'Free' iPhone 5 Upgrades Available Through Trade-In Program

NextWorth, a company that puts bread on the table through electronics upgrades and trade-ins, has announced a way for consumers to upgrade to the iPhone 5 for free. In fact, customers are promised some pocket cash as well, should their iPhone 4 be in mint condition.

“NextWorth … announces a way for consumers to upgrade to the soon-to-be-announced iPhone for free and get an extra $50,” says NextWorth. “By trading in a 16GB or 32GB iPhone 4 on NextWorth.com in good working condition before October 4th, the service will guarantee $250 for the trade-in and lock in the price for 21 days.”

The ‘free’ thing is actually based on the assumption that Apple will replace the iPhone 4 with the iPhone 5 without increasing the price for purchasing a brand new handset model with a two year carrier plan.

The same thing happened with the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and the iPhone 4, so it is only natural to assume the iPhone 5 will follow the same pattern.

Their $250 trade-in price guarantee runs ‘till October 3rd. Apple is set to unveil a new iPhone on October 4th, be it the much rumored iPhone 4S, or the much more rumored iPhone 5.

“With so much uncertainty surrounding the launch of the new iPhone, we wanted to take the guesswork out of wondering when to upgrade/sell your old phone,” said Jeff Trachsel, CMO of NextWorth.

“Combined with our 21-day price lock and the extra $50 for trading up to the new iPhone, it’s no surprise that we’ve seen a 10x increase in iPhone transactions this week,” added Trachsel.

Those looking to sign up for the trade-in will need to present NextWorth with a 16GB or 32GB iPhone 4 in good working condition with no heavy scratches or cracks. The company lays out the the trade-in process as follows:

1. Go to www.nextworth.com, select the appropriate iPhone 4 and answer a few questions about its condition 
2. Print the pre-paid shipping label, carefully pack your iPhone and give it to UPS 
3. Once the iPhone is received, it is inspected to make sure that the item is in the condition described 
4. NextWorth sends a check or gift card within 7-10 days of inspecting the iPhone 

The company says that if you don’t want the cash, you can get a gift card instead.

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