Update 2:

Maybe this policy is different among stores. Some people said that Apple refused to apply their trade-in value to the original purchase. When I picked my iPad mini 6 at the Apple store (in the US), I asked Apple's Specialist whether if I could trade in later, and they said yes. So when I went there yesterday (13 days later), they processed it right away without any problem.

Therefore, you should ask Apple's Specialists first to confirm whether if they allow you to trade in your old device later.

Update 1:

If you choose the mail-in option for online trade-in, the Apple store will refuse to process your trade-in at stores.

--------------------------------------------

TLDR:

Trade-in your old devices at the Apple Store within 14 days of a new purchase. Never trade-in online. Ask Apple’s specialist to confirm this trade-in policy just in case they change it later.

-------------------------------------------

Original post:

When you purchase a new device at Apple Store or on the Apple website, you don't have to trade in your old device to get the credit right away. You can do that within 14 days when you are satisfied with your new device. That's what Apple employee told me.

When you bring your old device to the Apple Store to trade in later, just show the Apple Specialist the invoice along with the serial number of the new device that you bought, so they could apply the credit to the device in that order. Moreover, they will ask you to give them your credit card/debit card so they can send the credit to that card. It takes 3 days for the credit to be applied to your card.

I just finished traded in my old iPhone after 14 days since the day I have bought my new iPad mini, and they accepted that without any problem. So I think this info is useful for people who want to try a new device before they decide whether if they should sell/trade in their old device.

If you decide to trade in your device to Apple, please do it in person at the Apple Store. The process is quick and easy, and you get the maximum value of the trade-in right away. Never apply for the trade-in on the Apple website because Apple will assign a third-party company to serve you. They will send you a box so you can send your old device to them. It is a sketchy company. You have to wait in 2 weeks then they will tell you that your device has a problem, so they offer you a very bad quote with a lower value. When you ask them to send your device back to you, you will receive a “broken” device with problems that you have never seen.

Edited: Fix typos.

I just pre ordered the new iPhone and selected the trade in as well. Im picking up the phone from a nearby apple store and wanted to know if I can do the trade in at the store as well or do I have to use the kit that they mail out to me.

So say for example I'm looking to trade in my 2018 15' MBP for a new 16 M1 max MBP. How does it work when shipping for the new MacBooks is 2 months out? Would apple send the trade-in kit for my current mac despite not having received the new one yet? Or would I get the trade-in kit when the new mac arrives? Would I have to be without a computer for 2 months?

If I decide to trade-in in-store, can I order the new mac and complete the in-store trade-in once the new mac arrives in 2 months? Or does the trade-in need to be completed within 14 days of purchasing the new mac, not receiving it in the mail?

The trade-in program is an interesting program. They basically give you a huge (sometimes, lol) discount for their new products. I want to know how it is financially feasible for them. How much do they save/earn from it? What are its other benefits on them?

Hi everyone, I’m planning to trade in my 2020 MacBook pro directly at an Apple Store when buying a new one. Has anyone done this before? Do they inspect the device on the spot, or is there a waiting period? Were there any unexpected issues or delays during the process? Also, was the trade-in value accurate compared to what Apple estimated online? Thank you very much 🫶🏻🫶🏻

After hearing the woeful stories about trade-ins gone bad, I decided to go another route. I went to an AT&T store and they tried to sell me all kinds of services that I didn't want, so I left. I went on apple.com to see their trade-in values, and sadly my iPhone 12 Pro was only worth $360 to them, whereas AT&T was going to give me $1,000.00 towards a new phone. But, I found this on Apple's website and that changed everything: https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/carrier-offers. Basically, go through Apple's website and pick your phone's configuration. On the part of the page that deals with paying for it, you will see an option to pay for it in full, or finance it. On that finance button, there is some blue text that says something about Carrier Financing. Click that and your AT&T $1000.00 trade-in shows up. Complete the purchase and set up an appointment at your Apple store.

At the store, they took my old phone, asked me if I was ready to erase it, and then they ran some diagnostics and other verification stuff (I saw him take pics of the front and back of the phone etc.), and that was that. They brought me my new phone, walked me through the setup and data migration, allowed me to ask any questions, etc. My old phone was placed into a brown envelope with a label, and an email was sent to me to say that they received my old phone. When I clicked that email later that day, it showed me that my trade-in was approved because the old phone was already verified in the Apple store.

That's it!

TL:DR: Go to https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/carrier-offers and buy your phone there. Do the whole experience with Apple and have a hassle-free trade-in experience.

I’ve never done an upgrade through Apple before. If you upgrade at an Apple Store, are you given the trade in value there on the spot? Is there an advantage with Apple over doing it through T-Mobile?

I feel silly posting this but I can't seem to find any documentation on it. I want to order an Apple Watch for pickup at my local Apple Store. At the same time, I want to trade in my old Apple Watch to get credit. On the website, I can place the order for my new watch, pick a pickup location and also specify I want to trade in my old watch. But despite doing a local pickup, all the instructions are for mailing in the watch. I know they do trade in's, in-store but how does this actually work?

There are instructions on what to do before shipping your watch - removing it from your device list and erasing it. Should I come into the store with my old watch already wiped? Or do they want to inspect it first to see if it's working (beyond the physical inspection)? Will they stand around and wait for me to log in to iCloud to delete/erase my device? I'd much rather do this in person so I can get my credit right away rather than risk their 3rd party partner denying my trade-in for some bad reason.

