Trade in credit after transfer of billing responsibility (combine my wife's and my accounts)

Hi akiisacat! let's address your transfer of billing responsibility inquiry!

Transfer of billing responsibility should not affect the Trade-In credits as credits follow the line. Please do not cancel the line associated with the Trade-In credits or pay off the device, as the device has to be on an installment plan to receive the monthly credits. Lastly, service on the promotional line must remain on an eligible unlimited plan for the credits to apply including the account receiving the ToBR. 

We hope this helps! Reach back out to us if you have additional questions. Thank you for reaching out to the AT&T Community!

Rhoda, AT&T Community Specialist 

I traded in a phone for $700 on one account I had with an ex. 8 months later I opened up a new account and transferred billing responsibility and lost all trade in credit, even though I was owed credit for 22 more months.  So do I just lose all the credit that was owed to me? 

I tried to transfer billing responsibility to my wife but was told we'd lose the trade in credits. I see from the post above that should not be the case. Nothing was changed other than the billing responsibility.

Account Tenure:

The current account must be active for a minimum of two months (60 days) service to be eligible for a ToBR.
Exceptions: Customers who have completed any of the following transactions within the past two months are eligible to complete the ToBR.

Consolidation

Number change

Prepaid to postpaid conversion

A de-unified line marked as Return to Mobility

Not all promotions follow to the new account - some are specific to an account or plan type.

I’ve had the account for years. Here’s the bottom line. There is nothing that clearly outlines what happens to trade in credits when you transfer billing responsibility. All you get is “it might or might not”. That isn’t good enough when you have $700 in trade in credits due. 

This is a very reasonable concern and I'd be fairly certain you'd lose the credits, worse, the balance of the phone would likely become due immediately.  I say this because ToBR essentially moves the line from one account to another, and the installment plan and the credits are attached to the account as much as the line. 

I could be wrong, and anyone who has done this successfully feel free to contradict me.

Having to set up a new account simply by transferring billing responsibility to a spouse, in the same household, on the same account, is ridiculous to begin with. 

And we will never trade in a phone at ATT again. Bad decision. 

Both the installments and the bill credits go with the phone number to the new account. As long as all other conditions of the trade-in are met, there's no reason you would lose Bill credits or have your installments accelerated. 

Since you mentioned $700 in credits, you are required to stay on the unlimited your way plan, which is a mix of the premium, extra and starter plans.  

Switching to the value Plus or the 4 gig plan would void older promotions.  

We didn’t change plans. But we were told there was no guarantee the trade in credits would remain because we had to set up a new account even though the new account was same household, same account, same phone, same plan, spouse, and ATT customer for 20 years at least. All we got was the credits “might” transfer. I wasn’t going to take a chance.