*See all prices for all phones in the Google Sheet:* docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UuEDV6KQtPEFPjbrsAfglbw8fyh7Y3zheZFkMdU1U8s/edit?usp=sharing • Coverage Map App: coveragemap.com/app • Visible: visible.pxf.io/6eXLdK • Boost Mobile: boostmobile.sjv.io/75Aq7g • US Mobile: www.anrdoezrs.net/click-8298432-14477157 • Swappa: swappa.com/?ref=stetsondoggett
Where are you seeing that you only get $500 off? With the old ATT Next Up plan that was the case but with the new Next Up Anytime It only says " You’re eligible for our smartphone deals when you pay off one-third of your phone's costs."
I called AT&T and was told that I would only get $350 for my new iPhone 16 Pro Max if I upgrade to the 17 Pro Max with the Next Up Anytime. Can you provide reference documentation where you found that you get $500?
Okay, yep, I see what you’re saying! I think you’re right. Looks like AT&T Next up is eligible for $300/$500 off. Next Up Anytime appears fully eligible for the $1,000 off offers, which is what I said in the video.
Even if I don't plan to buy a new phone every year, I was honestly really drawn in by the depth of the analysis and the editing. This was a really good watch!
If you need a new phone every year you have a problem. The amount of money saved waiting every 3-4 years would make more sense. Rather than getting small updates each year. I keep all my phones.
Apple just sucks with their trade ins. I pay nothing and sometimes get money back when I bundle my Samsung and tablet and upgraded each year. I have both Android and iPhone and haven’t found a good enough deal to justify upgrading my 13 pro max.
I got the best deal. I kept my 12 for almost 4 years and just upgraded. I don’t need a new phone every year. And honestly, if it wasn’t for the battery, I’d still have it. I’d rather use that money on investing. I did the math and my phone cost me about $18 a month for the 4 years. I don’t care about what other people think or looking broke as some of the people have stated in these comments. That is a ridiculous mindset. If you care what everybody thinks about your old phone, then you have bigger problems.
I rarely upgrade but have been able via my business plan to get Iphone X and later the 13 Pros for a very sharp deal that did make sense. Now my rate is so low I can seek other options on the 13. I try to wait at least 3 generations of phone. Since I do use it for business I am tempted to make the change this yr in case the AI stuff turns out to be useful for me productivity wise. MY battery in the 13 Pro is still at 90% which is amazing the way I see it.
Most of these carriers will offer full credit 800-1000 credit for iphones as old as iphone 11. I upgrade mine every 3 years. When the battery health is getting bad. Cost of new battery is same price as out of pocket cost for new phone when trading in.
Use my strategy, keep your phone as long as possible by taking good care of it. I am still on an iPhone X and I will be upgrading next year. Thats nearly 8,400 dollars saved. I also use the cheapest T-Mobile plan at $18 per month, since I have free WiFi at work and its included with my rent at home.
You’re wrong, 8400$ is money you paid to buy new phones, but you also have to deduct the money you sell. Here is better detail: If you do a trade-in every time you upgrade (assuming your iPhone is new enough), If you upgrade every year, you're paying 550$ per annum. If you upgrade every-other year, paying 310$ per annum. Every 3 years, paying 250$ per annum. Every 4 years, 225$. Every 5 years, 206$. Every 6 years, 180$. Every 7 years, 164$. Every 8 years, 150$. Every 9 years, 133$. Every 10 years, 120$. So if you buy iphone 17 next year (8 years) you save (550-150)x8 =3.200 compared to upgrade every year, and (250-150)*8=800 $ compared to upgrade every 3 years.
I just bought a 15 to replace my Xs max, never trade just pay cash. There is no reason to upgrade every year. Financing your phone for life like all these people constantly do is a losing proposition financially. What do I know though, I don’t even go to Starbucks every day and buy a $10 terrible coffee. 😂😅😂
@@nguyendinh2052I bought the iPhone X used on eBay for $500, I used it and sold it for $350 and bought the iPhone 12 mini refurbed on eBay for $500, I used it for 3 years and sold it for $325, I bought the iPhone 13 mini refurbed on eBay for $360. Still using it.. plus my carrier bill is $25 a month for unlimited. I think I’m paying was less than $500 a year for a phone
I have been on the iPhone upgrade program since the iPhone 12 Pro Max dropped. Not once have I taken advantage of it. Usually there’s a family member that is willing to buy my iPhone since they are pretty much brand new and always in a case. Usually I can sell it and get enough money to pay off the loan and take care of the down payment and first month on the new iPhone. One thing to note is that when you sell on Swappa or eBay you now have to verify your identity with your Social Security number and if you gross over $600 in a year you get sent a tax form for you to pay taxes on your gains. I don’t sell on Swappa or eBay anymore because of this. That and I don’t want to give my Social Security to PayPal.
I have not used PayPal in a long time and was just looking at Swappa. I don't give out my Social to any company like that so i'm glad I found your post. I have a FanDuel and won the first year and to get my money they wanted my SS# so I just played the next year and still have money sitting there.
The fact is that you DO NOT need to upgrade every year. That is a complete waste of money as phones do not get significant upgrades every year. Upgrading every 3 years is optimum, saving you money and giving you significant upgrades. For example, iPhone 13 Pro Max still holds up well and is still a beast today. You can sell the phone for about 50-70% of its original value on aftermarket and buy the new phone. Without the limitations of different plans, you can even choose to switch to other phones, not upgrade and stay on your phone or switch to other plans if desired. Sticking to the same plan and upgrading every single year is simply NOT WORTH IT.
Bro I have an 11 pro max that is still the best phone I’ve ever had lol. Only upgrading because there is a laundry list of upgrades at this point. Buying a new phone every year is for the wealthy or idiotic only.
