ozsavers

guide · best buy trade in

best buy trade in,
paid in gift cards.

Best Buy will take your old phone, laptop, tablet, console or games and pay you for them, but it pays in Best Buy gift cards rather than cash. You can trade in online, where shipping is free and you have 14 days to post the device, or in a store, where it is graded in front of you and settled on the spot. Online payments arrive as an electronic gift card within 5 business days of grading. You need photo ID either way, and you must be 18 or older.

That gift card detail is the whole thing. Every comparison you make should start from the fact that the money can only be spent in one shop.

Policy checked on 15 September 2026 against Best Buy's own policy page.

the three ways to do it.

Route How it works How you are paid
Online, for a gift card Pick the item on the estimator, answer the condition questions, then post it within 14 days on the label Best Buy provides and pays for. Electronic gift card within 5 business days of grading
Online, as purchase credit Apply the trade in value to a new order up front, then send the old device within 14 days of the new one arriving. Refunded to your original payment method
In store Take the device, its working accessories and photo ID to a participating store. Staff grade it in front of you. Gift card or credit, immediately

The purchase credit route is the one worth knowing about. You take the trade in value off the new item at checkout, then post the old device within 14 days of the new one landing, and the value comes back to your original payment method rather than sitting on a card. If you already know what you are buying, it is simply better.

Most stores take part, though the programme does not run at some outlet locations or at stores in Washington DC, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York and Puerto Rico. Worth a check before you drive anywhere.

how condition is graded.

The number on the estimator is a quote, not a promise. What you are actually paid depends on the grade Best Buy assigns once someone has the device in their hands.

Grade What it means
Good Fully functional with no technical problems, and no scratches, dents or dings. This is the grade the quoted price assumes.
Fair Fully functional with no technical problems, but carrying a few scratches. Pays less than Good.
Broken Significant physical damage or the device does not work. Often still worth something, and always worth checking.
Recycle No monetary value, but Best Buy will take it and dispose of it responsibly rather than turning you away.
Not accepted Water damage, a recalled model, signs of tampering, or a device still locked to a password or an account.

Good and Fair are separated by scratches alone, so a case and a screen protector across two years of ownership are worth real money at the end of it. Broken is still worth quoting rather than assuming a damaged device is landfill.

the things that get a device rejected.

A device still signed in to an account is the most common failure, and it is entirely avoidable. Clear your data and remove your accounts first. On an iPhone or iPad that means turning off Find My and taking the device out of your iCloud account. On Android 5.0 and above, do a factory reset. Water damage, a recalled model and any sign of tampering are all refused outright.

Send the working accessories too, particularly the power supply, because a missing charger comes off the price. Pack it in a proper box with bubble wrap, tape every edge, and keep the tracking receipt. If the device arrives after 14 days the quote can be revised or withdrawn.

If the grading comes back below your quote, you get an email explaining why. You can accept the new figure, supply more detail and ask them to look again, or ask for the device back, in which case the return postage is yours. Once a device has shipped and matches its quote, you cannot change your mind. There is also a limit of five of the same or similar product per month.

so is it worth it.

It depends entirely on whether you were going to spend money at Best Buy anyway. If you are standing in front of a new television and the trade in knocks a few hundred dollars off it, the gift card costs you nothing, the whole thing takes one trip, and the answer is usually yes. If you just want money for an old phone, selling it privately will almost always beat the trade in quote for a device in Good condition, because what you are really buying here is convenience and certainty.

The mistake worth avoiding is letting the trade in value decide what you buy. A trade in that covers half of something is only a good deal if that something was fairly priced to begin with, which is exactly why we keep price history on everything we track. Check what the new item has actually been selling for before you decide the trade in has paid for it.

There is a neat symmetry to all this, too. Devices that come in through trade in are cleaned, inspected and resold as pre owned stock, sent to Geek Squad for parts and refurbishment, or recycled. The phone you hand over becomes someone else's outlet bargain.

common questions.

How does Best Buy trade in work?

You check what your device is worth on Best Buy's trade in estimator, then either post it free within 14 days or take it into a participating store. Best Buy grades the condition, and you are paid in a Best Buy gift card or as credit against a new purchase. Online trade ins are paid by electronic gift card within 5 business days of grading. In store trade ins are settled on the spot and are final once completed.

Does Best Buy pay cash for trade ins?

No. Best Buy pays in Best Buy gift cards, or as credit toward something you are buying at the same time. There is no cash option, so the money can only be spent at Best Buy.

What does Best Buy accept for trade in?

Phones, computers, tablets, video games and consoles, and a range of other electronics. The estimator on bestbuy.com is the definitive list: if an item does not appear there, it is not currently accepted. CRT monitors cannot be shipped in at all.

Do you need ID to trade in at Best Buy?

Yes. You need a valid US state driver's licence or a state issued photo ID, for both online and in store trade ins, and you must be 18 or older, or 19 in Alabama and Nebraska.

How many items can you trade in at Best Buy?

Best Buy reserves the right to limit you to five of the same or similar product per month. Promotions can change that limit.

What happens if Best Buy grades my device lower than the quote?

You get an email explaining the revised offer. You can accept it, send more information and ask for a re evaluation, or ask for the device back, though you pay the return postage in that case. Once you have shipped a device that matches its quote, you cannot ask for it back.

Do I need to wipe my device before trading it in?

Yes, and a locked device is rejected outright. Remove all data and accounts first. On Apple devices turn off Find My and remove the device from iCloud. On Android 5.0 and above do a factory reset.

Is Best Buy trade in worth it?

It is worth it when you were going to spend the money at Best Buy anyway, because the gift card then costs you nothing in flexibility and the trade happens in one trip. It is worth less if you want cash, since selling privately almost always pays more for a device in Good condition. The convenience is the product being sold here.

related guides

the catalogue

keep comparing.

biggest price drops right now

The twelve largest live cuts across everything we track at Best Buy, ranked by dollars off.

every brand we track in depth

These are the brands with enough tracked products to be worth a price history page of their own.

Sony 614 · Samsung 563 · Canon 441 · Garmin 402 · LG 398 · Nikon 384 · JBL 382 · HP 191 · ASUS 175 · Acer 141 · Junsun 137 · Google 131 · Dell 129 · GE 123 · Fujifilm 119 · MSI 114 · Bose 112 · Logitech 112 · TCL 109 · Hisense 108 · Whirlpool 106 · Sigma 105 · Panasonic 100 · Insignia™ 96 · Frigidaire 93 · ViewSonic 81 · Bowers & Wilkins 72 · DJI 68 · JLab 67 · PRIMEPLUS 67 · Lenovo 63 · Soundcore 62 · Tamron 62 · MPC 61 · Klipsch 59 · Nintendo 58 · BenQ 56 · Neewer 56 · AOSU 55 · Beats 55 · Forno Appliances 55 · GoPro 55 · Edifier 53 · Marshall 53 · QPower 53