Paid off iPhone in iPhone upgrade program

I have a question about the iPhone upgrade program. Let say I enrolled in the iPhone upgrade program. After I got the phone, I paid off the entire balance on the phone instead of making the monthly payments for 24 months. Am I eligible to upgrade to the new iphone when it comes out, say 12 months later?

iPhone 6s Plus, iOS 9.3.5, iPhone upgrade program

Posted on Sep 8, 2016 6:29 PM

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Posted on Sep 8, 2016 9:48 PM

If you participate in the program, you have the choice of upgrading at 6-12 months by paying off what is necessary to bring the account to the 12 month point. At that point you can turn in your device for another one. The installment plan has the remaining 12 months forgiven and you start a new 24 month plan. If you pay off the entire 24 months, the program is over and you own the phone. There is no trading it in at that time.


You may want to take a look at this page for the Upgrade Program. There are a number of FAQs there that may help you. http://www.apple.com/shop/iphone/iphone-upgrade-program

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 8, 2016 9:48 PM in response to Sdao85

If you participate in the program, you have the choice of upgrading at 6-12 months by paying off what is necessary to bring the account to the 12 month point. At that point you can turn in your device for another one. The installment plan has the remaining 12 months forgiven and you start a new 24 month plan. If you pay off the entire 24 months, the program is over and you own the phone. There is no trading it in at that time.


You may want to take a look at this page for the Upgrade Program. There are a number of FAQs there that may help you. http://www.apple.com/shop/iphone/iphone-upgrade-program

Sep 8, 2016 9:49 PM in response to Sdao85

You wouldn't be upgrading at all. If you've paid off the entire phone balance before the minimum 12 payment limit, you own it outright. You can then walk in and sign up for a new phone under a new upgrade plan at any time you wish. But you'd have nothing to trade in under the program and could keep your existing phone, recycle it for store credit, sell it yourself or whatever you wished.


It would be the same as any installment plan - pay off the balance early, the device is yours, to do with as you please. And since you've fulfilled the terms of your contract without exercising your upgrade option with a balance owning, you'd effectively now be a new, first time subscriber to the upgrade program when you purchased a new device.


There is no rational point to even enrolling in the upgrade program if you're just going to buy the phone outright as soon as you get it.

Sep 8, 2016 6:33 PM in response to Sdao85

Normally you can choose (it's not automatic) to upgrade to a new phone after a minimum of 12 months.


You can continue to keep it for 24 months, at which point it's yours without additional monthly payments.


You can also choose to get a new phone after as little as 6 months, but you'll have to pay up front for however many months are needed to get you to 12 payments.

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Paid off iPhone in iPhone upgrade program

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