Not everyone follows tech news as closely as BGR readers, so it’s quite possible that some poor souls purchased a cell phone from Verizon Wireless this past holiday season without realizing the iPhone 4 would be an option in early February. Of course, many users have no interest in the iPhone but those who do might have felt a bit slided when Verizon announced Apple’s smartphone earlier this month. The silver lining on this cloud — well, it’s more of a gray lining, really — is that Verizon will help dial down the hit for those willing to return their recently bought phones and pay full retail for a new iPhone. Here’s the deal, as detailed on Verizon Wireless’ iPhone FAQ page:
I just purchased a new smartphone during the holiday season, but if I knew that iPhone 4 was going to be available soon I would have waited. What are my options now?
Current Verizon customers who purchased and activated new smartphones, feature phones or certified pre-owned phones between 11/26/2010, and 01/10/2011, are eligible to receive up to a $200 Visa debit card when they purchase an iPhone 4 at full retail price by 02/28/2011 and return their existing phone. Note: This offer is only available on consumer accounts with five lines or less, who are purchasing iPhone 4 through Verizon Wireless retail stores, telesales, or through verizonwireless.com.
Full retail for Verizon’s iPhone 4 is $649.99 for the 16GB version and $749.99 for the 32GB model. This means those who purchased phones during the holidays are still looking at a $250 gotta-have-it fee on top of the $200 or $300 they would have spent for a new iPhone on a contract. If you’re having a serious case of buyer’s remorse, however, this could be a good option. Just be smart about it — if you bought a new high-end smartphone over the holidays and you can manage to pull in more than $200 plus your purchase price by selling it on eBay, you should pass on Verizon’s offer and take that route.
Thanks, Josh More →
