Apple will credit $175 to $885 against a new iPhone for an iPhone 13 or later, and it applies that credit instantly at the point of sale. Selling the same phone yourself has no published price, so the only useful way to compare the two is to treat Apple’s number as the figure a private sale has to beat after fees, postage and waiting.
That framing matters more this year, because Apple revised every trade-in value on September 9 and iPhone payouts fell, several of them by more than $100. Anyone holding an old handset to trade against an iPhone Duo in October is working from a smaller number than they would have been in August.
| Key fact | What is published |
|---|---|
| Apple’s own range | $175 to $885 in credit for an iPhone 13 or later, applied instantly |
| Per-model values | Not published as a table by Apple. Its Trade In page is a questionnaire |
| When values changed | September 9, 2026, when iPhone payouts fell by up to $120 |
| Carrier alternative | Up to $1,200 in credits, paid as bill credits over 24 to 36 months |
| Duo carrier offer | None published by any carrier |
| iPhone Duo price | $1,999 for 256GB, up to $3,199 for 2TB |
The number your private sale has to beat
The figures below are the values recorded for individual models rather than a price list Apple publishes, alongside what the same models carried before September 9. Every one of them is an upper limit for a device in good condition.
Don’t miss the best of The Mac Observer
Set us as a preferred source and our Apple reporting ranks higher in your Google Search results and Discover feed — one tap, no account changes.
| Your iPhone | Apple credit now | Before September 9 |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | $885 | New listing |
| iPhone 17 Pro | $785 | New listing |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | $610 | $720 |
| iPhone 16 Pro | $510 | $630 |
| iPhone 16 | $430 | $480 |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | $455 | $530 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | $370 | $420 |
| iPhone 14 Pro | $285 | $335 |
| iPhone 13 | $175 | $205 |
We are not going to publish a resale price to set against these, because we have no verified marketplace figure for any of them. What we can say is that a private sale only wins once it clears the Apple credit after listing fees, postage, and the possibility that the buyer disputes the sale weeks later.
What the credit leaves you to find on a $1,999 iPhone Duo
This is our arithmetic on Apple’s published prices, before sales tax, using the 256GB iPhone Duo at $1,999.
| Trade-in | Apple credit | Left to pay on a 256GB Duo |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | $885 | $1,114 |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | $610 | $1,389 |
| iPhone 16 Pro | $510 | $1,489 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | $370 | $1,629 |
| iPhone 13 | $175 | $1,824 |
A private sale has to clear the middle column net of everything, not gross, and it has to do it before you want the new phone. Apple’s credit lands the moment you buy.
What lowers either number
- Apple’s figures are estimates subject to inspection. Its published wording is that you will most likely receive the full estimate once it receives the device and verifies the condition.
- A cracked screen, a swollen battery or a failed diagnostic quotes lower, sometimes far lower, and in the worst cases the device is only accepted for recycling.
- Find My has to be switched off and the device signed out before either route works. A locked phone is worth nothing to a private buyer either.
- Never describe a device as being in better condition than it is. Apple inspects, and the offer is revised.
Why the carrier number is not the same kind of money
Carrier programmes advertise up to $1,200, and that figure appears in Apple’s footnotes rather than on the carriers’ own pages. It is not cash and it is not instant: it arrives as bill credits spread over 24 to 36 months on a qualifying plan, and leaving early forfeits the remainder.
For the Duo specifically, no carrier has published an offer at all, and Apple does not extend the up to $1,200 line to the foldable. The carrier figures currently in circulation belong to iPhone 18 Pro.
What has not been confirmed
Apple does not publish a per-model trade-in table, does not publish a schedule for revising values, and has not said what it will credit on October 23. Its estimator URL returns an error, so there is no page to link. No carrier has published iPhone Duo trade-in terms.
If you are buying on October 16, run Apple’s trade-in questionnaire before pre-orders open so the credit is attached to the order, and treat the resulting figure as the floor any private sale has to beat. The rest of Apple’s September lineup ships on September 18, five weeks earlier.
