ATT upgrade eligibility moved up

[Macuser1066]

February Eligibility

I upgraded to iPhone 4 shortly after launch. I later made some change to data plan and checked last night fot upgrade eligibility and got 2/18/12. My husband is a bit of a phone luddite and wants to upgrade his Motorola flip to an iPhone. He is clearly eligible for an upgrade. I planned to give him the old phone and get the 4S or 5 for myself. Now I am not sure if the old switch of the sim card will work. Anyone out there know? I am not paying a premium for an iPhone 4S. I have every iteration since the first on or about launch day (except 3GS) and refuse to pay $250+upgrade premium.

 

[TEBnewyork]

This seems sort of silly

My upgrade is Nov. 25th. Why on earth would AT&T even want me to consider moving my phone to Sprint or Verizon? If I want a phone at launch it really would cost me no different to do this. Early termination fee is essentially what they are charging me for the upgrade before the 25th. So, I could pay $449 to AT&T or $199 to another carrier and $250 to terminate AT&T.....why would they even want to put those thoughts in my mind instead of surely locking me in for another two years.....

....and for all those who say wow I'm loyal, I've had their service for like 5 years....my line has been in continuous service with AT&T since 1995 when they changed from charging differently for local vs. long distance and went to a nationwide plan.

 

[tigres]

I too have a 3 iPhone family plan w/ATT. I got the 3GS on launch, then paid 250 + for ip4 on launch. I am not eligible until 11/25 which makes it > 24 months for me to upgrade. My bill is 170/month.

Btw. Does unlimited data have anything to do with this, I still have mine my family does not. Just curious about why my upgrade is so long.

 

[Middiebear]

why would they even want to put those thoughts in my mind instead of surely locking me in for another two years.....

A lot of money is lost for these cell phone companies when they sell discounted phones with the 2-year contract.

The logic behind the immediate money-loss is that it'll be made back (plus profit) over time over the length of the contract with monthly service fees, etc...

Allowing every customer that wants to upgrade to an iPhone whenever they feel like it is not a good business model and would make AT&T lose a lot of money in the long run.

First off AT&T understands that most people just threaten to cancel but don't actually want to go through the hassle of canceling and starting over with another company...

But it makes more business sense to enforce early terminations fees on customers than just allowing customers to upgrade whenever they feel like it.

Sell too many phones at a discounted price, even with the promise of "another 2 years," will definitely start impacting those profit margins.

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I too have a 3 iPhone family plan w/ATT. I got the 3GS on launch, then paid 250 + for ip4 on launch. I am not eligible until 11/25 which makes it > 24 months for me to upgrade. My bill is 170/month.

Btw. Does unlimited data have anything to do with this, I still have mine my family does not. Just curious about why my upgrade is so long.

You upgraded to the iPhone 4.

I believe what you're saying is that you paid the $250 extra that the early iPhone upgrade price is offering.

That price is still discounted and still cheaper than just buying the phone out of contract.

(Even if you just paid $250 for the iPhone 4 then you still got the phone at a discount)

So you used your upgrade last year which means you upgraded a little over 12 months ago, not 24 months.

When you upgraded to the iPhone 4 you had to accept the contract before you could activate your phone...

 

[starstreak]

Can someone clarify this for me. I tried calling att but lost call twice(yay att service).

I bought I phone4 on June 24,2010. When I checked my upgrade availability it said 2/25/2012.
So if I wanted to get a Iphone 4s 64gb model, I would pay.. $650?

BUT

Under early termination, how much would I have to pay to terminate contract?
1) $325 minus $10 for each month? If contract is after june 10,2010?
OR
2) $175 minus $10 for each month? If contract is before june 10,2010?

If I go by phone purchase, that's 16months x $10=$160 from $325= $165.
If I go from upgrade date, that's 20months x $5=$100 from $175=$75.

So to get the 64gb version I'm looking at either:
1) $399+$165= $564
2) $399+$75= $474

So what do you think? What price am I looking at?
And lastly, Shouldn't there be a way to just extend my contract by 2-years and let me get the phone at $399? That way AT&T keeps me as a customer and they get the subsedized (laughable if you think Apple really made AT&T pay $250 over that [rice) money still?

 

[lw9090]

11/18/11 so I missed it by 35 days.
What sucks is if it will be like the iPhone 4 and backordered for 5 weeks.

Order on 18th
Backorder for 5 weeks so no iPhone 4Gs until after Jan 1st

 

[rockyroad55]

I too have a 3 iPhone family plan w/ATT. I got the 3GS on launch, then paid 250 + for ip4 on launch. I am not eligible until 11/25 which makes it > 24 months for me to upgrade. My bill is 170/month.

Btw. Does unlimited data have anything to do with this, I still have mine my family does not. Just curious about why my upgrade is so long.

