With iPhone 13 pre-orders open, here’s everything you need to know about trade ins

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The iPhone 13 was announced this week, so chances are you’re thinking about upgrading. But how do you make sure you get the most you can for your device in time to get the new model? Here’s everything you need to know about trading in or selling your old iPhone now that pre-orders are open.

Tip 1: If you can, sell ASAP

The first thing you need to know is that trading in your device is time is of the essence. The second Apple showed off that iPhone 13 on stage at the event, trade in values for devices are dropped across the board. It’s too late to trade in pre-event, but you can still lock in the best value by trading in or selling your old device as soon as possible, or at least using a trade in site that will guarantee your rate.

Of course, this is going to mean a few extra steps. Some people keep an old iPhone sitting around for just this purpose: so they can have a stopgap device between their annual upgrade. This way you still have a phone to use between snagging the best price for your old device and making sure that you get your iPhone 13 shipped to you as soon as possible.

If you’re already planning on selling your device through a trade-in site, here’s all the latest values from top trade in sites that we recommend.

iPhone trade in values by device

Complete list of all the top iPhone trade in values, including older models

Tip 2: Sell it the right way for you

As we’ve discussed in detail in our ultimate guide to trading in your iPhone, you have lots of different options for going about this, spanning from selling your device in person through Craigslist to using our own trade-in partner which will take care of everything for you, including shipping you a prepaid label and box. There are also options in between, like eBay or Swappa, which let you sell your device directly but give you more control over who your buyer is.

It all boils down to this: If you have time, patience, and effort to invest in finding your own buyer, direct sales through a platform like Swappa is probably going to net you the most cash value. If you prefer to just click a few buttons, let someone else handle everything for you, offload to the risk, and lock in a guaranteed price for your device (provided you describe its condition correctly), a trade in site like Decluttr, MyPhones via 9to5Mac, or Gazelle is going to be a better option.

How to Trade in Your iPhone — The Ultimate Guide

Tip 3: Protect your data and prepare your device!

One thing that most people forget: If you want to sell your device before you have the new iPhone 13 on hand to transfer all your data to (to lock in the best second hand or trade in price!), you need to make sure you back up all your data either to the cloud or to a personal computer. Apple themselves have put together a great guide for what to do to before you sell or trade in your iOS device.

Tip 4: Sell or trade in other devices you don’t need

It’s easy to remember to sell your old iPhone before you buy the new iPhone 13, but what about other devices you have laying around that can help you pay down the balance on that new phone? We have guides on how to trade in your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, and even your AirPods to pad our your down payment on a brand new iPhone 13. If you have older stuff that you might just want to recycle, you can use our trade in portal for that, too.

If you have an older device that isn’t an Apple device, you can check out our roundup of some of the best trade in values over at 9to5Google — there you’ll find prices for Samsung Galaxy and Pixel devices you might want to ditch in favor of an iPhone 13.

Best carrier trade in deals

Carriers are one of the best places to trade in your old iPhone this time around, especially if you’re going to add a new line or switch carriers. To paraphrase my colleague Blair:

Verizon is giving new customers a chance to save up to $800 on iPhone 13
AT&T buyers who sign up will be able to save up to $1,000 on the new flagship handset
T-Mobile promises as much as $800 in trade-in credits on a new iPhone every two years
Xfinity is offering iPhone 13 Pro Max pre-order deals by delivering $300 off the handset
Best Buy is now getting in on the savings by taking $100 off iPhone 13 Pro Max when you pre-order
Walmart is rounding out the pre-order deals out by taking $100 off handsets

Top iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 trade in values

Special deals and trade-in coupon codes for 9to5Mac readers

For a limited time, get 10% extra through Decluttr (max $30) w/ code 9TO5MAC (valid til 12/31/21)

For a limited time, get $20 extra through MyPhones Unlimited w/ code 9TO5MAC (valid til 9/31/21)

If you’re looking to trade in an iPhone 11 or iPhone 12, you can find all the top trade in values right here:

Top iPhone 12 trade-in values

MyPhones via 9to5Mac: $375 cash (64GB, unlocked, good)
MyPhones via 9to5Mac: $450 cash (128GB, unlocked, good)
MyPhones via 9to5Mac: $500 cash (256GB, unlocked, good)
Gazelle: $363 cash (64GB, unlocked, good)
Gazelle: $370 cash (128GB, unlocked, good)
Gazelle: $454 cash (256GB, unlocked, good)
Decluttr: $471 cash (64GB, unlocked, good)
Decluttr: $500 cash (128GB, unlocked, good)
Decluttr: $594 cash (256GB, unlocked, good)

Top iPhone 12 Pro trade-in values

MyPhones via 9to5Mac: $470 cash (512GB, unlocked, good)
Gazelle: $345 cash (128GB, unlocked, good)
Gazelle: $376 cash (256GB, unlocked, good)
Gazelle: $499 cash (512GB, unlocked, good)
Decluttr: $600 cash (128GB, unlocked, good)
Decluttr: $640 cash (256GB, unlocked, good)
Decluttr: $760 cash (512GB, unlocked, good)

Note: Apple does not accept trade ins for the latest model iPhone until after the newest model is announced.

Top iPhone 11 trade in values

MyPhones via 9to5Mac: $280 cash (64GB, unlocked, good)
MyPhones via 9to5Mac: $310 cash (128GB, unlocked, good)
MyPhones via 9to5Mac: $360 cash (256GB, unlocked, good)
Apple Trade-In: Up to $390 Apple Gift Card (any capacity, unlocked, good)
Gazelle: $200 cash (64GB, unlocked, good)
Gazelle: $243 cash (128GB, unlocked, good)
Gazelle: $254 cash (256GB, unlocked, good)
Decluttr: $351 cash (64GB, unlocked, good)
Decluttr: $377 cash (128GB, unlocked, good)
Decluttr: $401 cash (256GB, unlocked, good)

Top iPhone 11 Pro trade-in values

MyPhones via 9to5Mac: $325 cash (64GB, unlocked, good)
MyPhones via 9to5Mac: $400 cash (256GB, unlocked, good)
MyPhones via 9to5Mac: $425 cash (512GB, unlocked, good)
Apple Trade-In: Up to $500 Apple Gift Card (any capacity, unlocked, good)
Gazelle: $258 cash (64GB, unlocked, good)
Gazelle: $341 cash (256GB, unlocked, good)
Gazelle: $349 cash (512GB, unlocked, good)
Decluttr: $467 cash (64GB, unlocked, good)
Decluttr: $491 cash (256GB, unlocked, good)
Decluttr: $541 cash (512GB, unlocked, good)