iPhone Upgrade Program [MERGED]

[phpmaven]

The Apple Store I went to today said... When making a reservation for the Upgrade program, that is reserving the phone. Pay the sales tax and then the following monthly payments. (You wouldn't pay for a phone that they don't have).

Just to follow up on this. If you check out Apple's info page on this:
http://www.apple.com/shop/iphone/iphone-upgrade-program

It clearly says there that everything is going to be handled in the store. The only thing you be able to do tonight is make a reservation to buy the phone in the store using the upgrade program. It says nothing about a phone being held for you and I would be really surprised if that was the case. Especially since they won't be getting any money from you and they will have hundreds of paying customers lined up ready to buy. You could just not show up.

Now, if you show up early and get into the separate reservation line you may score a phone. They could just easily tell you that the phones are now out of stock and either ship it to you or have you pick it up in the store.

Of course I could be completely wrong. I hope I am, because I want to do this myself. But I'm not going to do it if I have to wait for weeks to get a phone. We will find out tonight. Hopefully they will make it clear on the site.

 

[CrAkD]

I'm gonna be annoyed if it doesn't hold a phone. If it doesn't definitively say it holds a phone I'll just upgrade on next. I'll have to have someone ship me the phone on vacation once it arrives

 

[bradl]

Boy... lot of chatter on all this.

Comparing to AT&T Next, the Apple Upgrade plan is a complete wash assuming you add Apple care+. Except for the unlocked phone and paying for Apple Care+ monthly rather than $129 upfront like you would from a carrier I see no up/down side. :-/ I guess I could just flip a coin.

The upside, at least that I see, comes at the 1-year mark between the plans. And when referring to NEXT, I refer to NEXT 12, which gives you the same timeframe that you can upgrade your phone.

Doing the math on the 6s at 128GB, here's what I get:

Apple Upgrade: $40.75/month * 12 = $489.
ATT NEXT 12: $42.45/month * 12 = $509.40 (adding on AppleCare+) + $129 = $638.40.

The difference here obviously is AppleCare+ and the advantage of an unlocked phone. You'd have to pay off the phone on NEXT (all 20 payments) before ATT will unlock the phone.

Without AppleCare+, you're saving $20.40, and with it, you're saving $149.40, compared to NEXT 12. Also, the other plans are a bit irrelevant for comparing, as you'd have a longer period to pay before being able to upgrade. Additionally, as mentioned in the thread, you can pay off the phone on the Upgrade program in 6 months and own outright.

All of this, not taking into account the plan you have with the carrier; this is just for purchasing the phone. But once you pass the 1 year mark, it starts to even out.

BL.

 

[ScottC7]

I don't think so. Buying on the Upgrade Plan is basically going around the carrier, and Verizon doesn't even need to know that you got a new phone. Just move the SIM card from your old phone to the new one, and I don't think anything else needs to change.

I just left my Apple Store and spoke to a rep who was on a two-hour conference call about the upgrade program. He said that if your contract is not up yet, you will not be eligible to use the iPhone Upgrade Program because Apple needs to "activate" a line as part of the program's rules. What I took away is that I have to be off-contract in order to use this program.

In my case, my 2-year contract with AT&T ends December 8, and he said I would need to wait until that date if I want to use the iPhone Upgrade Program. Intuitively, I had assumed that AT&T wouldn't care what phone was attached to my line and that swapping out phones would be a piece of cake, but apparently on Apple's end the program is tied to activation of a line. So, unless I am willing to activate a brand-new line, I can't use the upgrade program until 12/8.

Does this sound right to all of you?

 

[mlynchmob16]

I hope you aren't right, however I called my local apple store and got a similar response.

 

[manhattanmania]

so i just chatted with a rep online and it seems they've been briefed...a bit. he said that doing the iPhone upgrade program WILL reserve a phone for you. he said you select the phone/storage/carrier etc and then a time slot and they will have that phone for you during your appointment. where things were fuzzier is on the whole unlocked/model# situation. he said they don't know what the checkout flow will be at this point, nor what model number the phone will be, but he believes we will need to pick carrier when pre-ordering, not in store. which to me causes concern. if i were to choose at&t i presume i'd get the at&t model "without" the CDMA radios. the ideal would be if they are using the same model no matter what carrier you choose, so that you can switch carriers at any time, but who knows if that is the case.

