Everyone has probably heard of Apple’s trade in program already. But, you probably do not know everything about how it works. I am going to share some more information, some personal experiences, and my opinions on Apple’s trade in program.
First of all, directly from Apple, here is how Trade In works:
“With Apple Trade In, you can get a great value for your current device and apply it toward a new one. And you can do it all online or at an Apple Store. If your device isn’t eligible for credit, we’ll recycle it for free. It’s a great deal for you and the planet.”
The concept for recurring Apple customers is great. But, you cannot usually trade in your device for cash. Apple most of the time offers only gift cards to their store. I think this is a good play by Apple, leading their customers to come back for more and more and more.
Now, a more explanation of some things you probably did not know about Apple Trade In. First, there are two ways to trade in a device: either online and mail it to Apple or go in-store to do the trade in in-person. There are only certain devices that are compatible with Apple Trade In: iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac, and Androids. An iPhone can get up to $620 of trade in value, an Apple Watch can get up to $355 of trade in value, an iPad can get up to $565 of trade in value, and a Mac can get up to $1235 of trade in value, and Androids are model specific but can reach to $235 of trade in value. I believe that all of those values are pretty reasonable, considering these devices are used. But the thing that stands out to me is the Android trade in values. Apple also only allows trade in values for specific Android models going up to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G and Google Pixel 6 Pro which are both about three years old apiece. I would think that Apple would want to be more enticing for Android users switching to Apple by offering especially higher trade in values and offering more models available for trade in. Huh.
I wish Apple would offer trade in values for AirPods, as I know that there are many people that have the original AirPods 2 and then upgrade to the AirPods Pro and do not know what to do with their old AirPods. Apple says they have a solution by being able to recycle it for free. Maybe Apple’s philosophy is that since AirPods do not have a high enough price, once the used discount is put into factor, their is not value remaining. I think that even $50 would be adequate for any set of AirPods and $150 for the AirPods Max.
To go on to my personal experience with Apple’s trade in. I have used trade in many times and it has gone mostly smoothly. But, my Grandpa needed a new iPhone because his iPhone 12 Pro was not holding a charge and crashing randomly. We went to the nearest Apple store and they assessed the phone for its trade in value. We noticed once we took off the case that the back glass was shattered and had never noticed that before, since he always had a opaque case on. Unfortunately, they did not give us any trade in value for the phone because of the damage on the back. This really disappointed us, so the Apple store employee (who was very nice) recommended that we take the phone to Verizon (my grandpa’s carrier) to see if they have any incentives for trading in the phone. We ultimately decided to buy the new iPhone 15 in full without having to worry about trade ins elsewhere. We were a bit sour though that we could not get any trade in value for the phone since an iPhone 12 Pro can get up to $250 in perfect condition. My grandpa’s old phone was in perfect condition, except the back, which apparently decreases the value to none. I think Apple should be a bit more lenient on their values given for the devices because usually if there is one thing wrong with the device, the value goes to zero and Apple gives you one option: to recycle it.
Overall, I hope you learned a bit more about the Apple Trade In program than you did before reading this post. Before trading in to Apple, consider the following: is my device compatible with the list and is my device in working condition. If the answer to all of those questions is yes, then your device is most likely to be accepted for value by Apple. If the answer to any of those questions is no, then there are some options for you: you can recycle your device (environmentally friendly, I might add) through Apple which they will do for free (including any other devices like old monitors, tablets, etc), or you can try to see if your cellular carrier has any incentives. There are also some companies out there that buy your old devices, especially iPhones, which you can still find some value for your device, if though not from Apple. Check out more about Apple Trade In here: Apple Trade In – Apple
As a reminder, be sure to tune in to the Apple Event (Its Glowtime) on Monday at 10 AM PDT and watch for my thoughts soon after the event. The reason this event important is trade in values often dip after new devices are announced as current devices are pushed back from the forefront. So, if you are considering upgrading to the new iPhone 16 or a new Apple Watch, you may want to trade in your device before the event starts to lock in a higher trade in value. You may have to live without that device for a bit, but you will get a higher discount on your upgraded product.
The Apple Enthusiast 