It’s been a very Apple-y week as you would expect and as everyone gears up getting ready for the pre-orders of the latest and greatest iPhone to go live Telstra has come up with some great ways to make it more affordable for you.
By now you will most likely know the costs of the new iPhone 13 variants but Telstra has today offered some incentives to pre-order your iPhone 13 through them. Not only are they offering a great deal on their XL plan but also offering up to $1,050 for a trade-in for your old phone.
XL plan but not at XL prices
If you sign up to Telstra’s $115 XL plan when you pre-order your new iPhone 13 you will receive $50 credit every month for 12 months — this effectively making the plan $65 a month. The $115 XL plan offers the user 180GB on Australia’s largest network and with the discount is great value.
Trade in and save but beware the fine print
Telstra, along with their trade-in partner, Kingfisher, has updated the prices for trade-ins so that you can now get up to $1,050 credit to your Telstra bill/payment.
If you plan on trading in your phone with Telstra the first thing you need to be aware of is the values listed on their website are maximum trade-in values. The actual figure received is also based on the phone’s condition, whether it powers on and is it broken, scratched or otherwise less than perfect. Thus, unless you have kept the phone immaculate (and many of us do) for its entire lifespan then you may well be receiving less than the figure stated on their website.
Maximum trade-in values include:
- Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max: $1,050
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max: $700
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G: $575
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2: $475
- Apple iPhone X: $250
For many people who cannot be bothered with the hassle of selling your old phone privately these deals will be very attractive but you should keep in mind that selling your phone privately will likely result in a bigger return for you. For example, common eBay prices for the above phones in good condition are:
- Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max: $1,200-1,600
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max: $800-$1,000
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G: $750-$1,000
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2: $1,150-$1,400
- Apple iPhone X: $300-$500
As you can see there is certainly some value in selling the phone yourself privately but keep in mind there are eBay and PayPal fees on top of this and then you will need to pay for shipping and go tot he hassle of posting it yourself. For many this is too much hassle and will be keen to take up the Telstra trade-in offer.
Look after your phones
As you would expect the more used/loved a phone is the less it is worth when it comes to trade it in or sell it on privately. Comparing the above trade-in and resell prices with new prices below you can see just how value drops no matter how well you look after your phone — and of course it drops even more if you don’t look after it as well.
- Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max: $1,849 (starting price)
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max: $1.899 (starting price)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G: $1,999 (starting price)
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2: $2,999
- Apple iPhone X: $1,579 (starting price)
Of course some of the above phones are older than others but if you paid nearly $2,000 for a device last year and then get offered under $1,000 for it this year, the trade-in may not seem like that much of a good idea. Remember the trade-in prices are the maximum price only so beware that you may be expecting close to the max for your phone but could end up with substantially less depending on its condition.
Telstra trade-ins are self-service though and managed via the Kingfisher Trade In portal in the My Telstra App / My Telstra Web. You will be run through a variety of questions to determine the approximate trade-in price. The questions are obligation-free though and if you don’t like the price you can opt to not trade-in. If you accept the trade-in assessment you’ll need to send the device in and have it verified by Kingfisher. If your description of it is accurate you will receive a bill credit for the trade-in value within two billing cycles or the amount will be credited to your payment account.
For more information on the Telstra trade-in program head on over to their trade-in website and remember iPhone 13 pre-orders go live tonight at 10pm so if you are interested check out the Telstra website.
