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iPhone Upgrade Programme coming to UK tomorrow.

This is all about the lack of a large upfront payment with a 0% loan; the 'fee' for the loan is basically the cost of the Apple Care plus the promotion of a 12 month upgrade cycle.

Much better ways of doing this but not if you can't afford the upfront payment; if you can then continue with what you are probably already doing.

For some it will be a simple case of £38.45 / month (iP7/128GB) and I will ALWAYS have the current generation iPhone..... deal done.
 
I've got to admit that if they sort out the system - and have more availability - for next year then the Upgrade Programme is a no brainer for me for the next phone. AppleCare requirement would have put me off until the changes this week but now it really is tempting. Sitting here with a broken phone does focus the mind somewhat in favour of AppleCare
 
Anyone know if the £49 downpayment is flexible? I.e can you pay more to reduce monthly payment amounts?
 
Hey OP here. Good to see my source came through on this one ;)

Just to let those who werent able to reserve the model they wanted under this programme to keep checking the site. I was convinced I didn't want to get an iPhone 7 but change my mind last night by which time the model I wanted (Jet black iPhone 7 128GB) were sold out everywhere. Checked this morning just out of interest and it became available at my local store so guess someone had cancelled their pre-order.

Keep checking!
 
On the whole I feel Apple really screwed the pooch with this launch. Seems to have been one of the biggest availability fiascos of recent times. Seems like there were no (or few enough to be effectively none) black or jet black 7Plus 128/256 available anywhere in the UK. It seems every year when there's a new colour supplies are horridly constrained. This time there's a new one and a big change to an existing one. You'd think they'd have anticipated that these would be popular and actually make more of them. I'm not a big fan of the "have fewer available on launch day so it looks like people are going crazy to get a new phone" approach. Apple are big enough I'm sure to do a better job than this.

However, my biggest gripe (and I wasn't upgrading but hope to next year) is the major problems they've been having with the Upgrade Program(me) in the US (known as iUP for the rest of this). People who are paying off a credit agreement and were expecting to be able to upgrade on launch day found they couldn't get on the system and when they did they found the phones they wanted weren't available. Now, when you're a launch day upgrader, that's a big problem since it could be November when they get their next phones. When the next phone comes out they'll be in a position of having to pay off a lump sum of their existing agreement to try and get a launch day phone.

I think people were - whether on purpose or accidentally is open to how you feel about Apple I guess - conned by Apple into thinking that they would get a new phone on launch day using the iUP. It looks now like the iUP might be the 'best' way to own an iPhone but only if you have no interest in having one on launch day. Wait until the rush dies down and supplies are plentiful then use it to get the phone.

I don't know how it could have been done better, or even if it could have, but it's turned out to really not be a good experience for many people on the iUP. And I can't help fearing that with Barclays involved over here then next year anyone trying to upgrade and who ends up going over the 11th monthly payment "upgrade point" may find that since they didn't upgrade when they were eligible they are now tied to paying off the full 20 months.
 
l3uddz said:
Would be handy, e.g. paying half upfront thus halving the monthly payments.
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Just spoke to someone on online chat. Apparently it's fixed at 49. Bit annoying really don't understand why we can't pay more upfront?
 
Pez555 said:
Just spoke to someone on online chat. Apparently it's fixed at 49. Bit annoying really don't understand why we can't pay more upfront?
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You can pay the loan off early and if you speak to Barclays themselves you may even be able to over pay. If that is possible then you've set it up just may the extra you had towards the loan. Won't reduce your monthly bill though.
 
Just spoke to the online store and the guy stated that if you can't get a reservation in a year's time and you end up paying a month's payment over then you should be able to claim that month back when you finally dip the upgrade trade. This is not stated in their terms and conditions though.
 
Hey guys, im planning on buying with the apple upgrade scheme but have no intention of buying apple care or upgrading after 12 months (I dont care about 'S' models) is this still the best route apart from buying outright at full price? Keeps me away from the ties of high monthly tarrifs.

Also as all the black plus models went instantly, how do i get hold of one even after launch? just keep using the store reservation page until something comes in to stock?
 
Picapau21 said:
You can pay the loan off early and if you speak to Barclays themselves you may even be able to over pay. If that is possible then you've set it up just may the extra you had towards the loan. Won't reduce your monthly bill though.
Click to expand...

Surely the money is better off in your account than theirs when they are 0% financing it for you?
 
InfernoUk said:
Hey guys, im planning on buying with the apple upgrade scheme but have no intention of buying apple care or upgrading after 12 months (I dont care about 'S' models) is this still the best route apart from buying outright at full price? Keeps me away from the ties of high monthly tarrifs.

Also as all the black plus models went instantly, how do i get hold of one even after launch? just keep using the store reservation page until something comes in to stock?
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Don't use the Upgrade Programme, you'll need to use what's called the iPhone Payments Programme which is what you describe. Same 20 month agreement, no AppleCare, no right to hand back and upgrade in 12 months.

