Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Other Do I have to trade my current upgrade plan phone in before I order?
- Thread starter Legion103
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
If you use in store pickup, you turn in phone at the store, if you are getting it shipped to you, you will mail it out after receiving new phone.
Here's my question: If you trade your old phone in at the store when picking up the new one, what happens if you wish to return the new phone?
Better yet, how the heck do you pay off the phone? There doesn't seem to be any way to do it online. I tap "make a payment" and it asks if I want to change my payment or add a new one. No. I want to pay off the remainder, please.
Basically, You will be SOL if you do it at the store. When you give them your phone, they will give you receipt that loan is paid off and will take the phone. If you return new phone, you will be without phone.
[doublepost=1568145100][/doublepost]
My understanding is that you need to call them. It is convoluted process.
Crazy. That's why I'm just buying the next one outright on my Apple card.
Yeah. You'll receive a trade in kit a few days after getting your new phone. It'll be any empty box, with a pre-paid label inside and a piece of tape! I always find it amusing.
A word of caution (my past experience)
If you want to BOTH upgrade to a new one AND keep your old one, do this:
Upgrade, just as most will, go through the process, get pre-approved (hopefully they do this again), get the upgrade phone ordered, shipped and on the way to you.
Once the new one has arrived (in your hands), we're talking a week from order to arrival for most (those worried about making the next monthly payment, your loan is placed on a hold as soon as you upgrade), call Apple (my process required many calls to Apple to find the right person) and get them to cancel the turn-in order for you to return your old phone. This is admittedly (by those I spoke to @ Apple & Citizens) a broken process, maybe they fix it this year?? Once the turn in order is cancelled, give it a business day or two and call Citizens to pay it off. Without that return cancelled, Citizens CSR are unable to touch your loan file, it is locked.
IF you call Citizens and request a payoff PRIOR to ordering your upgrade phone, you are now out of the upgrade program. I made that mistake two years ago. This means you can NOT do the easy paced pre-approval at your leisure, then have your new 2019 phone in your cart, ready to checkout at 0-dark:30, half asleep, racing for your favorite color before it is sold out... It also will mean, a new full hard inquiry to your credit report to apply again (the END of the world for many here based on past threads
My wife is on her 3rd or 4th year of the upgrade program and has only had one hard inquiry on her credit report, I have two (my first year and the year I accidentally left the program for a few days).We are both on the upgrade program separately, so we can (if needed) order up to 4 phones each year (kids & family).
I have never tried an in store upgrade/keep old one (other than when it was required to go to the store, 1st year, I did a pickup only - hand over the old one). I would suspect issues - Apple genius blank stare, no way to get pay-off since that is Citizens lane, etc...
Hope that helps
Last edited:
A word of caution (my past experience)
If you want to BOTH upgrade to a new one AND keep your old one, do this:
Upgrade, just as most will, go through the process, get pre-approved (hopefully they do this again), get the upgrade phone ordered, shipped and on the way to you.
Once the new one has arrived (in your hands), we're talking a week from order to arrival for most (those worried about making the next monthly payment, your loan is placed on a hold as soon as you upgrade), call Apple (my process required many calls to Apple to find the right person) and get them to cancel the turn-in order for you to return your old phone. This is admittedly (by those I spoke to @ Apple & Citizens) a broken process, maybe they fix it this year?? Once the turn in order is cancelled, give it a business day or two and call Citizens to pay it off. Without that return cancelled, Citizens CSR are unable to touch your loan file, it is locked.
IF you call Citizens and request a payoff PRIOR to ordering your upgrade phone, you are now out of the upgrade program. I made that mistake two years ago. This means you can NOT do the easy paced pre-approval at your leisure, then have your new 2019 phone in your cart, ready to checkout at 0-dark:30, half asleep, racing for your favorite color before it is sold out... It also will mean, a new full hard inquiry to your credit report to apply again (the END of the world for many here based on past threads
We are both on the upgrade program separately, so we can (if needed) order up to 4 phones each year (kids & family).
I have never tried an in store upgrade/keep old one (other than when it was required to go to the store, 1st year, I did a pickup only - hand over the old one). I would suspect issues - Apple genius blank stare, no way to get pay-off since that is Citizens lane, etc...
Hope that helps
I just ordered at full price and put it on my Apple card. I know I can pay that off when I want.
Yes, you send back JUST the phone, no cables, charger or headphones.
It's really a super easy process. I've done it several years in a row now and it's pretty painless.
Once by the time they processed the phone I sent back I was charged an additional monthly payment as it went beyond the next payment date. Apple refunded that payment without me even having to ask.
And as someone else said, they send a box, prepaid shipping label, tool for removing the sim card and a piece of tape to seal the box. Just drop it off at a fedex location and you're done. A short time later that loan is cancelled. Easy peasy.
Once by the time they processed the phone I sent back I was charged an additional monthly payment as it went beyond the next payment date. Apple refunded that payment without me even having to ask.
And as someone else said, they send a box, prepaid shipping label, tool for removing the sim card and a piece of tape to seal the box. Just drop it off at a fedex location and you're done. A short time later that loan is cancelled. Easy peasy.
Basically you close out your new loan and you don't get your old phone back.
If I upgrade to a new iPhone, what happens to my existing iPhone Upgrade Program monthly payments?
In order to give you time to trade in your previous iPhone, the monthly payments for your existing iPhone Upgrade Program will pause once your new iPhone ships. You will receive a Trade-in Kit and and a prepaid shipping label so you can quickly and easily send us your previous iPhone. If you don’t send your iPhone within 14 days of receiving the Trade-in Kit, the remaining payments will resume—on top of the monthly payments on your new iPhone.
Under IUP either return your trade in or pay for both
I don't want to resume payments. I want to send them a check and pay it all off. Done.
and you can. It just takes time for all the systems to be in sync.
After ignoring the return kit and after the loan pause expires both loans the new phone and the old will be in play
You will then be debited for each loan amount separately
Call Citizen referencing the original loan and pay it off over the phone.
Don't attempt this online or by using Web interface
Call
it won’t cost any more money, there is no interest, and it all adds up to 12 more payments for a total of 24 payments
Right. I fall to understand why a call must be placed to pay off a loan that was taken out online. It's bizarre.
oh I agree
I’ve had four loans through citizens.
when I went to their website I had to register with them all over again
like I never existed
two loans were bundle together, one was missing (but active) one was closed
my intent was to change method of Payment for just one loan.
There was no easy way to pick the one I wanted to deal with at the time.
A simple phone call cleared it up in 2-3 minutes.
Pre-paid shipping label is in the box already. Open box, remove new label, close box, stick label on the box and mail it.
Or add a new line, then workout the details later.