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
Updated with Verizon Wireless’ full retail pricing for both iPhone 4 models.
