When it’s time to buy a new iPhone, most of us don’t hold on to the old one. After all, iPhones are expensive, and trading in the old for the new reduces the sticker shock you have to deal with at the Apple Store. If you’re planning on buying a new iPhone through Apple anytime soon, and thought you might trade-in your current device, you should stop thinking and do it. Now.
As it happens, Apple has currently elevated its trade-in prices from now until the end of May. The best prices are for the newest-old iPhones: Apple is offering trade-in values of up to $600 for the iPhone 12 Pro, and and $700 for the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Those prices are up $50 from the usual $550 and $650, respectively.
Other iPhone trade-in values are also increased, but not by as much. Apple is offering $30 more than usual for iPhone 12, 12 mini, and 11 Pro Max, $20 more than usual for an iPhone 11 Pro, and $10 more than usual for an iPhone SE (2nd generation). Considering the SE was Apple’s midrange iPhone, it isn’t surprising it gets the smallest price bump.
That said, more money is more money. If you were already planning to take your trade-in to Apple, you lucked into an extra savings without even knowing it. However, you need to act fast: Apple’s current trade-in prices are only good until the end of the month. Once June starts, the prices fall back down to standard. While going from $160 to $150 for an iPhone SE isn’t too much of a hit, $700 to $650 for an iPhone 12 Pro Max would be sad to see.
Of course, Apple is far from your only option when it comes to reselling and trading in iPhones. Between carrier deals from Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, to popular websites like Swappa or eBay, you have plenty of opportunities to earn some cash from your used iPhone. Depending on your particular device, you might find prices above what Apple offers, even through this May promotion. According to Swappa, the average price for an iPhone 12 Pro is $715, more than what Apple is offering for an iPhone 12 Pro Max.
However, Apple trade-ins exist for a reason: They’re convenient. You don’t have to haggle, you don’t need to do research: You walk in, hand over your old iPhone, pay a discount for a new one, and go on your merry way. If that sounds like the way you prefer to do things, by all means, go for it. Just make sure to trade in your iPhone before the end of May.
