The inevitable "Should I upgrade now?" thread (and have you used Best Buy Trade-In?)

It had to happen.

I have an iPhone 4 and have been thinking of upgrading to a 5 for some time now. I decided to wait for this announcement for two reasons: (1) I knew that iOS 7 was probably going to look completely different and I wanted to know if I liked it (I do!); and (2) There were rumors of an Apple trade-in program, and I wanted to see where that would lead. Apparently, it led to nowhere.

My iPhone's home button is frustrating as it's difficult to register. And the OS has been buggy from time to time. It's all the signs of an aging device, really.

My plan is to just trade in with Best Buy and buy an iPhone 5 for $150. (I know I could probably get a few bucks more online — I've done it a few times in the past — but this way is convenient.) Online, Best Buy says it will give $130 for a "fair" iPhone 4 16GB, which is what I would classify my phone as. So I'm also wondering if anyone has traded in with Best Buy and how they'd rank it.

Anyway, so should I wait 'til… October? O_O I don't think a 5S will be so improved that I'd care, especially with a $50 discount haha! I guess I just needed to write my thoughts out. Thanks! (I might also pick up an Apple TV )

 

Right, which is exactly why I want to know if anyone has had success with the online quote matching what they give you in the store. And that's exactly how I'm thinking of it. I know that the discount will cease at the end of the month and that my 4's value will also decrease whenever a new phone is announced, so it's making me really just weigh the options. (I also know that they're probably all discounting it to move product, but might as well capitalize on it.)

And yes, I have tried the assistive touch for a month or two. I found it kind of annoying to use, so I went back to pressing the home button really hard. Haha! Thanks, though!

I suppose, but it's not like my plan is going to change. For an initial cost, the discount is favorable to me. I've been with AT&T since 2008, and I'm on a family plan, ain't nothin' gonna change soon!

 

I just got back from Best Buy. I didn't actually go through with the upgrade because by the time I was called, the store was already closed technically. Besides, I didn't feel like going through that process at this time of night.

Anyway, he told me the same quote as online. So if you're truthful about your phone's state, then it should be accurate. He did, however, tell me that it's "about $125 through $130" depending if I had the charger with me. So, if anyone is looking to do it, keep that in mind. I also saw posters in the store that said there are no activation fees until June 17.

I'm most definitely leaning towards doing the upgrade some time this week.

 

Yes, it appears as such. I didn't ask anyone outright, but the posters stated no fees for all smartphones, so I'm guessing.

Also, in case anyone is interested, they just give you a gift card with the amount. And I've read online that some people were told the purchases had to come from Best Buy to trade-in. However, that's not the case with all; if that's the case with you, they're supposed to refer you to a Best Buy retailer that won't ask for a receipt.

Happy deal-getting!

EDIT: It appears to be the case online, too, RE: activation fee. $0.00

 

Thanks! I don't think bad iPhones are specific to Best Buy. And even so, all that happened was you got a replacement pretty quickly, which is kind of annoying but not worth $50 to avoid XD I think it could be safe

Haha yeah, I saw that it's actually "Poor," "Good," and "Excellent" in someone's post here. I could have sworn the middle was "fair." Regardless, I would categorize it as "good" (which I thought was "fair" initially). I went to Best Buy, they inspected it, and they agreed with me.

My iPhone has the normal wear, tear, scuffs, and scratches, so I wouldn't expect anything less. And I've been using my iPhone 4 naked for about a year now. The cases I bought just kept breaking.

But yes! Make sure that you're being truthful to yourself about how you'd categorize the phone!

Sweet! Make sure to tell us your experience. I might be doing the same tonight, myself.

 

So I just got home from Best Buy with my new iPhone 5 and thought I'd share my experience.

The worst part of it all was waiting in line. It was like a 40 minute wait. But when they were actually helping me, it couldn't have been longer than 20 minutes. He didn't even annoyingly ask me a million times to buy insurance or a case. He was like "No insurance right? Is this all?" And it only took so long because we hit a snag when the register wasn't working. Basically, much smoother than going to an actual AT&T store, in my opinion.

Anyway, my trade in value was $130. I took the box with the charger and everything and he didn't even ask for it. So it was only the phone alone, an iPhone 4 16GB. The phone was fairly scratched up. Keep in mind, I haven't used a case in about a year. So there were dozens of tiny scratches everywhere, mainly the back, and I still got $130. I'm kind of dumbfounded someone got a $58 value.

Anyway, I signed the usual, asked for my contract via email, paid a remaining balance of $30.49 (total cost of the phone was $160.49), and walked out. He even asked if I wanted to open it myself, which I appreciated. I hate when they open it to activate it haha! So I took it home and am typing this message on it now!

4G is SO fast! Really glad with my purchase! I say go for it, if anyone's wondering whether they should