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

[Cogsworth]

Trying to decide what to do with my old phone. It's a Space Grey 6+ 128 GB in excellent condition with box, charger and unused Ear Pods. Current Craigslist prices in my area are in the $400-$450 range, so realistically maybe $400 max. I've always sold my old iPhones on Craigslist without any trouble, but this trade in deal is tempting. The old phone was on Next but I paid it off before ordering my 7+ and I verified with AT&T chat that it can be traded in for the $650 credit.

Now that I have my 7+ the question is should I go for $300-$400 in my pocket by selling the phone or take the monthly bill credit? I usually keep my phones for two years and skip the "S" model but I am now on the 24 month Next Program and I may want to upgrade next year depending on what the 2017 iPhone brings. If the next model is a must-have, then I'll only get $325 in credit for the trade in.

Any comments or advice?

 

[deeddawg]

Now that I have my 7+ the question is should I go for $300-$400 in my pocket by selling the phone or take the monthly bill credit? I usually keep my phones for two years and skip the "S" model but I am now on the 24 month Next Program and I may want to upgrade next year depending on what the 2017 iPhone brings. If the next model is a must-have, then I'll only get $325 in credit for the trade in.

Nobody can say for sure what the right choice is for you, but some thoughts to help you decide.
If you sell your existing phone outright, you get $300-400 assuming your numbers are right and I have no reason to say otherwise.

Assuming you bought the current phone on a 24 month Next plan, trading in would get you $27.08 per month in credits. In a year you'd be at $325 back in your pocket, in fourteen months you'd be at $379, and in fifteen months you'd be at $406.

So let's say the 2017 iphone model is a must-have and there are no deals.
If you've traded in, then buying at day one puts you even with your low-end estimate of resale, and waiting two months past release puts you even with your high end estimate of resale. No real difference between trading in your current phone or selling it outright, except maybe waiting a month or so for additional credits.

Now let's say the 2017 model isn't a must have. If you've traded in you just sit tight and keep collecting your $27.08 per month until you've received $650. If you didn't trade in, you never get anything more than your $300-400 sale price.

Seems to me that the best-outcome choice is the trade-in in this instance, provided you're both willing to wait a month or so post-release for a 2017 model and have a low expectation of it being a must-have.

 

[yOyOYoo]

Darn I just missed this deal for my wife. I kept telling her that we need to go to the AT&T store but she kept saying she needed more time to back up her phone. I even ordered her a new case and glass screen protector. DOH.

 

[deeddawg]

I think with both of us on record as having bought the 7 before yesterday's deadline and turning in the phone (so quickly, well within that deadline), they're going to have to honor the up to $650 credit. I did mine at a corporate store, btw. I'll check my paperwork tonight and report back.

Yeah, I figure they had some variance in how the stores did things, but we should be fine.

I have a printout of the site pages describing the deal and listing the FALL2016TRADE code, then I have the sheet from the store listing my trade in then a zero-out referencing the same code and "September Promo". The numbers I was thinking of were related to my trade-in and not listed near the promo code.

 

[jetsam]

I have a printout of the site pages describing the deal and listing the FALL2016TRADE code, then I have the sheet from the store listing my trade in then a zero-out referencing the same code and "September Promo". The numbers I was thinking of were related to my trade-in and not listed near the promo code.

I turned in my iPhone 6 Plus last Thursday at my local AT&T corporate store, and have just about identical paperwork. (Personal information redacted [I hope!])

 

[deeddawg]

Exactly what mine says. Guy did everything up on an ipad, had to look up my account and so forth.

 

[SDM44]

Exactly what mine says. Guy did everything up on an ipad, had to look up my account and so forth.

Damn, it sounds like I may be screwed then and not get the $650 credit, even though I did everything on my end at the store before the 9/25 cut-off. Just because the sales people (both times) didn't want to do anything on their end for the promotion and give me any documentation, even though both guys (at different times) knew exactly what I was talking about.

