Vodafone Note8 pricing: notable trade-in credit and interest-free options

Got a clapped out, useless old mobile that’s nevertheless still working, that you haven’t given to Mobile Muster yet?

In what could be a worrying sign for Mobile Muster donations, or what could lead to a rush for ancient but working old smartphones at St Vinnies stores or local garage sales, Vodafone’s trade-in offer and its new interest-free plans to snare your new mobile could well be what tips you over to Voda’s side of the force, especially if your phone is better than some old model, as you'll get a better trade-in price. 

Pricing and other details of Vodafone’s offer are below, but let’s delve directly into the trade-in deals and the varying levels of credit this can earn you.

{loadposition alex08}The newly embolden telco has announced a “devices trade-in programme powered by Ingram Micro”, which it says allows customers “to receive credit on their Vodafone bill by trading in their old phone, without the hassle of selling it privately".

We are told that the programme “will roll out nationally from 2 September, following a successful trial in New South Wales stores throughout August".

You see, to mark the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Note8, Vodafone states that customers “who buy the Samsung Galaxy Note8 and trade in any mobile device will receive a bonus $100 credit on their bill on top of the trade-in value of the old device".

But wait — hold the phone! — there’s more.

For example, “this means that if a customer trades in an old phone worth $300 and buys a Samsung Galaxy Note8, they will receive $400 total in credit on their Vodafone account".

There will also be bonus credit offers if the device traded in is a Samsung Galaxy S series or Galaxy Note series device:

• If a customer trades in a Samsung S5, S6 or S7 series device and buys a Samsung Galaxy Note8, they will receive $150 bonus credit on their Vodafone account, on top of the value of their traded-in device.
• If a customer trades in any Samsung Note series device and buys a Samsung Galaxy Note8, they will receive $200 bonus credit on their Vodafone account, on top of the value of their traded-in device.
• More detail on the trade-in programme is at the end of this article.

Now, can you get more money selling a phone on the second-hand market? Well, depending on your handset, sure. Trade-in deals will never give you the most money, but you do have to go through the entire sales process on your own.

Naturally, this will appeal to some and not others, so it’s interesting to see the deal being offered. I had thought of asking Vodafone during its recent new plans launch whether there was any kind of trade-in product in the offing, and I didn’t. I should have gone with my gut feeling on that, but hey, at least we know now, and for some, this will be a benefit.

So, what about Vodafone’s plans and deals for the new Note8?

Well, as has been foreshadowed, the new Note8 will be available to pre-order from 25 August, and that means from 12:01AM AEST.

Vodafone will offer the Note8 “from just $41.63 per month over 36 months for the device and a $50 per month Red Plan with 16GB of total data (incl. 2 GB bonus)”, and “with a $4 monthly discount on the Red plan, that’s just $87.63 per month".

The Note8 is also “available on Vodafone’s new interest-free, flexible phone payment options”, and “will start at $41.63 per month over 36 months, $62.45 per month over 24 months or $124.91 per month over 12 months, and will also be available to purchase outright for $1499".

“Customers will then be able to choose which new month-to-month Red Plan they would like, starting from $30 per month. That means customers will be able to get the Galaxy Note8 from as little as $69.63 per month.”

As Samsung has noted, “pre-orders will be available online from 25 August at 12.01 AM (AEST) to 21 September at 11.59 PM (AEST). The device will be available online and in Vodafone retail stores from 22 September".

Here’s Samsung’s three pricing tables – the article continues below, please read on!

Please turn your phone horizontal to see the full image if reading on mobile.

Table 1: 

Table 2: 

Table 3: 

My initial article on the Note8 launch and full specs based on info Samsung provided to the media under embargo before the launch is here: Samsung Note 8 launches: $1499, one free screen repair, 2x optical zoom and more. 

My follow-up article after having watched the Note8 launch event, with my impressions, as well as the launch video itself and Samsung’s brief intro video is here: MUST-SEE VIDEO: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 launch impressions. 

Ben McIntosh, Vodafone Consumer Business Unit director, said: “We’re excited about giving Aussies the chance to have a no lock-in contract and own the Samsung Galaxy Note8 with interest-free repayments.”

And because ever more people are “looking for large-screen devices”, Vodafone naturally says it is “proud to offer some of the most transparent and flexible payment options available for people looking to get their hands on one".

McIntosh continued: “With the Galaxy Note8 available on a 36-month repayment option, we’ve also greatly reduced the monthly cost for customers, without tangling them up in the spider web of leasing.

“By offering the Galaxy Note8 alongside our new flexible plans and the trade-in programme, we’ve made it easier than ever for people to upgrade to the latest and greatest device.”

As Samsung foreshadowed, there is a special gift for those pre-ordering: a bonus wireless charging pad.

Vodafone states that “customers who pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Note8 through Vodafone before 22 September will also score a free wireless charging pad for the device, valued at $119, and redeemable online by 31 October".

McIntosh continued: “From fair and flexible payment options, to helping people put their old handsets to good financial use, this is all part of the next step in us making the Australian telco industry more customer-centric.

“Our new plans have been built to make things clearer and more transparent for customers, with no lock-in contracts and clear costs and without hidden fees or tricky leasing arrangements.”

There’s also the new Screen Assure programme:

Vodafone notes that “customers won’t need to worry if they damage the screen on their Samsung Galaxy Note8, as Samsung will offer a free Screen Assure repair within the first 12 months of purchase. All customers need to do is register their device on the mySamsung App by 14 November and they’ll be covered".

Of course, this is a one-time deal, so, as noted by me in an earlier article, make sure you buy a case! If you don’t buy a case you’re crazy! I don’t care how careful you say you are, it’s like saying you’re a good driver but failing to acknowledge that some moron can crash into you.

So avoid some idiot bumping into you and ruining your screen, and your day, and buy a case, so you can close the case of accidental screen damage and needing to spend any time away from your phone whatsoever.

Samsung has more detail on its Screen Assure programme here, but at the time of publication it wasn’t live yet, giving me a “The page you requested is not available” message, although by morning when you read this I imagine it will all be fixed. 

Here’s more detail on Vodafone’s bonus credit and trade-in programme:

• To receive full market value for a device, handsets must be in good working order The device may still be eligible for credit if it is damaged, but at a reduced amount.
• Maximum of 1 bonus credit per customer.
• All bonus credit and trade-in credit from devices traded in will be forfeited if a customer leaves Vodafone before their credit is applied and will not be given as cash.

Amaysim’s Note8 offer is here. At time of publication, only Amaysim and Vodafone have publicised their offers, presumably we’ll see more from Telstra, Optus and others later today, or in the not-too-distant future.