Missed Christmas sales? Costco’s electronics trade-in program can provide extra shopping cash

Costco has an electronics trade-in program that could help consumers save money when shopping at its warehouses.

Under the program, the retailer will trade in eligible devices and provide owners with physical or digital Costco Shop Cards equal to the value of the electronics.

Costco is partnering with Phobio to deliver the program.

Although the trade-in program is available year-round, it could be particularly useful for consumers who bought a new device from a retailer over the Thanksgiving shopping weekend — or who received one as a gift during the holidays — and find themselves in possession of old electronics , for which they no longer have any use.

With the gift cards, it could also be useful for people who want to shop at Costco during the holiday season and New Year, whether for groceries, last-minute gifts, or other items.

According to Phobio’s website, the Costco Phobio program will support a range of Apple phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches, desktops, displays and media players.

It is also open to some other brands of devices.

Factors such as the type of electronics and its age play a role in trade-in value.

According to the Phobio website, phones can fetch up to $665.

Participants will receive a shipping label or shipping box with “prepaid shipping materials and packing instructions” to ship their devices to Phobio, Costco’s website explained.

You will receive your Costco Shop Card by mail or email, depending on which type of card you selected, after the company verifies your device.

According to a press release, Costco and Phobio partnered on the electronics trade-in program back in 2019.

When it first launched, only Apple computers could be traded in for Costco Shop Cards, but the program has since expanded the number of device types it accepts.

From start to finish, it “typically takes about three weeks,” says Phobio’s website.

Costco said Costco Shop Cards and its memberships allow consumers to purchase products from the warehouse retailer.

Costco has more than 600 warehouses in the United States and nearly 280 more in other countries.

The total number of membership card holders is now 136.8 million.