Apple Promo Offers Up to $100 in Extra Trade-In Credit Toward New iPhone XR or XS

[AronDraws]

Hah, $65 for my iPhone SE. A-no thank you.

Yeesh! Thats sad! I was going to trade in my old Apple Watch for a new one but I think I was offered something like $25? I'd rather have the paperweight than watch them turn around and resell it.

But yeah, can't even put my old phone towards a new one because they offer so little for something they refurb and resell.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Then use a site such as eBay so you don't have to worry about any of that.

Fact of the matter is selling 3rd party will get you much closer to the actual value of your phone (or anything in life, for that matter), instead of selling to/through a middleman, in this case Apple. It's just laziness under the shroud of convenience.

eBay still means taking the time to post a listing, wait for it to sell, wait for payment, package it up, go to the post office and mail it. Some people simply find it easier to just have one of these trade-in services send them a box and send it back. End of story.

I'm in no way saying there aren't more profitable and slightly more involved means to get rid of your old phone, just that there are reasons some choose not to go about doing so. You pay more to buy a loaf of bread at the grocery store than if you baked it (even though it's a simple process) but most of us take convenience over the cost savings.

 

[WannaGoMac]

Agreed. My 6 Plus is still very respectable besides those white screen moments as per the Samsung advert. I did actually buy an XS Max but returned it within a week. Yes, it is a great phone but, honestly, despite all the improvements over my three and a half year old phone, it just wasn't better enough to be worth it. I still keep looking at it in the Apple store though

Agreed completely. I liked the Xr, the Xs Max is not worth the huge price difference to vast number of users. Heck the better battery life in the Xr is the best feature

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Exactly. I used to sell on eBay, where I'd be concerned about wringing out every last dollar from the sale. This meant keeping the packaging and accessories in as good condition as possible, since buyers tend to pay more when those things are included.

Nowadays, the convenience of trading in at Apple is worth more than the money to me. I can walk into the Apple Store, hand them the phone out of my pocket, and walk off with a new phone and/or gift card. Plus I get to keep my 5w adapter, headphones, and lightning cable.

Completely agree. I just have them send me a packaging box and ship it back. No dealing with eBay auctions and the question of how much you'll have to settle for. So much easier, even if I might be able to get a few more dollars on eBay.

 

[fuchsdh]

I just don't get it.... Apple and carriers keep offering $100 for the trade-in phones... but anybody can just sell their old phone on eBay for minimum double the price... Why do they even bother with something that's never going to work?

And I agree with Chrjy from above... doing this is actually a disrespect towards their customers.

Have you sold stuff on eBay? Half the time bids would be struck after the auction ended, or someone wouldn't pay up. Even after that point, if they say the phone was broken and demand a refund, I'm SOL as PayPal will side with them.

eBay is a great place to buy used but I'd say trading $100 for the hassle and the possibility I'll lose the phone itself and get nothing is a worthwhile trade.

 

[iReality85]

Well, that list is evidence of why Apple is experiencing lack luster XR sales.

The product line for iPhone is too large, and OS performance going back all the way to iPhone 6 is too good.

 

[corebeliefs]

Why would someone opt to do this instead of selling it via craigslist or swappa and getting much more money for it? This is akin to selling games to GameStop and getting peanuts when you can cut out the middleman and sell something for what it is actually worth.

Fear of other humans, if you read the replies. You could actually get beat up in the parking lot if you use Swappa. Wait, that's online only.

 

[9081094]

Yes, I saw that and I guess that it is ok.

However, while £1=$1 when they're selling, £1<$1 when they're buying

Apple is selling you diamonds and when they buy back it’s suddenly zirconia

 

[Cmd-Z]

I would restructure the plan that spreads payment over 48 months, allowing 1 upgrade every 2 years, making AppleCare+ optional (I can use my credit card's Mobile Protection Plan).

AppleCare+ is optional with Apple's Upgrade program. It is not obvious, but you don't have to choose AppleCare+ as part of the Upgrade program.

 

[vipergts2207]

Short of lowering the phone price, iPhone Upgrade Program should be restructured for mass majority.

Currently, iPhone Upgrade Program lets you upgrade yearly while paying monthly price that is essentially retail price + AppleCare+, divided by 24 months:

• iPhone XR:$37.41/month
• iPhone XS: $49.91/month
• iPhone XS Max: $54.08/month

I would restructure the plan that spreads payment over 48 months, allowing 1 upgrade every 2 years, making AppleCare+ optional (I can use my credit card's Mobile Protection Plan). The price then becomes:

• iPhone XR: $15.61/month
• iPhone XS: $20.81/month
• iPhone XS Max: $22.90/month

Only an idiot bases their purchases on the monthly payment instead of total cost, and that doesn't change except for where you made AC+ optional.

Edit: Apparently it's already optional.

 

[adamski23]

This shows how much these phones are overpriced initially if this is how much Apple values them at.

Just for fun - I put a numerical value on my iPhone 7 before looking at Apple prices. That’s a lot of money lost!

