IPhone trade-in program may start Friday; you may want to skip it

Apple is expected to kick off an iPhone trade-in program Friday, but with the possibility that the company could announce a new iPhone next month, you may want to hold off.

According to 9to5Mac, the Cupertino, Calif., tech giant will begin offering customers discounts on new iPhones when they trade in their old devices at select Apple Stores across the country.

The program is essentially meant to get more customers to buy their iPhones from Apple Stores, where they would be exposed to other Apple products.

By trading in, users can get a gift card that can be applied to the purchase of a new iPhone. The value of the gift card is determined by how much wear and tear there is on the older device.

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Apple has not confirmed the existence of the program, but if it does happen, it could help consumers save a few bucks on their next smartphone.

You may want to wait, however. The tech giant is expected to unveil two new iPhone models -- the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C -- on Sept. 10 and presumably start selling the phones soon after.

The 9to5Mac report does not say if the iPhone trade-in program will continue to work with the new iPhone models, but if it does, the best route you can take is to wait a few more weeks before buying a new device.

Every time a new Apple product comes out, there are reports of people taking to Twitter to complain about having just bought the previous model only a few days earlier. You don’t want to be one of those people when it comes to this trade-in program and the new iPhones.

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