AT&T Offering $50 Bill Credit for iPhone Upgrades Made Through Apple Online and Retail Stores

Wednesday November 12, 2014 12:55 PM PST by Jordan Golson
AT&T is now offering a $50 bill credit to customers who purchase a new iPhone from the Apple Online or Apple Retail Stores. Neither company has marketed the deal but an AT&T spokesperson confirmed the existence of the promotion to MacRumors. The purchase and financing of any iPhone model that Apple sells, including the 5c, 5s, 6 and 6 Plus, qualifies the buyer for the credit.

The $50 credit promotion, which runs through the end of the year, does have a number of requirements which should be easily met for most existing AT&T customers:

- The iPhone must be purchased on an existing line as an upgrade.
- The iPhone must be financed on an AT&T Next installment plan.
- The iPhone must remain active and in good standing on Next for 45 days.
$50 Bill Credit Offer: Ends 12/31/14. Must remain in active and in good standing on Next for 45 days to receive bill credit on your AT&T mobility bill within 3 bill cycles. Upgrades only. Requires iPhone to be purchased via AT&T NextSM and activated on a qualifying AT&T voice and data wireless service plan. Offer may not be combinable with other credits, discounts and offers. Offer and terms subject to change and may be discontinued at any time without notice.
attnext
Customers looking for an unlocked phone should wait for the bill credit to be applied to their account before paying off the AT&T Next financing and unlocking their phone through AT&T's unlocking process.

The promotion launched earlier this week and is scheduled to run through December 31st, but the fine print notes that AT&T can discontinue it at any time.

92 comments

Top Rated Comments

(View all)
Avatar
Petey-Pete
68 months ago
Next? No thank you.
Rating: 7 Votes
Avatar
nikhsub1
68 months ago

Next? No thank you.

Ignorance is bliss.

Out of curiosity, why? Next is basically 0% financing. With this deal you get an additional discount.

Exactly.

Have you done the math? Why would you think AT&T would be constantly encouraging users to sign up with NEXT?

Next is an interest and fee free loan.

With Next, you have to trade in your iPhone to AT&T so you've paid $849.12 and have nothing to show for it while the person who didn't use Next paid $849 but still has the iPhone and can sell it for hundreds.

http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/next.html#fbid=rVpKsUjy7aQ

Couldn't be more incorrect. More ignorance peddling totally incorrect information.
Rating: 6 Votes
Avatar
alm99
68 months ago

Have you done the math? Why would you think AT&T would be constantly encouraging users to sign up with NEXT?


128gb iPhone 6 full retail is $849.

On AT&T next it's $35.38/month for 24 months = $849.12

Not sure where Next is a bad deal?
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
sonicrobby
68 months ago
So next users, who dont even have an upgrade fee, will get money back? While those long time reliable customers with a 2 year contract get screwed yet again. I hate you ATT...
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
jlgolson
68 months ago

store.apple.com doesn't allow you to upgrade your Next plan. :rolleyes:


You can roll your eyes but you're misinformed. You CAN upgrade your Next plan on store.apple.com. I just did it. That's where the screenshot in the original post is from.

YOU may not be able to upgrade your Next plan because you already ordered a phone, but for anyone eligible, they can use Next to buy a phone on Apple's website.

America needs to go the European way and stop vendors from subsidizing devices. It's going that way with the iPads, except for AT&T which demands LOCKING EVERYTHING down like crazy...

You mean like how AT&T Next works, where the consumer pays for the whole device?
Rating: 3 Votes
Avatar
T5BRICK
68 months ago

With Next, you have to trade in your iPhone to AT&T so you've paid $849.12 and have nothing to show for it while the person who didn't use Next paid $849 but still has the iPhone and can sell it for hundreds.

http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/next.html#fbid=rVpKsUjy7aQ


Read the FAQ found on the link you posted and educate yourself.

Do I own the smartphone? Or is this a leasing offer?

The smartphone is yours, and you’re responsible for 30, 24, or 20 monthly installment payments. You’re also responsible for any loss, theft, or damage to the smartphone – both during the installment agreement period and afterward. We recommend you purchase the optional Mobile Insurance to protect your investment.


What if I don't want to trade in and upgrade my smartphone and I want to keep it?

You don’t have to trade in your smartphone. You can continue to make your monthly installment payments until your installment agreement is complete.

Rating: 3 Votes
Avatar
Bearxor
68 months ago

and if you upgrade before paying off the device, you give it (and its resale value) back to AT&T for $0.


If you go to upgrade from a Next plan you are given two choices. Trade your phone in or pay it off.

For example, my wife got a 5S in February on Next 18. She won't be eligible to trade it in until next summer. But now she wants an iPhone 6.

I went just to see what I could do. I added the 6 and it told me I could pay $260 to advance the phone loan so that she could trade it in or I could pay $490 and keep the phone and get a new one.

So you have a choice and you can upgrade whenever you feel like it really. I went with just trading it in. If I had paid the $490, I would have gotten $400 back from selling it on a site like swappa or something and I just didn't feel like it was worth my time for the extra $80-100 I might gain out of it. But I was very happy to be able to upgrade her whenever I felt like.
Rating: 2 Votes
Avatar
giantfan1224
68 months ago

So, AT&T gets to keep your phone at the end of 12 months to 'offset' the balance on the phone. Sounds like a good deal for AT&T...


They only get to keep your phone if you turn it in. It's like a closed end lease on a vehicle. If you think it's worth more on the open market, then pay off the remaining balance and keep it (or sell it yourself). This has been repeated several times on this thread. Why is it so hard to understand?
Rating: 2 Votes
Avatar
nikhsub1
68 months ago

If you read the article, you'll note that you need to purchase through the Apple Online or Retail stores. Not through AT&T. It's active, go look.

store.apple.com, then go through and try to upgrade a line using Next.


Oh I thought this was for people who already bought via next and the apple store... I bought my phones on launch day - so this is only for purchasing as of today? They should be more clear.

----------

For those defending the At&t next program here's why many would never consider it.

1.You have to return the phone if you decided to "Upgrade" to another phone.
I like to sell my phone to cover the cost of my new phone.
2.For those of us that have unlimited data and don't want to use the mobile share plan it's a bad deal, as the subsidy price is already built into the cost of our plans.

I don't like the idea of "renting" a phone.

1. You CAN turn the phone in and get a new one every year, this is true. In that sense you could consider it renting but, you could also pay the phone off in full at any time, then sell it just as you normally would.

2. You have to do the math to see if next works with your current plan - the fact is that Next is an interest and fee free loan, it doesn't get much better than that. Typically anyone on a family share plan benefits with next over a subsidized phone.
Rating: 2 Votes
Avatar
giantfan1224
68 months ago

With Next, you have to trade in your iPhone to AT&T so you've paid $849.12 and have nothing to show for it while the person who didn't use Next paid $849 but still has the iPhone and can sell it for hundreds.

http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/next.html#fbid=rVpKsUjy7aQ


The Next plan is essentially an interest free loan on the full price of the phone with an option to upgrade before the loan term is up. You can pay off the remaining balance at any time and the phone is yours. If you decide to upgrade when eligible and the phone is worth more on the open market then what is owed, you can purchase it and sell it off to pocket the difference.
Rating: 2 Votes
[ Read All Comments ]