The only upside is that these phones are easier to sell than android counterparts.

 

[scjr]

I called and asked about trading in our 6+/16gb. If you go into the store, they’ll apply the credit to the sale. If you aren’t near a store and order/trade-in online, you’ll receive a $200 Apple gift card. At least that’s what I was told. I’m not near a store and won’t be for awhile, probably not before the promo ends. Good deal for some of the older phones.

 

[gijoeinla]

People have been buying iPhones for 10 years at inflated prices.

Most people here thought Apple should lower them 9 years ago... but Apple was smart enough to keep doing it for 9 more years. Apple now has to be smart enough to find a way to get them down a little without cheapening their brand.

$100 off through loop holes like this is a start.

Oh god. Allow me to *educate* you and anyone else that loves to *label* Apple as a recently rooted money grab..

I'm a 30 YEAR customer.. I'm a Creative Marketing Director... I learned my trade from a Mac.

I owned and created a broadcast marketing company 28 years ago... We bought three "Mac Iici's".... The cost per Mac at that time was.... ‎US$6,269... What was the processing power of those? I still have them... They have Motorola 68030 @ 25 MHz... 25 MHz's people. Having these three Mac's -- our first year we produced and sold over a $1million in creative graphics for the music industry and artists.

All this whining and opining about Apple gouging... C'mon. You are late to a party that maybe you don't belong at.

If I had just an iPhone with the computing power it has today in my hands 27 years ago, I'd be a billionaire today.

Yes, the Apple of 20 or 30 years ago has changed.. The computing market is drastically different globally. Apple was a tiny spec in computing then.. Today it has over a HALF A BILLION customer accounts and sold over a billion pieces of hardware. Steve Jobs -- who I am indebted to -- could NOT have managed the growth this company has seen, NO WAY... Creatives -- like him or me are not "producers" of units, visionaries are not manufacturers or distributors. He chose Tim Cook for a reason and Tim Cook has managed the impossible. This company was not geared to stay relevant at the time Steve died. The industry around Apple exploded and Samesong would have crushed Apple's measly unit outputs and foot dragging "I'm so great" mentality...Yes, do I wish those days lasted forever, of course. But the facts say otherwise... Apple isn't a core driven business anymore. They aren't hyper focused on the creatives anymore. And yea, you can "thank" Steve for that because quite frankly the iPhone's own success forever changed Apple, not the other way around.

If *investing* in a Mac today for $1000, $2000 or even $5000 to you is just too much for you to handle or somehow "accept", then.... why are you here in the first place? If you can't use these machines they make and make them easily pay for themselves -- that's on you...stop with this constant drum beat that they should just give us all "good deals"...

For what it's worth -- this is being typed on a 2011 Mac Mini Server....sitting next to a Mac Pro...

What about "value" do many of you not understand???

 

[Stephen13]

Oh horse ****.

I bought an XR on launch day. I dropped my trade-in iPhone 6 in the mail literally 15 minutes before this article was posted.

Though, I assume this offer applies to new phone sales and isn't retroactive to older sales?

 

[kingtj]

I always resold my used phones via Craigslist, eBay or on Facebook and got at least $100 more than any of the trade-in offers I could find.

But .... eBay has gotten ridiculous with the fees, too. You pay an auction listing fee when you put it up for sale, and then you pay a percentage of the selling price to eBay if it sells. Since they pretty much exclusively work with PayPal for payment processing, you get ANOTHER cut taken out of what you receive there. And if it doesn't sell, you pay a re-listing fee to put it back up for another 5 or 7 days.

Combine that with all the people who think postage is too expensive, so won't bid/buy unless you offer "free shipping" or a fee less than your actual cost to ship -- and you're not making nearly the extra money on the sale that you thought you were.

I just don't get it.... Apple and carriers keep offering $100 for the trade-in phones... but anybody can just sell their old phone on eBay for minimum double the price... Why do they even bother with something that's never going to work?

And I agree with Chrjy from above... doing this is actually a disrespect towards their customers.

 

[Zaren]

I’m lazy otherwise I’ve seen some 128gb XR’s on craigslist sites for $700ish that I won’t have the money for until I sell me 64gb that is but in a heartbeat.

For my usage I’d take the storage, wide angle/lowlight portrait pics and better battery life over whatever my iPhone X offers.

Holy cow... there's a 512GB 10 XS Max in my area on craigslist for $700 cash. that would be one hell of an upgrade from my 7 that I just finished paying off a few months ago.

 

[Cmd-Z]

I called and asked about trading in our 6+/16gb. If you go into the store, they’ll apply the credit to the sale. If you aren’t near a store and order/trade-in online, you’ll receive a $200 Apple gift card.

You may get partial credit to the card you have on file, and the balance in the form of a gift card (that was in my case). What you need to be aware of is that the gift card is only for the Apple Store itself (i.e. hardware and accessories) it cannot be used at iTunes or App Stores.

