Apple
How to Buy the AT&T iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus
We’ll walk you through the new ways you can buy the AT&T iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus. In the last year AT&T cut off the option to get a new AT&T two-year contract anywhere — including directly from AT&T.
When you look to upgrade to the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus on AT&T you will find that there are still many buying options, and the best one for you will depend on where you want to buy the new iPhone and how you prefer to pay for it.
We’ll walk you through AT&T Next vs AT&T Next Every Year, No contract and the new Apple iPhone Upgrade Plans, as well as where you can buy an AT&T iPhone 7.
Keep in mind that the AT&T iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will not work on Sprint or Verizon if you decide to switch.
Whether you plan to stay up later for the iPhone 7 pre-order start, want to go to the AT&T or Apple Store on the iPhone 7 release date or are just exploring for when you are eligible to upgrade, this guide will show you how to buy an AT&T iPhone 7. Pick an iPhone 7 color before you wake up to pre-order or go to the store.
Check AT&T iPhone 7 Upgrade Eligibility
Before you can buy the new iPhone, you should check your AT&T iPhone 7 upgrade eligibility. This is important if you are on a two-year contract or if you are on AT&T Next.
How to check if you are eligible for a AT&T iPhone 7 upgrade.
The easiest way to check if you can buy a new iPhone 7 is buy logging in to your AT&T account to see if you are eligible. You can use your phone and call *NEW# to get a text message with your upgrade options. If you are on a Next plan you need to find out any final payments you need to make before you upgrade.
AT&T Next vs AT&T Next Every Year vs Apple iPhone Upgrade Plan
Choose how you want to buy the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus on AT&T.
You can choose from several options to buy the AT&T iPhone 7 and you can buy it at multiple locations. You can buy the AT&T iPhone 7 at AT&T, at an Apple Store, at Best Buy and likely at Target.
Here is a look at the places you can buy the AT&T iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus and how you can buy it at this location.
| Buying Options | 2-Year Contract | AT&T Next | Full Price | iPhone Upgrade Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | No | YES | YES | AT&T Version |
| Apple | NO | YES | YES | YES, in Store |
| Best Buy | NO | YES | YES | No |
We know Target will also sell the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus with pre-orders, but it is not clear what models and with what types of plans.
AT&T Next iPhone 7 Prices Compared
Here is a look at how much it costs to buy the AT&T iPhone 7 on AT&T Next plans. We’ll compare the AT&T Next, Next Every Year and the on the Apple Annual Upgrade Plan. All these payments are monthly and in the end you still pay the same amount as buying the iPhone 7 at full price, you just spread it out over a longer period.
When you are on an AT&T Next plan you pay less for the monthly smartphone access charge than on a two-year contract. This boils down to $15 off for data plans of 5GB or lower and $25 off for higher level data plans each month. In cases where your monthly phone payment is around $25 and you are on a higher level data plan the savings essential cover the cost of your iPhone.
Here’s how the AT&T Next plans work:
AT&T Next – 30 Monthly Payments. Upgrade eligible after 12 months with trade.
AT&T Next Every Year – 24 Monthly Payments. Upgrade eligible after 12 Months or 50% paid off with trade.
The table below breaks down the price for the AT&T iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models.
| iPhone 7 / AT&T Next Prices | 32GB | 128GB | 256GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 7 Next | $21.67 | $25.00 | $28.34 |
| iPhone 7 Plus Next | $25.64 | $28.97 | $32.30 |
| iPhone 7 Next Every Year | $27.09 | $31.25 | $35.42 |
| iPhone 7 Plus Next Every Year | $32.05 | $36.21 | $40.38 |
As you can see there are a variety of plans you can use to buy the AT&T iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, but there are still other ways to buy.
