I hear what you're saying but it's not the "we guarantee a phone comes out at the same time every year program" it's an option to upgrade after 12 payments (or earlier if you pay the penalty).
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Other Is the iPhone Upgrade Program worth it?
- Thread starter ilex27
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I hear what you're saying but it's not the "we guarantee a phone comes out at the same time every year program" it's an option to upgrade after 12 payments (or earlier if you pay the penalty).
I have used Swappa a few times as a seller and always found the process of creating a listing and posting it to be very easy, straightforward, and secure. I believe they still have an actual human being process every listing, and they don't really have much in the way of rules about haggling. People try to play on your anxiety by offering you a lot less than you're asking for right at the beginning of the listing, most likely thinking you're already nervous about the prospect of it not selling at all. I imagine a lot of those people are flippers and make at least a partial living out of reselling your perfectly good Apple stuff.
If you can withstand all the mind games though and resist the temptation to edge the price down, you can usually get roughly what you ask. After this is where Swappa sometimes falls down. If you choose to go through PayPal or something and have the money directly transferred to your account, you get hit with fee after fee after fee after fee and by the time all is said and done, you've really made MUCH less than what you sold the item for. All the rest went to all the third parties holding the transaction hostage until they got their cut.
Swappa warns about this in their fine print, but last time I checked, it's not super obvious how many fees they're actually talking about. I did try to complain once, but I don't have a leg to stand on. I agreed to all the fees by the time they were collected, and there's no recourse. That's my own fault though. I still love Swappa for how easy it is to list sales as well as the way they conduct the sales process. I imagine I will continue to use them. But only if I don't need the money fairly quickly and can wait for a paper check for the REAL amount I sold the device for. If I'm robbing Peter to pay Paul for the upgrade, I need the money NOW and I need ALL of it. The cynic in me would say that Swappa knows that and knows exactly how to prey upon it.
If I start the upgrade programme in October, will I be eligible to pre-order the new Sept 2022 iPhone next year so I get it with all the others - I guess what i'm asking is if I can I make an advance payment so i can buy into the programme but still be eligible to upgrade on time.
Also, can anyone from the UK tell me if the hard credit check that happens every year affected them?
Also, can anyone from the UK tell me if the hard credit check that happens every year affected them?
The iPhone 12 came out in October last year. In the USA what they did this year was charge an "upgrade fee", which was a month's payment, during the checkout process.
All it was was the 12th payment, not an extra fee. You're required to make 12 payments to be eligible for upgrade.
Question, if anyone else knows please chime in. I don’t have the Apple Card right now. I notice when going through the order it asks if I want to use Apple Card with 3% cash back or citizens which the payments seem to be identical Including my trade in. If I select Apple Card does it automatically apple me for the card and complete the purchase? If so does that delay the process enough that I will lose out on a phone in my area?
It's late..does the maths look ok?
I'm a continual iPhone upgrader so looking for the best option.
Buying outright:
iPhone 13 Pro Max 512GB is £1349
Applecare+ is £189 (£1538 for an iPhone 13 Pro Max 512GB with 2 years cover)
iPhone Upgrade Programme:
iPhone 13 Pro Max 512GB with Apple care £73.45 a month x 20 months = £1469
Buying the phone outright (£1538 / 20) = £76.9 a month
iPhone upgrade Programme = £73.45 a mont
Other factors to consider: Buying the phone outright allows you to sell it SIM free at the end of the 12 months before you upgrade = outright is a cheaper purchase even if you buy Applecare with a new iPhone.
I'm a continual iPhone upgrader so looking for the best option.
Buying outright:
iPhone 13 Pro Max 512GB is £1349
Applecare+ is £189 (£1538 for an iPhone 13 Pro Max 512GB with 2 years cover)
iPhone Upgrade Programme:
iPhone 13 Pro Max 512GB with Apple care £73.45 a month x 20 months = £1469
Buying the phone outright (£1538 / 20) = £76.9 a month
iPhone upgrade Programme = £73.45 a mont
Other factors to consider: Buying the phone outright allows you to sell it SIM free at the end of the 12 months before you upgrade = outright is a cheaper purchase even if you buy Applecare with a new iPhone.
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Upfront payment on the iPhone upgrade programme. My 13pro 256gb was £69 upfront.
I don’t think you can pay earlier before the 11th month if you’re looking to upgrade. But I think you can pay off the entire loan if you choose to by contacting Barclays directly.
Also, the impact of the hard credit check entirely depends on your present credit score. If it’s super high and you’re not on the verge of applying for another loan or credit card or something else that requires good credit rating then you shouldn’t see any impact.
Personally I just don’t like that a hard check is required for a mere phone that costs way less in comparison to the things that we generally get a loan for like a car, mortgage etc and chose to just buy it outright this year.
Thanks MR members 
It looks like the AUP isn't worth it at all if you can buy the phone outright - it's a big saving of money https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/is-the-iphone-upgrade-program-worth-it.2308617/post-30350464
It looks like the AUP isn't worth it at all if you can buy the phone outright - it's a big saving of money https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/is-the-iphone-upgrade-program-worth-it.2308617/post-30350464
There’s no savings either way if you plan on taking out AppleCare.Thanks MR members
It looks like the AUP isn't worth it at all if you can buy the phone outright - it's a big saving of money https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/is-the-iphone-upgrade-program-worth-it.2308617/post-30350464
Often said by those who have far more expensive cars or houses than me. I choose a modest house and a small city car and enjoy my yearly phone upgrade. I spend far less than many do on their cars or mortgage payments.
This right here. I've got great credit, savings, etc and this is my yearly splurge that I enjoy.
+1. I love being on the bleeding edge of new tech. I have modest tastes in general but really enjoy the opportunity to upgrade each year. Totally worth it for me.
