plan to bring you up to 12 payments. This will make you eligible for a Next upgrade.

2. On pre-order night, don't bother with Apple.com and focus on trying to pre-order from att.com. Hopefully the process for pre-ordering the iPhone 6 will be the same experience as upgrading to any other in-stock phone. They will ship out a box to bring your old phone back along with the new phone.

3. Return the old phone within 30 days using the pre-paid box.

Once again, I'm assuming that the process for pre-ordering the iPhone 6 will give the option to send out the pre-paid box just like doing any other upgrade on att.com. Either way, I got a lot farther here than on apple.com. It also doesn't look like you can do a Next upgrade at an Apple Store. I'm going to attempt to pre-order at att.com and if it doesn't work I will have to camp out at the AT&T store on launch day. I hope it doesn't come down to that.

If anyone else can add to this, please let me know. Thanks.

 

[sawah]

I can also confirm that if you are still on a next plan and you want to trade in your phone you can pay it off when you order and they will ship you a prepaid label when you receive the iPhone 6. I had a very long chat with an att rep today to make sure all my ducks were in a row. I have like 131$ left to pay before I can trade it and a very long way to drive to a store. Looks like they're gonna make it easier for me.

 

[Uabcar]

To expedite this, I went onto att.com and paid off my latest bill. I went back to store.apple.com and now it says that I am eligible to upgrade, but I got the following error message: "You are eligible for a Next upgrade. However, we do not support Next upgrades on the Apple Online Store. You can purchase an iPhone with your Next upgrade by visiting an AT&T store."

Interesting! This is exactly what I'm trying to figure out- and what I was afraid of. Its also NOT what I was told by the Apple store genius nor is it consistent with what the earlier poster was told during his chat session with the AT&T rep.

I really hate to mess with AT&T when it comes to ordering new iPhones - particularly on pre-order/launch day. Always seems safer to work with Apple directly.

Not sure how many people are already on Next plans at this point - and planning to upgrade to and iP6 - but I'm guessing there will be a fair amount of chatter about this when the door for pre-orders opens up.

 

[TAI182]

To expedite this, I went onto att.com and paid off my latest bill. I went back to store.apple.com and now it says that I am eligible to upgrade, but I got the following error message: "You are eligible for a Next upgrade. However, we do not support Next upgrades on the Apple Online Store. You can purchase an iPhone with your Next upgrade by visiting an AT&T store."

This is what I was afraid of. I also greatly prefer purchasing through Apple on launch day.

Maybe by this time next year, Next will be more fully integrated into Apple stores, and we will not have a problem.

 

[jehartley]

I had the same question. I decided to test this by attempting to order a 5S with an account that already has a 5S from last year on the Next plan. This could be helpful for anyone who is looking to upgrade from a 5S to a 6 and does not want to wait in line at an AT&T store.

First I tried ordering it from store.apple.com and doing a Next upgrade. It came back and said that I had one more payment left on my account to make before I could upgrade with Next, but if I go to the AT&T store, I could pay the one month and be upgrade eligible.

To expedite this, I went onto att.com and paid off my latest bill. I went back to store.apple.com and now it says that I am eligible to upgrade, but I got the following error message: "You are eligible for a Next upgrade. However, we do not support Next upgrades on the Apple Online Store. You can purchase an iPhone with your Next upgrade by visiting an AT&T store."

I then went and tried to purchase the same 5S on AT&T's website. Here it said I was eligible as long as I traded in my current device. I kept going through the check-out process and it asked me a few questions about my current device such as "Does it turn on, is it in good condition...". After saying yes to everything and confirming eligibility, it said they would ship me a box with my new phone and I had 30 days to ship back the old one. If the condition was not good enough, they have the right to charge me some fee. I then cancelled out of everything.

In conclusion, if you are looking to pre-order your iPhone 6 online and you already have a phone on AT&T Next, I recommend you do the following:

1. Make sure you've paid 12 consecutive payments against your current phone's installment plan. If not, pay your final bill or call support (or go to an AT&T store) and see if you can make early payments against your installment plan to bring you up to 12 payments. This will make you eligible for a Next upgrade.