@@twinturbo9113I had a XR for 5 years, which I replaced for the exact same model with my insurance when it became unusable after a freak fall damage accident. In comparison to my friends’ iPhones, it works the same. You do NOT need to upgrade until your phone is toast lol. Get a great case like Otter and you should have a quality phone for 5+ years. :)
I’m of the same mindset. I have an iPhone 12 Mini and I still love it. I’m thinking of upgrading either to the next SE, or the next big iPhone released this next year, only because I really would like to have something more technologically advanced and with the latest features. Just need to know which plan would save me more money… 😁
The GOAT of mobile plan videos! Don’t pay attention to the people who don’t appreciate your video. I share your videos to everyone I know so they have they are informed about carriers and phone upgrades
Correct! I mean, heck, even if you buy the iPhone at full price and then sell it yourself, it still is like you’re renting the phone for a year. In a way, you kind of rent everything, right?
@@StetsonDoggettI bought my 13 pro max straight from Apple Store unlocked and I have T-Mobile family plan 7 people we pay $220. Month that’s like $31 per person which is a good deal. I still have my 13 pro max and don’t upgrade til I see changes which is rumored for iPhone 17 (ultra, air)
Leasing that phone, I think is a more appropriate term. Think of people leasing a new car for 36 months. Once the time is up, you turn it in because it ain’t yours. You get a new car……to drive around…for another 36 months, rinse repeat. They’ve got “your” phone….or “your” car. Now, if you are Al Gore or Al Sharpton (they own private jets), upgrading to the “latest and greatest”, not biggie. But those of us, non wealthy “land crabs”, we barely make it from paycheck to paycheck., gotta tighten our belts (Beltalowdahs!), and keep on working. Great video and thanks!!!
The one thing you didn't factor in, is that if you buy out your phone, you can also trade it in after the fact, probably for a very large amount of money. At least 600 bucks or so. That would have brought basically all of the plans on the same exact ballpark. Even though it's complicated
Love the analysis! I am still rocking the iPhone X I got used for super cheap almost 5 years ago. This is just renting your phone in a complicated way. Even if you have loads of money, I don't see the reason to upgrade each year. I think that's quite unreasonable for such tiny upgrades. Maybe after 3-5 years, an upgrade might be nice!
so does that mean i can get a cheap verizon prepaid plan trade in my 12 pro max and order/get a verizon 16 pro max from apple and then cancel my prepaid sim and keep paying the phone payments until its paid off? or i can not cancel the prepaid sim plan or i can not cancel the sim for specific duration?
@@adamotak5145I work for verizon and you can only finance a phone through using you have a postpaid account and if you cancel service before the phone installments are completed they charge you on next bill full remaining balance of the phone
T-mobile doesn’t waive the cost. If you owe a specific amount you have to pay it first or they won’t process the trade. And if you try to trade in early and you still have a balance even with credits they will make you pay the entire balance and take away the credits you previously making you pay the full amount. They don’t waive the previous amount you owed. Former T-mobile employee left in June of 2024
This was an incredibly insightful piece you put together here! Your delivery had a great cadence, and actually allowed for me to process the information as you explained it. Excellent work overall.
One other thing, is the fact that swappa would charge you almost $100 in fees. Bringing you within $50 of your Apple trade in anyway. If you sell even over $600 on swappa, you would probably get a tax form at the end of the year now.
The $800 estimate I used included estimated platform fees and shipping costs! I was assuming a $910 list price. Swappa fees are 6%. PayPal fees are another 3%. And shipping costs with insurance and a signature is roughly another 3%. $910 - ($910 x 0.12) = $800.80. There are a lot of variables though. I just sold my iPhone 15 Pro Max on Swappa, and I got a payout of $858.44. I then spent $15 on shipping. You’re absolutely correct that the fees add up, but I’m still a fan of the overall experience. Hopefully this is helpful!
Fantastic Video! Super thorough, which was exactly what I was looking for. Glad that you added family pricing. One thing I would add is the major carriers often have loyalty offers when a phone is eligible for upgrade and I know that Verizon has loyatly offers that allow you to upgrade halfway through paying off an iPhone which sometimes cover the remaining cost of the phone, so no buyout needed. It's not something to rely on though, since loyalty offers are inconsistant.
I appreciate the care that went into making the math make sense. I have to break these numbers down on the daily, so I know how exhausting checking your work can be. 👍🏻
@Just4freepremium honestly it pays more than almost all retail places. Really good job if you're in college especially. But I wouldn't make a career out of it.
@Just4freepremium i think they meant that these videos are helpful resources in learning how to explain all the options to customers, because there are SO many plans and options and pricing strategies. stetson did a good job breaking everything down for all cases here
Went from US Mobile to Boost for my 16 pro, only $65 a month with no trade in or money up front is what sealed the deal for me. Plus i sold my 14 for $366 online, so basically 5 months for free 🙌
After how long can you keep it? You could’ve just financed it through Apple directly 0% APR for 24 months and kept the U.S. mobile $25 line for the same price or less
@@ballooneyjr4294 Yeah it would’ve been $2 more a month, but then I’d have to trade in for the new one every 12 months and possible lose money so I figured this was just an easier process.
Friendly reminder from a At&t employee, turn on autopay and paperless billing for $10 off any unlimited your way plan, also an AARP plan ($12 for first year) saves you $10 off Premium plus and waives activation fees
I used to be one of the ones that would stand in line for hours for a stupid phone. After a marriage, a couple kids, bills and a hectic life my priorities have changed. What I’ve been doing for the last couple of years is holding on to an older phone (I’m on the 14 Pro Max now) and with Apple Care I wait til the battery reaches 80 efficiency then I do a swap. Same phone but with a 100% battery that will last me another year or two. I will never lease a phone from a carrier, that’s how they keep you locked in. Plus, you have to upgrade your plan sometimes to get the best deals. It’s all money, money, money!!
I got my 15 Pro Max in June for $726. $30 x 24 months. Cellphone plan is $25 x 24 months for 50gb and unlimited calls and texts and a few perks. I own the phone after 24 months at no extra cost and get to keep my cheap plan. It was a loyalty discount though
or the best method imo, buy from an authorized reseller that sells either brand new, obox, refurb at a lower price (wait a couple months after a new release) and pass on old device to family member, buy a sep plan for self, profit
You are still taxed for the full cost of the new iPhone with trade-in directly at an Apple Store. If you buy with an Apple Card, you don't get the full 3% cash back, just 3% of the amount value after trade-in.
