TELUS Bring-It-Back

How it works, in three steps

The mechanics are simple, and worth understanding fully before you sign, because the third step is the one that carries the cost if things go wrong.

• You buy an eligible flagship at a reduced upfront price, with no additional monthly device charge added to your plan
• You use the phone normally for the two-year term
• At the end, you either return it in acceptable condition, or keep it and repay the upfront saving you received

What condition the phone has to be in

This is the part that decides whether the program saves you money or costs you. A returned device has to meet every one of the following — failing any single one means repaying the discount.

• Powers on and navigates to the home screen normally
• Activation lock disabled and all personal information wiped
• Screen undamaged, with no cracks
• Display working properly, with no dead spots or bruising
• Body undamaged — no cracks, missing parts or signs of water damage

Who it suits, and who it does not

Bring-It-Back rewards people who use a case, upgrade roughly every two years and would have traded the phone in anyway. It works against people who keep phones for four or five years, or who have a track record of cracked screens. If you are in the second group, a standard purchase or financing usually works out better, and we will say so — the point of talking it through in store is to land on the option that actually fits.

Protecting the commitment

Because the whole risk sits in device condition, device protection changes the arithmetic more here than on an ordinary purchase. AppleCare+ or TELUS Device Care means a cracked screen is a repair rather than a repaid discount, and a case and fitted screen protector are the cheaper half of the same insurance. It is worth pricing all of it together rather than deciding piece by piece.