 

[gijoeinla]

I called and asked about trading in our 6+/16gb. If you go into the store, they’ll apply the credit to the sale. If you aren’t near a store and order/trade-in online, you’ll receive a $200 Apple gift card. At least that’s what I was told. I’m not near a store and won’t be for awhile, probably not before the promo ends. Good deal for some of the older phones.

Exactly... It's a great deal. Better than ANY other manufacturer will offer any of you for a three year old piece of hardware.

Gee, I'm feeling grateful they are even offering it to those of you that have those devices. Why not obsess on the opportunity rather than choke on the motive??

!

 

[9081094]

Lmao Tim wouldn’t be in this mess right now if he just sold the new phones at a reasonable price. Sad!

Timmy Scrooge McDuck

 

[mi7chy]

Why pay to downgrade from Qualcomm to Intel modem, notchless to notched, Touch ID to Face ID with false positive insecurities, 3.5mm audio jack to none, included dongle vs no dongle, etc.?

 

[scjr]

You may get partial credit to the card you have on file, and the balance in the form of a gift card (that was in my case). What you need to be aware of is that the gift card is only for the Apple Store itself (i.e. hardware and accessories) it cannot be used at iTunes or App Stores.

Thank you.

I just confirmed if you buy the XR unlocked and in pay in full, they will credit your card the trade-in value and even if you pay online. I dont recall if I mentioned paying in full and they gave me the terms if I financed.

Here’s how the trade-in refund works.
There are two ways to get a trade-in refund with Apple GiveBack.

When you pay in full.
When you buy a new device and pay in full, we’ll refund your payment method up to the purchase price. If there’s any remaining refund amount, we’ll send you an Apple Store Gift Card by email.

When you pay monthly.
When you buy a new iPhone using carrier financing, the Apple iPhone Upgrade Program, or Apple iPhone Payments, we’ll refund your payment method up to the amount of taxes and fees for your iPhone. If there’s any remaining refund amount, we’ll send you an Apple Store Gift Card by email.

 

[Khedron]

Has anyone gotten away with a non-Apple battery via trade-in? I replaced the battery myself in a 6S I want to replace, I know that voids the warranty, but wondering if it's possible.

Why does it void the warranty? Unless you damaged your phone doing the replacement then warranties remain valid after user repair.
[doublepost=1543348998][/doublepost]BTW "Apple GiveBack"? Could they have possibly come up with a lazier name? Was "Cash4Phone" taken?

 

[Nipommu]

oh boy here comes the salty and bitter XR defenders jesus lol nobody likes the xr and yea it was dumb to buy that iphone 4

 

[vipergts2207]

Oh god. Allow me to *educate* you and anyone else that loves to *label* Apple as a recently rooted money grab..

I'm a 30 YEAR customer.. I'm a Creative Marketing Director... I learned my trade from a Mac.

I owned and created a broadcast marketing company 28 years ago... We bought three "Mac Iici's".... The cost per Mac at that time was.... ‎US$6,269... What was the processing power of those? I still have them... They have Motorola 68030 @ 25 MHz... 25 MHz's people. Having these three Mac's -- our first year we produced and sold over a $1million in creative graphics for the music industry and artists.

All this whining and opining about Apple gouging... C'mon. You are late to a party that maybe you don't belong at.

If I had just an iPhone with the computing power it has today in my hands 27 years ago, I'd be a billionaire today.

Yes, the Apple of 20 or 30 years ago has changed.. The computing market is drastically different globally. Apple was a tiny spec in computing then.. Today it has over a HALF A BILLION customer accounts and sold over a billion pieces of hardware. Steve Jobs -- who I am indebted to -- could NOT have managed the growth this company has seen, NO WAY... Creatives -- like him or me are not "producers" of units, visionaries are not manufacturers or distributors. He chose Tim Cook for a reason and Tim Cook has managed the impossible. This company was not geared to stay relevant at the time Steve died. The industry around Apple exploded and Samesong would have crushed Apple's measly unit outputs and foot dragging "I'm so great" mentality...Yes, do I wish those days lasted forever, of course. But the facts say otherwise... Apple isn't a core driven business anymore. They aren't hyper focused on the creatives anymore. And yea, you can "thank" Steve for that because quite frankly the iPhone's own success forever changed Apple, not the other way around.

Deal.

All you managed to write was a couple paragraphs of opinion, masquerading as fact. Of course it's all prefaced with "I'm a 30 year customer and big creative type", which really means nothing. Back in 2011, Apple was the 47th (currently 8th) biggest company in the world based on the Forbes Global 2000 list. The idea that Jobs couldn't have handled Apple's growth is completely unfounded. Once you get to companies of a certain size, it doesn't matter how much bigger they get, you either have the knowledge and skills to do it or you don't. Looking at some of the companies that were ranked under Apple we see: Microsoft (who actually briefly passed Apple in value yesterday), Ford, Toyota, Johnson and Johnson, GM, Verizon, BASF, Honda, Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, and I could go on and on. These companies are absolute corporate behemoths that were smaller than Apple even then, so the idea that Jobs couldn't have handled Apple's continued growth is complete hogwash.

 

[tardman91]

Oops