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I can trade in my 11PM for $500 to Apple. AT&T will give me $1,000 - if I hold on to the new phone for three years. If you hold on for two years (which is the minimum you should hold on to new iPhones for nowadays) and trade it in for something new, you owe 1/3 of the original cost (or $400 for a iPhone 13PM) at the point of trade in. So you basically get $100, plus time value of money. If you hold on to it for three years, the math works well…
 
These are great deals but only for people that upgrade every three years or so (a reasonable frequency given how good even a several year old iPhone is now). If you are an annual upgrader this is not going to work well for you, because you're still paying off the prior phone and don't get the full benefits of that deal unless you stick with it for the full term.
 
True. with ever iteration,I find less reasons to upgrade. Easy decision. Also time value of money is close to zero.
 
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I have an 11 Pro and honestly not that excited about he 13/13 Pro but my battery life sucks (technically 88% but feels worse). I made an appointment for a battery swap at Apple this weekend before AppleCare runs out but will still have to pay.

I'm currently on an unlimited ATT plan (as is the rest of my family). Reading the terms, it seems like I can get a 13 Pro essentially for free with the promise of staying with ATT for 3 more years. All I can see is a $30 activation fee and trading in my 11 Pro.

Am I missing something or does it make sense to skip the battery swap and 'save' money by getting a brand new 13 Pro instead (and handing over this 11 Pro)?

Thanks!
 
Similar but not the same.
The credits last year were paid over 30 months.
And amounts were different, but the concept is the same. These deals are in place to retain customers as there are no contracts like in previous years. With all carriers being basically the same, this is a win for the customer.
 
If you’re good with staying with ATT and keeping your phone for 3 years, then it’s a good deal. If you think you might want to leave ATT or you might want to upgrade your phone next year or the year after, then it’s not a great deal as you’ll lose a significant number of credits. 3 years is a long time to be locked into something.
 
With all carriers being basically the same, this is a win for the customer.

Not necessarily. For a single line, Verizon's cheapest unlimited plan (Start Unlimited) is $70+taxes and AT&T's is $65+taxes. One can get Visible service for $25/mo including taxes with party pay.

Verizon Start Unlimited
$70 * 30 + $1000 - $700 = $2400 + taxes & fees

Visible Unlimited
$25 * 30 + $1000 = $1750


AT&T Unlimited Starter
$65 * 36 + $1000 - $1000 = $2340 + taxes & fees

Visible Unlimited
$25 * 36 + $1000 = $1900

AT&T Prepaid 8GB (annual plan)
$300 * 3 + $1000 = $1900

Also, there's carrier locking to consider. AT&T phones are locked until the term is complete. If you're traveling and would need to use a local SIM, it's either pay off the device and forfeit the remaining credits to unlock or buy a new phone.

Verizon's is better in this regard since they automatically unlock after 60 days.
 
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If you’re good with staying with ATT and keeping your phone for 3 years, then it’s a good deal. If you think you might want to leave ATT or you might want to upgrade your phone next year or the year after, then it’s not a great deal as you’ll lose a significant number of credits. 3 years is a long time to be locked into something.
Thanks. Saw that and, to be honest, was not that crazy about the 13 Pro and thinking the 14 might be a better wait but, at the same time, trade in value if decided to jump to 14 next year should still be lower (I think) even if trade in the 13 Pro after paying off difference vs keeping 11 Pro and paying for battery swap...

And since already on Unlimited and ATT with 13 years with no plans to change (strongest in our town actually), seems like a no-brainer? Actually tempted to swap three of the family iPhone 11s to 13s simply for newer batteries :oops:
 
If ATT offers the same deals for the iPhone 14 series next year. You could get the 14 Pro for free with your 11 Pro trade-in.

If you jump on the deal now, then you'll need to pay off $667 (or whatever remaining balance is on the phone) before you can upgrade.

If you decide to wait until the iPhone 15 series, then that's still $333 to pay off the balance before you can upgrade.

Also consider if you might be traveling overseas and would need unlocked phones.
 
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I'm finding all of these purchase options and plans/incentives actually make it less likely for me to upgrade since it's so time consuming to determine which option is truly the most advantageous.

Can you still pay the extra $5/mo for AT&T Next Up and trade once you've 'paid' 50%? This may make sense on our XS Max.

I purchased my 12 Pro through the Apple Installment Plan (not IUP) financed through Citizens One. I have no idea why I did this to be honest. To get out from under the plan it appears I have to pay off the remaining balance (50%) of my 12 Pro.
 
I'm finding all of these purchase options and plans/incentives actually make it less likely for me to upgrade since it's so time consuming to determine which option is truly the most advantageous.

Can you still pay the extra $5/mo for AT&T Next Up and trade once you've 'paid' 50%? This may make sense on our XS Max.

I purchased my 12 Pro through the Apple Installment Plan (not IUP) financed through Citizens One. I have no idea why I did this to be honest. To get out from under the plan it appears I have to pay off the remaining balance (50%) of my 12 Pro.
Yes, you still can buy the ATT next. It will take you 18 months to get to 50% so another $90 out of pocket.
Apple Installment plan is a loan. Need to PIF. Not sure how get out after 50%.
 
