Why your phone promo credits are missing, and which pattern you're looking at

Pattern 1: not started yet, still inside the window

What it looks like: the installment charge is on the bill, no credit yet, and fewer full cycles have closed than the carrier allows. What to do: nothing except keep the bills. Verizon allows one or two cycles, T-Mobile two, and AT&T three bills after the trade-in is completed. The free scan reports this as not yet due rather than missing.

Pattern 2: started late and caught up

What it looks like: one bill carries two or three credits at once. What to do: add the credits up; if the cumulative total matches the monthly amount times the bills so far, nothing is missing. All three carriers describe catch-up credits. Worked examples: Verizon, T-Mobile.

Pattern 3: never started after the window closed

What it looks like: the window has passed, the installment continues, no credit and no catch-up. What to check: that you actually qualified (trade-in received within the carrier's 30-day window and valued above the offer's minimum, the required plan in place, the promotion enrolled on the line). Carrier pages: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile.

Pattern 4: posted correctly, then stopped

What it looks like: months of correct credits, then none, while the installment continues. What to check: whether the term simply ended, and if not, what account event sits between the last correct bill and the first affected one. Carrier pages: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile.

Pattern 5: wrong amount

What it looks like: a credit every month, but consistently smaller than the promotion divided by the term. What to check: the final trade-in appraisal, the tier applied, any instant credit that reduced the recurring portion, and the plan requirement. Carrier page: Verizon wrong amount; AT&T and T-Mobile tier math is covered on their main pages.

Pattern 6: wrong line

What it looks like: the account total is right, but the credit sits under a different line from the phone that earned it. What to check: which installment agreement the promotion is attached to, because future changes on the receiving line can end it. Carrier page: Verizon wrong line; the same comparison applies to AT&T and T-Mobile bills.

Pattern 7: removed after an eligibility or plan change

What it looks like: a notice that the promotional credit was removed, sometimes with a chargeback. What to check: which criterion the carrier says was not met, whether that event happened, and how many credits had posted. Carrier pages: Verizon promotional credit removed, AT&T bill credits stopped, T-Mobile device credits stopped.

The three carriers' published rules at a glance

• Verizon: promo credits "can take 1 or 2 bill cycles to appear," show as Device Promo, and run over the device payment term, usually 36 months. Credits stop on a plan change to an ineligible plan, an early payoff, an early upgrade, a cancelled line, or some transfers. Source: Verizon device deals FAQ.
• AT&T: trade-in bill credits "start within 3 bills after the trade-in is completed," are applied in equal amounts over the installment term, and catch up once they start; general discounts can take up to two bill periods. Credits end if service is cancelled and may stop after an upgrade or early payoff. Sources: AT&T promotion details, AT&T bill-credit article.
• T-Mobile: Recurring Device Credits "can take up to two bill cycles," and a missed first credit is paid as two credits on the next bill. Credits stop if the EIP is paid off early or closed, the required plan is changed or cancelled, or a trade-in fails assessment. Source: T-Mobile promotional credits page.

All three checked September 2026. The specific offer you accepted controls; these are the carriers' general statements.

Every carrier limits how long you have to dispute a bill

T-Mobile requires written notice within 60 days of the disputed bill, AT&T requires you to notify customer service within 120 days of the bill date, and Verizon requires a written dispute or its Notice of Dispute form to preserve arbitration or small-claims rights. The dispute deadlines page quotes each clause with its source and date checked. "Wait another bill" is fine inside the start window; it is not a strategy after it.

Getting your bills

All three carriers provide PDF bills: Verizon under Account > Bill > Documents & Receipts (and Review bill PDF on the bill page), AT&T under the bill's Download or View/Print options in myAT&T, and T-Mobile with the Download PDF button on the Bill details screen. Each carrier page links the current instructions. Download the detailed bill where offered, because per-line credits are what you need to compare.

Check the pattern with the free scan

Phone Deal Audit reads the offer and up to six bills in your browser, asks you to confirm the promotion value, term, monthly credit, and line, and names the pattern: not yet due, catch-up, missing, wrong amount, wrong line, or stopped, with the amount in question so far. Nothing uploads, and there is no charge unless a plausible discrepancy is found.