Can you pay off Next early through accelerated payments?

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@tonybessette wrote:

I've read that you can accelerate payments on the Next program to pay off the phone early...and I've also been told that on the phone through 611.....however, I just read a post here in the forum that someone said it must be paid in full, and no accelerated payments.

 

Who is right, the several people that say you can accelerate payments to pay it off early and the 611 AT&T operators...or the one post I saw that said you can't make parital payment, it MUST be paid off in full?

 

Before I get locked into a phone on the Next program, I'd like to make SURE which way is the correct way to pay it off early.

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I have not signed a NEXT agreement myself becuse when I was researching it, I was also informed by several AT&T representatives that the options are to pay the 18 or 26 monthly payments and complete the agreement, Pay the 12 or 18 monthly payments and then trade the phone in for a new agreement, or pay as many monthly payments as I want, then pay the outstanding balance to own the phone free and clear.  I specifically asked if one could pay 12 payment installments over 6 months to pay off the balance early and was informed that this was not anoption with NEXT.  According to what I was informed, you can not pay more than the normal monthly installment for your NEXT agreement in any single month.  This is also the reason why I am not in a NEXT agreement right now...

I was informed by a few agents that I COULD make extra payments towards the "phone", but I had to be specific that I wanted the payments to go towards the phone itself (provided the bill was at $0).

The extra money I put on the account would not go towards a "credit" to the account....as long as I SPECIFICALLY said I wanted the extra money to go towards the phone itself....hence paying it off early, and being eliglble for another next program.

Anyone know the truth.....I'd really like to get into the Next program, but want to be able to pay it off early with "extra" payments.

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@logo412 wrote:

If you accelreate payments on the AT&T Next plan, pay off the device and it is posted to your account, you are able to start another Next agreement, go on a two year contract, or buy a device at full retail. There could be a few days of delay before the system sees you as being eligable for a new Next program. 

 

The Next Plan does not lock you into a contract with AT&T and once the device is fully paid for, you own the device and would no longer be tied to the program making you eligable to upgrade or buy a new phone. *I am an AT&T employee and the postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent AT&T’s position, strategies or opinions.  

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 This person is an AT&T employee and says you can accelerate payments to pay the phone off early.  Any other AT&T emplyees want to chime in...or folk who have actually accelerated payments on the Next program?

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@tonybessette wrote:

This person is an AT&T employee and says you can accelerate payments to pay the phone off early.  Any other AT&T emplyees want to chime in...or folk who have actually accelerated payments on the Next program?

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If you already have one AT&T employee who has told you that you can do what you want, then why are you asking for another to tell you the same thing?  I dont understand your logic here.  Either you will believe what an AT&T employee tells you (in which case you already have an answer) or you won't (in which case having more employees tell you the same thing won't make much difference because you don't trust them).

If you have been with AT&T for any amount of time, you'll know that it's always a different answer each time, lol.  You apparently have an  "Award for Community Excellence (A.C.E.) achiever of 2013"  - There is NO WAY you don't know this...haha.

I want the correct answer.  The reps you spoke to say you can not pay extra, it must be paid in full.   I had different responses, and then found the above AT&T employee say yes, you can make accelerated payments.

Which is it?

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@Resendetra wrote:

No, you will then be stuck having to pay the rest in full. In the facts section for the NEXT program, it says...

 

Will I be able to pay off this smartphone early?

Yes, you have the option to pay off your installment agreement, but the full outstanding balance will be due immediately.

 

That was the first part, now if you scroll down the facts, it says...

 

Can I upgrade my AT&T Next smartphone earlier than 12 or 18 months?

Yes, you can. After you have been billed, made two monthly installments, and your account is in good standing, you are eligible to take advantage of our Pay to Upgrade option.

To reach upgrade status, you will need to pay your remaining installments in one lump sum. For AT&T Next 12, pay up to your 12th installment. For AT&T Next 18, pay up to your 18th installment. When paid, you are eligible to trade in your AT&T Next smartphone.

In order to Pay to Upgrade, simply bring your current AT&T Next smartphone to an AT&T store. Please note that to trade in your smartphone, it must be in good physical condition and fully functional.

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Thanks for that information and the directions on where to find it for myself.  It looks like either the rep I spoke with was mistaken, or things have changed since I spoke with them back in February.  Either one is quite possible. 

It looks like "accelerated payment" is possible, in one form.  It's not what the OP thought would be allowed, but at least it is something that can be done.

I know a couple people who buy a relatively inexpensive phone (about $200-250) using NEXT and then pay it off in 4-5 months so they get the out-of contract discount for the full term, and they are not making installment payments on their phones.  Just like someone who claims to be purchasing their phones from an outside source and sing them with AT&T so they can use discountes they get at the other source, and still keep the discounts at AT&T too.

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@GeekBoy wrote:

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@Resendetra wrote:

No, you will then be stuck having to pay the rest in full. In the facts section for the NEXT program, it says...

 

Will I be able to pay off this smartphone early?

Yes, you have the option to pay off your installment agreement, but the full outstanding balance will be due immediately.

 

That was the first part, now if you scroll down the facts, it says...

 

Can I upgrade my AT&T Next smartphone earlier than 12 or 18 months?

Yes, you can. After you have been billed, made two monthly installments, and your account is in good standing, you are eligible to take advantage of our Pay to Upgrade option.

To reach upgrade status, you will need to pay your remaining installments in one lump sum. For AT&T Next 12, pay up to your 12th installment. For AT&T Next 18, pay up to your 18th installment. When paid, you are eligible to trade in your AT&T Next smartphone.

In order to Pay to Upgrade, simply bring your current AT&T Next smartphone to an AT&T store. Please note that to trade in your smartphone, it must be in good physical condition and fully functional.

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Thanks for that information and the directions on where to find it for myself.  It looks like either the rep I spoke with was mistaken, or things have changed since I spoke with them back in February.  Either one is quite possible. 

 

It looks like "accelerated payment" is possible, in one form.  It's not what the OP thought would be allowed, but at least it is something that can be done.

 

I know a couple people who buy a relatively inexpensive phone (about $200-250) using NEXT and then pay it off in 4-5 months so they get the out-of contract discount for the full term, and they are not making installment payments on their phones.  Just like someone who claims to be purchasing their phones from an outside source and sing them with AT&T so they can use discountes they get at the other source, and still keep the discounts at AT&T too.

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As you said, I can see this being a good program for someone that wants to buy an inexpensive phone and have it paid in full in just a few months. Though, there's a lot of people out there that want the newest flagship phone and may still want to do "accelerated payments", but they may become confused when they are slapped with the rest of the full payment because they didn't read or understand the facts or weren't explained that part of the program properly by a sales rep. I wonder why AT&T doesn't let you do true accelerated payments though, it would make it easier for people that don't want to necessarily pay the lump sum, but also don't want to be stuck making payments for 20 to 24 months.

A better option would be to put the intended payoff amount into your own  savings account.  Remember, AT&T Next has no finance charges.  So you simply stock the money away into a savings account, earn a few pennies on interest, and when you're ready take it out and pay it off.  Right now, you have two choices: pay to upgrade only, and pay it off completely.