That's my mistake, thank you for the correction! When I was doing my research online I found an Apple forum post that said you only paid tax on the reduced price of the iPhone. I guess that was mistaken!
@@StetsonDoggett That was my experience. Not sure if others had the same experience with them. If you want to save 100% on taxes go to Delaware, Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire, Zero sales tax there!
Which should be illegal but some kind of backdoor bs they pulled off. You paid tax on the trade in so the value of the trade should come off before tax. Just like when you buy a car.
Literally even the shop person would not be having this much knowledge you have! They always be like you have to go to the corporate store for this question. Call to the Customer Care then never be ready to help the customers and do their job. Thanks a ton 🎉
another issue when trying to trade in an older iphone....an example... Apple will only give you $50 for a XS max trade in.. but AT&T will give you $350... lesson learned... don't hold onto the old phones unless its still being serviced by Apple via the upgraded iOS.... some older phones get the ios update but its only security updates not the full blown ios update....so know what your older iphone can do and ask if you want to trade it in for a reduced value...
I live in Southern California. Verizon is introducing their internet wireless. It’s only 35 dollars a month packaged up with their unlimited cell phone plan. If you bring in your own phone the cell phone plan is only 86 dollars a month with the ten dollar discount. Counting my TH-cam 10 dollar subscription and taxes I pay 120 dollars a month. And the price is guaranteed for three years. Apple in my area is only offering 400 dollars for my iPhone 13 Pro Max vs 1000 dollars that version offers. But I would lose my ten dollars discount with Verizon per a month. If I kept my iPhone 16 and kept with Verizon for three years, I would save 60 dollars over three years. The price is guaranteed not to go up for three years.
Wow that’s exactly the video and answers I was looking for through whole internet. ❤ bravo and thank you. The only thing I would consider researching and adding into this video would be option of getting a nice deal or buying a new iphone right now for people who are not willing to upgrade iphones every year. What would be the best option I can get from some deals to get the new iphone this year and keep it for the next 3/4 years ? 🎉
It would be smart to invest your time to get to know the employees (even cleaning staff and security) at Apple because of their employee discounts. I pay about $250 every year when I upgrade my pro max’s. If you’re lucky, you get to use their beefier discount. Only issue is that you’d have to wait until December where they can use the discount on the new phones.
I’d say buy it new through certified refurbished since lots of tech reviewers buy the phone then return it right after, so your overall cost is down buy around $100
Cheapest way: 1. Buy the model you want. 2. Get it financed 3. Add insurance protection. 4. Accidentally drop it 5. They will automatically upgrade you to the phone they have in stock ($250 being the average for deductible)
I buy my iphone full price unlocked and I use Mint mobile or visible yearly plan, i send most of the time to Apple...or sell it on line for an extra 100 at times.
I’m a cheapo in that I wait every 2-3 years to upgrade and generally buy a 1 year old phone. The first year of depreciation is the highest amount so if you let someone else eat that for you you are barely spending money on a phone. Even if you upgrade every two years. I’ve spent $1300/7 years after buying 1 year old phones and trading in (i didn’t have a trade in for my first phone to net out of the $1300) and traded in even older phone. Works out to $186 a year. I have a post paid plan with 3 others on T-Mobile and it’s ~$30/month after taxes. So that’s $546 a year and I never have a phone over 3 years old. If I sold my phone every year and actually took care of it, it would probably cost me $40 less per year though. I guess I should do that!
Boost mobile is the most affordable but I'm not gonna upgrade my phone every year and it's just easier to buy it through apple. Side note I’ve never heard of swappa so maybe I’ll look into buying a used 15 pro from there.
First off, thank you for taking the time to make this video. Very informative I plan to upgrade in Dec (purchased my 15 pro max in December from an IPhone XS Max. Typically I would wait 3 to 5 years and upgrade but I was curious as to selling my old phone for maximum value and picking up the new phone with 0% interest from Apple. For context I use mint Mobile now for $15 a month and pay for the year upfront. While I was thinking of waiting and going for the iPhone 17, I got busy and let the window for 2 year AppleCare slip though. So I’m thinking I may sell this phone in Dec and hopefully take advantage of a sale on the 16 Pro Max if they have one. What might be a great follow up video is the cost benefit (of any) for trading in every other year or possibly buying every 3 years Just a thought. Thanks
In terms of carrier deals I feel like it would be better to include how much people are paying monthly on their service on average, consider family plans and so on. Factoring in the cost of the plan is a bit weird considering most people have to pay a phone bill regardless. There’s a ton of variables here that are missing. 🤷🏾♂️
The open 24 month plan with the option of switching a phone every year is best. In the end, paying around ~480 total a year for the phone, switching to the latest every September.
I’m on old T-Mobile plan, pay $135 for 4 lines. Personally I go to the Apple Store and trade my old iPhone for credit towards a new one and pay the difference at the time of purchase. Unfortunately I waited too long to upgrade and they’re only offering $220 for my 12 pro. I guess I’ll just have to keep it and pay full price for the 16 pro this time around
Every year 1 month after the new iphone comes out, people are already selling them in mint condition, 4 weeks old for 20% off. Buy one of them, sell it private in a year, you lose around 15%, do it again next year. Can have a new phone each year for about $100 - $150 yearly cost.
I sold my iPhone 14 Pro Max on eBay and the fees, shipping and insurance took $100 off the $560 winning bid, next time I’m just trading it in for a new phone. I use the Visible $45 unlimited plan but they discount it to $35 a month.
Not true on the apple iphone upgrade program. I use an MVNO and on the pro phones you designate one of the big carriers but there is no verification. During setup, it wants a number to check with the carrier. Provide any number and it will error. Then an option comes to set up carrier later and then just restore you phone from your old iPhone or back and add your MVNO carrier esim or physical sim and you are good as its unlocked when purchased direct through apple. On the nonpro, this doesn't work as the carrier check is done during the ordering process of the upgrade.
