Apple's allows you to make monthly payments on your iPhone and upgrade every year, without having to be locked into a two-year carrier plan. It also enrolls your new iPhone in AppleCare+, so you can get a cracked screen fixed or replace a broken device at a reduced price. If you like getting a new iPhone every year, the iPhone Upgrade Program makes it possible for you to do so without having to pay any extra costs. If you enrolled in the iPhone Upgrade Program last year, you are eligible to upgrade to the iPhone XS or XS Max. Make sure you are eligible If you enrolled in the iPhone Upgrade Program last year when the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, or X launched, you are eligible for an iPhone XS or XS Max. Although you signed a 24-month contract, you can trade in your old iPhone — in good condition — for a new one with no extra fees. You will, however, need to sign a new 24-month contract. So, keep that in mind if you are thinking about getting out of the program. You can also trade in your old iPhone for the new model if you've only been in the program for 6 months, but you'll have to pre-pay the next 6 months before you can upgrade. So, basically, you'll have to have paid for 12 months of the program before upgrading to the iPhone XS, no matter what. Get pre-approval for your new loan. Note: Apple has begun rolling out iPhone Upgrade Program pre-approval for the iPhone XS as of Sept. If you aren't able to follow the steps for pre-approval right now, try again later. Citizen One, the banking organization that takes care of the iPhone Upgrade Program accounts, will also run another credit check to make sure your credit is still in good standing. If your credit has taken a dive over the past year or two , you may no longer be approved by the bank to continue. Check your credit score I use the as soon as possible. If you know your credit has gone to the dump, you should consider another way to purchase your new iPhone. In order to expedite the process of getting your new iPhone, Apple has implemented a pre-approval feature that you can get started with right now. If you're upgrading from the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, or X, you can get your new loan application processed ahead of time, which I highly suggest you do. Navigate to and visit the iPhone section. Select the model you want to upgrade to. You'll then begin the pre-approval process. A note about credit report pulls There's been a lot of confusion about whether Apple does a hard or soft pull on your credit report to approve you for re-enrollment. That's because each candidate for a loan is different. Apple's states: Basically, Citizen One, the banking organization Apple works with to process loans, may only do a soft pull on your credit report if it considers your previous activities in the iPhone Upgrade Program to be in good standing. If, however, Citizen One deems it necessary to research further into your credit data, it might do a hard pull. A note about credit freezes If you've put a credit freeze on your credit report, there are a few things you should know about applying for your iPhone Upgrade Program loan. A credit freeze is a way for you to restrict access to your credit report to protect you from identity theft. If you've put a freeze on your credit report, it doesn't affect your credit score or keep you from being able to apply for loans. There are some caveats though. I spoke with a customer service representative with Citizens One who said that Apple will run the credit check when you first enroll in the iPhone Upgrade Program. All four credit bureaus will be contacted, starting with Equifax first. Then, Experion, Innovis, and TransUnion. The credit report agencies must lift the freeze within three business days of your request. Here are the numbers for the U. An Apple employee will check it out and make sure it qualifies for an upgrade. If your iPhone is unrepairable by Apple, your iPhone won't qualify for the upgrade program and you'll have to continue paying it off, though you can enroll for a second iPhone at that time. Be prepared for re-enrollment and trade-in You can either visit an Apple Retail Store in person or re-enroll online via Apple. If you choose to re-enroll in person, bring your current iPhone with you so you can have it assessed and trade it in right away. If you re-enroll online, Apple will send you a trade-in kit so you can mail in your old iPhone after receiving your new one. Note: Someone else can upgrade your iPhone on your behalf; however, that person will be responsible for starting a new iPhone Upgrade Program loan agreement. So don't send your 16-year-old kid or someone with poor credit. What to do if you've had your iPhone replaced for hardware issues If you have had your iPhone replaced for hardware issues in the past year, it is possible that the serial or IMEI number on the replacement device was not updated for your account, showing that you are not eligible for an upgrade. Make sure to check your eligibility right away so you know whether or not everything is in order and speak with an Apple support representative if there is an issue as soon as possible. What to do if you can't pre-order through the iPhone Upgrade Program If you try pre-ordering your iPhone X through the iPhone Upgrade Program at 12:01 a. You might be able to change your order to get the model, color, or storage size you want. Pop them into the comments and we'll help you out. Lory Gil Lory is a renaissance woman, writing news, reviews, and how-to guides for iMore. She also fancies herself a bit of a rock star in her town and spends too much time reading comic books. If she's not typing away at her keyboard, you can probably find her at Disneyland or watching Star Wars or both.