AT&T iPhone 7 Full Price
One of the easiest ways to know how much you will pay for the iPhone 7 is to pay for the full price for the iPhone 7. This allows you to upgrade whenever and you are also free to switch carriers whenever you want.
| New iPhone | 32GB | 128GB | 256GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 7 | $649.00 | $749.00 | $849.00 |
| iPhone 7 Plus | $769.00 | $869.00 | $969.00 |
The price appears higher, but this is the same amount you would otherwise pay over the AT&T Next plans.
AT&T iPhone 7 on Apple iPhone Upgrade Plan
You can also buy the iPhone 7 on the iPhone Upgrade Program.
Apple offers an iPhone Upgrade Plan that allows users to buy the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus with monthly payments. These payments are slightly higher than what you pay for AT&T Next, but they include AppleCare+ and an option to upgrade to the new iPhone each year with a trade in.
| New iPhone | 32GB | 128GB | 256GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 7 | $32.41 | $36.58 | $40.75 |
| iPhone 7 Plus | $36.58 | $40.75 | $44.91 |
After paying for the iPhone 7 32GB for one year with the iPhone Upgrade Plan, the total cost would be $388. To get this you can pre-order online, likely for in-store pickup on the iPhone 7 release date.
Best AT&T iPhone 7 Plan and Payment Option
Picking the best way to buy the AT&T iPhone 7 is still somewhat complicated as you end up paying a very similar amount through all the options. That’s not surprising considering this is a new iPhone and deals are scarce.
If you want to upgrade to the new iPhone every year and you are OK with trading in your iPhone instead of selling it on your own or passing it on to a friend or family member you should choose the AT&T Next Every Year or Apple iPhone Upgrade plans. You’ll pay $325 on AT&T or $388 to Apple and you will be able to upgrade to an iPhone 8, or whatever the next iPhone is. With this option, the Apple plan includes a warranty, which is a major bonus, but you can only buy this at an Apple Store in person.
The upside to using AT&T Next is that you don’t need to trade in the iPhone at the end of period to upgrade.
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Steve
09/11/2015 at 9:52 am
Something to take into consideration. The 2 year contract has a higher ‘per line’ access charge. Depending on the size of your data plan, the difference over a “NEXT” plan could be $25 per month. So, while you do get a $450 discount from the full retail price if you do a 2 year plan, the downside is that you may be paying $25 more per month for 2 years … that equals $600. A 2 year contract in this case is not the better deal.
Potanical Pardon
09/09/2016 at 10:20 am
Correct. Unlocking, no contract, full price is still the best value. Grandfathere or not.
Andrew
09/13/2015 at 8:25 pm
People on grandfathered unlimited plans should find a two year contact a better deal, those plans included for subsidized pricing. Running the numbers, I will save around $150 per line versus next 24. Over the course of the two year contact and the 30 payments for the next plan.
becky
11/17/2015 at 7:41 am
what is a grandfathered unlimited plan?
Slugg
09/08/2016 at 9:32 am
It’s when you had the unlimited data plan before they stopped offering it to new users. You can upgrade your phone and continue the unlimited plan you’ve had in the past. Any new plan will not allow you to get unlimited unless you’ve had the same plan before.
James Locker
09/08/2016 at 9:01 am
Check the target web site the models for the iPhones are now their along with the starter page for the preorder process. This is where I am getting mine they have the best deals with target gift cards.
David Borden
09/08/2016 at 8:49 pm
So is the 2 year contract option available for grandfathered in customers such as myself or are they stopping contracts all in all.
Anita
09/09/2016 at 6:19 am
I always thought on the AT&T Next Plan you got to upgrade as soon as a new phone was available? But now I am being told I have to wait??
Sanmukan Surulinathan
09/09/2016 at 7:02 am
I don’t think grandfathered plans exist anymore. I had one before & was told I had to convert to a regular plan.
Potanical Pardon
09/09/2016 at 7:15 am
Then they lied to you. I still have my grandfathered plan.
Robert Legacy
09/09/2016 at 10:54 am
I have 2 grandfather lines on my account and 3 regular ones