I buy the second latest phone each year and sell the earlier one and spend less than 200 bucks a year. It's worked for the last 8 years for me and I don't think I'm changing anytime soon
Thats not how verizon works. Verizon employee here. You can early upgrade your iPhone once it’s half way paid off. On top of taking advantage of upgrading through the manufacturers website for the instant credits. Ive also done that personally for 8 years
Can you do A video for every 2 or 3 year upgrades? I know it will make a drastic difference in trade-in value and resell value, but I am very curious. if you could explain the advantages and disadvantages on upgrading every 1 year, 2 year, or 3 year + marks? I used to work for T-Mobile and it was always a debate between coworkers. I’m curious which is most cost effective for people.
one thing that wasnt added in to your early calculations (which i understand why cause it would be impossible) is that most phone companies (some waive it but most dont) still make you pay the taxes on the new device when upgrading which can vary by area and my area has a low tax rate and the iphone 16 pm is around $110 in taxes you have to pay before they hand you the new device. (i work for a cell phone carrier so ive seen taxes get freakin high in some areas so i just wanted to say this to warn people who are getting their first phone and dont know this)
You’re first year cost is correct, however trade in promotions are not the same for financed devices vs devices that are paid off. Example if you trade in early with a carrier their early upgrade options are not the 1000 off, usually 200-500 off over 36 months.
So for T-Mobile the pricing for 3 or more lines is wrong if its a brand new account. personal accounts only get approved for $3,600 for financing phones and you can only do a max of 4 trade in deals per manufacture. so if you wanted to trade in and get 4 iPhone 16 pro max phones. that's $4800. so your down payment right off the bat is $1200. you will still get the bill credits but you will have to pay the difference out of pocket.
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*See all prices for all phones in the Google Sheet:* docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UuEDV6KQtPEFPjbrsAfglbw8fyh7Y3zheZFkMdU1U8s/edit?usp=sharing
• Coverage Map App: coveragemap.com/app
• Visible: visible.pxf.io/6eXLdK
• Boost Mobile: boostmobile.sjv.io/75Aq7g
• US Mobile: www.anrdoezrs.net/click-8298432-14477157
• Swappa: swappa.com/?ref=stetsondoggett
Where are you seeing that you only get $500 off? With the old ATT Next Up plan that was the case but with the new Next Up Anytime It only says " You’re eligible for our smartphone deals when you pay off one-third of your phone's costs."
I called AT&T and was told that I would only get $350 for my new iPhone 16 Pro Max if I upgrade to the 17 Pro Max with the Next Up Anytime.
Can you provide reference documentation where you found that you get $500?
Here’s the page that says you’re eligible for up to $500 off: www.att.com/plans/next/
Okay, yep, I see what you’re saying! I think you’re right. Looks like AT&T Next up is eligible for $300/$500 off. Next Up Anytime appears fully eligible for the $1,000 off offers, which is what I said in the video.
You said with 1 payment in the video but it’s 33%
Even if I don't plan to buy a new phone every year, I was honestly really drawn in by the depth of the analysis and the editing. This was a really good watch!
Dude, you really need to start seeing the dentist.
If you need a new phone every year you have a problem. The amount of money saved waiting every 3-4 years would make more sense. Rather than getting small updates each year. I keep all my phones.
yep... 100%
Apple just sucks with their trade ins. I pay nothing and sometimes get money back when I bundle my Samsung and tablet and upgraded each year. I have both Android and iPhone and haven’t found a good enough deal to justify upgrading my 13 pro max.
@@JaimeKing1989 No one needs a new phone, they want it simply because it's available. Who are you to say how anyone else should spend their money?
@@DavidKen878 have a bless day sir
The best way you sale it and forget trade if u want new iphone each year.
I got the best deal. I kept my 12 for almost 4 years and just upgraded. I don’t need a new phone every year. And honestly, if it wasn’t for the battery, I’d still have it.
I’d rather use that money on investing. I did the math and my phone cost me about $18 a month for the 4 years.
I don’t care about what other people think or looking broke as some of the people have stated in these comments. That is a ridiculous mindset.
If you care what everybody thinks about your old phone, then you have bigger problems.
I rarely upgrade but have been able via my business plan to get Iphone X and later the 13 Pros for a very sharp deal that did make sense. Now my rate is so low I can seek other options on the 13. I try to wait at least 3 generations of phone. Since I do use it for business I am tempted to make the change this yr in case the AI stuff turns out to be useful for me productivity wise. MY battery in the 13 Pro is still at 90% which is amazing the way I see it.
@@robertweisberg5570 I hear ya. 90% is great!! My 12 was at 85 after 4 years. Not too bad but it performed like it was much lower than that.
You could of got the battery replaced. Would of been much cheaper if that’s all you wanted.
But if you wanted a new phone that’s not a problem either
@@justanotherdefault3235 True. I also wanted the better camera and larger phone.
Most of these carriers will offer full credit 800-1000 credit for iphones as old as iphone 11. I upgrade mine every 3 years. When the battery health is getting bad. Cost of new battery is same price as out of pocket cost for new phone when trading in.
you are the best channel ever i was wondering this but was too lazy to do the math of all the options. you lay everything out so easy. just subscribed
feel like all these carriers make it confusing on purpose to maximize profits. you made it so easy!!
No question the carriers try to really take customers for a ride. Great video!
The cheapest way is to be a couple years behind and just buy it used.
That would certainly be even more affordable!
Yes but that’s an awful idea for someone that wants current technology
Has nothing to do with the object of the video which is upgrade every year. The cheapest thing to do is live in a hut.
@@Dr.HouseMDlol I know right
Yeah if you want to look broke
Use my strategy, keep your phone as long as possible by taking good care of it. I am still on an iPhone X and I will be upgrading next year. Thats nearly 8,400 dollars saved. I also use the cheapest T-Mobile plan at $18 per month, since I have free WiFi at work and its included with my rent at home.