2. On pre-order night, don't bother with Apple.com and focus on trying to pre-order from att.com. Hopefully the process for pre-ordering the iPhone 6 will be the same experience as upgrading to any other in-stock phone. They will ship out a box to bring your old phone back along with the new phone.

3. Return the old phone within 30 days using the pre-paid box.

Once again, I'm assuming that the process for pre-ordering the iPhone 6 will give the option to send out the pre-paid box just like doing any other upgrade on att.com. Either way, I got a lot farther here than on apple.com. It also doesn't look like you can do a Next upgrade at an Apple Store. I'm going to attempt to pre-order at att.com and if it doesn't work I will have to camp out at the AT&T store on launch day. I hope it doesn't come down to that.

If anyone else can add to this, please let me know. Thanks.

This is all correct. It is because you have to trade in the phone that apple won't play. Now, if you are not on Next yet, but are going to Next for the iPhone 6, then Apple website will work because it doesn't need a trade-in.

Good for everyone to remember.

 

[ricktat]

I had the same question. I decided to test this by attempting to order a 5S with an account that already has a 5S from last year on the Next plan. This could be helpful for anyone who is looking to upgrade from a 5S to a 6 and does not want to wait in line at an AT&T store.

First I tried ordering it from store.apple.com and doing a Next upgrade. It came back and said that I had one more payment left on my account to make before I could upgrade with Next, but if I go to the AT&T store, I could pay the one month and be upgrade eligible.

To expedite this, I went onto att.com and paid off my latest bill. I went back to store.apple.com and now it says that I am eligible to upgrade, but I got the following error message: "You are eligible for a Next upgrade. However, we do not support Next upgrades on the Apple Online Store. You can purchase an iPhone with your Next upgrade by visiting an AT&T store."

I then went and tried to purchase the same 5S on AT&T's website. Here it said I was eligible as long as I traded in my current device. I kept going through the check-out process and it asked me a few questions about my current device such as "Does it turn on, is it in good condition...". After saying yes to everything and confirming eligibility, it said they would ship me a box with my new phone and I had 30 days to ship back the old one. If the condition was not good enough, they have the right to charge me some fee. I then cancelled out of everything.

In conclusion, if you are looking to pre-order your iPhone 6 online and you already have a phone on AT&T Next, I recommend you do the following:

1. Make sure you've paid 12 consecutive payments against your current phone's installment plan. If not, pay your final bill or call support (or go to an AT&T store) and see if you can make early payments against your installment plan to bring you up to 12 payments. This will make you eligible for a Next upgrade.

2. On pre-order night, don't bother with Apple.com and focus on trying to pre-order from att.com. Hopefully the process for pre-ordering the iPhone 6 will be the same experience as upgrading to any other in-stock phone. They will ship out a box to bring your old phone back along with the new phone.

3. Return the old phone within 30 days using the pre-paid box.

Once again, I'm assuming that the process for pre-ordering the iPhone 6 will give the option to send out the pre-paid box just like doing any other upgrade on att.com. Either way, I got a lot farther here than on apple.com. It also doesn't look like you can do a Next upgrade at an Apple Store. I'm going to attempt to pre-order at att.com and if it doesn't work I will have to camp out at the AT&T store on launch day. I hope it doesn't come down to that.

If anyone else can add to this, please let me know. Thanks.

You could also pay off NEXT completely if you are keeping the phone and then Apple would allow you to order.

I was told that you can only pay off NEXT by phone or store but trying to check out at the ATT site with a phone on NEXT allowed the option to pay it off completely.

 

[Psypher]

This is what I was afraid of. I also greatly prefer purchasing through Apple on launch day.

Maybe by this time next year, Next will be more fully integrated into Apple stores, and we will not have a problem.

Same here. I would prefer to order from Apple, but if their system can't handle the trade-in process, then I'm not going to risk it on pre-order night.

Hopefully next year they will support this as I'm sure this is going to eventually become the norm.

 

[swarmster]

[edit: forgot we're talking about 5S owners upgrading, so this didn't make sense]