Confused about Verizon’s new 60 day active rule for iPhone 16 trade-ins? We explain

Ever
since

Verizon’s
iPhone
16
trade-in
promotion
was
first
unveiled,
there
has
been
some
confusion
about
the
trade-in
phone
requirements
to
take
advantage
of
the
offer.
While
the
promotion
applies
to
both
new
and
existing
customers,
Verizon’s
initial
press
release
revealed
that
the
trade-in
phone
“must
be
active
on
the
account
for
60
days
prior
to
trade-in”
for
all
existing
customers,
regardless
of
the
plan.
However,
the
actual

Device
Trade-In
Program
Terms
&
Conditions
only
mention
this
requirement
for
those
with
a
MyPlan
Unlimited
Ultimate
account.

Vague
wording
and
conflicting
policies
led
to
misunderstandings
(such
as

those
seen
here
on
Reddit),
such
as
whether
the
60
days
of
prior
use
had
to
be
immediately
before
the
trade-in
or
if
it
applied
to
any
device
that
had
been
on
a
customer’s
Verizon
account
for
at
least
60
days
at
any
time
in
the
past.
Additionally,
it
wasn’t
clear
if
these
restrictions
applied
to
all
plans
or
just
the
Ultimate
plan.

These
distinctions
are
important.
After
all,
many
people
upgrade
to
a
new
phone
and
keep
the
old
one
as
a
backup.
Once
they’re
ready
for
another
upgrade,
the
backup
becomes
the
trade-in,
and
the
former
primary
phone
becomes
the
new
backup.

So
does
this
new
rule
make
this
no
longer
possible,
and
does
it
apply
to
all
plans? We
reached
out
to

Verizon
for
further
clarification,
and
fortunately,
they
promptly
responded
with
more
details
about
the
60-day
rule.
According
to
a
Verizon
representative:

The
60-day
policy
is
in
place
to
ensure
that
the
phones
being
traded
in
for
upgrades
are
not
gray
market
or
stolen.
This
security
measure
is
based
on
our
60-day
unlock
policy.
As
long
as
the
trade-in
phone
has
been
active
on
a
Verizon
line
for
at
least
60
days
at
some
point,
it
can
be
traded
in
as
part
of
the
offer.
It
does
not
matter
which
plan
the
customer
is
on.

In
short,
if
you’re
an
existing
Verizon
customer
and
want
to
trade
in
a
phone
to
take
advantage
of
the
iPhone
16
trade-in
deal
or
any
future
trade-in
deal,
it
must
have
been
active
on
your
account
for
at
least
60
days
at
some
point
in
the
past.
The
good
news
is
it
doesn’t
seem
to
matter
when.

For
new
customers
coming
from
another
network,
this
limitation
doesn’t
apply.
Additionally,
this
policy
is
consistent
across
all
device
plans
and
trade-in
offers.

Overall,
the
policy
makes
sense,
as
it
seems
intended
to
ensure
that
phones
being
traded
in
are
legitimate.
We
do
wonder
what
will
happen
to
those
who
switched
more
recently
to
Verizon
on
a
bring-your-own-device
plan
with
plans
to
trade
in
an
older
backup.
While
their
BYOD
device
will
no
doubt
count
as
eligible,
older
devices
from
the
previous
network
will
likely
not.