 

[randian]

If true it confirms my fear that Apple is colluding with the carriers to lock out prepaid and MVNO customers. Metro or Cricket don't know what your phone is nor do they care. Just swap phones and go, you don't "activate" anything when it's time for a change.

 

[MuGeN PoWeR]

Can i use my Prepaid plan on iphone on apple retail program? Thanks

 

[lsutigerfan1976]

I looked at the Barclay card, but I thought that, like other credit cards, the 0 interest deal was only for the first time you buy something not every time you buy an Apple product. Is that not the case?

I called them and they kept me on hold forever. And finally said they would make an exception for me, and give the interest free financing. But i had to wait forever for someone to assure me that they could do that.

 

[a.y.n]

I just left my Apple Store and spoke to a rep who was on a two-hour conference call about the upgrade program. He said that if your contract is not up yet, you will not be eligible to use the iPhone Upgrade Program because Apple needs to "activate" a line as part of the program's rules. What I took away is that I have to be off-contract in order to use this program.

In my case, my 2-year contract with AT&T ends December 8, and he said I would need to wait until that date if I want to use the iPhone Upgrade Program. Intuitively, I had assumed that AT&T wouldn't care what phone was attached to my line and that swapping out phones would be a piece of cake, but apparently on Apple's end the program is tied to activation of a line. So, unless I am willing to activate a brand-new line, I can't use the upgrade program until 12/8.

Does this sound right to all of you?

I started a 2-year contract with Verizon when I got my iPhone 6 day 1 last year, so this is bad news.

But since there is no contract on the new lines I guess worst case we could activate the line and then cancel it after 30 days or whatever the earliest we can cancel (vs return) is.

 

[CrAkD]

I just left my Apple Store and spoke to a rep who was on a two-hour conference call about the upgrade program. He said that if your contract is not up yet, you will not be eligible to use the iPhone Upgrade Program because Apple needs to "activate" a line as part of the program's rules. What I took away is that I have to be off-contract in order to use this program.

In my case, my 2-year contract with AT&T ends December 8, and he said I would need to wait until that date if I want to use the iPhone Upgrade Program. Intuitively, I had assumed that AT&T wouldn't care what phone was attached to my line and that swapping out phones would be a piece of cake, but apparently on Apple's end the program is tied to activation of a line. So, unless I am willing to activate a brand-new line, I can't use the upgrade program until 12/8.

Does this sound right to all of you?

This makes no sense. You should be selecting carrier just to determine what model phone their holding for you. Your phone number or "line" should have nothing to do with it.

 

[ZipZap]

The upside, at least that I see, comes at the 1-year mark between the plans. And when referring to NEXT, I refer to NEXT 12, which gives you the same timeframe that you can upgrade your phone.

Doing the math on the 6s at 128GB, here's what I get:

Apple Upgrade: $40.75/month * 12 = $489.
ATT NEXT 12: $42.45/month * 12 = $509.40 (adding on AppleCare+) + $129 = $638.40.

The difference here obviously is AppleCare+ and the advantage of an unlocked phone. You'd have to pay off the phone on NEXT (all 20 payments) before ATT will unlock the phone.

Without AppleCare+, you're saving $20.40, and with it, you're saving $149.40, compared to NEXT 12. Also, the other plans are a bit irrelevant for comparing, as you'd have a longer period to pay before being able to upgrade. Additionally, as mentioned in the thread, you can pay off the phone on the Upgrade program in 6 months and own outright.

All of this, not taking into account the plan you have with the carrier; this is just for purchasing the phone. But once you pass the 1 year mark, it starts to even out.

BL.

This is not right. You will owe 24 payments. At 12 payments if you get another phone you owe 24 more payments, and turn in the old phone. You will pay for what you've purchased and there is no savings I see.

