Apple iPhone Upgrade Program - Credit?

[Anonymous]

Hi all....

I was considering upgrading my iPhone and my 2 kids iPhones all to iPhone 6S with AT&T.

I stumbled on Apple's website about their own program called "iPhone Upgrade Program" which I kinda like and it is financed 0% thru Citizens Bank.

Short info about myself:

Filed Bankruptcy Chapter 7 last March 2015 which was discharged June 2015.

Obtained Unsecured Merrick Visa $600 August 2015 then September with Barclay Rewards MasterCard for $1,500.

I'm wondering if I go for Apple's program, would they deny me because of my bankruptcy/bad credit on file?

Currently my FICO 8 is EX 592, TU 599 and EQ 739 (YES! 739!!! it jumped eariler this month from 618 to 733 and today 739).

Anyone have experience with it? Thanks!

[DiamondDan73]

I'm not sure about the answer to your question but you would have way better luck getting approved for anything if you froze your TU and EX and made everyone check your EQ. If they won't, you will not take a HP and you can take your business somewhere else.

[Anonymous]

Even my FICO score of 739 does include notation of BK?

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Hi all....

I was considering upgrading my iPhone and my 2 kids iPhones all to iPhone 6S with AT&T.

I stumbled on Apple's website about their own program called "iPhone Upgrade Program" which I kinda like and it is financed 0% thru Citizens Bank.

Short info about myself:

Filed Bankruptcy Chapter 7 last March 2015 which was discharged June 2015.

Obtained Unsecured Merrick Visa $600 August 2015 then September with Barclay Rewards MasterCard for $1,500.

I'm wondering if I go for Apple's program, would they deny me because of my bankruptcy/bad credit on file?

Currently my FICO 8 is EX 592, TU 599 and EQ 739 (YES! 739!!! it jumped eariler this month from 618 to 733 and today 739).

Anyone have experience with it? Thanks!

---

I've heard it's hard to qualify for even without a BK. I personally wouldn't risk the hard pull. You also pay for the phones in full. If you're still on a plan that gives you a discount for a new phone every 2 years with contract renewal, you're paying a higher monthly bill because you're paying towards that few hundred bucks off every 2 years.

If your plan doesn't offer a 2 year discount, you're stuck paying full price for the phone but have a cheaper monthly plan as a result.

[Pway]

I agree with the others posted, I would not risk it.  I know Cititzens has a program also but they are not bk friendly  at all.  I just pay for my Iphone month through my cell phone carrier.

[novabama]

Do you not want to finance it through your phone co? I pay 30 a month on top of my reg bill. I thought they (Verizon) would do a credit check, but they didn't. I went to an authorized retailer, so I don't know if that had anything to do with it.

[Anonymous]

Right now I'm paying for 3 lines shared which included 25% federal employee discount....

3 lines, unlimited voice, unlimited text and 30GB shared data (I got that double promotion last year for the price of 15GB rate)

Total with taxes and 25% discount, $173 a month

All of our exisiting iPhones 5/5S contracts expired recently.

If I went for AT&T Next plan for 3 64GB iPhones it's waaaay more than what I pay monthly now. ugh!

[Metsfantransplant]

Do Not Apply for the Apple iPhone upgrade plan! I am a year out from a chapter 7 discharge and applied to get my wife the new iPhone and was denied. Spoke to a Citizens Bank rep and found out it's an automatic denial with a bankruptcy reporting. You have a much better chance of getting the Apple rewards Visa from Barclay and taking advantage of the 0% financing.

[Anonymous]

What about AT&T's Next program? I have been with AT&T since 2009 with perfect payment on time? Will they still pull my CR if I go with their NEXT plan to obtain 3 new iPhones?

[mattmyFIC0]

I got on the AT&T Next plan last year with two separate iPhones and they did not pull my credit for either one (spaced about two months apart). I read somewhere that they base it more on your payment history with them but of course YMMV.