You can exchange your device for cash credits toward your Vodafone bill or the latest device
Why leave your old phone to die in a drawer when you can easily trade it in? Many Australian telcos offer trade-in and trade-up schemes, exchanging your old device for cash credits. If you’re a Vodafone customer, then you’re lucky – Vodafone will accept your old mobile device as a trade-in or trade-up.
But first, here’s the difference between trade-in and trade-up schemes in Australia:
- Trade-in schemes allow customers to exchange their old devices for cash credits toward their telco bills.
- On the other hand, trade-up schemes allow customers to exchange their old devices for credits towards a new phone, making upgrading to the latest flagship devices more affordable.
Read on to find out how to trade in your old phone to Vodafone for credits toward your bill or trade up to upgrade to a newer device.
About Vodafone’s trade-in scheme
Vodafone has partnered with Asurion to allow customers to trade in or trade up their eligible old phones, tablet, or smartwatch. The scheme offers customers recurring credits towards their phone bill or an upgraded device.
Here’s a look at some of the popular eligible phones that Vodafone accepts for their trade-in and trade-up schemes:
- All models from Apple iPhone 7 to iPhone 13 Pro Max
- All models from Samsung Galaxy S8 to Galaxy S22 Plus 256GB 5G
- All models from Google Pixel 3 to Pixel 6 Pro
Vodafone accepts many more phones, tablets, and smartwatches, so this list is not exhaustive. You can trade in more devices from Apple, Samsung, Google, Huawei, and Oppo. To find out if you have an eligible device, head over to https://tradein.vodafone.com.au to find your device.
If your device isn’t on Vodafone’s eligible trade-in list, you can recycle it through Mobile Muster by heading to a nearby Vodafone store. You can also sell it as a secondhand device on online markets like eBay.
Vodafone is also offering bonus credits toward your bill or upgraded device purchase. For example, we used Vodafone’s trade-in tool to determine the worth of an Apple iPhone 7 Plus 256GB in “good working order” if we decided to trade in or trade up. Vodafone gave us a trade-in estimate of $130.
The telco also offered us an additional $150 bonus trade-in credit if we upgraded to an iPhone 14 by 14 November, traded up our iPhone 7 Plus 256GB by 28 November, and remained connected to a Vodafone Infinite plan for a 12,24, or 36-month term.
Vodafone’s trade-in offer for an iPhone 7 Plus 256GB. source
Obviously, you’ll get better offers if your device is more recent. For example, Vodafone claims you can save up to $1300 if you trade up an iPhone 13 Pro Max 1TB in “good working order” to any iPhone 14 model.
Here are some key terms and conditions to keep in mind:
- If you trade up your old device for an upgraded device, you will have to remain on a Vodafone Infinite plan for the duration of your device plan to receive your bonus.
- If your current device is still on a plan, and you trade it up to an upgraded device, your trade-up credit and bonus will be applied to offset the termination fee of your current device plan in full.
- If you add a Vodafone Infinite plan to your upgraded device, Vodafone will spread your trade-up credits and bonus across equal monthly installments for the plan’s duration.
- You can only get 1 trade-in credit amount per service.
- You can only trade up a maximum of 2 devices within 12 months.
- Vodafone doesn’t refund or transfer trade-in or trade-up credits – they will be forfeited if you cancel your plan.
How to trade in your device to Vodafone
You can trade your device online or walk into a Vodafone store. If you give Vodafone a call or walk into a store, a representative will guide you through the trade-in or trade-up process.
- Visit https://tradein.vodafone.com.au/
- Enter your device or choose from the eligible list, then click Next
- Select whether your device is in “Good Working Order” or “Damaged.”
- Vodafone will assess the device and issue an estimated value and bonus
- After the assessment and estimate, Vodafone will send your Trade ID via email, along with your estimate
- Within 14 days, mail your device and Trade ID information to Asurion. You can also walk into a Vodafone store with your device and Trade ID email or give the telco a call.
Final words
While handy for phone buyers, hardware trade-ins are challenging for telecoms to manage. Airtime and gigabytes of data, not hardware like iPhones or Samsung Galaxy devices, are what phone companies actually want to sell you.
Why? Because creating procedures to standardize returns is expensive and is considered a non-core activity by industry insiders.
In terms of users, selling your old phone on eBay is preferable to exchanging it with a phone company. You’ll get more money for your smartphone that way, even though selling it for a good price might take a little more time. Additionally, selling your cellphone for cash will allow you to use the money whenever and wherever you want, unlike trade-in schemes run by phone carriers.