6 Smart Tips To Get More Money When Trading In Your Old iPhone

There’s usually a new flagship iPhone every year, and they’re always very expensive. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to save money on your new iPhone by trading in your old one. It’s out of date and lacks many of the features the new one has, so why bother keeping it? 

Before you trade in your old iPhone on the Apple website, you need to be sure you’re getting the best value for money. The wrong choice can mean you lose a few hundred dollars! Ensure you get the most money possible when trading in your iPhone by following the tips below: 

1. Shop Around For The Best Trade-In Deals

A quick tip: never go directly to Apple for a trade-in price. They always sell you a bit short compared with other companies out there. Let’s say you’re looking to sell your iPhone 14; it’s a couple of years old now, so it’s reaching the perfect time to sell and upgrade. Going directly to Apple will result in a value of around $270 at the absolute maximum. 

However, if you shop around for better deals, you can easily increase the trade-in price to beyond $350 in some cases. It’s the same for all iPhones; Apple knows it can lowball you because you might choose its trade-in scheme for convenience. Don’t get sucked in by this, and be sure to shop around so you find the best price possible. 

2. Maintain Good Battery Health

What determines your phone’s trade-in value? We’ll discuss aesthetics in a moment, but battery health is normally one of the biggest factors. iPhones now tell you how healthy the battery is by showing the maximum battery capacity in the settings. Most tech experts tend to agree that anything below 80% is pretty bad. 

A low maximum battery capacity basically means the battery is degrading and won’t hold charge as well. Your phone needs to be recharged more often, and this impacts the price when you trade it in. Resellers will probably need to replace or repair the battery if it’s below 80%, which requires lots of effort due to how iPhones are constructed. Therefore, they give you a much lower price than you think you deserve. 

The good news is that this gives you an easy way to boost your iPhone’s trade-in value: maintain good battery health. You can do this in many ways – and we’ve written a whole article on how to keep your iPhone battery healthy, which is well worth reading when you’re free. The closer your battery capacity is to 100%, the more money you’ll get when trading it in. 

3. Keep Your Phone In Good Physical Condition

As briefly noted, aesthetics matter when trading in an iPhone. The more damaged your phone is, the less money you’ll get for it. You should pay close attention to the front or back to be sure there aren’t any deep cracks. 

Cracked or chipped screens need to be replaced – and anyone with an iPhone knows how hard and expensive this can be. If you have to pay a few hundred dollars for a screen repair, then you can bet that a trade-in company will factor that into your price. 

It’s simple: take better care of your iPhone, so it stays in the best physical condition possible. Also, and this is another little tip from experience, don’t be afraid to overestimate your phone’s physical condition. When you trade it in, sites will ask for a condition update, and they’ll normally provide multiple options to select. Always choose the top one because most iPhones fall into this category if they still work and don’t have any proper scratches. 

You’ll get more money this way, and there’s no “worst-case scenario.” If the trade-in company doesn’t think your phone fits this category, then they’ll adjust their quote anyway. 

4. Unlock Your iPhone From Its Network

Did you buy your iPhone from a network provider? If so, then it will be locked to only work with SIM cards from that specific network. This is a problem when you want to get the most money from trading your old device. Most companies that buy old phones will look to resell them for a profit. It’s a lot harder for them to do this when your phone is locked to a network – effectively, it means your phone is only useful for people who want to use that network. 

How do you unlock your iPhone to use with other networks? 

There’s a short Apple guide that explains what to do, and the first step is checking if your phone is locked or not. You might be surprised to learn that it isn’t, but you need to head to Settings > General > About and look for Network Provider Lock. Unlocked iPhones will have No SIM Restrictions under this setting, so if yours says this, then you’re good to go. 

Otherwise, the only way to unlock an iPhone is to contact your network provider. Here’s the catch: they’ll only unlock your phone once your SIM contract is over. It’s also likely to be very annoying because they’ll try to keep you on their network. Stick with it, and you’ll be able to trade in your phone for more money. 

5. Don’t Trade An Old iPhone In After A New iPhone Launches

Alright, this sounds like it doesn’t make sense because this is when you’re most likely to trade in an old iPhone. You see the latest device, you love its new features, and you want a piece of the action. So, you go to trade in your old phone to save money on your next purchase – but this is a terrible idea! 

You need to be ahead of the curve and sell before the new iPhone’s launch. Do this even a month or so before a new release, and you can get more money for your phone. Why? Because the new devices will make the old ones worth a lot less money. 

There’s one very obvious problem with this tip: what do you use as a phone until the new iPhone comes out? Fair enough, that’s a big issue, so this tip is only relevant if you have multiple phones lying about. Maybe you’ve got an even older iPhone that you can use for a month or so before getting the new one. Or, you can borrow an old phone from someone else. 

6. Keep All Of The Original Accessories

Trade-in businesses will offer more money for an iPhone when it comes with the original packaging and accessories. If you can sell your phone with its original box, the little SIM card pokey stick thing, and charging cables, then it’s going to go for more money. 

Again, it’s all to do with these companies reselling your phone when they receive it. If your device is in excellent condition, all they need to do is give it a quick clean before sticking it up for sale. They can also sell it for more money because there’s a charger and a box thrown in for good measure. It helps them drive more sales, so they’re willing to give you a slightly better price. 

To conclude, don’t run straight to Apple when you want to trade in an old phone! Look for the best deals online and then do everything you can to make your old iPhone a more attractive prospect. A device in good physical condition with a battery capacity above 80% and an unlocked SIM network will always sell for more cash, especially if you sell at the right time and throw in some accessories.