In August of last year, Apple introduced an official trade-in program for iPhones. The deal gives customers an affordable way to upgrade to a new iPhone by getting a store credit based on the value of their current, working iPhone—up to $300 depending on model and condition.
Initially Apple only accepted trade-ins in-store in the US, but it has since expanded the program to the UK and India, and apparently it’s landing in Canada soon. According to a new report, Apple Store employees in the country will begin their trade-in training this upcoming week…
Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac reports:
“The Apple Store iPhone Reuse and Recycling trade-in program is launching in Canada in the coming weeks, according to a source with knowledge of the initiative’s expansion. The source says that training for Apple Store employees in Canada will begin this upcoming week. […]
The expansion of the iPhone trade-in program to other countries is tied to agreements with Apple and recycling partners. In the United States and United Kingdom, Apple works with a company called BrightStar. It is likely that Apple is working with BrightStar and other firms to bring the program to other major countries such as Germany and France in the near future.”
To participate in the iPhone trade-in program, you just need to have an iPhone 3G or newer that powers on. Apple will give you store credit for the device to be used towards the purchase of a new iPhone 5s, 5c or 4s. How much you are given depends on the iPhone’s model and condition.
The benefit for customers here is that you can get up to $300 for your device, even if it’s still under contract (as long as you are eligible to upgrade). And the benefit for Apple is that they can then turn around and sell these phones—the secondary smartphone market is booming these days.
There’s no word yet on when exactly Apple will begin taking trade-ins in Canada retail stores, but if training begins this week, it can’t be too far off. We’ll let you know as soon as the program goes live.