I was curious to see what trade in deals Verizon had for the 16 so I called today and was offered an iPhone 16 for free (just had to pay taxes) with a trade in of a 12 Pro. The current line I was upgrading was on the unlimited welcome plan and I was allowed to remain on the plan to my surprise. The only “catch” is I need to keep the phone for 36 months and the trade in credit of $830 will be applied as bill credits over 36 months. Anyone else take advantage of this deal?

Verizon is advertising a deal where you can get up to $1,000 off a new iPhone (like the 16 Pro) when you trade in your old phone — sounds amazing, right? I almost did it, but when I ran the numbers, it turned out to be a lot less valuable than it seems.

Here’s how it actually plays out: • I currently have an iPhone 14 Pro Max 256GB, which has a resale value of around $600 in excellent condition (not $700–$850 like I previously thought — sorry for the overestimate). • I’m on Verizon’s Unlimited plan with a $15/month BYOD (bring your own device) discount, and my total bill is $195/month. • If I do the trade-in: • Verizon removes my $15/month BYOD discount • They charge me $2.77/month for the new phone (after applying the $1,000 trade-in credit over 36 months) • My new monthly bill becomes $212.77

That’s a $17.77/month increase Over 36 months = $639.72 extra paid over time

So I’m “saving” $1,000 on the iPhone… but paying $640 more on my bill, which is basically just another way of financing the phone over 3 years.

And I’m giving up a phone worth $600 to do it.

$640 ÷ 36 months = $17.77/month — almost exactly what it would cost to finance the iPhone yourself without losing your BYOD discount or trade-in device.

Bottom line: Verizon’s “$1,000 off” is just a shell game: • They give you $1,000 in bill credits • But quietly raise your monthly bill in ways that offset most of it • And you lose flexibility (e.g., switching carriers = lose remaining credits)

If you sell your phone and buy a new one directly from Apple, you keep more value, avoid hidden bill increases, and don’t get locked into a 3-year commitment.

Don’t fall for the fine-print math — it’s not a “free iPhone.” It’s a clever upsell wrapped in shiny marketing.

Was looking at this deal and it sound pretty good but there obviously has to be a catch to this. So what is it. Besides the 3 year contract.

Right now, our family plan has an option to trade in an old phone and receive a free iPhone 15/iPhone 15 Pro. We have to pay the sales tax on it/etc but the phone itself is free.

The salesperson said the deal might not last for very long and he wasn’t sure when it would go away. I have an iPhone 11 that is 3.5 years old, and it works despite having a somewhat crappy battery. How rare is this deal? Should I take advantage of the deal or wait until I really need a new phone?

Also how is this beneficial to Verizon?

My wife and I have iPhone 14 and 14 Pro... each with about $140 of remaining payments left. Verizon just emailed me that I can trade both in for free new iphone 16's (up to $830) and they will pay off the remaining amounts (with 36 month contracts). Should I take the offer or wait and hope I get a similar offer for the iphone 17 in a few months? Also my 14 Pro battery life capacity is at 75% and the 14 is at 83%. Thank you!