I guess whenever I receive my wife's 7 Plus, I'll go into the store with it and see if they'll take my iPhone 6 for the full credit. If not, then I'll return the iPhone 7 right there and request a full refund on what I paid for it ($330 down payment of offset the monthly costs), and just have my wife keep using her 6 Plus until next year's phone comes out.

She didn't need or didn't care about a 7 Plus, but if I could get it with the credit from my iPhone 6, then I would do it for her.

 

[KatieMiller]

Just got off chat with AT&T. They said if it is ordered before the cut off of 9/25, that when the new phone comes in take your 6 (or newer) in to an AT&T store and they will give you the $650 in monthly credits within 3 bills. I would also print the promo details out to take with you. If you'd like, I can forward my chat transcript to you where the rep explicitly says what I just mentioned.

 

[deeddawg]

Damn, it sounds like I may be screwed then and not get the $650 credit,

You do realize we're talking about the trade-in paper received when trading in the old phone, having previously received our new phones, yes?

When I ordered and received my iphone7 there was nothing indicating anything about the promo. Only at trade-in.
[doublepost=1475013687][/doublepost]

if it is ordered before the cut off of 9/25, that when the new phone comes in take your 6 (or newer) in to an AT&T store and they will give you the $650 in monthly credits within 3 bills.

Correct, that is how it works. 9/25 was the order cutoff; you had to order the iphone7 on Next by that date. After you receive the iphone7 you have 30 days to trade in the iPhone 6/6s. I probably wouldn't push it, but certainly nobody should be fretting.

 

[bushbaby]

Damn, it sounds like I may be screwed then and not get the $650 credit, even though I did everything on my end at the store before the 9/25 cut-off. Just because the sales people (both times) didn't want to do anything on their end for the promotion and give me any documentation, even though both guys (at different times) knew exactly what I was talking about.

I totally agree with deeddawg. We got our paperwork when we handed in our old iPhones (6). So as long as you fulfill the other requirements which I believe are new to the Next program, ordered the phone by 9/25, you are able to get this deal. I was told by an ATT retail store that I had to go into a corporate store to do this because they could pull up all the info. You're in L.A., so there are plenty of options.

Jetsam, I'm amused that your phone was originally credited for more than my same phone - it's moot since they zero'd it out, but mine was in perfect condition.

 

[joeblough]

my paperwork looks exactly like jetsam's (except it was not an ip6+ but an ip6). the sales rep assured me the code at the bottom represented the $650 deal (i had printed out the web forms and brought them to show them the deal i was talking about.)

 

[BrianSoCal]

My paperwork today has this on it: "Pre-9/26 iPhone 7, 7+Purchase <br>(Qualified purchase BEFORE 9/26)."
It put a trade-in value of $175 for my 6 64 gb in pristine condition and then has a minus $175 after the sentence above for: "Recycle $0.00"
The code that the ATT sales rep pointed out as the fall code begins with FS-71106xxxxx. So I feel assured I'll get my credits. But I can see how if anyone hadn't read the posts here and the various ATT links they could be confused over this receipt.

Mine has the same.

 

[nojokews6]

What's the deal with this promo. I ordered on launch day and am still waiting on my 7. Am I still good for this promo?

 

[garrym13]

What's the deal with this promo. I ordered on launch day and am still waiting on my 7. Am I still good for this promo?

I am in the same boat. According to all that I have been told and read is that you are good to go as long as you trade in your phone within 30 days after receiving the new phone.

 

[joeblough]

what a joke - UPS just delivered my T-mobile sim to the wrong address (to check if my contract-free 6 which ended up on Next is really unlocked.)

 

[blackjackmark]

what a joke - UPS just delivered my T-mobile sim to the wrong address (to check if my contract-free 6 which ended up on Next is really unlocked.)

If you're trading it in to at&t, why do you care if it's unlocked? And if you're not trading, then I think you have the wrong forum?

