iPhone 13 Pro Max Best Way To Purchase/Pay For iPhones (Possibly Yearly)

[MichaelMidnight]

So this is my deal, I acquired the iPhone 13 Pro Max via the iPhone Upgrade Program since I can pay monthly and basically half the full price and get a new phone every year. Though with how things go with phones, now I'm wondering if I can just hold onto the phone for 2 or more years before upgrading. So I'm wondering, what the best way to "pay" for my phone: paying for it full price or just continuing the monthly loan? Part of me just wants to pay it off, own it wholly, and do with it what I will. But another part of me knows of all the apple items, I always get the new phone. And if I can't use self-control, wouldn't the iUP be best? I dunno. What do you all think?

 

[velocityg4]

If you are willing to deal with selling. The best is probably going to be buying the phone outright each year. Then selling the old one locally, for cash.

Doing so every two years is an even better value. As the depreciation rate decreases each year.

 

[BrettDS]

iUP is great for convenience, but it’s really a terrible value. You would pay considerably less buying the phone outright (or financing at 0% with the Apple Card) and then selling the old phone on your own. Frankly, even Apple’s trade in offer for the 12 Pro Max this year would put more money in your pocket than using iUP.

Additionally with iUP you’re forced to buy AppleCare. That’s great if you would buy AppleCare anyway, but if not, then it’s just more money that you wouldn’t have to spend buying the phone on your own.

Some of the carrier offers are pretty good as well, but you have to be careful with those because a lot of them require 24 or even 36 month commitments, which won’t work if you want to upgrade your phone every year.

 

[now i see it]

The IUP only credits you 50% of the original phone price when trading it in each year. That’s below market value for one year old phones.
It’s a convenient service but not thrifty.

 

[MichaelMidnight]

The IUP only credits you 50% of the original phone price when trading it in each year. That’s below market value for one year old phones.
It’s a convenient service but not thrifty.

Oh my goodness. I never did think of it that way. iUP is at most 50% where if I owned it and sold it, I could get more than 50% at the least.

 

[Waterman316]

Been buying my iPhones outright for years. Usually trade them in with whoever gives me the best deal. This year decluttr gave me $840 for my 12 pro max 128gb. Got the 13 pro max 128gb so I only paid $325 including taxes for the 13pm, less than half the price.

 

[Clix Pix]

Why not every year around the time a new iPhone is released, set aside the amount of money which would be required for the monthly payment if you were to purchase it through the IUP or some other financing arrangement, and that way the following year you would have the funds already accumulated to buy the new iPhone outright, as well as simply trading in the iPhone you had been using.....

 

[MichaelMidnight]

Why not every year around the time a new iPhone is released, set aside the amount of money which would be required for the monthly payment if you were to purchase it through the IUP or some other financing arrangement, and that way the following year you would have the funds already accumulated to buy the new iPhone outright, as well as simply trading in the iPhone you had been using.....

ooooh this is a good method too

 

[tis]

So this is my deal, I acquired the iPhone 13 Pro Max via the iPhone Upgrade Program since I can pay monthly and basically half the full price and get a new phone every year. Though with how things go with phones, now I'm wondering if I can just hold onto the phone for 2 or more years before upgrading. So I'm wondering, what the best way to "pay" for my phone: paying for it full price or just continuing the monthly loan? Part of me just wants to pay it off, own it wholly, and do with it what I will. But another part of me knows of all the apple items, I always get the new phone. And if I can't use self-control, wouldn't the iUP be best? I dunno. What do you all think?

Pay it off. You'd be surprised how much more rational you are when your new upgrade (possibly next year) actually takes money from your pocket. Your "old" phone, all of the sudden, doesn't seem old anymore.

Nonetheless, you should be looking at your phone cost in overall terms, and not what it costs you this month. The iUP is a horrible value. Overall, you would still save money by owning the phone outright and trading it in, or selling it yourself, each year.