Carrier AT&T also offering free iPhone 7 with trade.

[rui no onna]

Yep, and that's particularly handy if you have a family member who doesn't want/need the latest/greatest. Use the 7 as a hand-me-down next year and sell whatever it replaced on the other person's line. That's my plan if whatever comes out in 2017 induces me to buy... though the 6s didn't get me to bite and I wouldn't have bought the 7 except for this deal, so there's a fair chance I'll keep it. Depends on what the 7s/8 brings to the table.

Lol, the iPhone 7 on the AT&T deal already went to my dad (to replace iPhone 5 with broken lock button). He was supposed to get my hand me down 6 but I figured for the cost of tax and $20 upgrade fee, he'd get water resistance, newer battery and 1-year warranty. He would've been more than fine with the iPhone SE, too, but I'd have to pay full price if I got that one. He'll be using the 7 until it breaks so that's hopefully 3-4 years service life.

My personal iPhone 7, I'd already gotten via IUP before AT&T jumped on the trade-in promo bandwagon. I wasn't really planning on upgrading this year but my dad needed a new phone like 4 months ago.

 

[ineel]

Anyone know if I can trade in an iPhone 5 for this offer and probably get a lesser discount or is it only iPhone 6. I have both phones, but would rather get rid of the 5.

 

[KatieMiller]

I believe it is only a 6 and above

I just did the "pay to upgrade" option. I only had to pay $86! woohoo! As soon as I receive my 7+ I have to send my 6 back. Still a great deal. It is going to cost me $3.33 a month (difference of $650 to the $769 price tag on my 7+). I think I can handle that!

 

[deeddawg]

Anyone know if I can trade in an iPhone 5 for this offer and probably get a lesser discount or is it only iPhone 6. I have both phones, but would rather get rid of the 5.

You can trade the 5, but only on the conventional program where the value is no more than the normal trade in value (aka bupkiss). Value for the iphone6/64gb would be $170 so you can imagine how little the 5 would be worth.

That said I think Verizon includes older phones in their program for lesser but still promotional values.

 

[alent1234]

Can you buy in Apple Store on NEXT? My wife wants one and there is stock in the stores for now

 

[HiItsMe]

Can you buy in Apple Store on NEXT? My wife wants one and there is stock in the stores for now

Yes

 

[joeblough]

Huh? You want AT&T to finance a T-Mobile phone?

Could you please record your conversation with the AT&T rep when you ask about this and share it?
[doublepost=1474285015][/doublepost]
Once you've paid off the remaining balance on the phone you can get it unlocked.

Of course once you pay off the phone you stop receiving the monthly credits too.

My wife is a non-techie and don't much care what phone she has so long as it works. I jumped on this promo and in a year if I feel like upgrading we'll just move the ip7 to her line and keep the Next credits coming.

well if the fact that it's a T-mobile phone being sold to me means that T-mobile has already paid apple money, or the fact that the phone happens to be the T-mobile model forces T-mobile to pay for the phone, then you have a point.

otherwise - my assumption is that it's the activation of the next plan against the phone that causes the money to change hands, in this case, ATT paying apple for the phone. so T-mobile would have nothing to do with it, and i don't see why the particular model # of the phone should matter. the only reason i brought up T-mobile is that it's supposed to be carrier-unlocked. i could just have easily asked about the verizon model, since it's my understanding that it's unlocked for GSM as well.

as i stated, somehow i did this 2 years ago on the "official" carrier unlocked phone, in an apple store. did not talk to anyone from ATT (directly). i'm not sure why this would be any different. i just don't know if it was a mistake on apple's part to have done this, or if it's kosher, which is why i'm asking if anyone has done this on an ip7 (the situation being a little different, since the "official" carrier unlocked phone does not yet exist.)

as for wanting the unlock, it's just in case we need to travel overseas in the next two years, which seems like a probable situation.

 

[iNewbie]

If you pay it off you stop getting credits and lose the remaining credit balance. Not a good plan.
[doublepost=1474410907][/doublepost]
You don't trade in your current phone until your new phone arrives.

In a chat with an AT&T person the guy said if you pay off early the credits will still keep coming until the $650 end point.

So not sure of course, but I asked the guy this specific question.

 

[deeddawg]

the only reason i brought up T-mobile is that it's supposed to be carrier-unlocked

It's carrier unlocked because you're buying it at full price. You pay Apple, then Apple gives you a phone. Same thing happens when you buy an AT&T phone at full price. It's not locked.

If you buy a T-Mobile phone on an installment plan from T-Mobile, it will be locked to T-Mobile until it is paid off.

To restate for clarity - the unlocked nature of a T-mobile phone from Apple is due to it being paid in full and not because it is a T-mobile phone.

I also suspect that if you were somehow able to get a T-mobile phone and get AT&T to pay Apple for it while establishing your Next financing, you would find it becomes locked to AT&T upon activation. Granted I don't know this for sure as I've never tried to buy one carrier's phone with another carrier financing it.

But hey, like I said, give it a shot and report back with your findings.

