Upgrade program vs. buying iPhone

[dubs83]

I plan on upgrading my current iphone to a 6s. I think I'm going to buy a new iphone when a new one comes out each year. Question is, what is a better, more cost effective way to go. Paying roughly $40/month ($480/year) through the upgrade program (assuming I get 128gb iphone), or buying the phone outright AND then selling the iphone right before the iphone 7 comes out, next year?

What are the pros and cons of all of this, aside from obviously the hassle of selling on eBay?

I did get a txt msg the other day saying I'm eligible to upgrade now and get $100 off any new 4G LTE smartphone with device pmt. Does this mean I get $100 of the price of the iphone if I purchase the phone...or does this apply to upgrading as well?

Thanks for the help!

 

[C DM]

Well, device payment plan just pays off the full price of the phone, so it's fairly similar as far as pricing is concerned to buying the phone outright simply paying the amount off over time instead of all at once, and it sounds like you can get a discount by going with the payment plan, which is still something.

 

[unclefarkus]

I'm also looking at doing this. I get the new one every year and it's getting a bit tiring to always contemplate whether I should (I always do) and dealing with selling in an economy full of scammers and declining resale values. I'm looking for simplicity. So this makes some sense to me.

I'm curious if, say I do this tomorrow (which I'm considering), when can I get the 7? I know you need 12 installments to qualify...but say I pay 2-3 installments in October of next year to get ahead...will I be able to get the 7 as it becomes available or will I have to wait til December?

I can wait til December (I usually do just because of financial reasons) but if it were possible to get it sooner, I'd jump on it. I'll probably ask somebody at the store tomorrow if nobody here knows the answer.