In a bizarre but not unwanted move, Blackberry have announced that they’re offering a new program which lets users reap cash benefits for switching over to their new Blackberry Passport smartphone.
The struggling tech company hasn’t commanded the market share and popularity of previous years recently, with phones like the Passport and others on the Blackberry 10 OS remarkably less popular than Blackberry devices from years gone by.
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The program may give new life to the Passport, which admittedly is a great phone for organizing business schedules and other serious work related stuff. It also includes the full button keyboard found on legacy Blackberry phones.
However, a caveat to the cash for switching program is that at the moment it’s only available if you trade in an iPhone in the US, and the amount paid, up to $550, is dependent on the condition of the iPhone traded in.
Devices allowed to be traded in include iPhones from the 4S up to the iPhone 6, with maximum cash payout at $400 for an iPhone 6 in top condition. To bring up the total to that $550 figure, Blackberry is also offering a prepaid Visa card to flesh out the deal.
The limited time offer, started on December 1st running through until February 13th, seems like a decent idea if you’ve had enough of an iPhone and want to get your hands on the Passport, but is it truly worth it?
You’ll still need to purchase the Passport at the asking price to qualify to be able to trade in an iPhone through the program, meaning the money might not fully refund the high price of the passport, which currently sits at around $500 dollars in the US.
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As far as offers go for switching this is by far one of the most ambitious we’ve seen so far. Blackberry really wants you to get involved with their tech, even if it costs them a little on the price of the Passport.
Market share is king – if the program manages to raise Blackberry’s, then great… however, iPhone users may not be interested in what the Passport has to offer, even if the device comes at that reduced price.
Check the Blackberry trade up link below for more info.
Source: Blackberry Tradeup
Via: The Independent