Vodafone Launch “Trade-Up And Save” Promotion, But Is It A Good Deal For Consumers?
Vodafone Australia has announced a new “hassle-free” trade in program allowing customers to trade in their existing phone for discounts on a new one.
The telco advertises a potential saving of up to $425, depending on the device traded.
Customers can check the eligibility of their device through the Vodafone website.
Vodafone uses the iPhone 7 Plus 128GB as an example where customers can “Trade-Up and Save” to an iPhone XR 64GB from $799, if they sign up to Vodafone’s $65 Red Plus plan and stay connected for 36 months.
The trade program is “powered by” Apple’s Australian distributor Ingram Micro with Vodafone retail stores acting as a collection point.
Traded devices have to be in good working order, with no screen damage, no major exterior damage, or iCloud lock for customers to receive the trade credit.
The promotion runs until August 20, but as always there’s a catch.
Savvy Vodafone customers looking to swindle a cheap iPhone XR by trading their old out-of-contract phone and cancelling their plan after a month will save nothing on the phone itself, and only save $4 on the plan in the form of Vodafone’s “loyalty discount”.
The $281 trade-in value offered for the iPhone 7 Plus 128GB is also around half as much as the devices currently fetch on the second hand market.
The trade-in credit isn’t applied until the customers’ second bill, meaning customers have to wait more than a month to receive it.
Applying the credit in installments over the length of the contract means shoppers receive a consistent monthly saving on their phone bill, but have to wait until the end of the contract to actually receive the full trade-in value.
While the promotion is being sold as a “hassle-free” way for consumers to get the phone they want for less, customers could potentially save more (and more quickly) by taking the hassle of selling their old device themselves.
According to a Vodafone spokesperson, the benefit of the promotion was to provide a guaranteed price while saving customers the added effort of selling privately.
“We understand that our customers have different wants and needs, and some customers may opt to pass their old handset down to another family member or sell it privately.”
Smartphone (and particularly iPhone) sales have been on the decline as users hold on to devices longer, so this promotion could be seen as an attempt to boost sales.
Ingram Micro has also been contacted for comment.