AT&T early upgrades no more, but new contract + upgrade fee?

[Sketchr]

I was aware the early upgrades were going away but...

Yesterday I logged into my account to view my phone upgrade status. We're on a family plan with 4 lines. One line was eligible for a "early" upgrade the others not. Today of course with the rollout of NEXT, no phone is eligible. And, if I proceed with ordering a new phone for that line on the Apple website, it's indicated that a new 2 year contract is necessary.

Really? So not only do I need to pay full price, but the contract starts over and I need to pay an upgrade fee?

Say it isn't so. Anyone?

 

[Mlrollin91]

I was aware the early upgrades were going away but...

Yesterday I logged into my account to view my phone upgrade status. We're on a family plan with 4 lines. One line was eligible for a "early" upgrade the others not. Today of course with the rollout of NEXT, no phone is eligible. And, if I proceed with ordering a new phone for that line on the Apple website, it's indicated that a new 2 year contract is necessary.

Really? So not only do I need to pay full price, but the contract starts over and I need to pay an upgrade fee?

Say it isn't so. Anyone?

Early upgrades aren't going away..

AT&T FAQ:

"Check upgrade options
Because we know how exciting it is to get a new device, we've made upgrading convenient and flexible!
AT&T provides several benefits and options for replacing your wireless device:
Upgrade to the best selection of devices every 24 months. Two-year service agreement required.
Purchase a device at full retail price any time.
Transfer upgrade eligibility from one line on your account to another provided it's within the same device category.
Qualify for an early upgrade offer after 6 months of activation or upgrade and receive a partial discount off of the full retail price with a 2-year service agreement.
In addition to the price of the device, a $36 upgrade fee will be applied to your bill for each upgraded device."

Even under the 'Next' Press Release:

"AT&T offers a broad choice of device purchasing options. In addition to AT&T Next, customers continue to have their choice of all current options, including getting a discounted device with a two-year service commitment; paying full retail price for a device with no-commitment; getting a partial discount for an early upgrade after six months with a two-year service commitment; or bringing their own compatible device."

I just checked my account. My line, the primary is not eligible for an early upgrade because it was upgraded in Feb, less than 6 months. My second line, is eligible for early upgrade because it was upgraded in October, so more than 6 months. And finally, my last line is eligible for a full upgrade because it hasn't been upgraded in almost 2 years. I would just contact AT&T to see whats up.

 

[Cody21]

I can vouch that early upgrades haven't went away. I have checked my upgrade eligibility with the Apple Store app, and asked 2 AT&T reps; all 3 told me my line will become eligible for an early upgrade on September 15th.

 

[2298754]

Early upgrades aren't going away.

Two lines that got iPhone5 last fall are already eligible to upgrade on my account.

 

[AFDoc]

Love how people just type away and have no clue what they're talking about.

 

[Sketchr]

Love how people just type away and have no clue what they're talking about.

Sit down.

Notice how the thread title is featured with a question mark? You must have just missed it.

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Early upgrades aren't going away..

AT&T FAQ:

"Check upgrade options
Because we know how exciting it is to get a new device, we've made upgrading convenient and flexible!
AT&T provides several benefits and options for replacing your wireless device:
Upgrade to the best selection of devices every 24 months. Two-year service agreement required.
Purchase a device at full retail price any time.
Transfer upgrade eligibility from one line on your account to another provided it's within the same device category.
Qualify for an early upgrade offer after 6 months of activation or upgrade and receive a partial discount off of the full retail price with a 2-year service agreement.
In addition to the price of the device, a $36 upgrade fee will be applied to your bill for each upgraded device."

Even under the 'Next' Press Release:

"AT&T offers a broad choice of device purchasing options. In addition to AT&T Next, customers continue to have their choice of all current options, including getting a discounted device with a two-year service commitment; paying full retail price for a device with no-commitment; getting a partial discount for an early upgrade after six months with a two-year service commitment; or bringing their own compatible device."

I just checked my account. My line, the primary is not eligible for an early upgrade because it was upgraded in Feb, less than 6 months. My second line, is eligible for early upgrade because it was upgraded in October, so more than 6 months. And finally, my last line is eligible for a full upgrade because it hasn't been upgraded in almost 2 years. I would just contact AT&T to see whats up.

Thanks. And thanks for checking your account. As it turns out, there was a system error on my account and it is now fixed. The account does qualify for 3 upgrades. The other one will qualify in September.