14 DAY TRIAL // The Reuse & Recycle program that yields credits for your old Apple gear has been expanded to countries beyond the United States and Canada, with Apple posting availability of the service in France, the UK, Spain, and Germany.
The trade-in program was announced last year with the intent of providing upgrade incentive. This way, customers are not only inclined to stay in the Apple loop, but they also benefit from smaller upgrade prices. For example, an undamaged iPhone yields enough credits for eligible customers to upgrade to the iPhone 5s for free.
So far only customers in the United States and Canada have been reaping the benefits of the program, but according to new listings on store.apple.com in various countries, the program has been expanded to France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
In usual Apple manner, the program is likely to expand worldwide throughout 2014. Of note, customers can only trade in old-generation devices, which means that the following products are excluded: iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPad Air, iPad mini with Retina display.
“Bring your iPhone to any Apple Retail Store and we’ll give you immediate credit for its value toward the purchase of a new one,” reads the promo on Apple.com.
The Cupertino giant fails to mention this expressly, but iPads are covered by the same reuse & recycling program. In theory, you can bring in one iPhone and one iPad, have Apple’s people assess their value, and upgrade to a single new-generation iDevice with little to no extra money paid.
The procedure can be done in-store as well as online. If you choose the latter method, the company outlines these basic steps.
1. Answer a few questions about your iPhone and get an offer that’s guaranteed for 30 days. 2. Ship your iPhone for free to our recycling partner, PowerON. 3. After evaluating your iPhone, we’ll email you an Apple Store Gift Card.
Apple doesn’t seem willing to officially extend the program to cover iPod players or Macs, though it does note that “You can also recycle a used Mac, iPad, iPod, PC, or smartphone through Apple. Depending on the device, you may even get an Apple Store Gift Card for its value.” Chances are these devices will yield far less points than traded iPhones and iPads.
Find out if you’re eligible for upgrade pricing at http://store.apple.com/us/iphone/reuse-and-recycling. Some users are also eligible for a reduced price depending on the account status with their carrier.