Yes, you still can buy the ATT next. It will take you 18 months to get to 50% so another $90 out of pocket.
Apple Installment plan is a loan. Need to PIF. Not sure how get out after 50%.
I just looked into this. I have AT&T next up and I purchased it on this phone last year. You have to pay 50% of the cost of the phone to be able to update. Currently on my iPhone 12 pro max to 56 GB, that’s $200. Because it’s a 30 installment plan. But AT&T definitely allows you to pay the difference to upgrade early which is 50% or 15 months which ever comes first.

every year I get the new phone. Right away. But this year I am thinking of waiting because I do not think it’s worth $200 for a slightly better battery and slightly better cameras. Then again I take a lot of photos and video including professionally using my phone so…
 
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I just looked into this. I have AT&T next up and I purchased it on this phone last year. You have to pay 50% of the cost of the phone to be able to update. Currently on my iPhone 12 pro max to 56 GB, that’s $200. Because it’s a 30 installment plan. But AT&T definitely allows you to pay the difference to upgrade early which is 50% or 15 months which ever comes first.

every year I get the new phone. Right away. But this year I am thinking of waiting because I do not think it’s worth $200 for a slightly better battery and slightly better cameras. Then again I take a lot of photos and video including professionally using my phone so…
I don’t have next but kinda same boat here. If most likely getting new device next year because might be bigger changes then probably not worth it. Annual upgrades are not really needed unless just like having latest hardware. No right or wrong way.
 
If ATT offers the same deals for the iPhone 14 series next year. You could get the 14 Pro for free with your 11 Pro trade-in.

If you jump on the deal now, then you'll need to pay off $667 (or whatever remaining balance is on the phone) before you can upgrade.

If you decide to wait until the iPhone 15 series, then that's still $333 to pay off the balance before you can upgrade.

Also consider if you might be traveling overseas and would need unlocked phones.
Good points. But the 13 Pro I have in hand will be worth more than the $667 balance. So if I really wanted to, I could sell that and buy a new 14/Pro and it will have been as though I lost the 11 Pro trade in value and am back to zero. If I make anything more than $667 that would count as 'residual value' of the former 11 Pro. And, in either case, I would have had the 13 Pro for a year for the $30 activation fee plus taxes. Probably still on par with getting the 11 Pro a new battery...I think...
 
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I just looked into this. I have AT&T next up and I purchased it on this phone last year. You have to pay 50% of the cost of the phone to be able to update. Currently on my iPhone 12 pro max to 56 GB, that’s $200. Because it’s a 30 installment plan. But AT&T definitely allows you to pay the difference to upgrade early which is 50% or 15 months which ever comes first.

every year I get the new phone. Right away. But this year I am thinking of waiting because I do not think it’s worth $200 for a slightly better battery and slightly better cameras. Then again I take a lot of photos and video including professionally using my phone so…
Same, but I am looking to get out of AT&T Next Up especially if they continue 30 month/50% cycles, since eventually it will be months after a release before eligible to upgrade. I'm thinking of paying through at least until the iPhone 14, then dumping it and signing on to Apple Upgrade Program (which, for now, is operating at the 24 month/50% cycle for eligible upgrade by trade-in).
 
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There is no such thing as free money. The quants over at AT&T have run the numbers and confirmed that by paying for almost the entire cost of your new iPhone and IMEI locking it into your $150/month bill for 3 years makes them more money over not doing this. If you actually want to save money, buy the iPhone full price and signup for a MNVO like Visible and pay $25/month for service, albeit at the cost of de-prioritization at times. And never worry about IMEI locks when traveling or other b$ like that.
 
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Yep. These deals are even more onerous now since they've extended the term from 2-2.5 years to 3 years.
This is why I'm really trying to decide whether to take the AT&T deal or just trade into Apple. If I trade in my 12 Pro, it'd basically cost me $360 more to do it through Apple, but I'm not locked into the credits over 36 months with AT&T. So, it's whether the $360 difference is worth the 12 months of "flexibility."
 
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I have an 11 Pro and honestly not that excited about he 13/13 Pro but my battery life sucks (technically 88% but feels worse). I made an appointment for a battery swap at Apple this weekend before AppleCare runs out but will still have to pay.

I'm currently on an unlimited ATT plan (as is the rest of my family). Reading the terms, it seems like I can get a 13 Pro essentially for free with the promise of staying with ATT for 3 more years. All I can see is a $30 activation fee and trading in my 11 Pro.

Am I missing something or does it make sense to skip the battery swap and 'save' money by getting a brand new 13 Pro instead (and handing over this 11 Pro)?

Thanks!
I'm considering skipping a battery swap on my 12 Pro that is less than a year old and shows a max capacity of 87% already, in part because even when it was new, I never felt like the battery life was particularly good and I'm not what most would consider a "heavy" user. So, the alleged battery life improvements on the 13 Pro are appealing versus paying for a replacement and taking my chances that the battery life is better in my 12 Pro.
 
This is why I'm really trying to decide whether to take the AT&T deal or just trade into Apple. If I trade in my 12 Pro, it'd basically cost me $360 more to do it through Apply, but I'm not locked into the credits over 36 months with AT&T. So, it's whether the $360 difference is worth the 12 months of "flexibility."
At any point in time you can get out of your”commitment “ . You just need to pay the prorated price.
 
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