A summary of the problem with the iPhone Upgrade Programme in 2020

On September the 20th, 2019, I bought the iPhone 11 Pro. This was the first day that it was available in the UK. I signed up for the iPhone Upgrade Programme.

The main benefits of the iPhone Upgrade Programme for me are that:

1. I can pay monthly instead of one big lump sum
2. I can pay only 11 monthly payments out of the total 20 and upgrade to the next iPhone, when it is released

One of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the iPhone 12 was delayed. By the time the iPhone 12 was released, I had made 13 payments towards the iPhone Upgrade Programme. This means that even if everything else was going smoothly, I'd have paid two more monthly payments than I should have before I could upgrade.

Of course, not everything else is going smoothly. Because of the pandemic I avoid indoor spaces. Waiting in line to buy the new iPhone from the Apple Store is not in my best interest. I could literally die as a result.

In the United States Apple lets you return your old iPhone in the post so that you don't have to go to the store to upgrade. This would have been perfect for a pandemic-ridden UK, but unfortunately that service is not available here.

Now, my only real options are:

1. To pay off the rest of the monthly payments on the iPhone Upgrade Programme and buy the new iPhone in May
2. To immediately pay off the rest of my iPhone Upgrade Programme loan so that I own the phone, then trade it in by post and put that trade in towards a purchase of a new iPhone. On this note, I find it very strange that Apple offers trade-in by post in the UK, but not trade-in specifically for the iPhone Upgrade Programme. I also wouldn't have an iPhone during this process.

So, the only benefit to me of the iPhone Upgrade Programme this year has been the monthly payments, which I could have got without needing to pay for Apple Pay, with Apple's standard interest-free monthly payments plan.

To be clear, I'm not looking for solutions, because it seems there aren't any good ones. I'm looking to vent. I hope that's all right.