 

[joeblough]

If you're trading it in to at&t, why do you care if it's unlocked? And if you're not trading, then I think you have the wrong forum?

long story upthread. when i bought my i6 2 years ago (at the apple store), i asked for a contract free version. that's what they sold me (based on the model number) and then i activated it on Next in the apple store. my assumption has always been that the phone is unlocked, but i never tested it. i'm trying to discover if ATT was able to simlock the phone remotely when it went on Next.

re: the topic of this thread, i was asking if i bought a contract-free 7 and then activated it on next if it would still be sim-unlocked.

i managed to find the T-mobile sim but the 6 did something no other iphone i've ever owned did - when i inserted the sim it wanted to reactivate and wanted me to clear the activation lock. got a little worried that it might erase the phone so i just stopped.

 

[Gualwer]

People, calm down. I work for Best Buy and we were running this same deal along with At&t and I even did it myself. As long as you pre-ordered your phone before the deadline, you are good to go! Even if you don't have the new iPhone 7 in your hands, you qualify for this promo. Just make sure you trade in your iPhone 6 or newer whenever you get your new device.

 

[Jemi9OD]

This is probably a dumb question so forgive me, but if the screen of the to-be-traded-in phone is cracked but still functional, do you think they would still take it, or do you think my best bet is to have it repaired by Apple and then trade it in?

 

[joeblough]

This is probably a dumb question so forgive me, but if the screen of the to-be-traded-in phone is cracked but still functional, do you think they would still take it, or do you think my best bet is to have it repaired by Apple and then trade it in?

this may have been covered above - the person helping me at ATT had a checklist on her ipad, and "cracked screen" was one of the condition questions. i don't know if this would disqualify the trade-in though.

 

[MuGeN PoWeR]

anyone knows if this deal will be back?

 

[Jemi9OD]

this may have been covered above - the person helping me at ATT had a checklist on her ipad, and "cracked screen" was one of the condition questions. i don't know if this would disqualify the trade-in though.

Great - in that case, I'll give it a shot without repairing the screen first - worst case scenario they won't take it and I have to take it to Apple to fix the screen and I lose $129 of my (eventual) $650. Still come out $521 in the positive, assuming I keep the 7 for the full two years.
[doublepost=1475306354][/doublepost]

anyone knows if this deal will be back?

I don't think it will be back - I was still within the two week return period for my 7, and I went in today to try to switch to a 7 Plus but they wouldn't let me (if I wanted to keep the $650 special deal).

 

[Time Less]

This is probably a dumb question so forgive me, but if the screen of the to-be-traded-in phone is cracked but still functional, do you think they would still take it, or do you think my best bet is to have it repaired by Apple and then trade it in?

If you have one of those 3rd party iPhone repair kiosks around, take it to them instead of apple. It should be under $100.

 

[blackjackmark]

long story upthread. when i bought my i6 2 years ago (at the apple store), i asked for a contract free version. that's what they sold me (based on the model number) and then i activated it on Next in the apple store. my assumption has always been that the phone is unlocked, but i never tested it. i'm trying to discover if ATT was able to simlock the phone remotely when it went on Next.

re: the topic of this thread, i was asking if i bought a contract-free 7 and then activated it on next if it would still be sim-unlocked.

i managed to find the T-mobile sim but the 6 did something no other iphone i've ever owned did - when i inserted the sim it wanted to reactivate and wanted me to clear the activation lock. got a little worried that it might erase the phone so i just stopped.

Ahh gotcha

You should be able to go into your account online and see if the phone is locked. I have two iphknes on the plan that are telling me they're eligible for unlocking so my assumption is if you don't see that then it's not locked to at&t

 

[joeblough]

i didn't realize that the simlock status was available in the online account. i'll go check it out.

edit: hm well on the screen that lets you check unlock eligibilty, my phone is not even there. i don't know if that means its already unlocked or what. i'm going to figure out what the deal is with the t-mobile sim. maybe the fact that it wants to activate means that it is unlocked, i dunno.