 

[dgdamiani]

I'm a well educated person, but I think I'm missing something. I have an iPhone 6 that is paid off and an iPhone 6S that I'm willing to pay off my AT&T Next plan (making two phones paid off). Can I use this to upgrade both to an iPhone 7 with bill credits up to $649 for each if traded in? An iPhone 6 being two years old being traded into the same company that I already have doesn't seem to make much business sense to me...

Here are the offer details:

FREE IPHONE 7 32 GB OFFER: Ltd time (ends 9/30/16 in Puerto Rico). Select stores & online. Not an AT&T Next upgrade offer. Void in CT, RI, Miami-Dade. Elig. iPhone 7: New iPhone 7 or 7 Plus on 0% APR AT&T Next (30-mo.) or AT&T Next Every Year (24-mo.) installment agmt. Retail price is divided into monthly installments. Tax on full retail price due at sale. After all credits, get iPhone 7 32GB priced $650 ($21.67 or $27.09/mo.) for free. May apply max credit towards other eligible iPhones priced up to $970, which will be discounted but not free. Wireless: Monthly postpaid voice & data req’d (existing customers can add to elig. current plans). Elig. Trade-in: Must use the AT&T trade-in program in an eligible store or online. Must trade-in an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus in good working condition that is fully-paid off. In some stores will need to trade-in and make new purchase in same transaction. If your iPhone is being shipped, you will receive an email with instructions on how to complete your promo trade-in. Must complete trade-in w/in 30 days of new iPhone activation. Bill Credit: Must have completed trade-in for credits to start. Credits applied in equal amounts towards installment pymts over entire agmt term. Svc must remain active & in good standing and device must remain on its agmt for entire term to get all credits (if cancel svc you will owe remaining installment balance of up to $970). If upgrade or pay up/off agmt early your credits may cease. Offer Limits: Not combinable with bill credit, switcher, or other discounts on the iPhone offers. Return:Restocking fee up to $45 may apply.

We did this and AT&T applies the $650 credit over either 24 or 30 months reducing the cost of your Next Plan payment. We got the 7+ 128gb and will only pay around $9 a month. They say not to pay it off early since the credit is spread over the life of your plan.

 

[deeddawg]

In a chat with an AT&T person the guy said if you pay off early the credits will still keep coming until the $650 end point.

So not sure of course, but I asked the guy this specific question.

Interesting. I don't believe what you were told is correct since it contravenes the intention of the promotion, but miracles can happen.

I will apply the principle of "the second mouse gets the cheese" to that one though...

 

[joeblough]

It's carrier unlocked because you're buying it at full price. You pay Apple, then Apple gives you a phone. Same thing happens when you buy an AT&T phone at full price. It's not locked.

If you buy a T-Mobile phone on an installment plan from T-Mobile, it will be locked to T-Mobile until it is paid off.

To restate for clarity - the unlocked nature of a T-mobile phone from Apple is due to it being paid in full and not because it is a T-mobile phone.

I also suspect that if you were somehow able to get a T-mobile phone and get AT&T to pay Apple for it while establishing your Next financing, you would find it becomes locked to AT&T upon activation. Granted I don't know this for sure as I've never tried to buy one carrier's phone with another carrier financing it.

But hey, like I said, give it a shot and report back with your findings.

i understand what you are saying. i was not aware that they could remotely lock a phone to their network; i thought it was something that was written into the modem at manufacturing time which could only be remotely *removed* by a carrier, and once removed, always removed.

i can't remember the specifics of the situation anymore. it was early in the days of the iphone6, so it's possible the only thing they had in stock on the day i bought it was the unlocked model. no one told me that it would become carrier locked when activated on next, but that was either a convenient omission on their part, or confusion, as IIRC Next was brand new at that point. anyway i don't have a T-mobile sim that fits the i6 so i can't even test it. i should get one and find out.

 

[deeddawg]

i understand what you are saying. i was not aware that they could remotely lock a phone to their network; i thought it was something that was written into the modem at manufacturing time which could only be remotely *removed* by a carrier, and once removed, always removed.

I could be wrong, of course, but I don't believe that Apple stocks both locked and unlocked versions of every AT&T & TMO phone model and configuration. We don't see people complaining that they went in to buy a new phone (full price or financed) and Apple only had the *other* version available. Nor have I heard of any reports of buying a full price TMO phone to use on AT&T and then finding it was a locked version. It's this that leads me to think the locking occurs during activation in some manner.

Again, I could certainly be wrong. While that's a rare thing, it has happened a couple times.

 

[stlwx21]

I am considering purchasing the phone at full unlocked price on ATT.

If I would decide to upgrade next year, I would only get 325 on my trade in. So I will try to sell my 64GB unlocked iPhone 6 hopefully for about the same price, maybe 350?

I figure I can sell the 7+ unlocked next fall for a pretty good price and wouldn't be out too much money.

Does the sound like the right move for me? Again, I need the phone to be unlocked and not tied to ATT.

 

[joeblough]

there are model numbers that correspond to carrier locked and unlocked. i don't think there's an "unlocked ATT" phone and an "unlocked T-mobile" phone; there are just ATT and T-mobile versions. the confusion comes because the T-mobile phone is often referred to as T-mobile/contract free, as in this website:

http://leimobile.com/iphone-6-model-numbers/

i can only speculate that this means at least T-mobile can lock the phone remotely if you choose some kind of contract.

anyway i ordered a $4 prepaid microsim from t-mobile and so i'll find out if my unlocked iphone is really still unlocked.

