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Best mobile trade-in service in Australia

Most Satisfied Customers

Vodafone logo

Vodafone was the winner of Canstar’s Most Satisfied Customers award for Mobile Trade-In Services. It scored highest in the categories that matter most to customers, including value and customer service.

About Canstar’s Most Satisfied Customers Phone Trade-In Service Awards

Canstar’s Most Satisfied Customers Awards showcase the mobile trade-in services with the happiest customers across Australia. We ask customers to rate their satisfaction with the mobile trade-in service provider across a range of criteria that matters most to them. This includes value, customer service, speed of service and website/app.


Numbers crunched by Canstar’s researchers

  • 888 consumers surveyed
  • Seven providers assessed
  • One award winner

Read our methodology


Best Mobile Trade-In Service — Vodafone

Vodafone logo

Vodafone took out its first win in Canstar’s Mobile Trade-In Service award, toppling last year’s winner, Apple. Vodafone scored highest in both the value and customer service categories, which customers rated as the most important when choosing a mobile trade-in provider.

Customers who used Samsung’s trade-in service were most impressed by its speed of service, while Telstra stood out for its website/app experience.

In-store trade-in services were the most popular way of trading in an old device, with 58% of our survey respondents opting to go in-store, while 42% used an online service. Of those surveyed, 39% of respondents planned to use the same phone trade-in service again in the future, while 18% stated they would use a different service in the future. Overall though, 36% were happy with the cash/credit amount they received, while almost half (45%) said they would recommend a trade-in service to others.


Past mobile phone trade-in service winners

Here are past winners of Canstar’s Most Satisfied Customers – Mobile Trade-In Services ratings:

  • 2025: Apple
  • 2024: Mobile Guru

FAQs about Canstar’s Mobile Phone Trade-In Service Provider Awards

Canstar’s Most Satisfied Customers Awards recognise companies with the most satisfied customers overall based on consumer surveys.

Canstar surveyed 888 Australians for their feedback on the mobile trade-in service(s) they’ve used to get cash/credit for a mobile device in the last three years.


Market research company PureProfile manages the survey on Canstar’s behalf.

Survey respondents are asked to rate their satisfaction with their mobile trade-in service from zero to 10, with zero meaning extremely dissatisfied and 10 meaning extremely satisfied. Mobile trade-in service satisfaction is rated on the following criteria:

  • Value: the trade-in service offered good value for the device traded in.
  • Customer service: the mobile trade-in service offered multiple service options for customers and was easy to get in touch with.
  • Speed of service: the device trade-in process was quick.
  • Website/app: the website or app portal used for trade in was easy to navigate and use.

The Most Satisfied Customers Awards identify which categories have the most influence on customer satisfaction and weights them accordingly.

The brand with the highest indexed score is awarded the Canstar Most Satisfied Customers Award for that category.

Canstar also gives Star Ratings to top performing financial products, and Outstanding Value Awards to providers with a range of high-performing products. Canstar’s Innovation Excellence Awards also showcase products and services that break new ground when it comes to helping customers.

Canstar rates products and services over a range of consumer categories, in addition to financial services.

Explore Canstar’s Most Satisfied Customers awards here.

A mobile phone trade-in service is a way to receive credit for handing in an old or no longer used device. This credit may be in the form of cash, store credit, a gift card or a discount towards a new device.


Meet our mobile phone experts

Emma Bradstock has been an authority on consumer phone, internet, technology and streaming markets in Australia for more than seven years, having written more than 300 articles for Canstar. Emma covers a range of topics — from NBN speeds and technology to the latest release phones — and strives to help readers find the right phone and internet plans for their needs. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Media from Macquarie University, has more than a decade of professional writing experience in print and digital media, and contributed to Canstar’s Highly Commended award for Best Consumer Technology Coverage in 2024. You can follow Emma on LinkedIn.

Grace is in the final semester of her Bachelor of Advanced Business (Honours) degree at The University of Queensland, majoring in Business Analytics and Marketing. Her studies have equipped her with strong capabilities in data analysis and consumer research. Grace began her journey with Canstar in early 2025 as a casual research assistant and has since progressed into her current role, where she oversees the consumer research ratings across a wide range of product and service categories. She is responsible for survey design and consumer data analysis, and enjoys her focus on uncovering insights that inform Canstar’s ratings and awards and help support consumers to make more informed decisions.

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