AT&T bill credits stopped: what ends them and what to check

Four different situations that all look like "my credits stopped"

• Delayed start. The credit has not appeared yet. AT&T allows three bills after the trade-in is completed; see the not-showing guide.
• Stopped after working. The credit posted for months and then disappeared while the installment charge continued. The rest of this page.
• Eligibility change. AT&T ended the credit because of an account event its terms name. Legitimate under the terms if the event happened; worth reviewing if it did not.
• Wrong amount. The credit continues but at a smaller figure. Usually a tier or valuation question, covered in the not-showing guide.

What AT&T says ends bill credits

Note the wording "may stop" for upgrades and early payoffs: AT&T does not promise the credit survives either, so a payoff made to unlock or replace a phone commonly ends it. The 90-day rule for new lines is the one people miss, because it ties the promotion on one line to what happens on a different line.

First: has the term simply ended?

AT&T applies promotion credits "in equal amounts over the term of the installment agreement," usually 36 months. When the installment charge disappears from the bill, the credit disappears with it, and the bill goes up by the difference between the two. Count the credits received; if the count matches the term, nothing is missing. The final credit can be a few cents different because of rounding, and the total credit cannot exceed the device cost.

What a stopped credit looks like

Stopped credits carry their own evidence

Unlike a credit that never started, a stopped credit comes with proof of enrollment: the earlier bills show the promotion name, the amount, and the line. That narrows the review to one question, which account event ended it and whether it should have. AT&T's support article says to keep the same device on the installment plan and the service active and in good standing for the full term, so those are the two things to verify first.

What to gather

• The last bill with a correct credit and every bill after it, as PDFs.
• The installment agreement and any payoff, upgrade, or replacement order from the same period.
• The offer page or order confirmation with the plan requirement and, for a new line, the activation date.
• Any cancellation or plan change confirmation on any line in the account.
• Chat transcripts or call notes with case numbers.

What to ask AT&T

1. Which account event ended the promotion credit, and on what date?
2. Is the promotion still attached to this installment agreement and line? If not, where is it?
3. If no qualifying event happened, can the promotion be reinstated with catch-up credits for the missed months?
4. How many credits were applied, and how many remain on the term?
5. Please provide a case number and the explanation in writing.

AT&T's 120-day dispute window

For a stopped credit, the first affected bill is the one that ages out first. Raise every affected bill with customer service inside its own 120 days, keep the case numbers, and use the Notice of Dispute if the answer is not in writing. The dispute deadlines page compares the three carriers, and the FCC guide explains the informal complaint.

Where to find the documents in myAT&T

AT&T's support article on viewing bills (updated March 9, 2026) says to sign in at att.com/myatt, open the bill, and choose Download for a PDF copy or View/Print for a printable PDF. Its bill-credit article says to open the billing center, look under Last bill, and choose View discounts, and to make sure you are viewing the line that should receive the credit. Trade-in status is at tradein.att.com/trade-in-status with the email address, mobile number, and confirmation number from the trade-in.

Menu names come from AT&T's support pages linked below and can change.

How Phone Deal Audit helps

The free scan reads the bills before and after the stop and reports a stopped-credit pattern separately from a delayed one, with the months in question and, when the term is confirmed, the remaining promotional value that depends on the outcome. Nothing uploads.

Questions people ask