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Checking Upgrade Eligibility Ahead of Friday's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Pre-Orders

So I did research on AT&T next vs 2yr contract for iPhone 6 64GB

If I do the 2 year contract route....
2yr contract: $299 + (80.00 X 24) + $40* upgrade fee* =$2259

If I do the Next route...
AT&T Next: ($37.45/month + 65.00) x 20 =$2049

The only thing sucks is that the AT&T Next phone bill will be $102.45/mo (before taxes & fees) were as if I do the 2 year contract route it would be $80/mo (before taxes & fees).

However if I decide to upgrade after 1 year it makes much more sense to stick with AT&T Next.
 
TrenttonY said:
Thanks for the response. I just got done chatting with Verizon, they said everything you just did. We been with Verizon for over a decade, it will most likely stay that way! We will just lower our plan because we never use close to whats provided.
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Np!
I couldn't be happier for you, bro... & good idea, staying with VZ! ;0) XLTE (yes, it's a gimmicky name...) is gonna rock! Also HD calling (VOLTE). It's awesome that the infrastructure is starting to really unleash the potential of our increasingly astonishing mobile devices.
I'm so excited to be in this industry right now!
Slightly off topic: I agree with some that the Apple Watch is still fledgling, but I'm itching to get my hands on it! (or is that; it on my hands?) =P
I like the idea of sending the buzz codes & quick scribbles. I'd love to replace some of my more personal texting in that way. It seems really intimate.
 
Once my 2 year contract is up on AT&T, does my monthly bill drop since I have essentially paid for the phone? If it does and it is cheaper to buy a phone without a contract, then I would chose that option. If it doesn't drop, and I am continuing to pay the same contract price off contract, then it only makes sense to upgrade. I may be waaay of base here. Any advice here would be helpful...
 
macosxuser01 said:
So I did research on AT&T next vs 2yr contract for iPhone 6 64GB

If I do the 2 year contract route....
2yr contract: $299 + (80.00 X 24) + $40* upgrade fee* =$2259

If I do the Next route...
AT&T Next: ($37.45/month + 65.00) x 20 =$2049

The only thing sucks is that the AT&T Next phone bill will be $102.45/mo (before taxes & fees) were as if I do the 2 year contract route it would be $80/mo (before taxes & fees).

However if I decide to upgrade after 1 year it makes much more sense to stick with AT&T Next.
Click to expand...

It's the difference between upfront and over time. You save a bit of money over that time too.
 
pdaholic said:
Once my 2 year contract is up on AT&T, does my monthly bill drop since I have essentially paid for the phone? If it does and it is cheaper to buy a phone without a contract, then I would chose that option. If it doesn't drop, and I am continuing to pay the same contract price off contract, then it only makes sense to upgrade. I may be waaay of base here. Any advice here would be helpful...
Click to expand...

On a 2 year contract with a subsidized phone your bill remains the same at the end. AT&T gets their money from charging you more for the plan for 2 years.

On the next plan once the phone is paid off your bill drops as, well, it's paid off. Your actual line and data charges are less on the mobile share plan.
Of course you can upgrade before it's paid off.
 
mike1123 said:
Okay let's clear some stuff up for everyone who is curious about how the ATT Next system works.


A. IF YOU HAVE A CURRENT 2 YR CONTRACT ON THE LINE YOU WANT TO UPGRADE:

-- If you started the contract ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 18, 2014: You are eligible to upgrade to ATT Next on this line right now. This also applies if your contract is over. This will 1. End the remainder of your 2 year contract for this line, if any exists 2. Have NO ETFs for this line 3. Give you complete ownership of the device on this line that is now OUT of contract. Sell as you please and profit. :)

-- If you started the contract AFTER JANUARY 18, 2014:You cannot upgrade to ATT Next until 20 months have passed on your 2 year contract. That is 1 Year, 8 months for anyone counting. So, if you signed up on January 19, 2014, you're looking at September 20, 2015. How unfortunate. This is the only real nitpick I have with ATT upgrade eligibility to the Next plan, as this is a long time to wait.
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Well, I have a bought my 5s before January 18 and the AT&T guy said I must return my old phone if I use the Next to get the iPhone 6.
 
gugy said:
Well, I have a bought my 5s before January 18 and the AT&T guy said I must return my old phone if I use the Next to get the iPhone 6.
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He's wrong. Did you check upgrade eligibility with AT&T? If they say you are eligible for next then you don't have to trade it in.
 
ptb42 said:
Not if you take the monthly service into account.

