It’s no secret that BlackBerry has been suffering lately. With the growing popularity of Apple products, the former cellphone heavyweight has been scrambling to release a product that can rival the all-powerful iPhone, or even Android-based devices. It probably isn’t a good sign when the most promising strategy is to bribe people to use your product. But that’s exactly what BlackBerry is resorting to.
BlackBerry has announced that it will reimburse iPhone users who switch to the new BlackBerry Passport up to $600 depending on the model of their iPhone. Canadian iPhone users specifically, are eligible for up to $400 in trade-in value, plus a top-up bonus from BlackBerry.
All you have to do is purchase a BlackBerry Passport from ShopBlackBerry.com or Amazon.com, and the money will be mailed to you in the form of a prepaid Visa gift card within 6 weeks of providing BlackBerry with your discarded iPhone, and proof of BlackBerry purchase. The promotion is running from December 1, 2014 until February 13th, 2015.
But if you think you will be simply making a $600 profit, think again. If you have an iPhone 4S, the trade in value is only $90, plus the $150 top-up. The iPhone 6, will get you up to $400, plus the top up, but if you have the newest model, you probably haven’t had it for very long, and they happen to cost up to $850 brand new. So, are you really getting anything out of this deal? Not to mention that the trade-in value goes straight to paying off your shiny new BlackBerry Passport.
If you really hate your iPhone, this might be a good chance to switch over without taking a considerable hit to your bank account, but if BlackBerry thinks this is going to lure Apple’s loyal customers away from their beloved iPhones, they may be in for disappointment.