Just because you paid 250+ for the iPhone last year doesn't mean your upgrade date isn't affected. The 250+ also resets your 2 year contract which will affect upgrades.

 

[sullez]

I am eligible for a upgrade and they are giving me a 60 dollar credit.

 

[rockyroad55]

11/18/11 so I missed it by 35 days.
What sucks is if it will be like the iPhone 4 and backordered for 5 weeks.

Order on 18th
Backorder for 5 weeks so no iPhone 4Gs until after Jan 1st

Yup that's pretty much how it may be.

 

[madridista59]

My account shows 1/28/2012 as end of contract date, but I can upgrade at the renewal/new contract price now, sweet!

 

[ZipZap]

Everyone who wants the 4S can get it regardless of contract. Simply pay full price and then sell your current phone to defray the cost.

I did this last year with the 4 (I was not eligible for an upgrade).

Sold 3GS for 375
Bought 4 for 699

My cost was $324 which was close to a subsidized price.

Of course this only works if you have a current phone model that has decent residual value.

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Just because you paid 250+ for the iPhone last year doesn't mean your upgrade date isn't affected. The 250+ also resets your 2 year contract which will affect upgrades.

FYI...full price purchases do no reset your contract term.

 

[Blueline29]

Been with AT&T since 2005. New iPhone on every release date since the first one. Two lines and family plan. Now I can't get a subsidized upgrade until Feb 2012? Total crap.

Ditto this, except that I've been a customer since 1993. Service here is Christ-awful (multiple dropped calls EVERY SINGLE DAY) and they refused to give me a microcell despite my well-documented service issues back when they were still giving them to people (they gave one to my parents about 2 weeks prior), so I'm at the end of my rope with AT&T. Seriously considering heading to Verizon at this point. If I do, I'll get the 4S with them and drop my AT&T line down to the minimum plan & ride it till the contract ends. Yes, I'll miss out on alleged "customer loyalty" perks, but at this point the horrific service far outweighs any perks they could possibly offer.

 

[skidbubble]

This.

and here is my lovely news:

As a valued AT&T customer, you qualify for a discounted iPhone upgrade at two-year commitment pricing plus $250, along with a two-year commitment and an $18 upgrade fee.

This is what I got as well. Which I understand means this:

discounted iPhone upgrade at two-year commitment pricing: $199
plus $250
$18 upgrade fee =
$467

 

[harcosparky]

Why do people post how much their bill is, as if to think that the higher your bill the more you are entitled to from ATT?? I have a 5 line plan with various phones and our bill is in the $220 range. I don't expect any more of a discount from them then my son who has a single line plan and a $40 phone bill.

I got the iPhone 4 when it was released, I do not expect any special consideration from ATT to upgrade to a 4s before my two year contract is almost up .... and even at that time, I most likely won't be going with an iPhone.

 

[TEBnewyork]

Very Simple answer

Because AT&T has stated that the amount of your bill and the timeliness of your payments is how they determine who can upgrade early. Technically, no iPhone 4 owners would be eligible for upgrade if you held firm on the 2 year contract rules.

Why do people post how much their bill is, as if to think that the higher your bill the more you are entitled to from ATT?? I have a 5 line plan with various phones and our bill is in the $220 range. I don't expect any more of a discount from them then my son who has a single line plan and a $40 phone bill.

I got the iPhone 4 when it was released, I do not expect any special consideration from ATT to upgrade to a 4s before my two year contract is almost up .... and even at that time, I most likely won't be going with an iPhone.

 

[tigres]

[/COLOR]

You upgraded to the iPhone 4.

I believe what you're saying is that you paid the $250 extra that the early iPhone upgrade price is offering.

That price is still discounted and still cheaper than just buying the phone out of contract.

(Even if you just paid $250 for the iPhone 4 then you still got the phone at a discount)

So you used your upgrade last year which means you upgraded a little over 12 months ago, not 24 months.

When you upgraded to the iPhone 4 you had to accept the contract before you could activate your phone...

Maybe I wasn't clear enough, sorry.

I paid 499 (I am almost positive, have to look up the bill)for the phone last year, not 250. I don't remember if I was able to buy it outright or not. It was 299+200.

So this is still considered a full reset and upgrade then?
Hmmm

 

[kas23]

My AT&T eligibility date has not changed either. It's stuck at 11/18/11. Either way, I'm looking to move my family over to Verizon anyways, so I don't really want to upgrade early.

That said, anyone on this board can upgrade for a full discount upgrade price easily. So, if you want to upgrade, nothing is stopping you. Click the banner on the top of the screen (Gazelle) and sell your iPhone 4 for $210. Add $40 and there is your $250 extra fee you would need to pay. Or, for a little more hassle, sell your iPhone on Craigslist or Ebay and get $300 to $400 for it.