Re AppleCare I say seriously look at it now they've changed it. Yes it is expensive but they've made the non-AppleCare repair prices so high now and the with-AppleCare repair prices so low that it's almost a no-brainer. Sad but true.

Screen (7 Plus without AppleCare) £146
Screen (7 Plus with AppleCare) £25

Any other damage (7 Plus without AppleCare) £346
Any other damage (7 Plus with AppleCare) £79

I don't like Apple front loading all the cost at the time of purchase now but even I may be tempted by AppleCare next time around. Never thought I would be.
 
GrumpyTrucker said:
Don't use the Upgrade Programme, you'll need to use what's called the iPhone Payments Programme which is what you describe. Same 20 month agreement, no AppleCare, no right to hand back and upgrade in 12 months.

Re AppleCare I say seriously look at it now they've changed it. Yes it is expensive but they've made the non-AppleCare repair prices so high now and the with-AppleCare repair prices so low that it's almost a no-brainer. Sad but true.

Screen (7 Plus without AppleCare) £146
Screen (7 Plus with AppleCare) £25

Any other damage (7 Plus without AppleCare) £346
Any other damage (7 Plus with AppleCare) £79

I don't like Apple front loading all the cost at the time of purchase now but even I may be tempted by AppleCare next time around. Never thought I would be.
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I want a 20 month 0% finance agreement...i dont want apple care or handing back after 12 months?

I havent had apple care since the first iphone, never had an issue, im not in the habit of damaging £800 hardware!
 
InfernoUk said:
I want a 20 month 0% finance agreement...i dont want apple care or handing back after 12 months?

I havent had apple care since the first iphone, never had an issue, im not in the habit of damaging £800 hardware!
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And as I said the programme for that is called iPhone Payments. It's identical to the upgrade programme but no right to upgrade and no AppleCare. It's not the upgrade programme though.

This is the link http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/iphone/payments/overlay

I'm not in the habit of damaging £800 hardware either but it happens as I found out the day before the 7 was announced. Just slipped out of my pocket and fell 2 feet onto concrete. I'll now be £146 out of pocket. If the case had been damaged too that would have been £306. The phone has fallen 5 feet before now onto the same concrete and been just fine.
 
Last edited:
yea if you dont get applecare you arent eligible to upgrade after 11 payments. you have to have applecare.
 
Ive just signed up tonight to the Upgrade Programme, ordered myself a iPhone7 128Gb Rose Gold and booked a time slot to pick it up on 16th.
 
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divinedotcomedy said:
Does anybody know what happens now that the apple stores are mostly showing no stock? I wanted to enroll in this scheme and get an iPhone 7+ 128gb in normal black but its saying out of stock on the 'Reserve and Pickup' link but this is only for the 16th Sept. How will this work going forward? i.e. if I go to the normal apple online store I can order this phone for delivery in 2-3 weeks but that would mean paying outright and not enrolling in this scheme. Can't work out how you actually get on this scheme going forwards? Do I just have to wait until the stores start to get stock again?

One idea I had was to order online, have it delivered in 2-3 weeks and then go to more apple store and ask them to refund the phone back to my credit card and then re-purchase this same phone via the upgrade scheme. I'm just not sure I can see them allowing this!
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I was on holiday for pre-order 2014. I found a link on the Apple site to check stock availability in the Apple shops. Can't remember exactly but was about 2-3 weeks after launch. Had to go that day with an hour time slot
 
Anyone who's reserved a phone on the upgrade program had an email to confirm?

I've not but not too concerned as it's showing in the Apple Store app and I've got something that I've added to Wallet. Just wondered if anyone else had received an email.
 
Totalkharnage said:
Anyone who's reserved a phone on the upgrade program had an email to confirm?
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I had a confirmation email within 30mins of purchase. Check your junk folders etc...

Screen%20Shot%202016-09-11%20at%2010.14.00_zps3xnw8zdg.png
 
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Seems because I reserved one through the App and not on the website that it's down as an outright purchase. I did wonder why it asked me for card details. Let's hope we can switch to the Upgrade Program once we get to the store. :)
 
ASKendrew said:
Seems because I reserved one through the App and not on the website that it's down as an outright purchase. I did wonder why it asked me for card details. Let's hope we can switch to the Upgrade Program once we get to the store. :)
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Sounds like you went through the reserve for purchase link rather than the one to reserve through the Upgrade programme. Easily done in the fog of 8am preorders!
 
Totalkharnage said:
Sounds like you went through the reserve for purchase link rather than the one to reserve through the Upgrade programme. Easily done in the fog of 8am preorders!
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Yep. Just chatted with Apple Support and it can't be changed apparently. Going to call the store now to see if they can do anything at their end.
 
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