 

[deeddawg]

I need the phone to be unlocked and not tied to ATT.

If that requirement is a must-have from day 1, you have no other choice but to buy at full price as far as I know.

If it's something that might only be needed later on down the road, where you could initiating the program and then pay off the remaining balance to unlock the phone in a few months, you'll need to assess the cash flow against your expected timetable to determine what works best for you.

 

[rui no onna]

If that requirement is a must-have from day 1, you have no other choice but to buy at full price as far as I know.

If it's something that might only be needed later on down the road, where you could initiating the program and then pay off the remaining balance to unlock the phone in a few months, you'll need to assess the cash flow against your expected timetable to determine what works best for you.

Apple iPhone Upgrade Program will give you an unlocked phone, too.

 

[bushbaby]

alent1234 said: ↑
Can you buy in Apple Store on NEXT? My wife wants one and there is stock in the stores for now

Yes

To get the $650 credit trade-in though (along with NEXT), I'm figuring that can only be done if you purchase from ATT?

 

[airjay75]

alent1234 said: ↑
Can you buy in Apple Store on NEXT? My wife wants one and there is stock in the stores for now


To get the $650 credit trade-in though (along with NEXT), I'm figuring that can only be done if you purchase from ATT?

On your second question, there has been some conflicting information on this. I don't think anything in the terms of the offer says you have to buy directly from AT&T - just using the Next financing. However, people on these forums have reported being told by AT&T reps in store when attempting to trade in their old phone that they will need to return their 7 to Apple and buy directly from AT&T. YMMV, but to be safe, I'd buy from AT&T.

 

[bushbaby]

On your second question, there has been some conflicting information on this. I don't think anything in the terms of the offer says you have to buy directly from AT&T - just using the Next financing. However, people on these forums have reported being told by AT&T reps in store when attempting to trade in their old phone that they will need to return their 7 to Apple and buy directly from AT&T. YMMV, but to be safe, I'd buy from AT&T.

Thanks. I have an order in with ATT, just that my delivery to the store is not scheduled until Oct 14-21st (MB, 128, Plus). Ouch!

 

[Older bird]

On your second question, there has been some conflicting information on this. I don't think anything in the terms of the offer says you have to buy directly from AT&T - just using the Next financing. However, people on these forums have reported being told by AT&T reps in store when attempting to trade in their old phone that they will need to return their 7 to Apple and buy directly from AT&T. YMMV, but to be safe, I'd buy from AT&T.

From what I understand the trade in is a separate transaction requiring the promotion code. So if you are showing a IPhone 7 attached to the number associated with the trade in and use the promotion code it gives you the credit up to 5 lines

 

[bushbaby]

From what I understand the trade in is a separate transaction requiring the promotion code. So if you are showing a IPhone 7 attached to the number associated with the trade in and use the promotion code it gives you the credit up to 5 lines

Where would I see this promotion code number on my purchase information sheet from ATT to confirm I have this? I see several item ID numbers with odd codes.

 

[pdxmatts]

Where would I see this promotion code number on my purchase information sheet from ATT to confirm I have this? I see several item ID numbers with odd codes.

When you trade in your phone, the promotion code will show on your paperwork
[doublepost=1474576015][/doublepost]

I am considering purchasing the phone at full unlocked price on ATT.

If I would decide to upgrade next year, I would only get 325 on my trade in. So I will try to sell my 64GB unlocked iPhone 6 hopefully for about the same price, maybe 350?

I figure I can sell the 7+ unlocked next fall for a pretty good price and wouldn't be out too much money.

Does the sound like the right move for me? Again, I need the phone to be unlocked and not tied to ATT.

I that is what you want to do then this promotion doesn't apply to your situation

 

[Older bird]

Where would I see this promotion code number on my purchase information sheet from ATT to confirm I have this? I see several item ID numbers with odd codes.

Look at the procedure to trade in the phone in the link it talks about the promotion code you have to enter
https://www.att.com/esupport/articl...w-V_1e.wVMecJXm6w.zA8s.A#!/wireless/KM1123971

 

[realeric]

To get the $650 credit trade-in though (along with NEXT), I'm figuring that can only be done if you purchase from ATT?

On your second question, there has been some conflicting information on this. I don't think anything in the terms of the offer says you have to buy directly from AT&T - just using the Next financing. However, people on these forums have reported being told by AT&T reps in store when attempting to trade in their old phone that they will need to return their 7 to Apple and buy directly from AT&T. YMMV, but to be safe, I'd buy from AT&T.

You can buy from apple stores and return the old iphone to any local AT&T stores. Believe me. I did it today. I bought one from AT&T online and one from a local apple store with AT&T Next Year Plan(24 months). I returned two iPhones to a local AT&T store. They inspected the phones and gave me two receipts. There wasn't any hassle. No question asked.

PS: They needed IMEI numbers of new iPhones to do the trade-in.