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Samsung will now exchange your Galaxy Note 7 for another phone at the airport

Published Oct 18th, 2016 6:20PM EDT
Galaxy Note 7 Recall
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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As of last Friday, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 smartphone is officially banned from all United States airlines. Even if the phone is uncharged and turned off, you still can’t bring it on the plane with you. If you refuse to comply with the ban and bring your phone on the plane anyway, you could end up paying dearly for it.

So what are you supposed to do if you’re heading back from vacation, own a Galaxy Note 7 and don’t want to cause any trouble on your flight back?

DON’T MISS: Samsung allegedly tried to bribe a man to keep his exploding Note 7 a secret

Depending on what airport you’re at, you might actually be able to exchange your dangerous phablet before you board your flight. Over the past few days, Samsung has begun setting up “customer service points” at airports around the world where Note 7 owners will have the opportunity to exchange their devices and transfer all of their data to a new phone, with any cost difference being refunded.

These customer service points first began cropping up in South Korea, then Australia, and as ABC7News reports, they have now made their way to the United States, with one appearing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

With more than 1 million Note 7 devices still out in the wild, it’s encouraging to see Samsung taking every step necessary to retrieve as many devices as it can before any more incidents occur. In the meantime, whether or not you’re going to the airport any time soon, be sure to trade in your Note 7 if you haven’t already.

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.