Smartphone Promo credit v. trade-in

No, not a contradiction. You can get remaining installment payments waived, that’s called an early upgrade. You can’t get them waived and get the trade in credit. It’s one or the other.

No. Your XR must be paid off to qualify for trade in credits. If you pay it off you lose any remaining monthly $19 credits.

I'm not entirely sure that's true, when I specify certain models as trade-in, I do get a credit toward the new phone. However, it won't offset the loss of the promo credits, so I really have no incentive to trade up. Thanks!

Let's look into that promotional offer for you, @luthier58!

We want to advise that trade-in devices cannot currently be on an active installment plan and that credits stop once the phone is upgraded, traded-in, or even traded-up after payoff.

We hope this info helps!

Lar, AT&T Community Specialist

Direct quote from the upgrade page: "Send back your Apple iPhone XR in good, working condition, and we'll waive your remaining installment balance." That seems to directly contradict what you just said.

Let's explain more about how accepting a new promotion offer while finishing out the current offer you're on now @luthier58.

As @sandblaster mentioned, if your device qualifies for early upgrade, you can get the remainder installment balance waived when accepting a new Trade-in Promotion offer. Which then you're accepting a new billing promotion for the new device given the promotion offer requirements and details.

We hope this clarifies your inquiry and helps with your decision to either upgrade or wait until you've completed your current offer.

If you have additional questions, just send a message and we'll be here to share more with you.

Thank you for visiting the Community!

Jonye, AT&T Community Specialist

So if I trade in my XR, the remainder of my installment payments are waived, but I then have to pay full price for the new phone? Given that with the promo I have now, I'm paying $1 a month, and literally any new phone is going to be considerably more than that, I would be foolish to upgrade, right? If I traded in for a worse phone than the XR, I would still end up paying more, if I understand what you are saying.

The promo you are on is to get you to keep the phone the whole time.  That is the whole reason ATT does these promos.  

@luthier58

@sandblaster  is 100% spot on. 

It might clarify the situation if I explain how the early upgrade program works versus the current trade-in promotion. It can be confusing if you don't understand all the parts. 

     1.  All promotions :

Any time you enter into any promotion with AT&T (and other carriers) you are charged the installment balance every month on your bill and at&t puts a credit on your bill to offset that installment payment. As you wrote, you are getting a $19 Credit Now on a $20 installment. If you read your bill and expand all of the + signs, your bill does show every month the full cost of your iPhone,  and how many payments that you have made, and how much the balance is that you owe on the XR.   That balance on the XR would be due in full if you choose to cancel service, or upgrade early and keep your phone.

    2.  Early upgrade: 

If you chose to upgrade your current phone early you have the option to return it back to AT&T, purchase a new phone on installments, and the rest of the payments on the phone, and the corresponding credits both stop. Or, pay the balance off to keep it.  Or pay the balance off and then use it as a trade in to participate in the current trade-in promotion. 

      3.   Current trade in deal:

In order to participate in the current trade-in deal you must trade in a phone that you own 100%. It is not an early upgrade offer.   Phone's turned in under this promotion do not go back to AT&T. Unlike the early upgrade phones turned in during this promotion are shipped to a third-party recycler and refurbish company called HYLA.  

Greetings, @luthier58!

The credits you have now is only applied to the iPhone XR. Customers that turn in their devices get their remaining installment balance waived (once their device is turned in). You will have to pay off any remaining balance on your old device in order to receive credits for your new device.

Hope this helps!

Lar, AT&T Community Specialist