People are holding onto their iPhones longer, and while that's great for wringing more life out of your smartphone, it's not so good when it comes to getting a good trade-in value when you eventually do decide to upgrade.
Take the iPhone 6, about to celebrate its fifth birthday, or 2015's iPhone 6s. If you bought either phone, it probably has served you well over the years, but trade-in values right before the anticipated launch of the iPhone 11 are not likely to put much of a dent in the price of Apple's new phones.
Still, upgrading from either generation of the iPhone 6 to a new Apple smartphone will be a big jump forward for you in terms of functionality and features. And even a small trade-in value is better than paying full price for your new phone. Based on our survey of popular reselling sites, you can expect anywhere from $25 to $115 back, depending on which iPhone you're trading in and which carrier it's tied to.
MORE: The Best Places to Buy and Sell a Used iPhone
First things first: when it comes to trading in these models, bigger is better. You can expect the best return from an iPhone 6s Plus, though even the iPhone 6 Plus can fetch as much value as the newer (and smaller) 6s in some cases.
You can expect the best return if you've got an unlocked phone at this point, though some of the retailers we looked at offer a flat fee no matter which carrier your device is tied to.
As of this writing, Amazon offers the best return on average for both the iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, though Gazelle occasionally beats the retail giant with its quoted trade-in values for unlocked phones or high-capacity models. For the iPhone 6s, consider Gazelle or Best Buy.
Gazelle's prices on older, carrier-tied models are generally the lowest, while pay outs from Walmart are also on the lower end of the scale. (To its credit, Walmart isn't particularly finicky about which model iPhone you want to turn in, which is more than we can say for other trade-in outlets and these older iPhones.)
We couldn't find trade-in values for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus at Gamestop, though its prices for the 6s and 6s Plus are competitive. If you have a Gamestop Pro membership, you can expect a little better return when you trade in your iPhone; Pro memberships cost $14.99 a year.
The lists below show the maximum cash and credit offers you can now expect at these major retailers that have trade-in programs. Your phone will typically need to be in good (or in some cases Like New) condition, which is a tall order for phones that came out in 2014 and 2015. Your device needs to have a non-cracked screen, have Find My iPhone turned off and be able to power on. You’ll also need to wipe your phone clean of your data or most retailers won’t accept it. At Walmart, you'll maximize your return by including a charger with your trade-in.
iPhone 6 (16GB / 64GB / 128GB)
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | AT&T | Sprint | T-Mobile | Verizon | Unlocked |
| Amazon | $55/$55/$55 | $55/NA/NA | $55/NA/NA | $55/NA/NA | $55/$55/$55 |
| Best Buy (in-store credit) | $40/$45/$50 | $40/$45/$50 | $40/$45/NA | $40/$45/$50 | $40/$45/$50 |
| Gazelle | $28/$36/$46 | $18/$31/$39 | $26/$36/$40 | $22/$47/$56 | $37/$62/$61 |
| Walmart (in-store credit) | $34/$40/$45 | $34/$40/$45 | $34/$40/$45 | $34/$40/$45 | $34/$40/$45 |
iPhone 6 Plus (16GB / 64GB / 128GB)
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | AT&T | Sprint | T-Mobile | Verizon | Unlocked |
| Amazon | $75/$80/$90 | Not Available | $75/$80/NA | Not Available | $75/$80/$90 |
| Best Buy (in-store credit) | $55/$65/$70 | $55/$65/$70 | $55/NA/NA | $55/$65/$70 | $55/$65/$70 |
| Gazelle | $62/$72/$93 | $50/$74/$74 | $64/$86/$89 | $50/$73/$95 | $78/$86/$102 |
| Walmart (in-store credit) | $45/$54/$58 | $45/$54/$58 | $45/$54/$58 | $45/$54/$58 | $45/$54/$58 |
iPhone 6s (16GB / 64GB / 128GB)
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | AT&T | Sprint | T-Mobile | Verizon | Unlocked |
| Amazon | NA/$75/NA | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | $70/$75/$80 |
| Best Buy (in-store credit) | $90/$90/$90 | $90/$90/$90 | $90/$90/$90 | $90/$90/$90 | $90/$90/$90 |
| Gamestop (in-store credit/cash) | $60/$65/$75 | $50/NA/NA | $60/NA/NA | Not Available | $70/$75/$80 |
| Gazelle | $43/$78/$92 | $34/$64/$74 | $54/$79/$82 | $29/$42/$94 | $63/$97/$102 |
| Walmart (in-store credit) | $41/$47/$49 | $41/$47/$49 | $41/$47/$49 | $41/$47/$49 | $41/$47/$49 |
iPhone 6s Plus (16GB / 64GB / 128GB)
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | AT&T | Sprint | T-Mobile | Verizon | Unlocked |
| Amazon | $100/$105/$115 | Not Available | $100/$105/$115 | Not Available | $100/$105/$115 |
| Best Buy (in-store credit) | $90/$90/$90 | $90/$90/$90 | $90/$90/$90 | $90/$90/$90 | $90/NA/NA |
| Gamestop (in-store credit/cash) | $90/$95/$95 | $32/$85/$95 | $85/$90/$95 | Not Available | $90/$95/$110 |
| Gazelle | $48/$62/$70 | $50/$55/$67 | $48/$62/$64 | $68/$84/$88 | $72/$82/$86 |
| Walmart (in-store credit) | $67/$81/$81 | $67/$81/$81 | $67/$81/$81 | $67/$81/$81 | $67/$81/$81 |
