Apple has posted an online tool that you can use to check your iPhone eligibility for an upgrade. Basically it tells you if you are allowed to buy an iPhone 4S at full retail price or at a subsidized price.
Get ready for a shock that will piss you off folks. A number of readers are reporting that so far no eligibility dates are being updated to make it easy to get that annual iPhone upgrade that we’ve all been used to in the past.
The AT&T version of the tool prompts you for your wireless number, billing zip code, last four digits of your social security number and your billing account password.
The pricing results you will see after entering the information and clicking Check Eligibility follows:
The iPhone 4S goes on sale this Friday October 7th and I’ll be reaching out to AT&T to see if their current eligibility dates might be subject to change before then. If you recall years ago a public outcry caused them to change these eligibility dates. Apple even offered refunds to customers over pricing issues after one iPhone model was released.
If you aren’t eligible to upgrade at the subsidized price try calling AT&T from your iPhone by dialing 611 and ask them if they’ll adjust the date or not. I’ve reached out to AT&T for answers regarding the eligibility dates and whether or not the iPhone 4S comes unlocked if you pay full retail for it. I’ll update this post once I receive answers to these questions.
If you are currently using an AT&T or Verizon cell phone you can check your eligibility here.
David W. Martin has more than 20 years of experience in the industry as a programmer, systems and business analyst, author, and consultant. David has written for CNET’s iPhoneatlas.com, MacLife.com, CultofMac.com, BYTE.com and recently for aNewDoman.net. He comes to Cult of Mac’s website with deep knowledge and passion for the all things Apple. Follow David on Twitter @david_w_martin or see what he’s up to now at davidwmartin.com.
52 responses to “Apple Posts Online iPhone Eligibility Tool With Potential To Piss Off Customers Again”
My upgrade date is November 18th. I got my iPhone 4 at launch. You’d think they would just move up the upgrade date for the 4S so people could get it at launch as well. at&t are idiots if they think i’ll pay the ‘early upgrade fee’ of $250. I’ll just put that towards canceling my contract if they don’t adjust the date.
Hmmm…not sure what you’re talking about. I just entered my information and I can get a 4S at the reduced prices. 16 GB for $199, 32 GB for $299 and 64 GB for $399. The results screen doesn’t indicate a November 25 date. Are you sure that’s not only your date? I don’t think it applies to everyone.
Hope they adjust the date I am not going to pay the full price for a new incrimental upgrade iPhone 4s when I give AT&T $330 a month. I’ll just wait for a real upgrade to for a real new IPhone 5 or I hate to say it go Android.
I think I’ll wait till black friday, maybe they will lower prices for one day or something? thats how I got my 3gs for 50 bux, crossing fingers.
maybe the dates are random. I have to wait until the 28th
:-O
i got the same as you
Well, my daughter’s line is due for an upgrade at the end of October, and it shows 10/27 as the date we can buy a 16 GB 4s for $199. What’s wrong? Looks good to me. Also, my line shows eligibility as 10/7/12, which is accurate, if maybe a little early.
If at&t chooses not adjust the eligibility date, I am thinking VERY strong about moving to Verizon.
I’m eligible so I guess I won’t complain… much.
I called ATT with the same issue. If you bought iPhone 4 at launch your early termination fee is $90 or so. I told ATT I’d just pay it and switch to Verizon if they didn’t change my upgrade date and I was giving them the opportunity to keep me as a customer. They didn’t seem to care. Switch to Verizon.
My eligibility is the day of launch, I am the “parent” on the family plan. My fiancee’s number shows Feb 25 for her eligibility.
Meh. I’ve got three lines and one is always available for an upgrade. Apple store folks are always nice and ready to help me regardless of which line is “upgradable” vs which line I want to actually upgrade.
You signed a contract that said that you agree to being on the plan for two years before you get another fully discounted phone. If you don’t want to stay then you agreed to pay the ETF as described.
As is they are letting you off the hook. If you bought the iPhone 4 at launch you shouldn’t be eligible until June 2012 but according to you, they are giving you an update a good 7 months early.
Back when the iPhone was brand new ATT had reason to tweak the rules. After all, they talked everyone into signing a 2 year contract with no subsidy. And then the price reduction was only $100. Half what become the subsidy and the ETF. So they made everyone upgrade eligible. That way they could entice the much fewer folks to stay.
