Carrier Trading in 7 Plus for X and then deciding to sell 7 Plus instead?

[tellemfred]

I have a 7 Plus on AT&T Next with roughly $400 left. Tomorrow I plan to upgrade to the X by “trading in” by phone.

Can I decide to sell the phone instead and use that money to pay off the remaining balance instead of trading it in? Paying it off up front before tomorrow is not an option, I just don’t have the extra money to swing that at the moment.

Can I call AT&T after the phone is sold and use the money to pay it off and say hey I decided to keep it, or do I need to wait until whatever bill cycle comes up where they charge me for a phone I never sent back?

And if I do have to wait to pay it off on a bill, will that affect the new owner at all? I do not have any intention of not paying and screwing the new owner or anything like that.

 

[PM-Performance]

Yes, if you do not send your old phone back in 14 days you start getting texts telling you that the remaining balance of the non traded phone will be applied to your next bill.
This does not affect the new phone purchase at all.

 

[tellemfred]

Yes, if you do not send your old phone back in 14 days you start getting texts telling you that the remaining balance of the non traded phone will be applied to your next bill.
This does not affect the new phone purchase at all.

And is that something I can call and pay off or is it only payable as part of my next bill?

 

[mlenger]

Be aware of two things - selling the phone on eBay is a PITA - lots of non paying bidders and eBay requires to give them up to 30 days to pay before you can re-list. If done it ever since I sold my 1st iPhone and this year I will skip the headache and just send my 7 plus back to ATT.
2. ATT won’t carrier unlock your phone until it’s paid off, and you get less money for a still locked phone.
Just my two cents

 

[nostresshere]

I have a 7 Plus on AT&T Next with roughly $400 left. Tomorrow I plan to upgrade to the X by “trading in” by phone.

Can I decide to sell the phone instead and use that money to pay off the remaining balance instead of trading it in? Paying it off up front before tomorrow is not an option, I just don’t have the extra money to swing that at the moment.

Can I call AT&T after the phone is sold and use the money to pay it off and say hey I decided to keep it, or do I need to wait until whatever bill cycle comes up where they charge me for a phone I never sent back?

And if I do have to wait to pay it off on a bill, will that affect the new owner at all? I do not have any intention of not paying and screwing the new owner or anything like that.

Okay, I will say what others are thinking. If your money is that tight, you really should just stick with your 7. You havea very good phone that works just fine.

 

[tellemfred]

Be aware of two things - selling the phone on eBay is a PITA - lots of non paying bidders and eBay requires to give them up to 30 days to pay before you can re-list. If done it ever since I sold my 1st iPhone and this year I will skip the headache and just send my 7 plus back to ATT.
2. ATT won’t carrier unlock your phone until it’s paid off, and you get less money for a still locked phone.
Just my two cents

Thanks. I’ve sold all my phones on eBay as well for the last 7 years and never had an issue. Not saying it won’t happen, but I’ve had good luck. Also, you can open up an unpaid item case after 3 days and cancel the sale. No need to wait 30 days.

Okay, I will say what others are thinking. If your money is that tight, you really should just stick with your 7. You havea very good phone that works just fine.

Money is not “that tight” but there’s a difference between having an extra $450 to pay off the phone and a $40 charge I’m already paying in my bill. Thank you for your concern.

 

[eagleglen]

I did this last year when I got my 7 Plus and was supposed to trade in my 6s Plus. I had decided to sell the old phone to a relative instead and they were with T mobile. I had to wait until the 14 day return period had passed on the 7 before AT&T would unlock the 6s, but once I submitted the request, it literally only took a couple of hours. I actually wonder if I could have submitted it sooner, but hadn't tried. AT&T will send you several notices that the old phone is over due. I tried to call them and asked to pay it off, but was told there was no way to do so. It wasn't until December that the remaining balance appeared on my bill. That year, we had received the 7 on September 23. All in all, it was a pretty smooth process.