If you’re someone who frequently upgrades handsets, you’re probably familiar with flogging your old muse on eBay for a few bucks to pay for your contract break fee or to put towards the new plan. Optus has gotten wise to this practise, and started offering cash for your old phone as part of a new trade-in program.
The new program is called Trade In, Trade Up, and sees users who are either new customers into Optus or those recontracting offered a value for their old handset based on the “popularity and condition of the phone”.
As with any trade-in around the nation, you’ll need a form of ID to trade the device and the intention to connect to a new Optus MyPlan.
Here are the phones currently available to be traded:
• Apple iPhone 3GS – 8GB – 16GB – 32GB
• Apple iPhone 4 – 8GB – 16GB – 32GB
• Apple iPhone 4S – 16GB – 32GB – 64GB
• Apple iPhone 5 – 16GB – 32GB – 64GB
• LG Optimus 2x – 8GB
• LG Optimus 3D – 8GB
• LG Google Nexus S – 8GB
• LG Google Nexus 4
• LG Optimus 4x – 16GB
• LG Optimus G – 32GB
• LG Optimus G Pro – 32GB
• BlackBerry Bold 2 9700 – 256MB
• BlackBerry Bold 3 9900 – 8GB
• BlackBerry Q10 – 16GB
• BlackBerry Z10 – 16GB
• BlackBerry 9860 – 4GB
• BlackBerry 9800 – 4GB
• HTC Evo 3D – 4GB
• HTC HD2 – microSD only
• HTC One – 32GB
• HTC One S – 16GB
• HTC One X – 32GB
• HTC One X+ – 64GB
• HTC Sensation XE – 4GB
• Samsung Galaxy S – 16GB
• Samsung Galaxy S2 – 16GB – 32GB
• Samsung Galaxy S3 – 16GB – 32GB – 64GB
• Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini – 8GB
• Samsung Galaxy S4 – 16GB – 32GB – 64GB
• Samsung Galaxy Note – 16GB – 32GB
• Samsung Galaxy Note 2 – 16GB, 32GB – 64GB
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus – 16GB – 32GB
• Sony Ericsson Arc – 8GB
• Nokia N8 – 16GB
Optus won’t tell us how much each phone is worth under the new program, saying that it’s actually a floating price depending on the model, age and condition of the handset you’re hoping to trade.
An Optus staffer will look at the phone you want to trade and conduct an on-site inspection of the handset, checking if it powers on, works properly and doesn’t have too much by way of physical damage. The staff member punches all that into a web form before the price is returned. It’s also based on floating market-value prices, so the amount you get back for a phone will vary day to day.
Optus has given us a ballpark figure saying that the rebate for phones can sometimes be up to several hundred dollars.
Angus over at Lifehacker points out that you can probably get more back via other options, before listing a bunch of places to hock your old tech. [Optus Trade In]