Tell me why I am wrong?

 

[Lobwedgephil]

Just to follow up on this. If you check out Apple's info page on this:
http://www.apple.com/shop/iphone/iphone-upgrade-program

It clearly says there that everything is going to be handled in the store. The only thing you be able to do tonight is make a reservation to buy the phone in the store using the upgrade program. It says nothing about a phone being held for you and I would be really surprised if that was the case. Especially since they won't be getting any money from you and they will have hundreds of paying customers lined up ready to buy. You could just not show up.

Now, if you show up early and get into the separate reservation line you may score a phone. They could just easily tell you that the phones are now out of stock and either ship it to you or have you pick it up in the store.

Of course I could be completely wrong. I hope I am, because I want to do this myself. But I'm not going to do it if I have to wait for weeks to get a phone. We will find out tonight. Hopefully they will make it clear on the site.

So you think you make a reservation for a spot to show up in the store, start your program with no phone? Makes no sense, but who knows.

 

[iphoneuser9]

If you are talking about Apple's annual upgrade program, then he's mistaken. It will be in store only.

How do we know this?

 

[phpmaven]

.

 

[phpmaven]

How do we know this?

Well, I was going to point you to the page on the store, but the store is down already. Their site clearly said that the entire process takes place in the store.

 

[ScottC7]

This makes no sense. You should be selecting carrier just to determine what model phone their holding for you. Your phone number or "line" should have nothing to do with it.

I agree and said as much to the Apple rep, but he reiterated that the iPhone Upgrade Program is, for reasons he didn't know, tied to phone activations.

 

[phpmaven]

So you think you make a reservation for a spot to show up in the store, start your program with no phone? Makes no sense, but who knows.

Since when does ordering an iPhone and having to wait for it not make sense. You sign up and then it all starts when you actually get the phone. Like I said before, I hope I'm dead wrong, because I would like to take advantage of the plan.

 

[a.y.n]

Now the upgrade program page is down.

 

[starstreak]

Was this answered?
What happens if Apple releases a new iPhone before 12 months? Does that mean no upgrade or they want you to pay up to the 12th month then you can get the new phone?
Also, I wonder if this means you won't have to wait in a long line next year if they will have a pre-form to fill out that says you will be upgrading your iPhone to make sure you get one on day-one release.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Was this answered?
What happens if Apple releases a new iPhone before 12 months? Does that mean no upgrade or they want you to pay up to the 12th month then you can get the new phone?
Also, I wonder if this means you won't have to wait in a long line next year if they will have a pre-form to fill out that says you will be upgrading your iPhone to make sure you get one on day-one release.

If you are able to buy your iPhone on September 25th you can trade it in again the 25th next year. You'd have to wait.

 

[terraphantm]

This is not right. You will owe 24 payments. At 12 payments if you get another phone you owe 24 more payments, and turn in the old phone. You will pay for what you've purchased and there is no savings I see.

Tell me why I am wrong?

What you're missing is that with AT&T, to be eligible to trade in your phone, you have to make 12 payments on a 20-installment plan. So if you're upgrading every year regardless, you save money

 

[iPhenom]

The rep I was on the phone with messaged her supervisor and the supervisor told her... Online reservations will have a phone held.

 

[steele711]

Here is my conversation with Apple today.

It seems to me, that if you are in the middle of a contract (not a Next or Installment plan) you can use the iPhone Upgrade Program. And when you reserve the spot, you will receive the phone that day.

Ignore the part about 18 months, he must have thought he was in a different chat.

 

[Supermallet]

I called Apple and was told that I am not eligible for this program as I am currently under contract with Verizon. I asked if their upgrade program was tied to the carrier's upgrade systems, and the rep said that is the case. I don't think this is as independent of carriers as some people here would like to believe. I think it's simply moving the financing away from the carriers and onto the financial institution Apple is partnering with. In all other regards, it's going to be just like using your carrier upgrade.

At least that's my understanding. I guess we'll find out at 12:01 AM tonight.