Photo courtesy of Jordan Irazabal
Apple’s permeating iPhone upgrade promotion continues to gain momentum. After extending the limited time offer in Japan yesterday, Apple has now revised its U.S. trade-in deal, offering customers a new attractive monthly payment option if you make the upgrade in an Apple Store.
New signs posted near Apple Store entries this week now promote “Two great ways to buy.” Apple today also updated its website with revised copy to reflect the monthly deal:
Upgrade to iPhone XR from $449 or iPhone XS from $699.* And now, stop by an Apple Store and get iPhone XR from $18.99/mo. when you trade in your current iPhone.*
A similar deal has appeared on Apple’s Chinese website, offering iPhone XR for as low as RMB 125/month when trading in an iPhone X. The original Chinese trade-in offer was scheduled to end on January 31st, but has now been extended to run through February 17, 2019. Apple’s U.S. website does not specify an end date. Customers previously wishing to take advantage of trade-in discounts simply received a credit to their account rather than a reduction in the actual monthly cost of the new iPhone.
While it’s not clear why customers must visit a physical retail store to take advantage of the offer, the promotion may help sway buyers who were on the fence about making the jump to a pricey new phone. With the monthly offer in effect, it’s now possible to pick up an iPhone XS for $29.99/month when trading in an iPhone 8, a deal much more digestible than the standard $999 retail price.
Outside of first-party channels, Japanese carriers are offering $100 off the purchase price of an iPhone XR, and carriers in China have discounted the phone up to 20%. As Apple grapples with the effects of unexpectedly slow iPhone sales, we may be in for a long winter of aggressive marketing.
Follow 9to5Mac’s retail guide for continued coverage of the latest Apple store news.
Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments