A broken phone usually has no value to your carrier under normal trade-in rules. If it can’t be resold in good condition or costs more to repair than it’s worth, it fails the inspection and loses all promotional value.
But a leaked T-Mobile document is going to change that to some extent. Starting October 2, 2025, the company will begin giving broken devices partial value toward trade-in promos.
See what T-Mobile’s new trade-in conditions mean for you
T-Mobile will now accept damaged phones and give them half of their usual promotional value, as shared with The Mobile Report in a document. Your Pixel that would normally qualify you for $1000 off a new phone will still get you $500 even if its screen is cracked or it has water damage.
There are limits to how this new policy works. A phone that won’t turn on, one that still has Find My or another device lock enabled, or one that hasn’t been active on T-Mobile’s network for at least 30 days in the past year won’t qualify.
It's meant to protect the next buyer from regretting their purchase off the secondary market, and stop the original owner from seeing it as an opportunity to cash in on promos.
Anyone could jump on eBay or Facebook Marketplace, grab a cheap or busted iPhone for $40, and then walk into a T-Mobile store to get promo credits. But it also affects you if you legitimately have an old phone that’s been sitting in a drawer for years and isn’t tied to any plan.
Related: Are T-Mobile’s Loyalty Offers Enough to Keep Customers From Leaving?
You won't walk away empty handed afterall
Part of the leaked document shows how T-Mobile will now grade trade-in values based on phone condition. If your device is in good condition, you get the full promotional value, which is $1000 under Tier 1 or $500 under Tier 2.
If the phone has screen cracks or liquid damage but still powers on, you only get half the value, which is around $500 under Tier 1 or $250 under Tier 2.
The company has hinted at shifting away from the rigid eligible device list system they’ve used for years. They're now exploring “trade-in value-based eligibility”. It may mean that a phone that isn’t in workable condition could still get you a slice of promotional credit instead of nothing, depending on its appraised value.
As they’ve traditionally only offered the tiny inherent value of non-listed devices, which sometimes is barely enough to matter, this change could open the door for more customers with older or mid-range phones to participate in big promos.
T-Mobile will run two new promotions where you can get $1,000 off a Google Pixel flagship with an eligible trade-in on T-Mobile’s “Experience More” or “Experience Beyond” plans.
You can also get $1,000 off a Motorola flagship with an eligible trade-in on those same premium plans. However, they've warned employees to always check the fine print as not every new policy applies universally to all trade-in promos. Keep your fingers crossed.
