Apple’s trade-in estimate is valid for 14 days after you receive your new device, so the old iPhone does not need to be wiped until the iPhone 18 Pro is in your hands. Apple’s trade-in page lists three preparation steps once it is: back up, turn off Find My, and sign out.
Apple’s newsroom says Apple Trade In offers $175 to $885 in credit on iPhone 13 or later toward an iPhone 18 Pro, which starts at $1,199 for 256GB. Our earlier article on iPhone 18 Pro pricing covers what the phone costs; this one covers the process, in the order Apple describes it. The steps follow Apple’s published trade-in page and confirmation email description, and the on-screen wording may differ slightly once iOS 27 ships on September 14.
Key facts: Apple Trade In for iPhone 18 Pro
| Item | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Credit range, iPhone 13 or later | $175 to $885 | Apple’s press release |
| Estimate validity | 14 days after you receive your new device | Apple’s trade-in page |
| Credit forms | Toward the purchase, or an Apple Gift Card | Apple’s trade-in page |
| Processing time (mail-in) | 2 to 3 weeks | Apple’s trade-in page |
| Credit issued | 3 to 5 business days | Apple’s trade-in page |
| iPhone 18 Pro pre-order | Saturday, September 12, 5 a.m. PT | Apple’s press release |
| iPhone 18 Pro availability | Friday, September 18 | Apple’s press release |
| Ineligible devices | Recycled free of charge | Apple’s trade-in page |
Step by step: from estimate to shipping the old phone
Apple describes the flow as get an estimate, choose your new product, add the trade-in, then check out. The preparation work comes later. Put together, the sequence is:
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- Get an estimate on Apple’s trade-in page. Apple says values vary by the condition, year and configuration of the device, and that not all devices are eligible for credit.
- Choose the iPhone 18 Pro model, storage and color you want. Apple’s press release lists Black, Silver, Glacier and Burgundy and 256GB to 2TB.
- Add the trade-in during checkout. The credit applies toward the purchase, or you can take it as an Apple Gift Card.
- Check out. Apple sends a confirmation email that includes backup and preparation instructions; keep it.
- Wait for the new phone. Your 14-day window starts when you receive your new device, not when you order.
- Back up the old iPhone. This is the first of Apple’s three preparation steps, and the one to do before anything else.
- Turn off Find My on the old iPhone.
- Sign out of your account on the old iPhone.
- Send the old phone within the 14 days, following the instructions in the confirmation email.
Apple’s trade-in page does not list the Settings paths for backup, Find My or sign-out; it points you to the instructions in the confirmation email. Follow those rather than a generic guide, since they match the device you are sending.
Why the 14-day window matters this launch
The window is tied to delivery, and delivery for iPhone 18 Pro begins Friday, September 18 in more than 65 countries, with 20 more countries on September 25, according to Apple’s press release. If your order slips into a later shipping estimate, the 14 days slip with it. That gives you time to set up the new phone from the backup, confirm everything moved, and only then erase and send the old one.
Apple has not published what happens if the trade-in arrives after the 14 days, so treat the deadline as firm. Once Apple receives the device, the page says processing takes 2 to 3 weeks and the credit is issued in 3 to 5 business days.
Online trade-in vs in-store: what changes
| Online (mail-in) | In an Apple Store | |
|---|---|---|
| Who checks the phone | Apple, after it arrives | A Specialist, on the spot |
| Can the credit change? | Yes, if the condition does not match what you described | Yes, the in-store credit may differ from the online estimate |
| Timing | 14 days after delivery to send; 2 to 3 weeks processing | Same visit |
| Preparation | Back up, turn off Find My, sign out | Same three steps before you hand it over |
Apple’s page is specific about in-store trade-ins: a Specialist evaluates the device on the spot, so the credit you get in the store may differ from the estimate you received online if the condition does not match what you described. Doing the three preparation steps at home before you visit avoids doing them at the counter.
Apple’s credit vs the carriers’ offers
Apple’s $175 to $885 range is Apple Trade In credit on iPhone 13 or later. US carrier pages advertise up to $1,200 in trade-in credit via AT&T, in Apple’s wording, with similar offers from T-Mobile and Verizon, but Apple does not publish per-device values for those programs, and their preparation and return rules are set by the carrier, not by Apple’s trade-in page. The steps in this article apply to Apple’s own program. For which phone to pick once the credit is sorted, see our iPhone 18 Pro vs Pro Max comparison.
What Apple has not said
- The per-model trade-in value for each iPhone from 13 onward; only the $175 to $885 range is published.
- The exact Settings paths for backup, Find My and sign-out in the trade-in flow; Apple defers to the confirmation email.
- What happens if a mail-in trade-in arrives after the 14-day window.
- Trade-in values for iPhones older than iPhone 13.
- Per-device values behind the carriers’ up to $1,200 offers.
Pre-orders for iPhone 18 Pro open Saturday, September 12 at 5 a.m. PT, from $1,199 for the Pro and $1,299 for the Pro Max, with delivery from Friday, September 18. Get the estimate before Saturday so the trade-in is ready to add at checkout; our iPhone 18 Pro official guide has every spec to weigh against the credit.
