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AT&T Subsidized 2 Year Discount and Apple Upgrade Program

K

kromix

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 8, 2011
88
2
I have a question I can't seem to find the answer to...

If your AT&T Contract is up, is this scenario possible or is there restrictions on either side of the fence that will prevent this:

Walk into Apple Store sign up for the Apple Upgrade Program and get a new iPhone with their new program.

Then, Order Online on AT&T Website and sign a 2-year agreement and get a subsidized iPhone at $299 shipped to me.

Essentially having a contract with Apple through the program and a 2-year commitment for subsidized pricing through AT&T, can this happen? Are the two contracts mutually exclusive?

Thanks.
 
Because I want to do the Apple Upgrade Program, but doing so you essentially "give up" the subsidy discount for signing a 2 year contract with att, so the idea would be to buy an iPhone through AT&T every 2 years, discounted for resale purposes instead of not renewing a contract.... It's basically money left on the table...

And at the same time have the Apple Upgrade Program....
 
kromix said:
Because I want to do the Apple Upgrade Program, but doing so you essentially "give up" the subsidy discount for signing a 2 year contract with att, so the idea would be to buy an iPhone through AT&T every 2 years, discounted for resale purposes instead of not renewing a contract....

And at the same time have the Apple Upgrade Program....
Click to expand...

Same phone how? Do you actually mean the Apple Upgrade Program every other year and the subsidized prices through at&t every other year?
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
But you can't have both on the same phone.
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That's my question, why not?

What if I financed a phone with Apple Upgrade program, decided to give it to my sister, and do a 2 year contract with AT&T, why does it matter if its on the "same phone" and sell one?
 
The OP likely wants to sell his or her subsidized device immediately, likely for a premium since these devices will sell out, and get on Apple's upgrade program as well.

The two programs are exclusive from one another. You don't even need to have service at the time of sale when signing up through Apple.

In short, yes, this is doable.
 
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kromix said:
That's my question, why not?

What if I financed a phone with Apple Upgrade program, decided to give it to my sister, and do a 2 year contract with AT&T, why does it matter if its on the "same phone" and sell one?
Click to expand...
You can do this. There is nothing stopping you, and in unsure why/what people think is not possible about this.
 
lordofthereef said:
The OP likely wants to sell his or her subsidized device immediately, likely for a premium since these devices will sell out, and get on Apple's upgrade program as well.

The two programs are exclusive from one another. You don't even need to have service at the time of sale when signing up through Apple.

In short, yes, this is doable.
Click to expand...

Right, so that's two phones, not one. The OP isn't making it clear.
 
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JayLenochiniMac said:
Right, so that's two phones, not one. The OP isn't making it clear.
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I thought t was clear. The OP WANTS two phones, not one. The y thing unclear is what the OP wants to do with said phones, however he/she has given us some examples, such as giving one to a sibling.
 
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I think the basic point is the same as it's always been - if you're on a revolving 2 year contract with AT&T you should get the new, subsidized phone as soon as possible. What you do with it is up to you - sell it and keep using your old one, sell it and get a new one elsewhere, and so on.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
The OP itself was clear, but then he confused the matter by asking why can't that be done on the same phone.
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If you say so man. It didn't seem unclear to me, and so I was responding to the OP's inquiry, not your subsequent responses. In unsure why this is even being discussed. It's pretty clear what he wants. And if it's not, there is more than enough information in the thread for ether scenario to have been answered by now.

To recap:
YES you can obtain TWO phones in this way (you're also not limited to two, but rathe to however many Apple will finance to a single person)

NO you CAN NOT somehow apply both a subsidy and Apple's financing option to the same device.
 
Yup, I basically want to be able to still get a phone from the carrier every 2 years by renewing my 2 year agreement and getting a cheap subsidized phone for resale purposes while on a year upgrade cycle with the Apple Upgrade Program.
 
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kromix said:
Yup, I basically want to be able to still get a phone from the carrier every 2 years by renewing my 2 year agreement and getting a cheap subsidized phone for resale purposes while on a year upgrade cycle with the Apple Upgrade Program.
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You're all set to go ahead and do that. Unsure why we had to make a simple thing so confusing and difficult here lol.
 
This scenario is possible, but the thing is... the AT&T contract device would not be unlockable until the contract is satisfied. That might deter some buyers.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
Exactly what I meant by you can't have both on the same phone, to which the OP replied "That's my question, why not?" Now you know where the confusion lies.
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The confusion was one of terminology. I'm sure the OP was referring to "same line", especially now that it's been cleared up. Again, unsure why you and I are continuing this back and forth lol. I responded, against my better judgement. Since this seems to have been cleared up I guess this will be my last.

I have noticed you tone quite the semantics warrior though. Sometimes it's best not to overthink things I read online, I have found. I try and see what people mean when they say things, not simply "what are the exact words they use". Different backgrounds. Different lexicons. Etc.
 
i understand what the OP wants to do. I was thinking about doing this also. When my contract is up, renew it with the latest iPhone, then sell immediately.
 
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