Will the Apple store know that my trade-in is the same one that I specified during the online order (that's tied to this new Apple Watch)? I don't want to trade in my old watch and then have Apple later claim they never received it in the mail.

So, this year, instead of FedEx'ing my trade in iPhone 15 PM, I took it to the Apple Store and asked if I can just hand it in and get the trade in value. The folks at the store said, YES.

I handed the trade in to them, they did the checks and everything came back clean so they did the refund of the $650 to my AppleCard (the one I used to buy the 16 PM) and also gave me a receipt via PDF, just like they usually do for purchases.

How long before I see that show up on the AppleCard? I see no pending activity and no notification. Does it take a while?

EDIT: all set! Trade in refund just showed up today! Took a whole day

Apple appears to have made a significant change at some point to how some standalone (not with a purchase or upgrade!) iPhone trade-ins work. I haven't seen this covered elsewhere. It used to be that Apple would either automatically send a trade-in kit or you could easily request it by clicking a button. Now, Apple says that if you want the kit, you have to call customer support to specifically request it. Apple won't even provide it via iMessage support, you literally have to get on the phone and wait on hold if you want the kit. That's some egregious dark pattern nonsense, like trying to cancel a newspaper subscription. They're just intentionally making it more difficult to use this convenient option.

Edit: per the discussion below, it looks like this policy change applies to some (but not all) standalone trade-ins for Apple credit that you can use later, and not to other kinds of trade-ins (e.g., credit against a purchase that you're making at the same time or an upgrade). It also might only apply to certain types of devices. Updated the text above to reflect that. Still bad!

Edit 2: I don't quite understand why this is getting downvoted to oblivion. It's a real and user-hostile policy decision by Apple! Folks below confirm that they've had the same experience.

Pre-ordered an iPhone 15 Pro, got an elevated trade-in value for my iPhone 11 via TMobile financing. Got a fedex shipping box addressed to Apple. I heard horror stories about shipping lost/theft, and was hoping to trade in at the Apple Store instead. But Apple employee said she would need to initiate a new trade in, separate from this trade, and with a much lower trade in value. Did anyone else have a similar experience?

can i still get full trade in value if there’s a tiny chip mark on the lens? all the cameras work perfectly whole phone is in perfect condition just the minor chip on the camera.

Hello, I’m planning to buy an ipad 10th gen and apple pencil tomorrow at my nearest apple store, but i’m worried that you need some sort of appointment in order to get everything you need? or is it like, they have most products there and you can just get it, buy, get out. also, i was planning on doing apple trade in with my current ipad (worth up to $100). how does this work if i do it in store? does it take forever? and do they reduce the value if you do it in store rather than online? can i just use my apple id with my new ipad and get all my data back on it, or is it more difficult than that? thank you!

Clean the outside of your phone as much as possible before trading in your phone at the Apple store. They take pictures of the phone as part of the evaluation process and these photos are analyzed online as part of the value determination process. A small amount of dust can cut your valuation in half. It happened to me today and the Apple guy said it is fairly common.

Background - I took my phone into the Apple store within the 14 day trade-in window and already knew the maximum possible valuation from the Apple website. I am one who really takes care of their equipment and knew the phone was in pristine condition. To be sure nothing happened on the way to the Apple Store, I even kept the phone in its case and left the screen protector in place. When the Apple guy took it out of the case and removed the screen protector, there was some dust on the backside of the phone. It wasn't much and mainly in a ring around the cutout on the back of my case (that reveals the Apple logo on the back of the phone). That is all it took to cut my valuation in half. Luckily, the Apple guy was honest and said he thought he could get a better valuation if he took it back to the back of the store and cleaned the dust off. He did this and then reran the evaluation. At that point, I was offered the maximum value that I had previously seen on the Apple website. Lesson learned. Take a cleaning cloth and cleaner spray to use right before you hand them the phone for an evaluation!

Planning to upgrade my 2019 MacBook Pro for a silicon one soon, but I’ve repasted and added thermal pads to my current MacBook since it was overheating. Does that affect the trade-in value they’ve quoted me? Or will they even send it back and “reject” it?

They’re Apple so I’m guessing the worst schemes they could possibly have haha.

When I go through the Apple Store and select Trade In for my device (a 14 Pro Max), then choose AT&T monthly financing (and link my account), my bag shows:

• iPhone price minus Apple’s trade-in value ($400)

• A final total reflecting the Apple trade-in, not the AT&T carrier promo.

My confusion:

• Shouldn’t the total reflect AT&T’s advertised deal ($0.00/mo for 36 months after trade-in)?

• And shouldn’t the “Trade-In Amount” be AT&T’s ($1,100) rather than Apple’s ($400)?

Extra context:

• I still have 2 payments left on my current phone.

• Once I “link” my AT&T account, is the Apple Store just seeing that my phone is still tied to an installment plan—so it only applies Apple’s trade-in instead of the carrier promotion?

Has anyone else run into this? Am I misunderstanding how Apple Store + carrier trade-in promos work?

Selecting a trade in service now redirects you to Likewize, Apple’s new service provider for trade ins.

So I have the iPad Pro 11 inch 256Gb. I got it at the beginning of this year and I have barely used it. It does not even have a blemish or a scratch on it. Now I see the new iPad Pro is out and I am interested in upgrading but the trade in isn’t very high. I chatted with Apple and they said if I go In Person to an Apple Store, they will potentially offer more for it.

How true is this? And how much more do you think I could get if they determine it is perfect.