 

[rdowty]

11/18 here. Unlimited everything plus iPad 2GB data plan. Got the 4 on launch day. If they're going to bump me up it would be nice if they would do it today.

 

[cmhsam]

Just went to ATT Store. They indicated they have no information on early upgrades. I bought my iphone 4 on launch day and my upgrade date shows 11/25. They were willing to let me upgrade on 11/1 but not give me the upgrade discount on 10/7 or 10/14. They said ATT has not formally announced an early upgrade option for current iphone 4 users. They said check back later in the day or Thursday as ATT might roll out some messaging.

 

[tasslehawf]

I wonder what the motivation of Apple of AT&T is (whomever is actually making this policy) to not wanting iP 4 early adopters to upgrade to 4s right away this year. As opposed to previous years.

 

[UKyank]

Long time lurker, thought I would add this oddity:

Using the upgrade tool through Apple as well as dialing *639# on my phone, both give an 11/17 upgrade eligible date. Checking on at&t's website gives me an 11/16 date.

More specifically to the topic, from a purely business prospective, this comes across as a truly boneheaded decision by AT&T. If people's upgrade dates were months from the 4s release date then I could see the company's point, but thats not the case for the majority of iphone 4 owners...is it really worth p*ssing off a whole lot of customers that have a history of purchasing your most expensive device to get an extra month of billing out of them (or even lamer, hoping that some people will pay the crazy early upgrade price - which I really hope no one is considering - to bring in some extra revenue). Not to mention they had previously set a precedent of allowing for early upgrades for those that were early adopters.

I'm sure there are many impulse iphone buyers like myself that would 100% preorder on friday, but come the middle of november when I might see that the 4S doesnt really offer anything significant to me, that $3-400 might look alot better going towards some christmas shopping.

 

[inspirations365]

Mine is bumped up. I got my i4 in August last year and just checked- somehow I'm eligible for an upgrade on 1/6/12! Hell. Yes.

 

[dvrmstrng]

Mine is bumped up. I got my i4 in August last year and just checked- somehow I'm eligible for an upgrade on 1/6/12! Hell. Yes.

I bought my IP4 a month or so after it came out and am only eligible for a 12/25/11 upgrade....

all the other times i had been moved up.

 

[TEBnewyork]

Exactly the point I tried to make earlier in the thread. Why piss people off for the one month difference. Most would probably be fine if they went off contract in two years plus the one month.

Long time lurker, thought I would add this oddity:

Using the upgrade tool through Apple as well as dialing *639# on my phone, both give an 11/17 upgrade eligible date. Checking on at&t's website gives me an 11/16 date.

More specifically to the topic, from a purely business prospective, this comes across as a truly boneheaded decision by AT&T. If people's upgrade dates were months from the 4s release date then I could see the company's point, but thats not the case for the majority of iphone 4 owners...is it really worth p*ssing off a whole lot of customers that have a history of purchasing your most expensive device to get an extra month of billing out of them (or even lamer, hoping that some people will pay the crazy early upgrade price - which I really hope no one is considering - to bring in some extra revenue). Not to mention they had previously set a precedent of allowing for early upgrades for those that were early adopters.

I'm sure there are many impulse iphone buyers like myself that would 100% preorder on friday, but come the middle of november when I might see that the 4S doesnt really offer anything significant to me, that $3-400 might look alot better going towards some christmas shopping.

 

[drummingcraig]

Really Interesting

Background: I purchased the 3G a couple months after it debuted, and started a 2 year contract. Skipped the 3Gs and bought the iP4 last August 2010 with another 2 year contract. My wife and I have a 2-line family plan and she used her upgrade this past winter for a new non-iPhone phone.

I had noticed while checking my account as I do periodically, that my line was showing as "upgrade eligible". My wife's was not. I doubled checked last week and it is showing that my contract does not end until 8/2012 (which makes sense).

I am currently seeing this for both of our lines:

Wife: You can take advantage of our no commitment pricing. This line may qualify for an equipment discount on 10/29/2012

iPhone Upgrade
As a valued AT&T customer, you qualify for a discounted iPhone upgrade at two-year commitment pricing plus $250, along with a two-year commitment and an $18 upgrade fee. Please proceed with the online upgrade process for pricing details. You may qualify for a full discount on a standard iPhone upgrade on 10/29/2012

Me: As a valued AT&T customer, we can offer you discounted equipment pricing with a new 2-year commitment and an $18 upgrade fee.

iPhone Upgrade
As a valued AT&T customer, we can offer you a discounted iPhone upgrade with a new 2-year commitment and an $18 upgrade fee.

So it appears that even though I am only 1-yr into my contract with a new iPhone, I am already eligible for another new one at the subsidized price if I sign another contract. That seems crazy, but I ain't complaining!