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How to Save Money on a New Cellphone

Save money on a new iPhone or Android phone using these Tricks and tips to save several hundred dollars on a new cellphone

How to save money on a new phone

The answers to the following questions can determine saving money on a new cellphone

  • Do you get a new iPhone or the latest version of your cellphone brand every time a new one is released?
  • Do you get a new phone every couple of years no matter what the brand?
  • Are you switching your cellphone’s operating system from Android, Windows, Blackberry, etc to a different one?
  • Are you switching carriers?
  • Are you staying with your existing carrier but just buying the new Phone?
  • You don’t care where you buy your cellphone. You just want a new one and want to pay the lowest price possible.

The latest release of sought after brands start leaking the best features of their latest cellphone version during the summer.

There are several ways to save money on a new cellphone.

Get money for your old phone

If you have a cellphone already, you may be able to get money for it, and apply the money you get towards the cost of a new phone. How much will you get?

First find the trade-in value of your old phone.

To find out how much you’ll get for your phone in exchange for a new one, I recommend going to a big box store like Walmart or Best Buy because they partner with all the major cellphone carriers. This will give a price reference for what deals cellphone carriers and major retailers are having as well.

For example. If you click on the image below, it will take you to Best Buy Trade in Program information. Simply choose what brand phone you have and follow up with detailed information about scratches or whether or not it’s still working.

See your cellphone’s trade-in value

Is it worth trading your old phone through a retailer or cellphone carrier?

That depends on how much you think you should get, the condition of your phone, how old it is and whether you don’t care and just want a new phone hassle free.

You can always list your phone on Craiglist or Facebook market place and sell it that way. There are also companies that buy old cellphones regardless of their condition. Some of these companies use premium old cellphone parts and resell them to make new ones.

Nonetheless, you most likely won’t get top dollar.

How to trigger phone trade-in at Best Buy

1) Head over to Best Buy Cellphone deal page.

* Choose the Phone model you want to get.

* Select a carrier: Choose from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, others.

* If available, Click pre-order.

You’ll be asked if you have a trade in.

👉 If you do, click yes and simply follow the prompts, which will determine the discount Best Buy will give you for trading in your current phone. You can back out of the deal if you don’t like what they’re giving you. There’s no commitment.

2) Once you add the phone you want to get to your shopping cart, you’ll get 3 options: Upgrade, add a new line or simply pre-order a new phone (if available)

keep your existing carrier when buying a new Phone

Upgrade & new line: Selecting upgrade will ask your existing carrier’s account login credentials. Once entered, proceed to order the phone. If you are switching carriers or creating a new line, simply click “create a new account

3) Pre-order: place the order and that’s it. Then when the new phone is ready to ship, you’ll get an alert to be on the lookout. Or instead of standing in super long lines to wait for an attendant to order a new phone, head straight to to the Best Buy pick up area next to customer service, and get your new phone. Since COVID, Best Buy continued contactless pickup, so you don’t even have to leave your car.

Once you get the new Phone and turn it on, the old Sim card will stop working and the new phone will work with either the same existing number or a new one if you choose to keep it.

Get a new phone before its sold in stores

Thanks to competition between the cellphone manufacturers, Pre-Order a new phone can land you nice savings or at least some freebies.

You see, cellphone manufacturers love to boast how they pre-sold millions of their latest and greatest before it hit the stores.

And we consumers, love to brag about how he got the newest iPhone or Samsung or whatever hot phone is trending before anyone else.

Phone manufacturers, cellphone carriers and retailers capitalize on this demand model of consumerism, and generally have Pre-Order cellphone deals.

When I got my last cellphone for example, it came with a nice set of new wireless earbuds FREE and I got $300 cash back! I was also one of the first ones to get the phone in a sought after color that quickly sold out. Free shipping included of course.

Don’t overlook Pre-order deals to find cellphone savings.

Phone version

However, don’t overlook the savings that come with a ‘soon to be outdated previous version’ of a cellphone.

For example, this post is written at a time when Google is getting ready for the big launch of their latest Pixel phone.

Currently, there is a very nice deal that saves money on the current Pixel phone version. But when the new version comes out, you can expect a nice price drop as well. In some cases, maybe even get a freebie.

Therefore, another method to save money on a new phone is to scope the cellphone manufacturer’s website directly for new offers, discounts or freebies during pre-launch.

Note that pre-launch refers to the period during which the phone is not yet shipped to stores or people.

Additionally, carriers also tag on to the trending cellphone deals and have discounts of their own. However, does that mean you’re going to each carrier or manufacturer’s website? That’s very time consuming. This is why I recommend scoping out general deals through big box stores for reference.

Changing cellphone carriers

One of the best ways to save money on a new phone is to change cellphone carriers. Why? Everybody wants your business as an ongoing paying customer.

If you want a new cellphone carrier or don’t mind switching to a new one, be sure to capitalize on the discounts.

If you’re a young adult starting to set up your credit history, being independent and getting off mom & dad’s cellphone plan, there are plenty of savings for you.

Research first!

These are the major retailers where to research for price comparisons:

You can trade in your phone, get a discount on a new one in addition to getting an intro discount on the cellphone plan itself.

Best Buy for example, has their own cellphone discount for customers that activate a new plan with several of their partner carriers

No doubt, cellphone carriers do follow suit to individual savings as well.

Negotiate

Can you negotiate? What would you lose if you contact a carrier and ask if they have specific deals

  • for young people,
  • for seniors
  • college students
  • veterans
  • family plan
  • adding a new line

Demographics

However – consider savings for these demographics:

  • customer loyalty – have you been with the same carrier for a long time?
  • new customer?
  • business owner
  • Who is your employer? do you work for a government agency, or work in the medical field? Do you work in the educational system?

Don’t overlook discounts based on the work and service you provide, or your career. When I was working for the government for example, I was able to get an annual discount as well.

Holiday shopping

This post is being published ahead of the holiday shopping season. If you can wait for the best time of the year to shop, there is no better time than Black Friday to find great savings on a new smartphone. Discounts, promotions, free offers are also thrown into the mix from every shopping outlet you can think of.

The only downside is that you’ll have to literally have constant watch on the internet or camp outside the store to get the best deal.

Final thoughts

With a little bit of extra time and effort, take advantage of the savings available by doing some research ahead of buying your next smartphone.

Hope these tips help you save and enjoy your new Phone! Happy savings, TaLis

Do you have a tip to add to this list? leave a comment and share and help everyone save.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure HERE. Thank you.

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