Bro, you can loosen up the finances a bit. Who are you, Dave Ramsey? Jeez man
You’re wrong, 8400$ is money you paid to buy new phones, but you also have to deduct the money you sell.
Here is better detail:
If you do a trade-in every time you upgrade (assuming your iPhone is new enough),
If you upgrade every year, you're paying 550$ per annum.
If you upgrade every-other year, paying 310$ per annum.
Every 3 years, paying 250$ per annum.
Every 4 years, 225$.
Every 5 years, 206$.
Every 6 years, 180$.
Every 7 years, 164$.
Every 8 years, 150$.
Every 9 years, 133$.
Every 10 years, 120$.
So if you buy iphone 17 next year (8 years) you save (550-150)x8 =3.200 compared to upgrade every year, and (250-150)*8=800 $ compared to upgrade every 3 years.
I just bought a 15 to replace my Xs max, never trade just pay cash. There is no reason to upgrade every year. Financing your phone for life like all these people constantly do is a losing proposition financially. What do I know though, I don’t even go to Starbucks every day and buy a $10 terrible coffee. 😂😅😂
Its ok to be cheap! Just don’t do it with what you eat! We are what we eat!!
@@nguyendinh2052I bought the iPhone X used on eBay for $500, I used it and sold it for $350 and bought the iPhone 12 mini refurbed on eBay for $500, I used it for 3 years and sold it for $325, I bought the iPhone 13 mini refurbed on eBay for $360. Still using it.. plus my carrier bill is $25 a month for unlimited. I think I’m paying was less than $500 a year for a phone
I have been on the iPhone upgrade program since the iPhone 12 Pro Max dropped. Not once have I taken advantage of it. Usually there’s a family member that is willing to buy my iPhone since they are pretty much brand new and always in a case. Usually I can sell it and get enough money to pay off the loan and take care of the down payment and first month on the new iPhone. One thing to note is that when you sell on Swappa or eBay you now have to verify your identity with your Social Security number and if you gross over $600 in a year you get sent a tax form for you to pay taxes on your gains. I don’t sell on Swappa or eBay anymore because of this. That and I don’t want to give my Social Security to PayPal.
There may be a tax form, but there are certainly no gains to be taxed. Unless you paid nothing for that phone.
I have not used PayPal in a long time and was just looking at Swappa. I don't give out my Social to any company like that so i'm glad I found your post. I have a FanDuel and won the first year and to get my money they wanted my SS# so I just played the next year and still have money sitting there.
Facebook marketplace 👍
seems like a usa specific issue
@@beo456 I’m glad you called that nonsense out.
The fact is that you DO NOT need to upgrade every year. That is a complete waste of money as phones do not get significant upgrades every year. Upgrading every 3 years is optimum, saving you money and giving you significant upgrades. For example, iPhone 13 Pro Max still holds up well and is still a beast today. You can sell the phone for about 50-70% of its original value on aftermarket and buy the new phone. Without the limitations of different plans, you can even choose to switch to other phones, not upgrade and stay on your phone or switch to other plans if desired. Sticking to the same plan and upgrading every single year is simply NOT WORTH IT.
Bro I have an 11 pro max that is still the best phone I’ve ever had lol. Only upgrading because there is a laundry list of upgrades at this point. Buying a new phone every year is for the wealthy or idiotic only.
@@twinturbo9113I had a XR for 5 years, which I replaced for the exact same model with my insurance when it became unusable after a freak fall damage accident. In comparison to my friends’ iPhones, it works the same. You do NOT need to upgrade until your phone is toast lol. Get a great case like Otter and you should have a quality phone for 5+ years. :)
I’m of the same mindset. I have an iPhone 12 Mini and I still love it. I’m thinking of upgrading either to the next SE, or the next big iPhone released this next year, only because I really would like to have something more technologically advanced and with the latest features. Just need to know which plan would save me more money… 😁
A significant upgrade in my opinion is this year’s iPhones battery which is why I traded my 3 year old phone up. Other than that, I agree
the batteries dont last 3 years unfortunately
Crazy how boost mobile is now a major carrier
Most of tehse carriers merely use the big name bandwidth. Visible, isnt that owned by Verizon?
@@robertweisberg5570 same thing with cricket which is owned by AT&T and metro which is owned by t mobile.
@@robertweisberg5570 Yes
Dish Wireless
I mean.. define big lol.
The GOAT of mobile plan videos! Don’t pay attention to the people who don’t appreciate your video. I share your videos to everyone I know so they have they are informed about carriers and phone upgrades
So if you do any of these plans, you’re basically just renting a phone every year.
Correct! I mean, heck, even if you buy the iPhone at full price and then sell it yourself, it still is like you’re renting the phone for a year. In a way, you kind of rent everything, right?
@@StetsonDoggett they’re not thinking outside the box enough my man
@@StetsonDoggettI bought my 13 pro max straight from Apple Store unlocked and I have T-Mobile family plan 7 people we pay $220. Month that’s like $31 per person which is a good deal. I still have my 13 pro max and don’t upgrade til I see changes which is rumored for iPhone 17 (ultra, air)
@@dontreyonewilliams4849anything you dont intend to keep forever is rented. And anything you keep till death is rented for the duration of your life.
Leasing that phone, I think is a more appropriate term. Think of people leasing a new car for 36 months. Once the time is up, you turn it in because it ain’t yours. You get a new car……to drive around…for another 36 months, rinse repeat. They’ve got “your” phone….or “your” car. Now, if you are Al Gore or Al Sharpton (they own private jets), upgrading to the “latest and greatest”, not biggie. But those of us, non wealthy “land crabs”, we barely make it from paycheck to paycheck., gotta tighten our belts (Beltalowdahs!), and keep on working. Great video and thanks!!!
The one thing you didn't factor in, is that if you buy out your phone, you can also trade it in after the fact, probably for a very large amount of money. At least 600 bucks or so. That would have brought basically all of the plans on the same exact ballpark. Even though it's complicated
For Verizon buying my phone out comes with an early termination fee that is a few hundred bucks. Makes that route terrible on their network
Love the analysis! I am still rocking the iPhone X I got used for super cheap almost 5 years ago. This is just renting your phone in a complicated way. Even if you have loads of money, I don't see the reason to upgrade each year. I think that's quite unreasonable for such tiny upgrades. Maybe after 3-5 years, an upgrade might be nice!
