# How to squeeze $1,200 out of your old iPhone > Apple's carrier trade-in deals can knock four figures off an iPhone 18 Pro, if you prep your old phone right. - Title: How to squeeze $1,200 out of your old iPhone · PCMAG - Summary: Apple's carrier trade-in deals can knock four figures off an iPhone 18 Pro, if you prep your old phone right. Carrier trade-ins through AT&T or T-Mobile beat… - Keywords: iphone, trade-in, apple, deals, smartphones, technology, squeeze, 200, old, PCMAG - Source: PCMAG — https://pcmag.com/explainers/get-up-to-1200-for-iphone-18-pro-with-apples-carrier-trade-in-apple-event - Author: Jason Cohen - Published: 2026-09-12T13:04:04+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: iphone, trade-in, apple, deals, smartphones, technology ## The $1,199 problem The iPhone 18 Pro lands September 18 starting at $1,199. Preorders are open now, and trade-in credit is the fastest way to cut that number down. ## Apple raised values twice Apple bumped its trade-in payouts twice this year, most recently after the September 9 event. Older phones are worth noticeably more than they were in spring. ## Carriers pay the most AT&T and T-Mobile will hand you up to $1,200 in credits toward an iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max. You need to trade in an iPhone 14 or newer to hit the ceiling. > up to $1,200 in trade-in credits ## Apple caps out at $885 Trading directly with Apple is simpler but pays less. The absolute maximum through Apple Trade In is $885, more than $300 short of the carrier offers. ## What a 17 is worth Apple pays $885 for an iPhone 17 Pro Max and $785 for a 17 Pro. The iPhone Air and the standard 17 both top out at $585. ## The iPhone 16 tier A 16 Pro Max now fetches $720, up from $695. The 16 Pro jumped to $630 from $560, the biggest single raise in the lineup. ## Older phones, smaller checks An iPhone 15 Pro Max gets $530 and a 15 Pro gets $420. Drop back to an iPhone 14 and you are looking at $235. ## Back it up first On the phone, go to Settings, your name, iCloud, iCloud Backup, Back Up Now. On a Mac running Catalina or later, plug in and back up through Finder instead. ## Turn off Find My Find My can block the next owner from activating the phone. Settings, your name, Find My, switch it off and enter your Apple Account password. ## Escape iMessage purgatory Texts used to vanish into a traded-in iPhone when people switched to Android. Apple fixed it, but disabling iMessage under Settings, Apps, Messages costs you nothing. > those still scarred by "iMessage purgatory" ## Forget your AirPods AirPods will pair to a new iPhone without being unpaired from the old one. Still, open Settings, Bluetooth, tap the info icon and pick Forget This Device. ## Unpair the Apple Watch In the Watch app, go to My Watch, All Watches, tap the info circle and unpair. On a cellular model, choose to remove the plan since the phone is leaving. ## Sign out of iCloud Settings, your name, Sign Out, then your Apple Account password. This clears iCloud, iTunes and the App Store in one move. ## Erase everything Once the new phone is set up, go to Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone, Erase All Content and Settings, and approve the prompts. ## Pull the SIM Phones before the iPhone 14 still have a physical SIM holding your number, billing data and security details. Pop the tray with a paper clip and keep the card. > It identifies you, your phone, and a lot of your activity on your phone. ## Apple pays in credit Apple Trade In gives you a credit or gift card, applied to your card once the device is received and verified. Installment buyers get the credit immediately. ## Best Buy and GameStop Best Buy offers about $275 in gift card value for a 512GB iPhone 15 Pro. GameStop quotes $267.30 cash or $297 in store credit for the same phone. ## Selling yourself pays more eBay suggested listing that same iPhone 15 Pro at $510, and Swappa shows an average sale price of $544. You handle photos, listing and shipping. ## Fast cash, lower price uSell quotes roughly $268 for a 512GB 15 Pro, ships free, and pays by check or PayPal once it confirms the condition you described. ## Shop the offer, not the brand The same phone swings from $267 to $544 depending on where it goes. Check AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon promos before you commit, and expect quotes to shift. > Trade-in values were accurate at the time of publication. Your mileage may vary. ## Key takeaway Carrier trade-ins through AT&T or T-Mobile beat Apple's own program by hundreds of dollars, but wipe and unlink your old phone before it ships.