For the mom who gives us everything - Mother's Day gifts that connects us.
The new iPhone 15
jetop's profile

New Member

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2 Messages

Wednesday, June 15th, 2022 3:01 AM

Can I upgrade my iPhone, but give my old iPhone to a family member?

I want to upgrade my iPhone SE (2nd Gen) to the iPhone 12 mini, and I am eligible for an upgrade. Instead of trading in my iPhone SE, would it be possible to hold onto to it and give it to my mother, who has the iPhone 6? Would she be able to use it freely? She mainly uses her iPhone 6 to watch Youtube, make calls, and look at her bill statements. I am aware that I could switch my mother's sim card from her iPhone 6 to the iPhone SE, and that I can switch my sim card to the new iPhone 12 mini. However, if I do this, I am worried about how it will display on the plan, as it'll say that my mother still has the iPhone 6 since she hasn't upgraded? The display of the wrong iPhone on my mom's plan is not a big deal, but it would be nice if I could change this aspect- or get some sort of confirmation that this is OK to do. As a side question, would I still be able to trade in the iPhone SE, assuming that it's value has not depreciated so much that it's not worth anything?

Accepted Solution

Official Solution

ACE - Sage

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117.2K Messages

2 years ago

You are not required to trade in a phone if you have paid off and it belongs to you. You can unlock it and give it to anyone you want. New phones are retail price, as shown on the sales page. 

If you are purchasing from a third-party, swapping the SIM cards is the appropriate thing to do. The iPhone will update on your account just fine. People do this all the time when they bring their own devices.

If you are purchasing the iPhone 12, it is a 5G device, you might want to get a 5G SIM card. And if you purchase it brand new from AT&T it likely will come ready to activate the esim rather than having a physical SIM card.   

(edited)

ACE - Sage

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117.2K Messages

2 years ago

By the way I just took a quick look at the sales page for the iPhone 12 Mini. If you are on a qualifying unlimited plan you can get it for 50% off without a trade in.

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