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So long as you stay with T-Mobile for the remainder of that financing term (which you probably plan to in order to get the 0 discount we discussed above), you should still be able to continue getting those credits even if you trade in the phone to Apple.
This method also gets you into T-Mobile’s “Forever Upgrade” program that guarantees that your new Pro Max will be worth at least 0 in two years, should you want to trade it into the carrier then.
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Let me curtail that this isn’t for everyone. In fact, it’s pretty specific. You need to have purchased an iPhone 12 Pro Max and be such a phone enthusiast that you already know you want to upgrade to the 13 Pro Max, even though it’s not as significant a leap as say, moving from iPhone X or iPhone XS.
For the first 0, Apple will either give that to you as an instant credit if you choose to pay for the phone in monthly installments or as a credit after you trade in the 12 Pro Max. Once Apple’s part of the deal is set, you’ll receive a promo code to enter on T-Mobile’s website to receive the remaining 0 as bill credits dished out over the course of 24 months (a little less than per month).
Eli Blumenthal contributed to this story.
The credits are being given regardless of the storage capacity of your iPhone 12 Pro Max, so if you purchased the 128GB version last year at ,099, you might be able to trade up to the 256GB version of the 13 Pro Max and pay for part of the phone’s taxes.
You also need to either be interested in switching to T-Mobile or already be a current T-Mobile customer, and you would like to sign up for (or agree to keep) their Magenta Max plan — which includes perks like the HD-tier of Netflix and 4K video streaming while on a cellular connection. Would you consider this upgrade to stay on the bleeding edge? Or do you prefer your current iPhone or Android phone? Tell us in the comments.
Apple’s iPhone 13 line is now available for preorder, and the most exciting thing is clearly the trade-in offers. While this year’s phone is more of a refinement of last year’s iPhone 12 line, those that crave staying on that bleeding edge might essentially get a free iPhone 13 Pro Max by doing a trade-in that includes up to ,290 toward the phone. The T-Mobile offer listed on Apple’s website also shows trade-in offers if you are handing over an iPhone X or iPhone 11.
A hidden twist for those who did a deal on last year’s 12 Pro Max
First, start by shopping for the iPhone 13 Pro Max directly from Apple’s website. When you do, select T-Mobile to get the details on the trade in offer, which spells out that the iPhone 12 Pro Max comes with up to ,290 in credit. If your phone is in good condition (meaning no cracked screen or other damage), 0 of that will come from Apple. The remaining 0 will come from T-Mobile in the form of a bill credit.
Catch up on the biggest news stories in minutes. Delivered on weekdays. If you absolutely need to have the iPhone 13 Pro Max, and you already have the 12 Pro Max, you could use this offer to get the phone’s cost covered. T-Mobile’s iPhone 12 Pro Max offer is listed on Apple’s website.
So are you a big phone fan that also wants T-Mobile’s most expensive plan? If so, here’s what you can do to get the iPhone 13 Pro Max essentially for free.
Here’s where your mileage might further vary. We asked T-Mobile on Friday if this promotion stacks onto prior deals offered by the carrier over the last year for the iPhone 12 Pro Max. They said yes, and if that holds up, you might be able to pocket whatever promotion that was and get the iPhone 13 Pro Max covered by the new credits.