Apple Offering Pre-Approvals to iPhone Upgrade Program Customers Ahead of iPhone 8

[Jmausmuc]

I mean yeah there is still the chin and forehead but the side bezels didn't really come down much... look at the difference on the sides... it's minimal.

Please just compare the screen sizes to the total demensions of the devices and tell me again that the difference is minimal.

Small bezels have become almost standart now and for an 800 Dollar phone these bezels are way to big in my opinion. This phone is just as expensive like the 6 was 3 years ago and sells for a higher price than the 6 did. Yet, it still has the same resolution, the same screen to total size ratio and so on.
For me this is a no go, especially considering the competition, but if you like it, by all means, buy it.

 

[jdag]

Keep in mind that all of these figures are "list prices". Remember last year, after a few days, all of the carriers had significant promotions.

My brother-in-law was able to trade his old iPhone 5 in for an iPhone 7 and he rec'd $400 in trade toward the 7, netting his monthly cost on the 7 down to about $10/mo for 24 months.

 

[bopajuice]

I agree people should only blame themselves. I personally would not buy a $1000 phone or finance one for that matter, but it is a fact way too many people rationalize spending the money. Especially when companies offer ways to make it easier. In the US, consumer debt is rising to the same levels it was at before the housing crash.

 

[Xgm541]

Can I make 12 payments on my current phone to be eligible? I've had it since May (old one broke...)

 

[vixster1901]

See what we pay for R&D!

 

[Mlrollin91]

That's correct. But see my comment on why the iPhone Upgrade Program is terrible. They run a hard inquiry every year on their customers. It's BS in my opinion. Verizon offers the same service with AppleCare+ for the same price but does not do a credit check every year...

Not true. I did not have a hard credit check for my second year. And I will find out tomorrow if my pre-approval gave me a hard pull or not.

There are dozens of members that reported the same thing last year on upgrade. No hard pull.
[doublepost=1505317008][/doublepost]

They do necessarily... Call Citizens One or Apple... they will confirm that every year, when you get a new phone, you are taking out a new loan on that phone, and there will be a hard inquiry every year before you are issued the new loan.

Again wrong. Check out the dozens of threads from last year.

 

[Hectx]

Right, appears to be for 'normal annual upgrades' only.
[doublepost=1505314285][/doublepost]
Did you really not pay all/most of the difference on your carrier's fees?

Nope, when they got ride of the subsidized phones the price actually went up on my service. I've been on the AT&T unlimited plan since I got an iPhone 3G. I think it was $35 or $40 a month. Technically ~$5 of that went to allowing me to upgrade every 2 years. I got my iPhone 6s Plus for $400 (200 base but 100 for the plus and 100 for 64gb).

1 week after the my dropped the subsidized phones, my grandfathered plan went up $5.

 

[velocityg4]

The bad thing is that every year under the iPhone Upgrade Program, there will be a HARD credit check on you. I am seeking advice on how to best upgrade from iPhone 7 Plus 128 GB Verizon to iPhone 8 Plus 256 GB Verizon. I am currently on the iPhone Upgrade Program, but was unaware I would be subject to an annual hard credit check every year under that Upgrade Program. The Verizon Device Payment Plan with AppleCare+ offers the exact same agreement for the exact same price without the annual hard credit check. I would like to switch to this plan, but Apple will not pay off my outstanding balance on my Citizens One loan if I do so. Instead, they would give me an Apple Store credit for the trade-in value. This value is less than the outstanding balance on the loan. So I am faced with paying the difference (approx. $75), or having a hard credit check. What should I do? Are there other options?

Pay off the balance. Reset it to factory settings. Remove it from you iCloud (find my iPhone). Remove it from your Verizon account and make sure it is unlocked. Then sell it for cash on Craigslist, Letgo or similar local classifieds. You'll get more for it than the upgrade program.

 

[Mlrollin91]

I called Citizens and was told they don't do a hard inquiry unless you had issues with the previous loan, I.E. late payments, missed payments.