Now they have millions of subscribers just on iPhones. they can afford to lose a few thousand, especially when they are making bank on charging the same rates to folks that are 3-4 months out of their two year contract as when they were in it. So that $12-15 that was ‘paying back what we paid for their phone’ has been free money.
given the problems they are having with overloaded towers, they would probably welcome a few defectors to lighten the load. Especially if you were one of the folks grandfathered in with unlimited data.
AT&T folks at least get reduced pricing if they’re off contract. I switched to VZW due to better coverage (still on Edge here while Verizon rolls out LTE). If I wanna upgrade, I gotta pay full price. Kinda miss the early upgrade option/reduced pricing option…..
David put in his data and that is his date. He never claimed everyone would get Nov 25th.
I want it unlocked. The 4 has been unlocked in the U.S. all summer so the 4S better be. I already planned on paying over $600 for the new iPhone and most of that money was made from selling my 4. If it is not unlocked I am not spending $600
Isn’t this backwards? Years past they didn’t have to let us upgrade because they had us locked to AT&T. But now that we can switch to Verizon or Sprint, you would think they would want to do whatever possible to keep us as customers.
My eligibility date is Nov 23rd. I can cancel my AT&T contract right now for just $90.00, and move to a new carrier. If they don’t update my eligibility date before Friday, that is exactly what I plan to do.
Shrug… Four of the five lines on my AT&T account became eligible for upgrades in July. We’ve just been sitting around waiting for Apple. The fifth is already using the iPhone 4 and no real reason to upgrade just yet.
After learning that AT&T won’t get the speed boost because they don’t support HSPDA+ (AT&T supports HSPA+) I am going to Sprint for unlimited data no Throttling for going over 2GB a month. The speed improvement was the saving grace of the 4S for me. Now, I think ? really dropped the ball after 16 months. HSPA+ over HSPDA+ should have been a no brainer.
“It’s
noteworthy that there is a 14.4 HSDPA mobile network in the US: it is
being built out by T-Mobile. Unfortunately, it operates on frequencies
that are incompatible with standard UMTS phones like Apple’s iPhone 4S,
making it also impossible to take advantage of the new phone’s
capabilities (just as existing 3G iPhones can’t take advantage of the
company’s AWS 3G network, and are limited to 2G GSM service when
unlocked to use T-Mobile).
AT&T hopes to finalize its acquisition plans of T-Mobile and convert
the company’s oddball AWS bands of HSDPA for future use as an LTE
network, suggesting that America’s primary 14.4 HSDPA network won’t be
around very long.
With iPhone 4S promising to be a very popular phone, AT&T has a
strong opportunity to advertise its existing HSDPA speed advantage over
CDMA rivals Sprint and Verizon, something that may compel the company to
reconfigure its network engineering to fully support the faster speeds
available to iPhone 4 (7.2 Mbps) and iPhone 4S users (14.4 Mbps).
Until that happens, however, a primary feature of the new iPhone 4S
model will only really be useful to users in Europe, Asia and other
locations with completed, fully functional high speed mobile data
networks.”
June 24th, 2012. I’ll just wait for the iPhone 5.
Same thing with my wife and I. Both got the 4 on launch day, but only I am eligible and she’s not until Feb. I called AT&T and they said it’s because my number produces more revenue then my wife’s……I’ve never heard of that ever before….
Called ATT and told them I would cancel my plan and move to VZW and purchase the 4S with them and they would not move an inch on my upgrade date which is currently 11-16-2011.
I’m so pissed I sold my phone and now I can’t upgrade anymore.
I checked my eligibility since September and was waiting for the iPhone release since AT&T said I was eligible. I used both the Apple tool AND AT&T AND spoke with a representative last Friday when I was going to pre-order. I was told only way to guarantee I would get phone today would be to go to store today. I waited in line early this morning (after checking my eligibility again) and was told that I am NOT eligible for an upgrade. That I would have to pay over $400 instead of the $199 for the 16G. I even spoke to a phone rep while at store and she saw what I saw. We were disconnected (I even have an email confirmation) and when I called back the telephone reps said they did not see an upgrade until February 2012!!!!! I logged on to my account and the whole thing is changed as of TODAY! Yesterday it said $199 on my account; today, the official release date of the phone, is says I have to pay over $400. I have been getting the run around all day. There has to be a solution for this!