Switching To Verizon IPhone? 3 Ways To Shave The Termination Fee

The Verizon iPhone is due in stores soon, but ATT customers hurt to switch face a nasty hurdle: the early-termination fee.

Many ATT customers who paid for an iPhone are still stranded in two-year contracts, and they'd have to pay a large cost to obtain out. ATT increased the early-termination fee final June from $175 to $325. (The ETF is marked down by $10 for any month you're on contract.)

So that means switching to a Verizon iPhone would need shopping a new phone and profitable the close fee, that would set you back at least $500. Yeowch.

Pre-orders is to Verizon iPhone 4 start Feb. 3, and if you only can't mount the considered of adhering with ATT any longer, here are a couple of elementary ways to help finance the switch.

I've sole a number of gadgets on Gazelle, an wiring merchant , with no issues. Hop over to Gazelle, sort in iPhone 4 and answer a couple of questions about the condition of the phone. Right right away Gazelle is quoting a perfect-condition iPhone 4 for $360. Not bad at all " that covers more than the close fee.

After you opt to sell your iPhone 4 to Gazelle, you come in your data in the site, and then Gazelle will send you a giveaway box with a shipping tag to things your iPhone 4 into. Drop it off at your nearest FedEx location, and wait for a couple of weeks is to allowance to hurl in. You can select to take remuneration in the form of check, PayPal remuneration or Amazon present card.

I similar to this option, since you can obtain a cite initial and letter your iPhone to Gazelle after shopping a new one, so you won't be left phoneless for a couple of days.

This answer is obvious: Put your iPhone 4 on Craigslist and wait for is to fish to bite. There's a great luck you'll obtain more allowance than you would from Gazelle, if you're peaceful to put up with often-flaky Craigslist buyers. Some iPhone 4 listings on Craigslist are going as high as $600.

If you take this route, you suggest erasing all data from the device and stealing your SIM card before handing it off to a stranger.

Verizon has a trade-in module , where you can barter your ATT iPhone for a Verizon Wireless present card, that can go toward your buy of a Verizon iPhone. To obtain a quote, revisit Verizon's trade-in module website, and come in your iPhone model.

If you select to sell the device, Verizon will letter you a self-addressed prepaid envelope. Drop it off at a mailing core and wait for for that present card. Verizon is currently quoting the 16-GB ATT iPhone 4 at $212.

Photo: Sam Gustin/Wired.com