Every year, Apple launch a brand new iPhone (or three) at their Cupertino headquarters. After a flashy presentation from Tim Cook and co, the world goes crazy and before you know it everyone from your best friend to your grandma wants the new iPhone.
Unfortunately, not everyone can afford one. In fact, with the cost of the iPhone creeping ever closer to $1,000, buying a contract-free iPhone is tougher than ever.
It’s not impossible though. On this page, you’ll find some top money-saving hacks that’ll help you get your hands on a shiny new iPhone without having to take out a loan and live off ramen noodles for six months.
5 Ways to Get the New iPhone for Less
Trade in your phone
The easiest way to reduce the cost of your upgrade is to trade in your current phone. Even if its a couple of years old, you’ll still get a good amount of cash to put towards your shiny new iPhone.
For example: if you bought an iPhone X, you could make up to $620 for your old phone when you sell it with Decluttr. If the new iPhone will cost more than $1,000 – and we definitely think it will, as the 256GB version of the iPhone X costs $1,149 direct from Apple right now - you’ll easily have the majority of the cost in an instant.
What is the best way to sell my phone?
There are a few ways to sell your current phone. The first is to sell it privately using an auction or classified ads site. The main benefit of selling privately is that you could make more money, although this isn’t guaranteed. If you run an auction, you could actually make less!
However, it comes with a bunch of potential downsides too. Most sites charge some sort of fee, so you’ll either pay to list the item or lose some of your profit to commission. You run the risk of dealing with an unreliable buyer who’ll delay payment or won’t pay at all too, and you’ll have to pay shipping too. The hassle and effort involved with selling privately may outweigh the potential for a greater profit; and even then, that profit isn’t guaranteed.
The second option is to sell your phone back to the carrier you purchased it from. This is a popular option among those upgrading as it means you can sell and buy your new handset with the same company.
However, carriers often offer much lower prices than independent reselling sites (our study found that we pay up to 33% more) and many only offer credit against their own plans, restricting your options. Trading with your carrier is convenient but often doesn’t offer the best value.
The final option is to sell with a reseller like Decluttr. We’re not impartial but in terms of freedom and value, we think this is the best option. Resellers usually pay the best prices and are extremely convenient too, with free shipping and fast payments. Plus, you’ll get a single cash payment at the end which gives you the freedom to shop around and find the best deal for your new device!
Change your airtime plan
If you are happy with the cell phone provider you have, that’s great! But, don’t let them take advantage of your loyalty. Remember you are a real asset to your cell phone provider so make sure they know this!
It’s worth looking into when your current plan will run out and when you need to upgrade. When you know this, all you need to do is call up your cell phone provider and ask them what they can do for you. Those words could have a real effect on what you pay for the next two years or so!
Keeping a customer is important to your provider so make sure they give you the best possible deal they can offer you, on a plan that suits what you need from your cell phone.
It is also beneficial to see what rival providers are willing to offer for the new iPhone so you can even quote it in your conversation. You should be able to talk about the current cell phone plan you’re on (so it’s good to know what yours covers), what you aren’t using and how to save money on it with the new iPhone.
Do you have hundreds of minutes you simply aren’t using? Lower them and lower the price. Not everyone is willing to talk about their plan so that conversation could be really valuable!
Change to a new provider
As we wait patiently for the arrival of the new iPhone, cell phone providers will be too! They will offer new deals with the iPhone to suit all types of customers and that means you don’t have to pay up a huge fee before you even see the phone. So, in the run up to upgrading, have a look around to see what different providers are offering and think about your current plan.
Be prepared to change to a new provider for the cheapest or best value deal because you can still keep your cell phone number. Don’t worry too much about changing – you can always shop around to see what deals are available and take your time before you decide. See what’s out there and see what your provider is willing to do to keep you. Make sure you call your provider more than 30 days before your current contract ends, should you need to move on to another provider.
Compare the deals that are around at the moment because providers will do their utmost to get more people signed up to their service and the most recent iPhone! There may be some great deals for first time customers so do the math to find the best option for you.
Consider the storage of the phone
The more storage your phone has, the more it’ll cost. It’s so easy to fill your phone up with apps and pictures, that a phone with huge storage is super valuable! Think about what you really need on your phone and if you don’t use all your storage, maybe you shouldn’t go up to the next option. With the iPhone X, the storage options are 64GB and 256GB so we don’t expect Apple to go any lower than these options with their flagship. The difference in price for these options when buying from Apple is $150. It’s a little thing that could save you some money so why not try it? It’ll help you to be a bit more selective with what you keep on your phone, too.
Or, if you cannot part with the pictures of your loved ones and memes, you can upgrade your storage for a small fee through Apple. The price depends – as you can imagine – on the storage plan you choose. It starts at $0.99 a month for 50GB of space, $2.99 a month for 200GB and $9.99 a month for 2TB. It works out cheaper than paying an extra $100 or more for the next storage option up. Why not save your photos and videos to your laptop, for example? You’ll be amazed how much space you can free up.
Buy an unlocked phone
Buying a phone that isn’t tied to any provider is the cheapest option when you buy outright. By buying an unlocked device outright, you have already covered the vast majority of the cost you would have to pay over the space of two years or maybe more.
Long contract plans usually mean you end up paying more than you should. So, the amount you end up paying every month will drop which in turn actually saves you quite a lot of money. As an added bonus too, when it comes the time for you to sell on your phone you will make a larger profit.
This will also give you more options to shop around for the best airtime deal you can find! The contract you can get into might be shorter as there isn’t the handset to pay off.
Of course, this can be tough financially as there’s a big upfront cost especially if you’re used to paying phones off over an extended period of time. If you can part with the money, it’s a good investment!
Another alternative is to buy a refurbished cell phone. Unlike normal second hand devices, most companies selling refurbished handsets will replace any problematic parts to get it as close to new as possible. Refurbished cell phones retail for a fraction of the cost of a new device, so you can grab a real bargain.
Ready to upgrade to the next iPhone? The quickest and smartest way to fund your beautiful new iPhone is to sell your phone to Decluttr! You’ll make 33% more for your phone than selling to a carrier.