iPhone 14 Pro Verizon deals vs black Friday

[Jake19]

Hi,

I currently have a 12 pro and want to upgrade to the 14 pro. I am trying to decide whether I should get the 14 pro right now vs wait for black friday. I plan to stay with Verizon and it seems like the best deal is to trade in at Apple for $430 in instant credit and then $370 in bill credits over 36 months. I was trying to see what Verizon offered on the 13 pro on black friday last year, but I can't find any information about deals from last year. Is the current trade in offer likely the best offer for the 14 pro or is it usually a lot better on black friday?

Thanks

 

[iStorm]

I think it can be a hit or miss. I remember watching the deals last year, and found one I liked in late October. I did check again during Black Friday to see if I should have waited, and there weren't any good deals, at least for my situation. (Seemed like the good ones required a new line.) So I'm glad I did it when I did instead of waiting.

Also, keep logging into your Verizon account and check your personal offers (Account -> My Devices -> My Offers). Sometimes there will be good deals in there that aren't part of their mainstream promotions. That's where I found mine last year...to trade in an older phone for $600. I ended up buying a used 6S for $30 to trade in and held onto my XS to keep or sell later.

I don't know if this is true or not, but I've read/heard that carriers usually ramp up better deals in October/November to entice those that didn't upgrade right away.

 

[roland.g]

Last year Verizon ran a promo from Black Friday through the holidays and I traded in a 4 year old iPhone X for $1000 towards my son's iPhone 13 Pro.

 

[AFgixxer]

Right now Verizon is offering 1000 to trade in and the will pay off my device. I have the 12 pro 256gb

 

[quise2024]

I turn away from Carrier deals for the simple fact of them wanting to lock me in to a device for 3 years

 

[AFgixxer]

I turn away from Carrier deals for the simple fact of them wanting to lock me in to a device for 3 years

Do you plan on switching? I’ve been with Verizon for 10+ years I think.

 

[quise2024]

Do you plan on switching? I’ve been with Verizon for 10+ years I think.

It’s not the carrier it’s the device. If I want to upgrade/change phones then I want to upgrade. Instead since they offered all this money in credits you have to pay a penalty should you change phones

 

[BigBlur]

Do you plan on switching? I’ve been with Verizon for 10+ years I think.

Exactly, same here. Carriers have the better deals if you don’t plan on switching or upgrading every year.

But even then, you aren’t “locked” into the carrier or device for years. The big three carriers will unlock the device either 40 days (T-Mobile) or 60 days (AT&T and Verizon) after activation. So just pay off the remaining balance and leave...no fees or penalties. (That was the old way from many years ago.)

For example, I’m halfway through my iPhone 13 installment plan with Verizon (luckily was able to do 24 months). So far, I’ve paid $0 and received $400 in trade-in credits (from a $800 trade-in). If I want to upgrade or leave, then I pay the remaining $400. The phone is mine and was unlocked a long time ago. I can do whatever I want with it. Sure, I miss out on a free phone by ending it early, but I’m sure I could sell or trade it in for more than $400. Also, other carriers usually have promotions that include paying off your remaining balance to get you to switch to theirs. Some people hop to a different carrier every year because of this.

People are making this “carrier/device lock in” a bigger deal than it needs to be. It’s not the same as it once was. Carrier and device lock-ins are pretty much a thing of the past.

 

[AFgixxer]

Exactly, same here. Carriers have the better deals if you don’t plan on switching or upgrading every year.

But even then, you aren’t “locked” into the carrier or device for years. The big three carriers will unlock the device either 40 days (T-Mobile) or 60 days (AT&T and Verizon) after activation. So just pay off the remaining balance and leave...no fees or penalties. (That was the old way from many years ago.)

For example, I’m halfway through my iPhone 13 installment plan with Verizon (luckily was able to do 24 months). So far, I’ve paid $0 and received $400 in trade-in credits (from a $800 trade-in). If I want to upgrade or leave, then I pay the remaining $400. The phone is mine and was unlocked a long time ago. I can do whatever I want with it. Sure, I miss out on a free phone by ending it early, but I’m sure I could sell or trade it in for more than $400. Also, other carriers usually have promotions that include paying off your remaining balance to get you to switch to theirs. Some people hop to a different carrier every year because of this.

People are making this “carrier/device lock in” a bigger deal than it needs to be. It’s not the same as it once was. Carrier and device lock-ins are pretty much a thing of the past.

Yeah I’m considering taking the $800 offer to get the 14 pro. I’m on the 12 pro

 

[iStorm]

It’s not the carrier it’s the device. If I want to upgrade/change phones then I want to upgrade. Instead since they offered all this money in credits you have to pay a penalty should you change phones

It doesn't work that way anymore, at least for the major carriers. Carriers used to give you/deduct the full trade-in amount right away, and then you’d pay the remainder by having monthly device payments for the duration of the contract. If you ended early, then you had to pay a penalty; largely because you already received the trade-in money. Of course they kept your phone locked too. This deterred people from say getting a $700 trade-in towards a $800 phone, paying the remaining $100 and jumping ship right away. The carriers needed a way to recoup some of that trade-in money back.

The way it’s done now is that the carriers give you a monthly credit for your trade in; you don’t get it all up front anymore. With a 36-month offer, you're billed 1/36th the cost of the phone monthly, and the carrier credits you 1/36th of the trade-in offer. You're still essentially paying the same monthly amount as before, but you forfeit the rest of the credits if you upgrade/leave early. No worries though, because it can usually be made up via other means. And as BigBlur mentioned, the phones are now unlocked within a couple months after activation.

Take my example above where I traded in a 6S with Verizon for $600 last year. One year later, I've received $200 in credits for it so far. (Apple was offering $40 for the 6S if I traded in with them instead.) If I wanted to, I could totally forfeit the rest of my credits and pay off the phone to upgrade or leave, and still be better off than if I had gone with Apple last year for an "unlocked" phone. I put unlocked in quotes because it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. My phone through Verizon was unlocked after two months. Not too shabby methinks!

 

[quise2024]

It doesn't work that way anymore, at least for the major carriers. Carriers used to give you/deduct the full trade-in amount right away, and then you’d pay the remainder by having monthly device payments for the duration of the contract. If you ended early, then you had to pay a penalty; largely because you already received the trade-in money. Of course they kept your phone locked too. This deterred people from say getting a $700 trade-in towards a $800 phone, paying the remaining $100 and jumping ship right away. The carriers needed a way to recoup some of that trade-in money back.

The way it’s done now is that the carriers give you a monthly credit for your trade in; you don’t get it all up front anymore. With a 36-month offer, you're billed 1/36th the cost of the phone monthly, and the carrier credits you 1/36th of the trade-in offer. You're still essentially paying the same monthly amount as before, but you forfeit the rest of the credits if you upgrade/leave early. No worries though, because it can usually be made up via other means. And as BigBlur mentioned, the phones are now unlocked within a couple months after activation.

Take my example above where I traded in a 6S with Verizon for $600 last year. One year later, I've received $200 in credits for it so far. (Apple was offering $40 for the 6S if I traded in with them instead.) If I wanted to, I could totally forfeit the rest of my credits and pay off the phone to upgrade or leave, and still be better off than if I had gone with Apple last year for an "unlocked" phone. I put unlocked in quotes because it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. My phone through Verizon was unlocked after two months. Not too shabby methinks!

Oh wow interesting. Well thanks for the knowledge guys. I was under the impression and also read other forums that they were still handing out penalties for leaving the agreement early.

I might reconsider now - we have some older phones laying around I’ll have to let the wife know