Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
If you’re new to the prepaid world or considering switching from postpaid, you might wonder how trade-in values compare across the two camps. In most cases, you’ll get a higher offer with postpaid trade-ins, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still get a good trade-in offer as a prepaid customer. Let’s take a quick look at the biggest differences between prepaid and postpaid trade-ins and what to look for if you are interested in prepaid service but want a good trade-in offer.
Do you prefer to trade-in phones or resell them yourself? 4 votes I trade it in through my carrier. 0 % I trade it in through a third party retailer or directly from the phone maker. 25 % I prefer to resell them myself! 0 % I keep all my phones forever or regift them to someone else. 75 %
You can get a decent trade-in value, but condition matters much more with prepaid
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
It’s true that big carriers are much more likely to offer $800, $1,000, or even more for a trade-in. The reason for these higher prices is that most postpaid brands treat trade-ins a lot like the auto industry does. That means you’ll often get a trade-in deal that’s worth more than the device you’re offloading. Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile would prefer to lure you into a 24–36-month device payment plan, which in turn will keep you on a mobile plan for at least that long. Not only does this ensure high profits on their end, but it also makes the deal look more enticing to the customer.
In contrast, prepaid trade-ins tend to be closer to resale value and are often a bit lower than you’d get if you sold them directly on eBay, Swappa, or used another similar method. If you are considering trading in a phone to a prepaid provider, there are a few things you should do, or at least consider, first: Research the phone’s value independently . Before you even get a quote, you’ll want to hit up online resellers and see what rates they go for. This will help you know how much you could get if you decided to list it yourself, and also help you understand if a quote is good enough or not.
. Before you even get a quote, you’ll want to hit up online resellers and see what rates they go for. This will help you know how much you could get if you decided to list it yourself, and also help you understand if a quote is good enough or not. Understand that the quoted value isn’t a guaranteed value. In the postpaid world, you’ll often be offered “up to $X,” and unless the phone is significantly degraded, you’ll often get the whole amount or darn close to it. In the prepaid world, many providers’ seemingly generous quotes are for a phone in mint condition, and prepaid carriers tend to be much less forgiving here. Even small cosmetic issues can end up slashing your quoted value in half.
In the postpaid world, you’ll often be offered “up to $X,” and unless the phone is significantly degraded, you’ll often get the whole amount or darn close to it. In the prepaid world, many providers’ seemingly generous quotes are for a phone in mint condition, and prepaid carriers tend to be much less forgiving here. Even small cosmetic issues can end up slashing your quoted value in half. Not sold on a specific provider? Do your homework here, too. While most prepaid carriers offer relatively low trade-in values compared to postpaid, there are a few exceptions. Sometimes, premium prepaid providers like Cricket Wireless, Metro, or Total Wireless will have special promotions that give you extra value for your trade-ins. Likewise, Google Fi has occasionally offered “any condition” trade-in offers for those interested in newly launched Pixel devices.
Good trade-in values don’t necessarily mean good deals
... continue reading