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iPhone trade-in scheme comes to UK Apple Stores

Bored of your old iPhone? Apple will take it off your hands -- as long as you buy a slightly cheaper new one.

Luke Westaway Senior editor
Luke Westaway is a senior editor at CNET and writer/ presenter of Adventures in Tech, a thrilling gadget show produced in our London office. Luke's focus is on keeping you in the loop with a mix of video, features, expert opinion and analysis.
Luke Westaway
2 min read

Getting bored of your old iPhone? Apple will take it off your hands -- as long as you buy a slightly cheaper new one.

The company's 'Reuse and Recycle' iPhone scheme kicked off in August in the US, but, as-per rumours, has now arrived in UK shops. The plan lets you swap an old iPhone for credit towards a new one, The Telegraph reports.

"iPhones hold great value", the paper quotes the shiny gadget-maker as saying. "So, Apple Retail Stores in the UK are launching a new programme to assist customers who wish to bring in their previous-generation iPhone for reuse and recycling."

If you bring your old iPhone into an Apple shop, an employee will break out their iPhone-inspection monocle and assign your tired mobile a value, which you can count towards the price of a new iPhone. Hardware, water and screen damage will all count against the price.

Trade-in credit is only valid "when purchasing a new iPhone activated in store with the network of your choice", Apple says on its website.

A box on the pages for Apple's high-street shops now reads, "Trade in your old iPhone and get up to £175 for a new one", which suggests the maximum discount you can earn could be £175.

Apple has offered to pay you cash for your old tech -- iPhones included -- since early 2012. The new in-store scheme is more convenient if you're planning on buying a new iPhone anyway, but if you're out to save cash you should see if you can get a better price for your tech elsewhere. A quick glance at eBay reveals that you could nab upwards of £225 for a working, 16GB iPhone 4S, for example. 

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