Carrier Am I able to sell my previous Verizon phone if I’m still making payments on it?

[DDustiNN]

I got the iPhone 13 Pro on release and did the payment plans through Verizon since they were offering $1,000 for trade-ins. Got them for the whole family, in fact.

Fast forward 2 years, and I bought the iPhone 15 Pro outright since the trade-ins sucked.

Now this month was the last payment on everyone’s phones… except for mine, for some reason. I must’ve but paid attention to what I selected on purchase, but I have 5 more “payments” left (they charge the payment price, then discount the price to make it free).

But I’ve already been using the new iPhone 15 Pro for weeks now, so I’m ready to part with the 13 Pro.

So my question is…

If I sell it to someone, will they be able to activate it? Or is it locked to my account somehow? My Verizon account is still in good standing, of course. Or should I bite on the lowballed trade-in value? Or, lastly, should I wait 5 months and sell it once the payments have completed?

 

[dotatoc]

I got the iPhone 13 Pro on release and did the payment plans through Verizon since they were offering $1,000 for trade-ins. Got them for the whole family, in fact.

Fast forward 2 years, and I bought the iPhone 15 Pro outright since the trade-ins sucked.

Now this month was the last payment on everyone’s phones… except for mine, for some reason. I must’ve but paid attention to what I selected on purchase, but I have 5 more “payments” left (they charge the payment price, then discount the price to make it free).

But I’ve already been using the new iPhone 15 Pro for weeks now, so I’m ready to part with the 13 Pro.

So my question is…

If I sell it to someone, will they be able to activate it? Or is it locked to my account somehow? My Verizon account is still in good standing, of course. Or should I bite on the lowballed trade-in value? Or, lastly, should I wait 5 months and sell it once the payments have completed?

If I were you, I'd wait 5 months. If I were a buyer and discovered the phone hadn't been paid off, I'd run a mile.

 

[DDustiNN]

If I were you, I'd wait 5 months. If I were a buyer and discovered the phone hadn't been paid off, I'd run a mile.

Is there any particular reason for that though? Like would it actually affect anything? Would it be unable to be used? And how can you tell if it is not paid off yet? Our account has been active since before Verizon was even Verizon, so we’re certainly not going anywhere, if that makes any difference.

 

[laptech]

The buyer will have trouble getting it registered under their name because when the network provider they use does their own check on the iphone they will notice there is HPI outstanding on the iphone. Until ALL payments are made, the contract with you and Verizon is still enforce which means you are the one responsible for making the last payments. If you break that contract by selling the iphone before the payments time period is up, Verizon can claim breach of contract and demand that the iphone be returned to them as it is still their property until ALL payments have been made.

I bought a faulty iphone 4s off ebay many years ago and made the mistake of not checking to see if there was any HPI outstanding. Due it being faulty it was priced very very cheaply. I bought it, fixed it and when it powered on I checked for the IMEI and rang my network provider to see if I could get the iphone added to my existing contract. My network provider said they could not because upon their checking they found there was HPI payments outstanding and thus until the payments were completed they could not add the iphone to my account. I told them it was a faulty iphone purchase off ebay and they still said they could not help me unless I contacted the original owner to get the issues sorted out. I contacted the ebay seller who said the iphone was part of a job lot they bought from an auction house.

Basically it looked like the original owner of the iphone was on a payment plan, done a runner and sold the iphone without finishing paying off the iphone so the company that had the payment plan contacted the network provider to get the iphone blacklisted.

The best scenario is to wait the 5 months. Once all payments have been made the payment plan between you and Verizon ends and the iphone now officially becomes your property to do as you wish.

 

[dotatoc]

Is there any particular reason for that though? Like would it actually affect anything? Would it be unable to be used? And how can you tell if it is not paid off yet? Our account has been active since before Verizon was even Verizon, so we’re certainly not going anywhere, if that makes any difference.

The poster above sums it up pretty well. Of course I'd know if it wasn't paid off because I'd ask for proof, including a receipt. I'd be stupid not to.

Whichever way you seem to be trying to justify it, you'd be selling something that isn't yours.

And not telling a prospective buyer that the phone isn't paid off is frankly unacceptable in my opinion. I'd certainly never buy a thing from you or anyone else with that attitude.

 

[laptech]

Just as with cars, there are websites that can check the HPI status of mobile phones. If a buyer is clued up, before buying they should ask the seller for the mobile phones IMEI and then use one of the HPI websites to check it's status.

 

[DDustiNN]

The poster above sums it up pretty well. Of course I'd know if it wasn't paid off because I'd ask for proof, including a receipt. I'd be stupid not to.

Whichever way you seem to be trying to justify it, you'd be selling something that isn't yours.

And not telling a prospective buyer that the phone isn't paid off is frankly unacceptable in my opinion. I'd certainly never buy a thing from you or anyone else with that attitude.

I’m not trying to present any “attitude” just simply wondering how all of this works. Literally the entire reason for this thread is because I do not want sell it if it could cause potential issues for the buyer. Maybe I did not make that clear enough.