Yep. Got the same response last year. And had no hard credit pull.
[doublepost=1505317136][/doublepost]

Pay off the balance. Reset it to factory settings. Remove it from you iCloud (find my iPhone). Remove it from your Verizon account and make sure it is unlocked. Then sell it for cash on Craigslist, Letgo or similar local classifieds. You'll get more for it than the upgrade program.

Not entirely true. Depends entirely on the area and how flooded the market is. Living in LA, I hardly ever see a 50% return after one year. The market is saturated. IUP is a guaranteed 50% with zero hassle or risk.

 

[Vanilla35]

Different people have different budgets and Apple has a wide range of available phones starting with the iPhone SE at $349 up to the fully loaded X at $1149. To many people (myself included) $56 is nothing and more is spent on much less useful things all the time. We're talking about a premium brand's flagship device, this is not the economy phone meant for people with tight budgets.

My comment wasn't supposed to have to do with how expensive $50 seems for one's budget. It's the thought that the X is not worth the difference of cost. Just my opinion, but I was underwhelmed. The camera features are the same, and same SOC. Worse interface, and better display.

 

[fonzy91]

What gets me is that in the UK, the 64GB iPhone X is £56.45 compared to $49.91 in the USA. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Apple are definitely ripping Brits off!

Totally agree! How can it be even with 20% VAT that U.K. Is now more expensive than that in the USA?!!

Thanks to Brexit prices from international companies are only gonna get higher.

 

[nightcap965]

I know this is probably a dumb question. So if I sign up for the program to buy a iPhone 8 and make 12 months of payments and then upgrade to the iPhone X (next year when upgraded model might be announced) what happens to my payments I've made? Can I upgrade to the more expensive iPhone X for 10 a month more but I'm only making the payments of my iPhone 8? So through making lower payments each month I'm really recouping the lost $$ from the previous year?

I'm coming from having an iPhone 6 that I bought outright for $600 4 years ago and have gotten all realized value from it over the 4 years (I feel). I'm just thinking I won't get my $50 realized value each month from my new phone. But that money is gone forever. And really I'm stuck making payments for the rest of my life on a phone until I just stick it out with one phone.

Is this like car leasing? So confusing.

You bought your iPhone 6 three years ago, and the starting price was $649. Your "realized value" calculation is off.

 

[Mlrollin91]

I know this is probably a dumb question. So if I sign up for the program to buy a iPhone 8 and make 12 months of payments and then upgrade to the iPhone X (next year when upgraded model might be announced) what happens to my payments I've made? Can I upgrade to the more expensive iPhone X for 10 a month more but I'm only making the payments of my iPhone 8? So through making lower payments each month I'm really recouping the lost $$ from the previous year?

I'm coming from having an iPhone 6 that I bought outright for $600 4 years ago and have gotten all realized value from it over the 4 years (I feel). I'm just thinking I won't get my $50 realized value each month from my new phone. But that money is gone forever. And really I'm stuck making payments for the rest of my life on a phone until I just stick it out with one phone.

Is this like car leasing? So confusing.

You don’t have to upgrade. You can pay off the phone and own it after 24 months. Car leasing is when you have to trade in the car after the time period and start over. Here, you can just keep making payments until you own it outright.
[doublepost=1505317485][/doublepost]

Can I make 12 payments on my current phone to be eligible? I've had it since May (old one broke...)

In order to upgrade you must have been part of the program for 6 months and have made payments in the value of 12 payments.

 

[BrightCanon]

does this work with the Sim-Free version?

 

[Razeus]

I'll be sticking with my 6S Plus.

In 2017 and still no edge to edge to display without paying through the nose is ridiculous.

I'll wait until the iPhone X is a normal, mainstream price.

 

[Brian Y]

Thanks to Brexit prices from international companies are only gonna get higher.

It's not as bad as he makes out, the UK program is 20 months, the US one is 24 months.

