Best Buy is introducing another special deal this weekend, offering a minimum of $150 for trade-ins of working iPhone 4s and iPhone 5 smartphones. Customers must buy a new smartphone with two-year contract on AT&T, Sprint or Verizon, however. The offer is good through the end of the day tomorrow, March 1. The chain has also reduced the price of the base 16GB iPhone 5s to $150 to match the buyback.
With a number of carriers moving away from two-year contracts for its customers -- instead focusing on non-subsidized, but cheaper, monthly plans -- it may be affecting the bottom line of retailers like Best Buy because plans like AT&T Next do not, in many cases, require customers to pay money up front.
For upgrade-eligible iPhone-owners looking to move to the iPhone 5s, this promotion could be an inexpensive way to do that.
Top Rated Comments
Would you call a house with $0 down payment on its mortgage a free house?
Of course not. You would just call it what it is: no down payment.
Why is it different with smartphones?
Not to mention that the phone isn't free at all. You are getting store credit, that's it. So unless you are ready to purchase something from Best Buy, this offer isn't worth much.
It's essentially what's known as "hire purchase". It's more expensive than off the shelf. Ideal would be to buy an unlocked direct from apple, considering you have the cash up front.
Even still, of you are on a budget, these contracts cost far more.
Nope. A measly $230 for my iPhone 5, Verizon (Factory Unlocked), 32GB white. I'll stick to my iPhone 5 until later this year when the new iPhone 6 is announced. Plus, I signed up for the free $50 gift card promo, so as long as I upgrade by the end of the year I get a free $50 gift card.
I'm already planning to camp out for around 8 hours or so on launch day.