Pretty impressed by how you figured this out. 😂 Thanks so much for people like me to break this all down. 🙏🏼😀
Happy to help!
If you do carrier trade in through apple both tmobile and verizon phones come unlocked
Yes, you are absolutely correct!
so does that mean i can get a cheap verizon prepaid plan trade in my 12 pro max and order/get a verizon 16 pro max from apple and then cancel my prepaid sim and keep paying the phone payments until its paid off? or i can not cancel the prepaid sim plan or i can not cancel the sim for specific duration?
@@adamotak5145I work for verizon and you can only finance a phone through using you have a postpaid account and if you cancel service before the phone installments are completed they charge you on next bill full remaining balance of the phone
I work for T-Mobile and this was a very insightful video, awesome job!
T-mobile doesn’t waive the cost. If you owe a specific amount you have to pay it first or they won’t process the trade. And if you try to trade in early and you still have a balance even with credits they will make you pay the entire balance and take away the credits you previously making you pay the full amount. They don’t waive the previous amount you owed.
Former T-mobile employee left in June of 2024
That’s my mistake, I appreciate all your extra info!
Wow, this is an incredibly comprehensive video on this topic. Wished there was a Canadian version of this video.
This was an incredibly insightful piece you put together here! Your delivery had a great cadence, and actually allowed for me to process the information as you explained it. Excellent work overall.
Thanks to your past videos I purchased my new iPhone 16 plus through Apple Store and take advantage of the trade in offer 👌🏻👍🏻
Glad to hear it! Enjoy your new iPhone 16 Plus!
Bought from apple, and use visible!
Visible is the best!
W
What's visible?
@@antoineedwards781it's a prepaid cell phone service from Verizon
That works because it’s on Verizon’s network right?
One other thing, is the fact that swappa would charge you almost $100 in fees. Bringing you within $50 of your Apple trade in anyway. If you sell even over $600 on swappa, you would probably get a tax form at the end of the year now.
The $800 estimate I used included estimated platform fees and shipping costs! I was assuming a $910 list price. Swappa fees are 6%. PayPal fees are another 3%. And shipping costs with insurance and a signature is roughly another 3%. $910 - ($910 x 0.12) = $800.80. There are a lot of variables though. I just sold my iPhone 15 Pro Max on Swappa, and I got a payout of $858.44. I then spent $15 on shipping. You’re absolutely correct that the fees add up, but I’m still a fan of the overall experience. Hopefully this is helpful!
One of your best videos yet, great work!!!!
Thank you so much! I put a TON of time, research, and effort into this video, and I'm so happy you enjoyed it! :)
The iPhone upgrade program includes AppleCare which makes up the difference in many cases.
How so?
I do the ATT example every year. It’s so convenient, I get the new iPhone on release day and send back last years iPhone in the included box.
Fantastic Video! Super thorough, which was exactly what I was looking for. Glad that you added family pricing. One thing I would add is the major carriers often have loyalty offers when a phone is eligible for upgrade and I know that Verizon has loyatly offers that allow you to upgrade halfway through paying off an iPhone which sometimes cover the remaining cost of the phone, so no buyout needed. It's not something to rely on though, since loyalty offers are inconsistant.
I haven't seen any other, more informative video breakdown as yours! You nailed it!
Great video! I would love to see this, but for every other year since I'm on a two-year upgrade cycle
Excellent idea!
Loved the video. Very detailed, organized, easy to follow, aesthetically pleasing to the eye!!! Great job 👏
As the options are vastly different on Business Plans, a video on these 2 lines and up would be super helpful! 👍
I appreciate the care that went into making the math make sense. I have to break these numbers down on the daily, so I know how exhausting checking your work can be. 👍🏻
I work at Apple and I watch all these videos lol
I appreciate it! I hope you find them helpful :)
Same 😂
Same lmao
@Just4freepremium honestly it pays more than almost all retail places. Really good job if you're in college especially. But I wouldn't make a career out of it.
@Just4freepremium i think they meant that these videos are helpful resources in learning how to explain all the options to customers, because there are SO many plans and options and pricing strategies. stetson did a good job breaking everything down for all cases here
very interesting to hear that you're on visible. I'm still grandfathered into their old plan price
Went from US Mobile to Boost for my 16 pro, only $65 a month with no trade in or money up front is what sealed the deal for me. Plus i sold my 14 for $366 online, so basically 5 months for free 🙌
Is it 2 years contract? It’s total 1560$ for 2 years. How much does it cost if you get a good contract without phone?
Yea. Only $65 but it’s a 36 months deal
After how long can you keep it? You could’ve just financed it through Apple directly 0% APR for 24 months and kept the U.S. mobile $25 line for the same price or less
@@ballooneyjr4294 Yeah it would’ve been $2 more a month, but then I’d have to trade in for the new one every 12 months and possible lose money so I figured this was just an easier process.
@@Tesla_702 Yeah technically a 3 year contract. But I plan on upgrading every year for free, so it will restart every year
You just got a new sub! Your answering the REAL QUESTIONS that us as consumers have while everyone else is doing reviews of the new 16 pro max!
Friendly reminder from a At&t employee, turn on autopay and paperless billing for $10 off any unlimited your way plan, also an AARP plan ($12 for first year) saves you $10 off Premium plus and waives activation fees
I used to be one of the ones that would stand in line for hours for a stupid phone. After a marriage, a couple kids, bills and a hectic life my priorities have changed. What I’ve been doing for the last couple of years is holding on to an older phone (I’m on the 14 Pro Max now) and with Apple Care I wait til the battery reaches 80 efficiency then I do a swap. Same phone but with a 100% battery that will last me another year or two. I will never lease a phone from a carrier, that’s how they keep you locked in. Plus, you have to upgrade your plan sometimes to get the best deals. It’s all money, money, money!!
