iPhone Upgrade

If you are on the NEXT 24, you can trade in your phone after 24 months but the payments are broke down into 30 payments. If you phone is in good working condition, you can trade the phone and they will forgive the last 6 payments. If you phone has any physical damage, you will need to pay off the remaining payments and the phone is yours to keep and sell.

You can pay off to the trade in or payoff payment at any time. That is one of the advantiages of NEXT, you can pay off your phone early and get a new phone at any time.

Your upgrade date really does not mean anything now because there are no 2 year contract discounts anymore. Your options for buying a new phone are Next and pay full price up front. The only question is whether you are eligible for Next now or will you have to wait until January. 

@ayepez923 Are you on a regular contract or a Next plan?

Also, if your iPhone 6 is in good shape it's worth more than the last 6 payments (your last 6 Next payments are probably about $152) and Gazelle will give you $190-$210 (you'd get more on ebay). I just thought I'd mention that. I know you're out of the country but I think they pay via paypal.

@sandblaster They still have time on their contract and they want to do it early. If they are on an old contract until January 7th can they buy a new Next phone now?  If they can't then their upgrade date does mean something...

---

@Gary L wrote:

@sandblaster They still have time on their contract and they want to do it early. If they are on an old contract until January 7th can they buy a new Next phone now?  If they can't then their upgrade date does mean something...

 

---

Which I acknowledged. Sorry if my wording doesn't meet your approval. 

Since ATT has no more contracts, they are not inclined to lure people off them with early upgrades with Next.

the general policy is "no early upgrades". 

You can expect to pay the current retail cost of any phone.  Your current phone can be sold to offset the cost.  The iPhone 6 and 6 plus has dropped in price and will drop again when the pre order for the iPhone 7 is offered.

Once in a while a customer is offered an early upgrade with Next.   We have probably seen the end of such offers.

If they really want people to buy phones with Next, they should be working on me.  All 8 lines are eligible for upgrade.  I see multiple notices every month asking if I want to upgrade.

@lizdance40 thanks for answering, if they could buy now, I wanted to know (that'd be a nice transition for people).

As we know, without knowing exactly what the OPs position is, we are answering blindly.

If the information is accurate, and the OP is in a 2 year contract, then the expectation now is the contract has to be completed in order to be "upgrade eligible".   

There are still options, but no help from ATT can be expected.  My understanding is there is no more wiggle room.   Customers can buy a new phone at any time on their own.  

If it's Next 24, then the OP may be able to upgrade with trade in if phone is in excellent working condition. (Getting out of the last 6 payments)  Some call Next a contract, in a way it is. That is confusing for us when trying to answer. It's hard to cover all scenarios.

Im going with worse case - (taken at face value). expect to pay full price in a lump sum if the OP insists on upgrading before a 2 year contract is complete.  The current phone can be sold locked to ATT to offset that purchase. 

Another option I Almost forgot is Apple has their own financing program (insert me slapping my head) to get a new phone each year.   It has nothing to do with ATT, so you can buy through them, sell your current phone.

I am expecting iPhone prices to drop $100 in late August and would suggest waiting.  (When the new phone is announced). That might mean the 6 might be $200 less than a new iPhone 7. 

Im the odd duck, as you may have seen, I insist on all up front purchases.  It keeps my bill low and makes it sooooo much easier.  

@lizdance40 I'm not sure that is true. Based on my experience, people on 2 year contracts become Next eligible before their 2 year contract expires. It has been awhile since any of the phones on my plan were under contract but all of them were Next eligible before their contract expired. Since a Next upgrade does not effect the 2 year contract and Next phones are full price, there really is no reason I can think of to withhold Next eligibility until the contract expires.