Sprint and T-Mobile Offer New Trade-In Programs
As companies like Apple and Samsung are poised to roll out fresh new gadgets for the upcoming holiday season, rival carriers Sprint and T-Mobile both announced more lucrative trade-in plans for those looking to snag a new smartphone.
Sprint announced that it would match or beat U.S. carrier buyback pricing from major carriers Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Sprint, which was the first to begin offering a trade-in program, allows for up to three phones per line and up to five in a calendar year to be traded in for up to $300 that can be spent on a new phone or credited to the account.
"Offering a competitive price match was the next logical step to ensure existing and new customers understood that we make our trade-in program a top priority and are willing to provide the very best value in the industry. We want to make it easy for our sales reps so they never have to worry," said David Owens, senior vice president-Product.
According to Sprint, four out of every ten of its customers participate in the buyback program.
T-Mobile's offer, naturally, is a bit more aggressive. The fourth-largest wireless service provider in the United States came out promising that it will always have the best trade-in value on used devices. In order to do this, T-Mobile says, it will track the market every day to make sure its pricing beats all other major competitors. If a customer can show T-Mobile that their pricing isn't the best on the market, T-Mobile will "beat that offer, give them the difference back and because we value this help from our customer we will top it off with another $50!"
T-Mobile's trade-in program allows customers to trade in one phone per line and requires the purchase of a new device.
"We're going to see some of the most phenomenal devices ever in the coming months, and that means a whole lot of Americans trading-in their devices and upgrading," said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. "For years, the big carriers have been ripping off their customers with low-ball trade-in values, so we're putting an end to that and guaranteeing we'll give customers what they deserve -- the best value in the industry."
Sprint and T-Mobile have traded barbs over the past few weeks after a proposed merger between the two companies fell through due to regulatory scrutiny. Both carriers have released several new plans designed to lure customers away from each other in a battle for the No. 3 spot in the U.S. wireless market.
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