I got my 15 Pro Max in June for $726. $30 x 24 months. Cellphone plan is $25 x 24 months for 50gb and unlimited calls and texts and a few perks. I own the phone after 24 months at no extra cost and get to keep my cheap plan. It was a loyalty discount though
or the best method imo, buy from an authorized reseller that sells either brand new, obox, refurb at a lower price (wait a couple months after a new release) and pass on old device to family member, buy a sep plan for self, profit
You are still taxed for the full cost of the new iPhone with trade-in directly at an Apple Store.
If you buy with an Apple Card, you don't get the full 3% cash back, just 3% of the amount value after trade-in.
That's my mistake, thank you for the correction! When I was doing my research online I found an Apple forum post that said you only paid tax on the reduced price of the iPhone. I guess that was mistaken!
@@StetsonDoggett That was my experience. Not sure if others had the same experience with them.
If you want to save 100% on taxes go to Delaware, Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire, Zero sales tax there!
@@gordon2415in Georgia when I traded in my 14 for the 15 Apple refunded me the sales tax too.
Which should be illegal but some kind of backdoor bs they pulled off. You paid tax on the trade in so the value of the trade should come off before tax. Just like when you buy a car.
@@glpdrum Yep. Doesn't make sense. And they ripoff Apple Card users of their full 3% cash back as well.
Literally even the shop person would not be having this much knowledge you have! They always be like you have to go to the corporate store for this question. Call to the Customer Care then never be ready to help the customers and do their job. Thanks a ton 🎉
It would’ve been nice if this was Canadian, but thanks it gives me an idea on where I should go for my Upgrade 😊
This is exactly the video I was looking for! If you need more video ideas, do a video upgrading every two years!
Love the no nonsense pure info. Keep it up man 👍
Or, you know, just don't upgrade every year.
I’m not sure you understand the purpose of the video. Your suggestion is out of the scope.
@@josephrosario There is no purpose in upgrading every year. The scope itself is absurd.
@@UmerRizwan1then why are you in the comment section of this video? Are you that bored?
another issue when trying to trade in an older iphone....an example... Apple will only give you $50 for a XS max trade in.. but AT&T will give you $350... lesson learned... don't hold onto the old phones unless its still being serviced by Apple via the upgraded iOS.... some older phones get the ios update but its only security updates not the full blown ios update....so know what your older iphone can do and ask if you want to trade it in for a reduced value...
Can’t wait for a video testing Boost Mobile’s native network!
I live in Southern California. Verizon is introducing their internet wireless. It’s only 35 dollars a month packaged up with their unlimited cell phone plan. If you bring in your own phone the cell phone plan is only 86 dollars a month with the ten dollar discount. Counting my TH-cam 10 dollar subscription and taxes I pay 120 dollars a month. And the price is guaranteed for three years. Apple in my area is only offering 400 dollars for my iPhone 13 Pro Max vs 1000 dollars that version offers. But I would lose my ten dollars discount with Verizon per a month. If I kept my iPhone 16 and kept with Verizon for three years, I would save 60 dollars over three years. The price is guaranteed not to go up for three years.
AT&T Next Up Anytime baby. Also save on my plan as a Costco member as well
So what is your cost for a single line ?
You should analyze Xfinity mobile as well. Some great iPhone deals every year
Some of the logistics of these carrier deals are so complicated it makes my head spin.
Wow that’s exactly the video and answers I was looking for through whole internet. ❤ bravo and thank you. The only thing I would consider researching and adding into this video would be option of getting a nice deal or buying a new iphone right now for people who are not willing to upgrade iphones every year. What would be the best option I can get from some deals to get the new iphone this year and keep it for the next 3/4 years ? 🎉
Wow you’re a genius for making such a detailed video! Well done and thank you!
Pete ;”)
This is kinda odd for me to subscribe to a channel, but because your are smart and transparent you got my subcription with all notifs on, great video!
It would be smart to invest your time to get to know the employees (even cleaning staff and security) at Apple because of their employee discounts. I pay about $250 every year when I upgrade my pro max’s. If you’re lucky, you get to use their beefier discount. Only issue is that you’d have to wait until December where they can use the discount on the new phones.
How the fuck you do that, their is explain, but you can explain me more in detail please?
Excellent video ! Thanks for explaining it all
I’d say buy it new through certified refurbished since lots of tech reviewers buy the phone then return it right after, so your overall cost is down buy around $100
Cheapest way:
1. Buy the model you want.
2. Get it financed
3. Add insurance protection.
4. Accidentally drop it
5. They will automatically upgrade you to the phone they have in stock
($250 being the average for deductible)
Seriously. Paying attention to this guy has saved me soooo much money. Thanks Stetson!
Best video I've ever seen on TH-cam ever! Kudos to you Stetson! 🎉
Thank you!
I buy my iphone full price unlocked and I use Mint mobile or visible yearly plan, i send most of the time to Apple...or sell it on line for an extra 100 at times.
The problem is the high plan cost that is mandatory when upgrading. The carriers always get their money !
Not worth it.
I’m a cheapo in that I wait every 2-3 years to upgrade and generally buy a 1 year old phone. The first year of depreciation is the highest amount so if you let someone else eat that for you you are barely spending money on a phone. Even if you upgrade every two years. I’ve spent $1300/7 years after buying 1 year old phones and trading in (i didn’t have a trade in for my first phone to net out of the $1300) and traded in even older phone. Works out to $186 a year. I have a post paid plan with 3 others on T-Mobile and it’s ~$30/month after taxes. So that’s $546 a year and I never have a phone over 3 years old. If I sold my phone every year and actually took care of it, it would probably cost me $40 less per year though. I guess I should do that!
Boost mobile is the most affordable but I'm not gonna upgrade my phone every year and it's just easier to buy it through apple. Side note I’ve never heard of swappa so maybe I’ll look into buying a used 15 pro from there.
First off, thank you for taking the time to make this video. Very informative
I plan to upgrade in Dec (purchased my 15 pro max in December from an IPhone XS Max.
Typically I would wait 3 to 5 years and upgrade but I was curious as to selling my old phone for maximum value and picking up the new phone with 0% interest from Apple. For context I use mint Mobile now for $15 a month and pay for the year upfront.
While I was thinking of waiting and going for the iPhone 17, I got busy and let the window for 2 year AppleCare slip though.
So I’m thinking I may sell this phone in Dec and hopefully take advantage of a sale on the 16 Pro Max if they have one.
What might be a great follow up video is the cost benefit (of any) for trading in every other year or possibly buying every 3 years
Just a thought.
Thanks
iphone upgrade program includes apple care plus in the cost. So there is that benefit vs carrier upgrade programs.
This doesn’t take into consideration how badly screwed you can get with major carriers. I’m doing the swappa thing from now on.
First time viewer and i just wanna aay that this editing is so clean.
Thank you so much, please keep up the good work! Also, love the coverage app!
You are welcome! I appreciate your support!
Great video on the different options for the iPhone.
Will you be releasing a video on "What's The Cheapest Way To Get The New Pixel Phone Every Year?"
Awesome thanks for explaining
You forget doing any carrier deal you add an upgrade fee unless you have a way to get it waived. Buying outright from Apple you avoid it.
You’re absolutely right, I missed that! So add in about $30 to the cost of the carrier options. :)
Thank you so much for the research!
Very, very good information, concise!
In terms of carrier deals I feel like it would be better to include how much people are paying monthly on their service on average, consider family plans and so on. Factoring in the cost of the plan is a bit weird considering most people have to pay a phone bill regardless. There’s a ton of variables here that are missing. 🤷🏾♂️
I go over family plan pricing at the end of the video!
Bro, I didn’t know you paid that much for your cellular plans 😮 here in Italy we pay from 5 to 30 €
The open 24 month plan with the option of switching a phone every year is best. In the end, paying around ~480 total a year for the phone, switching to the latest every September.
I’m on old T-Mobile plan, pay $135 for 4 lines. Personally I go to the Apple Store and trade my old iPhone for credit towards a new one and pay the difference at the time of purchase. Unfortunately I waited too long to upgrade and they’re only offering $220 for my 12 pro. I guess I’ll just have to keep it and pay full price for the 16 pro this time around
Every year 1 month after the new iphone comes out, people are already selling them in mint condition, 4 weeks old for 20% off. Buy one of them, sell it private in a year, you lose around 15%, do it again next year. Can have a new phone each year for about $100 - $150 yearly cost.
I’m in mint mobile. I trade my phone every other year and typically only pay 400$ for the newest phone.
I sold my iPhone 14 Pro Max on eBay and the fees, shipping and insurance took $100 off the $560 winning bid, next time I’m just trading it in for a new phone. I use the Visible $45 unlimited plan but they discount it to $35 a month.
Not true on the apple iphone upgrade program. I use an MVNO and on the pro phones you designate one of the big carriers but there is no verification. During setup, it wants a number to check with the carrier. Provide any number and it will error. Then an option comes to set up carrier later and then just restore you phone from your old iPhone or back and add your MVNO carrier esim or physical sim and you are good as its unlocked when purchased direct through apple. On the nonpro, this doesn't work as the carrier check is done during the ordering process of the upgrade.
I buy the second latest phone each year and sell the earlier one and spend less than 200 bucks a year. It's worked for the last 8 years for me and I don't think I'm changing anytime soon
Thats not how verizon works. Verizon employee here. You can early upgrade your iPhone once it’s half way paid off. On top of taking advantage of upgrading through the manufacturers website for the instant credits. Ive also done that personally for 8 years
Can you do A video for every 2 or 3 year upgrades? I know it will make a drastic difference in trade-in value and resell value, but I am very curious. if you could explain the advantages and disadvantages on upgrading every 1 year, 2 year, or 3 year + marks?
I used to work for T-Mobile and it was always a debate between coworkers. I’m curious which is most cost effective for people.
You forgot to do spectrum mobile. They let you do this as well and they buy out your leftover balance and you can start off as soon as 1 month as well
Great informative upload👍🏼
I like Helium Mobile’s $20 plan with discovery mapping (basically a free phone plan paid in the crypto you earn) and Swappa too!
one thing that wasnt added in to your early calculations (which i understand why cause it would be impossible) is that most phone companies (some waive it but most dont) still make you pay the taxes on the new device when upgrading which can vary by area and my area has a low tax rate and the iphone 16 pm is around $110 in taxes you have to pay before they hand you the new device.
(i work for a cell phone carrier so ive seen taxes get freakin high in some areas so i just wanted to say this to warn people who are getting their first phone and dont know this)
I switched to version got $1000 off for a iPhone 14 Pro 128gb which is insane and a free iPad with a $10 plan when you get the unlimited ultimate plan
Your content is great dude. Seamless👏🏽👏🏽
I appreciate that! Thank you!
What an incredibly well researched video.
Sad I am not from the US - or this video would be my goto guide.
Subscribed, nevertheless.
Great information.
Subscribed!
The problem is that the trade in programs change all the time.
You’re first year cost is correct, however trade in promotions are not the same for financed devices vs devices that are paid off. Example if you trade in early with a carrier their early upgrade options are not the 1000 off, usually 200-500 off over 36 months.
Would this be for AT&T Next Up Anytime?
@@StetsonDoggett that’s correct
You’re the Man! Great breakdown
I appreciate that!
How is the speed and prioritization of Visible vs Verizon unlimited plans? I’ve shears found those smaller companies a bit lacking
So for T-Mobile the pricing for 3 or more lines is wrong if its a brand new account. personal accounts only get approved for $3,600 for financing phones and you can only do a max of 4 trade in deals per manufacture. so if you wanted to trade in and get 4 iPhone 16 pro max phones. that's $4800. so your down payment right off the bat is $1200. you will still get the bill credits but you will have to pay the difference out of pocket.
Thanks for this great info. Now my head and eyes are spinning 😵💫