 

[laptech]

I’m not trying to present any “attitude” just simply wondering how all of this works. Literally the entire reason for this thread is because I do not want sell it if it could cause potential issues for the buyer. Maybe I did not make that clear enough.

The simple answer is, yes selling it before finishing the last 5 payments will cause potential issues for the buyer (as explained in my post)

 

[DDustiNN]

The simple answer is, yes selling it before finishing the last 5 payments will cause potential issues for the buyer (as explained in my post)

I appreciate the explanations, thanks!

 

[MarkNewton2023]

I got the iPhone 13 Pro on release and did the payment plans through Verizon since they were offering $1,000 for trade-ins. Got them for the whole family, in fact.

Fast forward 2 years, and I bought the iPhone 15 Pro outright since the trade-ins sucked.

Now this month was the last payment on everyone’s phones… except for mine, for some reason. I must’ve but paid attention to what I selected on purchase, but I have 5 more “payments” left (they charge the payment price, then discount the price to make it free).

But I’ve already been using the new iPhone 15 Pro for weeks now, so I’m ready to part with the 13 Pro.

So my question is…

If I sell it to someone, will they be able to activate it? Or is it locked to my account somehow? My Verizon account is still in good standing, of course. Or should I bite on the lowballed trade-in value? Or, lastly, should I wait 5 months and sell it once the payments have completed?

If the phone is not paid off, the phone is locked to Verizon. I suggest you to pay off the phone before selling it to anyone. Otherwise, any buyers will have potential issues. Hope you choose the best decision.😊

 

[Timpetus]

I would add that it's best to ask Verizon this question. My wife and I were in a similar situation with T-Mobile, we purchased our new phones outright but still have a few months of payments left. They had us pay off most of the remaining balance to make us eligible for the upgrade. They recommended waiting until the final payments go through before selling our phones, but my wife gave hers to her mother and that has been working fine. If we had needed to unlock the phone, that would have been an issue, and I'll wait to sell my old phone until 2 months from now when the final payment is made.

 

[DDustiNN]

If the phone is not paid off, the phone is locked to Verizon. I suggest you to pay off the phone before selling it to anyone. Otherwise, any buyers will have potential issues. Hope you choose the best decision.😊

It looks like there’s about $100 remaining. Do you happen to know, if I pay off the device early, will I forfeit the remaining monthly credits via the device payment plan? I’m not clear on whether the credits are dependent solely on the actual phone line remaining active (regardless of the activated device), or if it’s dependent on the device payments being spread out monthly.

 

[eyoungren]

If the phone is not paid off, the phone is locked to Verizon. I suggest you to pay off the phone before selling it to anyone. Otherwise, any buyers will have potential issues. Hope you choose the best decision.😊

Verizon phones are unlocked after 60 days of use. This is automatic and required per Verizon's agreement with the FCC for use of a particular wireless spectrum frequency.

It used to be unlocked out of the box. I took advantage of that particular in 2017 when I replaced a Sprint iPhone 5 and was allowed to choose my carrier by the Apple store genius. Choosing Verizon unlocked the phone.

 

[eyoungren]

@DDustiNN Aside from anything else mentioned in this thread, as a buyer here would be my biggest problem with your phone: will the seller (you) continue to make payments?

Only you know if you will. That's not a guarantee to the buyer. And if you do not continue payments then the problem becomes blacklisting for non-payment.

I don't doubt that you intend to pay the phone off, but as a buyer this would be a real concern for me. All of a sudden, my phone stops working and I can't use it on another carrier because it's blacklisted.

 

[dotatoc]

I’m not trying to present any “attitude” just simply wondering how all of this works. Literally the entire reason for this thread is because I do not want sell it if it could cause potential issues for the buyer. Maybe I did not make that clear enough.

Fair enough. I agree, you didn't make it clear enough.

Since you asked "If I sell it to someone", and the title starts with "Am I sell" (sic), you'll forgive me for not thinking that you didn't want to sell it.

Whatever! As before. Wait five months is the best and only option.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

It looks like there’s about $100 remaining. Do you happen to know, if I pay off the device early, will I forfeit the remaining monthly credits via the device payment plan? I’m not clear on whether the credits are dependent solely on the actual phone line remaining active (regardless of the activated device), or if it’s dependent on the device payments being spread out monthly.

If you pay off early you lose the monthly credit. You signed a contract with Verizon for credits to be spread out over whatever time period(24-36 months). You most definitely can pay it off early and sell it but credits will stop or if you can find someone to trust you to keep making payments then I suppose Verizon won't have an issue with it and you'll continue to get the credits until the contract ends

 

[C7 POWER]

It looks like there’s about $100 remaining. Do you happen to know, if I pay off the device early, will I forfeit the remaining monthly credits via the device payment plan? I’m not clear on whether the credits are dependent solely on the actual phone line remaining active (regardless of the activated device), or if it’s dependent on the device payments being spread out monthly.