Depending on your plan, there may be as much as a $25/month reduction in your service, if you buy the phone up front (no contract) or use AT&T Next. That's $600 over a 2 year period.

I don't quite follow what they are promoting here, but a 2-year contract for a 128G iPhone 6+ is $499, per Apple's webpage. If you buy it outright (or through Next), it's $949. So, that's a $450 difference at the time you buy the phone.

If you go the 2-year contract route, you pay $499 + $960 in device fees for service over two years, compared to $949 + $360 in device fees with AT&T Next or no-contract. That's $150 more, over two years.

Again, it depends on your plan. The entry level data plans don't offer the $25/month per-device discount ($15 vs. $40/device/month).
Click to expand...

I definitely appreciate this cohesive note and will check it out tonight when I give them a call!!
 
archer75 said:
AT&T doesn't subsidize the phone. You pay full price for it, interest free, over a period of time.
If you choose to upgrade after 12 or 18 months AT&T is getting the phone back and your remaining balance is waived. So you get to upgrade sooner and they don't have to subsidize anything and you get a lower monthly bill on average.
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Yeah thnx.. So is there a fee for trading in your phone? Is there an extra fee if the phone has a dent or damage? Do you work for AT&T??
 
Trade in Next iPhone earlier than 12 or 18 mos.

I plugged my information into AT&T and used the *639# thing and found this tidbit out:

I purchased an iPhone 5s 32GB Gold a few months ago and used the 12mos. Next plan. Apparently, if I want to upgrade to the 6/6+ all I have to do is bring my phone with me, trade it in, pay the additional payments up to the 12th month and I become eligible for a new phone. I think the page said it would cost me 375 dollars plus my phone turned in.

Does anyone have any insight on what a tier 2 AT&T store might have in stock? Mostly interested in a iPhone 6+ Gold 64GB model...

Thanks! :cool::apple:
 
Prepay?

Does anyone know if you can prepay the Next plan? That is instead of the $27/month you just pay the whole thing at the counter? I don't see why AT&T would care and it saves having to worry about the billing changes.
 
archer75 said:
On a 2 year contract with a subsidized phone your bill remains the same at the end. AT&T gets their money from charging you more for the plan for 2 years.

On the next plan once the phone is paid off your bill drops as, well, it's paid off. Your actual line and data charges are less on the mobile share plan.
Of course you can upgrade before it's paid off.
Click to expand...

I just did a little research on this. If you're on a 2 year contract that ends and you don't upgrade, you're essentially a sucker for continuing to pay the same bill amount, i.e. the bill doesn't drop. Next sounds good, but I lose my unlimited data. The unlimited data is pretty crappy as it drops to an intolerably low speed once I pass 5 gigs. Decisions, decisions!
 
4Apples said:
Yeah thnx.. So is there a fee for trading in your phone? Is there an extra fee if the phone has a dent or damage? Do you work for AT&T??
Click to expand...

If the phone is damaged you won't be able to trade it in and will have to finish paying it off. Their website lists the condition the fee must be in. They are waiving the remaining payments for the phone when they get it back. They won't do that for a damaged phone.

There is no fee for trading it in. You just give it back and pick a new phone. No, I don't work for AT&T.
 
archer75 said:
He's wrong. Did you check upgrade eligibility with AT&T? If they say you are eligible for next then you don't have to trade it in.
Click to expand...

OK, yes, I am eligible.
Well, I would not be surprise that the guy did not know. I was on the chat mode and he probably was speaking with 10 people at the same time.

If I can keep the phone it seems the Next is not so bad. I can sell the 5S and offset the cost of upgrading before the 2 years is up.
 
Maybe I'm slow, but I don't get how to do this. I text the code to what number?????
 
Lexington said:
Does anyone know if you can prepay the Next plan? That is instead of the $27/month you just pay the whole thing at the counter? I don't see why AT&T would care and it saves having to worry about the billing changes.
Click to expand...

I don't see why you couldn't build up a credit. I've paid more than I should have before and it just credits.
Though I tend to keep the money in my bank account and just dole it out over time.
 
Gjwilly said:
That review came out before AT&T lowered the monthly plan rates for Next customers.
It used to be a scam, yes.
Now it's a good deal if used responsibly.
Click to expand...

You mean they were shamed into reducing the price? I should make a youtube video about my situation. But honestly, right now AT&T are being complete dicks towards my account, so I have to switch on principle. I don't even care if I pay more, just to get away from them.
 
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