 

[carpleror]

The bad thing is that every year under the iPhone Upgrade Program, there will be a HARD credit check on you. I am seeking advice on how to best upgrade from iPhone 7 Plus 128 GB Verizon to iPhone 8 Plus 256 GB Verizon. I am currently on the iPhone Upgrade Program, but was unaware I would be subject to an annual hard credit check every year under that Upgrade Program. The Verizon Device Payment Plan with AppleCare+ offers the exact same agreement for the exact same price without the annual hard credit check. I would like to switch to this plan, but Apple will not pay off my outstanding balance on my Citizens One loan if I do so. Instead, they would give me an Apple Store credit for the trade-in value. This value is less than the outstanding balance on the loan. So I am faced with paying the difference (approx. $75), or having a hard credit check. What should I do? Are there other options?

Only other option would be to buy the phone at full price. Choosing which one is better is really up to you, and your financial situation/concerns. If you have perfect credit and usually don't apply for credit often, than maybe one credit check a year outweighs the added expense of switching. If you have bad credit, have plans to apply for credit soon, or are super concerned about how one credit check a year will affect your credit profile, than maybe it's better to just take the monetary hit now, for peace of mind during future upgrades. Also, if you have bad credit and are concerned that you may not be approved in the future, it may be better for you to make the switch now so you don't have to worry every year whether or not you will be approved (I'm not sure what they look for in terms of credit worthiness).

Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor nor am I an expert in credit, so take my suggestions with a grain of salt. Also, I'm just offering up options, I'm not going to comment on smart financial management.

 

[Mlrollin91]

does this work with the Sim-Free version?

I don’t believe so as you need to go through a carrier.

 

[xterratop]

That's correct. But see my comment on why the iPhone Upgrade Program is terrible. They run a hard inquiry every year on their customers. It's BS in my opinion. Verizon offers the same service with AppleCare+ for the same price but does not do a credit check every year...

And to add to that, when they do a hard credit check, you get docked points from your credit score whether you qualify or not. That sucks.

 

[chiefsilverback]

The bad thing is that every year under the iPhone Upgrade Program, there will be a HARD credit check on you. I am seeking advice on how to best upgrade from iPhone 7 Plus 128 GB Verizon to iPhone 8 Plus 256 GB Verizon. I am currently on the iPhone Upgrade Program, but was unaware I would be subject to an annual hard credit check every year under that Upgrade Program. The Verizon Device Payment Plan with AppleCare+ offers the exact same agreement for the exact same price without the annual hard credit check. I would like to switch to this plan, but Apple will not pay off my outstanding balance on my Citizens One loan if I do so. Instead, they would give me an Apple Store credit for the trade-in value. This value is less than the outstanding balance on the loan. So I am faced with paying the difference (approx. $75), or having a hard credit check. What should I do? Are there other options?

One hard credit check per year will not adversely impact your credit. I've been on the Upgrade program since it launched in 2015 and my credit score is over 750!

 

[BrightCanon]

I don’t believe so as you need to go through a carrier.

thanks so much

 

[zapm]

Different people have different budgets and Apple has a wide range of available phones starting with the iPhone SE at $349 up to the fully loaded X at $1149. To many people (myself included) $56 is nothing and more is spent on much less useful things all the time. We're talking about a premium brand's flagship device, this is not the economy phone meant for people with tight budgets.

I completely agree with you. My post was suppose to be sarcastic..

 

[carpleror]

I really cant believe the 8 has those bezels heading into 2018. If not doing the X, at a minimum give it something like the old Xperia XA. iPhone bezels are ancient.

Apple has offered a solution to it's bezels, and you don't like it. Therefore, you have no right to complain about Apple's bezels...

 

[Vanilla35]

Thanks to Brexit prices from international companies are only gonna get higher.

No one said freedom was going to be cheap.

 

[chiefsilverback]

With the carrier subsidies they built a fee into the contract that passed the cost of the phone onto you, but unlike the current installment plans those fees didn't come off the account after the contract was completed. So if you bought a phone and were still using it three years later you actually paid over list for the device.

Don't use the word "subsidy" when it comes to those contracts, they weren't subsidized, they just gave you a loan you didn't know about and kept taking the monthly payments long after the phone was paid off!