What’s great is Apple allows you to trade in devices for Apple Store credit. I had $380 from previous trade ins and got another $180 for my 8P. So basically I got a new 13P for half price. I retired older devices and traded them in well in advance of new iPhone release.
This 2 minute portion of this video makes a great point about the IUP and upgrading in general, in a fun way:
Spoiler, it's in support of the IUP, if that's your thing.
Spoiler, it's in support of the IUP, if that's your thing.
Question for the upgrade programme:
When you go to Apple to get your new phone and you give them your old one, does Apple give you the trade-in value of your old phone?
EG you give them the iPhone 14 back and they minus that price from the iphone 15 you get?
When you go to Apple to get your new phone and you give them your old one, does Apple give you the trade-in value of your old phone?
EG you give them the iPhone 14 back and they minus that price from the iphone 15 you get?
I feel it is. I have two young kids, I always want the absolute best camera quality. I have them from being newborn to current and it’s pretty crazy the camera quality differences (over the years).Yeah, I could get a camera that probably has better specs, but being able to pull out a piece of technology to record memories on the fly, with amazing quality, worth it. The other features are just an added bonus. I have thousands of videos and pics, when going back and watching videos on my phone or Apple TV, it is really awesome.
I always answer this question with a simple respond.
If you like to upgrade yearly and want the newest iPhone every year then yes do it. It’s basically a free loan. Also if I’m the end you decide to keep it after 1 year then continue paying or just flip it. Also you can remove apple care a year later and get that refunded from total price. I like this program. I like to upgrade every year. Been on it for 5 years now. I also lease my car. Swap out every 3 years.
If you like to upgrade yearly and want the newest iPhone every year then yes do it. It’s basically a free loan. Also if I’m the end you decide to keep it after 1 year then continue paying or just flip it. Also you can remove apple care a year later and get that refunded from total price. I like this program. I like to upgrade every year. Been on it for 5 years now. I also lease my car. Swap out every 3 years.
I wanted to mention my experiences with Apple's Upgrade Program vs. what I went through for years with Verizon, who started offering me yearly upgrades with the same general kind of financing long before Apple did:
Verizon:
The first year I ever got to skip from one year straight to the next was when I went from the iPhone 6 to the 6S on an "early upgrade" offer from Verizon. That year everything went smoothly. The next year my wife joined the fun, and by the time we had received and activated our 7's, we found out somewhere between USPS and the Verizon return hub, our old phones were lost. We were charged full remaining value for both and it wasn't sorted out for months. Our service was shut off during vacation because they claimed we owed them money for phones we sent them and had receipts and tracking info for. Long story short, Verizon did eventually do the right thing and just wipe out the balance but that was after a lot of stress and arguing on the phone with both them and USPS. Every subsequent year there always seemed to be some kind of problem with activation, confusing billing, mixups, delays in receiving old equipment, etc. Verizon just never seems equipped for the influx of used devices and it always bites US in the end for some reason. Their support and service seems to have improved over the years. Maybe this program has too. I'm not optimistic.
Apple:
After new iPhones are announced, I get an email letting me know I'm eligible to upgrade if I want. A day (or less) later, I'm asked if I want to set up the trade in advance so I can just hit the buy button on launch day. On launch day, I hit the link from when I set up the trade in, I hit buy, I'm done. New phone shows up, old phone goes back to Apple, I'm a happy camper, and I know my old phone doesn't end up in a landfill and will get used by someone else. I have never had a billing problem, confusion on pricing, activation issues, or anything else go wrong yet. The ONLY annoying thing is that I'm forced to have AppleCare+. I've broken one iPhone in my entire life and really don't feel I need it.
Verizon:
The first year I ever got to skip from one year straight to the next was when I went from the iPhone 6 to the 6S on an "early upgrade" offer from Verizon. That year everything went smoothly. The next year my wife joined the fun, and by the time we had received and activated our 7's, we found out somewhere between USPS and the Verizon return hub, our old phones were lost. We were charged full remaining value for both and it wasn't sorted out for months. Our service was shut off during vacation because they claimed we owed them money for phones we sent them and had receipts and tracking info for. Long story short, Verizon did eventually do the right thing and just wipe out the balance but that was after a lot of stress and arguing on the phone with both them and USPS. Every subsequent year there always seemed to be some kind of problem with activation, confusing billing, mixups, delays in receiving old equipment, etc. Verizon just never seems equipped for the influx of used devices and it always bites US in the end for some reason. Their support and service seems to have improved over the years. Maybe this program has too. I'm not optimistic.
Apple:
After new iPhones are announced, I get an email letting me know I'm eligible to upgrade if I want. A day (or less) later, I'm asked if I want to set up the trade in advance so I can just hit the buy button on launch day. On launch day, I hit the link from when I set up the trade in, I hit buy, I'm done. New phone shows up, old phone goes back to Apple, I'm a happy camper, and I know my old phone doesn't end up in a landfill and will get used by someone else. I have never had a billing problem, confusion on pricing, activation issues, or anything else go wrong yet. The ONLY annoying thing is that I'm forced to have AppleCare+. I've broken one iPhone in my entire life and really don't feel I need it.
Well no, it's not. Your loan forgiveness ends up being smaller if you end up making more payments. So the savings you get is often well below the trade in value if you just traded in your phone minimizing the value of the program
you also have to have apple care which is either $120 a year or $200.
Except when the next phone has been delayed so that it came out a year later than the previous one they made adjustments to your payments accordingly to account for that. I can remember that was the case with the iPhone X, which came out in November.
I'm not a part of the plan because it's some huge savings vs trading in. I like it because it's extremely convenient to upgrade to a new phone each year.