I was completely prepared to pay the $200 premium for the new iPhone 3GS, when I heard rumors that AT&T and Apple would refund people who are eligible (or close to it) the $200 premium).

Just minutes ago, I received an email from Apple telling me they will refund me $200 within 5 days. In fact, this would make a total of $500 in refunds for all my iPhone purchases. With my iPhone 2G, AMEX gave me $200 back and then Apple gave me $100, totally $300. Now, I am getting a $200 credit for the 3GS, totally $500 back in total.

Last year, the phone sold for the discount anyway, so no official refund on those.

Here is the email:

To Our Valued Apple Customer:


On June 17, AT&T announced a change to their upgrade eligibility policy
and ‘best upgrade pricing’ for qualifying iPhone 3G owners.

Based on AT&T’s updated qualification criteria, we are pleased to inform
you that you are eligible to receive a refund on your recent
iPhone 3G S purchase.

Your Order Acknowledgment and Shipment Notification emails will reflect
the original purchase price. However, Apple will issue you a refund in
the amount of $200.00, which is the difference between your original
purchase price and the new qualifying price.

Apple will process your refund in the next 5 days, and will send you an
email when this has been completed. We will process your refund based
on your original payment method. See below for details.

No additional action is needed on your part for you to receive the
refund. These activities will not impact your estimated delivery dates.

You can view the most up-to-date status of your order, including
monitoring the details of your refund, at online Order Status
.

Thank you for choosing Apple.

Sincerely,
Apple Online Store Team