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Apple's latest iPhone promo: Trade up to an iPhone XR from $19 a month

And Apple combines higher trade-in values with a new monthly payment option to sell more new iPhones.
Written by Liam Tung, Contributing Writer

Ahead of Tuesday's first quarter 2019 earnings report, Apple has kicked off a new promotion touting a monthly payment option for customers trading in an old iPhone for an iPhone XS or iPhone XR. 

The new monthly payment option is promoted on the Apple Store in the US and in China, where Apple has seen a dramatic slowdown in new iPhone sales. The monthly payment offer is not available on the Apple Store in Europe.   

In the US, the monthly payment option is available for the iPhone 8, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone 6. 

iPhone X trade-ins are not part of the US campaign. Apple has also lowered the top trade-in value for the 2017 iPhone X from $525 to $500. The new monthly payment option is part of Apple's limited-time promotion that offers up to $100 more on trade-ins for old iPhones.   

Owners of the iPhone 8 or iPhone 7 Plus can trade up to an iPhone XR for $18.99 per month over two years, or trade up to the iPhone XS for $29.99 per month over two years. Owners of the 2014-era iPhone 6 can trade up to an iPhone XR or iPhone XS for $24.99 per month or $35.99 per month, respectively. 

SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF)

The promotion is a little different in China where Apple is accepting iPhone X devices for trade-ins with monthly installments. 

Owners of the iPhone X in China can trade up to an iPhone XR from RMB125 per month ($18.55) or the iPhone XS from RMB5199 ($32.20) per month. Monthly payment options are also available for all iPhone models through to the iPhone 6. 

Apple is scheduled to report its first quarter earnings on Tuesday covering sales that occurred in the last quarter of 2018. 

Analyst firm Strategy Analytics estimated that Apple shipped 10.9 million iPhones to China in the fourth quarter of 2018, or about three million fewer than it did a year earlier. Apple in January cut its revenue outlook by up to $9bn on an earlier forecast, citing a slowdown in China. 

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