Useless customer service from spple

Did you review the terms of the Trade-in for where the credit will be applied and the options, if any, you have. It is stated in the FAQ's page for the trade-in here:

If I buy a new device online with a trade-in, when will the credit be applied?

• It depends on what you buy and how you pay for it.
• If you buy an iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Watch and pay in full, your credit will be applied to your original payment method, up to the total purchase price, after we receive your trade-in device and confirm that the condition matches what you have described. If the value of your trade-in was more than the cost of your new device, you’ll receive an Apple Gift Card by email with the remaining amount.
• When you pay in part or in full with Apple Gift Card or Apple Account balance, your credit will be applied to that gift card or balance (up to the amount paid with each) before any credit is applied to your credit/debit card.
• If you buy an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch with a trade-in and choose a monthly payment option, your estimated trade-in credit will be applied directly to the purchase price of your new Apple device. Once we receive your trade-in device and confirm that the condition matches what you described, there’s nothing more you need to do. If it doesn’t match, your original payment method will be charged the difference in value. In that case, we’ll work with you to confirm that you still want to move forward with the trade-in.

Apple Trade In - Apple

If you were told something different from Apple Support, you would need to follow up with them and escalate the matter there to a Senior Advisor. I don't see where you are given an option to choose Gift Card or credit depending on your purchase, and if Apple chooses to deviate from their own policy that is something only they could approve.

Contact Apple Support - Apple Support

When I picked up my iPhone 18 Pro Max in the local Apple Store on Sept 18, I had a scheduled trade-in of my iPhone 17 Pro Max, but needed to transfer content and ESIM between the phones at home. The store manager told me that if I came back into the store within 14 days, full credit of the trade-in would be applied to the credit card. If outside of 14 days, it would not be credited to the card.

I turned in the iPhone 17 Pro Max within 2 days and the full trade-in allowance of that phone was applied to my credit card within three days.

This was an instance where I did the iPhone 18 Pro Max as a pre-order through the online Apple Store (U.S.) with trade-in, and chose to pick up the new phone in the local Apple Store.

Why the process above was not applied in your case — provided you did not omit important details that may have left that store with no choice — remains a mystery as there are no Apple employees participating here to clarify.

MiltonBrown120 wrote:

Yes they should have put money on my credit card and all staff I’ve spoken to agree but nobody does anything !!

Ive spent about 8 hours on the phone so far and that doesn’t include chat !!!

Was your purchase paid in full with your Credit Card, or was it split between Gift Card and Credit Card.

Yes they should have put money on my credit card and all staff I’ve spoken to agree but nobody does anything !!

Ive spent about 8 hours on the phone so far and that doesn’t include chat !!!

Paid in full on credit card