Why would you just not call Verizon and ask? I mean in the time its taken you to get answers, you literally could just call and get a answer vs us assuming

 

[Djones96]

If the phone is not paid off, the phone is locked to Verizon. I suggest you to pay off the phone before selling it to anyone. Otherwise, any buyers will have potential issues. Hope you choose the best decision.😊

This statement is false. Verizon unlocks phones after 90 days of activation. I sold my iPhone 13 pro for the amount that was owed on the phone, and when I did the transaction with the fellow that was buying it, since we met at my bank, him and I went inside, I deposited the money into my account, paid off the remaining balance on the phone, handed him the phone, and 20 minutes later he texted me saying that he had no problem activating the phone with his carrier.

It's probably not easy to find a customer that would be willing to purchase a phone that has a balance on it, but if you're meeting with them at your bank, and pay off the phone on your carrier account so that the customer can see it, I don't see the issue.

 

[eyoungren]

This statement is false. Verizon unlocks phones after 90 days of activation. I sold my iPhone 13 pro for the amount that was owed on the phone, and when I did the transaction with the fellow that was buying it, since we met at my bank, him and I went inside, I deposited the money into my account, paid off the remaining balance on the phone, handed him the phone, and 20 minutes later he texted me saying that he had no problem activating the phone with his carrier.

It's probably not easy to find a customer that would be willing to purchase a phone that has a balance on it, but if you're meeting with them at your bank, and pay off the phone on your carrier account so that the customer can see it, I don't see the issue.

Is it 90 days now? I thought it was 60 (see my post above) and a Google search says as much on Verizon's unlock policy page:

Device Unlocking Policies | Verizon

Verizon's device unlocking policy.

www.verizon.com

 

[jagolden]

Is there any particular reason for that though? Like would it actually affect anything? Would it be unable to be used? And how can you tell if it is not paid off yet? Our account has been active since before Verizon was even Verizon, so we’re certainly not going anywhere, if that makes any difference.

You do not own the phone you want to sell. That could come under committing fraud on the person you sell it to, and theft and breach of contract with the carrier you made the contract for the 13 with.
Regardless, wait the 5 months then sell when it’s paid off and you legally own it.

I find this question silly.

 

[BeatCrazy]

The buyer will have trouble getting it registered under their name because when the network provider they use does their own check on the iphone they will notice there is HPI outstanding on the iphone. Until ALL payments are made, the contract with you and Verizon is still enforce which means you are the one responsible for making the last payments. If you break that contract by selling the iphone before the payments time period is up, Verizon can claim breach of contract and demand that the iphone be returned to them as it is still their property until ALL payments have been made.

I bought a faulty iphone 4s off ebay many years ago and made the mistake of not checking to see if there was any HPI outstanding. Due it being faulty it was priced very very cheaply. I bought it, fixed it and when it powered on I checked for the IMEI and rang my network provider to see if I could get the iphone added to my existing contract. My network provider said they could not because upon their checking they found there was HPI payments outstanding and thus until the payments were completed they could not add the iphone to my account. I told them it was a faulty iphone purchase off ebay and they still said they could not help me unless I contacted the original owner to get the issues sorted out. I contacted the ebay seller who said the iphone was part of a job lot they bought from an auction house.

Basically it looked like the original owner of the iphone was on a payment plan, done a runner and sold the iphone without finishing paying off the iphone so the company that had the payment plan contacted the network provider to get the iphone blacklisted.

The best scenario is to wait the 5 months. Once all payments have been made the payment plan between you and Verizon ends and the iphone now officially becomes your property to do as you wish.

Verizon won't 'demand the phone be returned to them' (they don't want it ha). They'll just send a bill for the balance.

 

[EmotionalSnow]

Why are carriers so barbaric in the US? Last year I sold my iPhone 13 Pro Max, which was bought as part of a two-year contract from my carrier with 0% financing, without problems — after all I owned the phone, I bought it from them.

If I had stopped paying the monthly payments only I would have gotten problems, not the buyer — and the phones aren't SIM locked either, at all. Sounds like companies in the US want customers to be chained to them as if they were their slaves.

 

[DDustiNN]

@DDustiNN Aside from anything else mentioned in this thread, as a buyer here would be my biggest problem with your phone: will the seller (you) continue to make payments?

Only you know if you will. That's not a guarantee to the buyer. And if you do not continue payments then the problem becomes blacklisting for non-payment.

I don't doubt that you intend to pay the phone off, but as a buyer this would be a real concern for me. All of a sudden, my phone stops working and I can't use it on another carrier because it's blacklisted.

I will 100% be completing all of the payments. Everything is on auto-pay and we’ve never missed a payment.

 

[DDustiNN]

If you pay off early you lose the monthly credit. You signed a contract with Verizon for credits to be spread out over whatever time period(24-36 months). You most definitely can pay it off early and sell it but credits will stop or if you can find someone to trust you to keep making payments then I suppose Verizon won't have an issue with it and you'll continue to get the credits until the contract ends

Ok that’s what I suspected. Thanks!

 

[DDustiNN]

Fair enough. I agree, you didn't make it clear enough.

Since you asked "If I sell it to someone", and the title starts with "Am I sell" (sic), you'll forgive me for not thinking that you didn't want to sell it.

Whatever! As before. Wait five months is the best and only option.

I fixed the thread title. Not sure how it got messed up.