By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Now is the best time to trade in your old iPhone if you want the iPhone X
6080afd554692c97f8382561d8df2e9f2dc4a8fc02ced4f86313888aed985dd9
A promotional image of the iPhone X. - photo by Herb Scribner
People apparently dont want their iPhone 8 devices anymore.

Decluttr.com, an online business that buys back tech devices, including cellphones, CDs and games, said in a press release that it has seen unusually high trade-ins for cash on its website of the iPhone 8, a device that was only released last month.

People can earn up to $630 in iPhone 8 Plus trade-ins and up to $500 in iPhone 8 trade-ins.

Decluttr expects to purchase more recent model phones until the new iPhone X is available for preorder this Friday and available in stores on Nov. 3. The value of older phones drops when a newer one becomes available, the company said, noting people earn 30 percent more for their iPhone 8 before the iPhone X is available for pre-order.

Following the recent Apple launch, all the buzz and excitement has been around the iPhone X, Decluttr.com CMO Liam Howley said. The iPhone 8 has perhaps been less well received than previous handsets from what were being told in the tech press and were now actually seeing that for ourselves, through our own customers trade-ins.

Reports recently found that the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus have outsold the iPhone 8, with most people waiting for the iPhone X. Others dont want to buy the new iPhone X, though, because of its advertised $999 price tag. And because there are few differences between the iPhone 7 models and the iPhone 8 models, people are sticking with the 7 models.

Questions remain unanswered about whether the iPhone X will be better than the iPhone 8 and which phone consumers should buy.

As Business Insider explained, the iPhone X offers a bigger screen with a 5.8-inch display, which is bigger than the 4.7- and 5.5-inch displays of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.

The iPhone X also offers an easier way to unlock the phone with Face ID, which unlocks your phone by looking at your face. The phone could be worth more upon reselling it in the future since there are fewer of them and it could potentially be a rare item, Business Insider explained.

But The Verges Sam Byford opined that the iPhone 8 Plus might end up being the better phone than the iPhone X. He opined that the iPhone 8 Plus has a bigger screen, which is one of the selling points of the iPhone X.

"Yes, the iPhone X has a 5.8-inch screen compared to the iPhone 8 Plus 5.5-inch display," Byford wrote. "Its also true that the Xs is higher resolution. But the 8 Plus screen is actually bigger. The X uses a narrower aspect ratio, so while its longer on the diagonal, you still get more surface area on the Plus overall and thats before you account for the notch and the rounded corners."

Byford also criticized the iPhone X's new Face ID tech, which has reportedly had its own hiccups. Byford said he prefers the current Touch ID technology, which is included with the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.

When you buy an iPhone X, youre buying into Apples vision for the future of the smartphone, Byford wrote. When you buy an iPhone 8, youre buying the best version of the present. The former is more exciting, but if you need a new phone today, the latter may prove to be more pragmatic.

Still, Apple looks to be pushing the iPhone X on its customers, redesigning its entire website to highlight the new phone.

Those interested in the iPhone X should decide what design and storage space they want ahead of time, according to USA Today. Preordering the phone online might be the best way to snag it.

Good luck Friday morning. And if you dont get through, theres always Saturday, USA Today reported. The phone will get to you a little later, but Apple is in the business of taking peoples money. Youll eventually get an iPhone X sent to your door.
Sign up for our e-newsletters
New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
15a28f62e4e53fcceb32746533cbdfdf48abb7c7d42a28dbb1aeb1083721f23b
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
Latest Obituaries