I don't think it's been confined with any carrier, but Apple themselves said it last year when the program first launched and I did not have an activation fee last year.
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Carrier AT&T Next vs. Apple iPhone Upgrade Program
- Thread starter Razorhog
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I don't think it's been confined with any carrier, but Apple themselves said it last year when the program first launched and I did not have an activation fee last year.
As I was paying $99 for a screen replacement last year, I was thinking the same thing. "Am I any better off for having AppleCare+?" The $29 price might improve that situation, but only if you crack your screen more than once (which I did on the iPhone 6...not a single screen cracked on any previous models I might add...)
So now I need to decide...dump AppleCare+?
But then if I buy through Verizon, are they charging me a $40 upgrade fee per device? This eats into the cost savings immediately.
Don't forget about Wells Fargo cellular protection:
https://www.wellsfargo.com/credit-cards/features/cell-phone-protection/
https://www.wellsfargo.com/credit-cards/features/cell-phone-protection/
Contract with Apple? No. You take out a loan with Citizens One. Apple is merely selling you the device. Anything after that is all Citizens One. It's not different than a credit card or car payment.
I can take that phone and go to any carrier I want and it's unlocked. I'm not tied to AT&T until the device is paid off.
It's a hard check. I already googled and checked into it. Like you get checked for a car loan, it's a loan with citizens bank or something like that. I won't do it. AT&T doesn't do it when you been a customer with them.
It's a hard check for the first year. No different when you first sign up for AT&T. It's unknown if subsequent years are hard checks or not.
Good for you. I am not switching providers so I have no need to get an unlocked phone. I don't need a hard check on my credit for a phone.
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It's a bank. You renew the loan, they do a credit check every year. AT&T only does that when you first signed up which for me was back in 2008.
What do you mean "good for you"? You said something factually incorrect and I merely pointed out that its not a contract. A contract is being tied to something. I am not tied to anything doing the upgrade program expect for the cost of the device.
Not all banks do credit checks for every time you request something. Citi, Discover and Amex don't run hard checks for requesting a credit increase or if you have established years of history with them. I've been approved for new credit cards, not just credit increases without the need for a hard check.
I've been trying to decide between the two options as well, as I have just paid off my iPhone 6 Plus on Next with the intention of selling it. I am probably going to go with Next Every Year mostly because my credit is not that great right now and I don't want to run into any snafus getting approved with Apple. I think it is also worth mentioning that the Apple program requires a credit card, debit cards are not accepted according to the IUP page.
Correct, they use the credit card to run the credit check. It also guarantees payment of the loan.
This is cool, but it has a $600 limit per device so it isn't going to replace my 7Plus
It is NOT INCORRECT. It is a fact that you sign a contract with citizens back for that loan. I said Apple at first as I was thinking Apple in my mind. Either way, you still sign a contract.
All banks do a credit check any time you renew a loan. I work for one of the largest banks in the USA and it's part of the federal regulations when we do loans. And saying you got a CC without a credit check is completely wrong as that is against federal law.
Its not a contract, its a loan. And its definitely not the way I used the word contract in my first post. I am not tied to AT&T because I am not signing a contract. I can do whatever I please with the device as long as I am making my payments, including using it abroad with another SIM card. I cannot do ANY of that if I am on Next.
And well then Citi and Amex are apparently breaking federal law. I have received a credit card from BOTH companies without a credit check from either after almost a decade of history with each one. So please don't say its 'completely wrong' because last time I checked you weren't me, so you wouldn't know what I have and have not received. While were at it, I've also received a car loan without it hitting my credit either. I had a Hyundai, and traded in for another Hyundai, new loan, no credit check.
For those who have used the Apple Upgrade option in the past:
Since it is being purchased from Apple, when it is added to AT&T, does it count as a bring your own device aka lower monthly cell bill?
Since it is being purchased from Apple, when it is added to AT&T, does it count as a bring your own device aka lower monthly cell bill?
OMG are you that dense. You sign a contract with the bank that if you don't pay that loan back, they will come after you and report you to the credit bureaus. Yes they are if you actually got approved for credit. I know for a fact that is wrong because again, its part of the federal regulations bank have to follow when giving a consumer credit. A car loan without a credit check? Okay, I am done here. You have no clue.
Not you're just being rude. Name calling, really? Me signing a 'contract' to pay back a loan is NOT THE SAME as being tied to AT&T. Don't tell me that I don't have a clue, you have no idea who am I and what I do. Just because you think something seems off doesn't make it the case. I will stake my life on it that I have received 2 credit cards and a car loan without a credit check. I am 100% meticulous about my credit and check my report multiple times a year. So I have 3 credit checks that magically never appeared? Okay sure. Just because you can't make sense of something doesn't mean it didn't happen and it sure does not give you a right to put down others.
Ugh, you are using the term 'contract' incorrectly and he is blowing it out of proportion. You obviously meant in your first post that you don't want to sign a contract WITH AT&T for cell phone service. In fact, you will be signing a contract with the bank to pay for the phone loan but that is not the contract you were referring to. Not sure why this is all such a big deal.
I wouldn't say I used it incorrectly. I said right off the bat I didn't want to sign a contract with AT&T and then proceeded to give reasons why in subsequent posts. It's not a big deal. I just don't tolerate being called a liar when it comes to my affairs that someone else isn't experiencing.
It is another hard credit pull even if you did it last year, it will be a hard pull every time you do it. I am still doing it though.
You do not need to put any money down toward the phone when using Next unless you want to.
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I didn't mean a big deal for you.
And do you recall whether you were able to put that $ toward your new iphone installment plan after its already begun? So lets say you don't sell your phone until after you've already made a few monthly installment payments at $0 down, could you place that sold iPhone % down and have the installments adjust going forward?
You misunderstood the question. Their is no discount using Next, but when the phone is paid off, you monthly fee goes down.
The question is that since the Apple Upgrade looks to AT&T's system like a 'paid off' phone, will the monthly fee be the same as a bring your own device?