Retailer trade-in schemes
Currys and John Lewis MacBook Trade-In vs Selling for Cash
The quick answer
Currys and John Lewis both run trade-in schemes that take a MacBook online by post or in store, and both steer you towards spending the value with them, often as a gift card. Currys turns away laptops that won't power on, have cracked screens or liquid damage. A cash buyback pays money for working or faulty Apple Silicon Macs.
Retailer trade-in is built for the moment you are standing in front of a new laptop: bring the old one, knock something off the new one. It is convenient, it comes with a household name, and for some sellers it is the right call. It is also a different product from selling a MacBook for cash, with different rules about what is accepted and what you get back. This page sets out how the Currys and John Lewis schemes work, from their own pages checked on 25 September 2026, and where a specialist cash buyer fits instead.
Competitor details checked at source on . No competitor prices are quoted on this page.
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Currys, John Lewis and a cash buyback compared
How each route handles a MacBook, from the retailers' own published pages. No prices, which change daily.
| Compared on | Currys trade-in | John Lewis trade-in | SellMacBooks cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who handles it | Currys | Likewize, John Lewis's trade-in partner | SellMacBooks, directly |
| How you sell | Online estimate, then free post or collection, or in store | Online quote then post, or in store with a Partner | Online quote, then free insured post from any Post Office |
| What you get | In store: a gift card. Online: payment once Currys has checked it | Payout after assessment; a gift card gives more to spend at John Lewis | Bank transfer within 24 hours of passing inspection |
| Faulty MacBooks | Not accepted if it won't power on, has a cracked screen or liquid damage | Quoted online, then confirmed on assessment | Quoted instantly without photos (Apple Silicon only) |
| Link to a purchase | Framed as money off a new gadget | Optional: sell outright or alongside a purchase | None: money only |
| Your data | Currys wipes data left on the device | Devices securely cleared; its terms ask you to wipe first | Erased to NIST 800-88 on every Mac we buy |
Currys and John Lewis details are from their own trade-in pages and terms, checked 25 September 2026.
How Currys trade-in works for a MacBook
Currys runs an online valuation tool. For most laptops you pick the make, processor and generation; for a MacBook you type in the serial number and the tool finds the model. You then say whether it was used for personal or work purposes and whether it is working or faulty, and an estimate appears on screen.
You can finalise online, arranging free postage or collection, after which Currys checks the laptop, confirms whether it is suitable and emails you before processing payment. Or you take the laptop and your valuation into a store, where staff check it and, if it passes, pay you there and then as a gift card to put towards a new laptop. Currys says it wipes any data left on the devices it takes.
The acceptance rules are the part MacBook owners most need to read. Currys says it will not accept a laptop that does not power on, lacks a working battery or power adapter, has a cracked screen or liquid damage, or is older than its age limit. Those are exactly the faults that send many people looking to sell a MacBook in the first place.
How John Lewis trade-in works
John Lewis trade-in is run by Likewize, which the scheme's terms name as the provider, in partnership with John Lewis. There are three routes. To simply sell, you get a quote online, post the device and are paid once it has been assessed. In store, you bring the device unlocked and cleared of data, get a quote with a Partner's help and hand it over for assessment, with payment arranged for a later date. Or you trade in alongside buying something new from John Lewis.
John Lewis says every device is securely cleared of data and reused where possible, with the rest going to a recycling partner. It also says you get more to spend at John Lewis if you choose a gift card, which tells you where the scheme's best value sits: inside the shop. Its terms put the job of backing up and wiping the device on you, and say a device flagged as lost or stolen is retained rather than returned.
Gift card, money off or cash: what you actually end up with
The real question with any retailer scheme is not the headline figure but its form. A gift card or money off a new laptop is worth its full value only if you were going to spend that much in that shop anyway. If your next Mac is coming from somewhere else, or you are not buying one at all, the comparison that matters is cash against cash.
That is where a buyback differs. We pay by bank transfer within 24 hours of your Mac passing inspection, with no purchase attached and no card to spend. The quote is fixed by email within 2 working hours and stays locked for 14 days, and our free insured label means we carry the transit risk, not you. Buying a new MacBook from Currys or John Lewis? You can still sell the old one to us and pay for the new one with the money. Our Apple Trade In vs cash guide runs the same logic for Apple's own scheme.
When retailer trade-in makes sense, and when it doesn't
Trade-in fits when you are buying from that retailer today, the old MacBook works perfectly, and handling everything in one transaction matters more to you than squeezing out the best price.
It fits less well when the MacBook is faulty, because the Currys scheme turns the common faults away outright; when you want money rather than credit; or when the Mac is recent enough that its value deserves a second opinion. Faulty Apple Silicon MacBooks are what we quote instantly, without photos: cracked screens, liquid damage, dead batteries and machines that will not turn on. Our broken MacBook hub shows how each fault is priced.
The honest limit on our side: we buy Apple Silicon Macs only, M1-generation and newer. An older Intel MacBook is not something we can quote, and a retailer scheme or one of the routes in our Intel MacBook value guide is the better bet. For the high-street exchange alternative, see our CeX MacBook trade-in page.
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Get a cash quote before you trade in
See an indicative price before you give us any contact details. Apple Silicon only: M1 and newer, including MacBook Neo. Your fixed quote is emailed within 2 working hours and locked for 14 days.
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Step 1 of 5: Your Mac
We buy Apple Silicon Macs only - M1-generation and newer (2020 onward), including MacBook Neo, working or broken. We do not buy Intel Macs.
Good to know
Currys and John Lewis trade-in: FAQs
Everything sellers ask us before posting their Mac - answered straight.
Does Currys take MacBooks for trade-in?
Yes. Currys values a MacBook from its serial number in an online tool, then you finalise by free post or collection, or in store. It will not accept laptops that do not power on, lack a working battery or power adapter, have a cracked screen or liquid damage, or are older than its age limit.
Does John Lewis trade-in pay cash for a MacBook?
John Lewis trade-in, run by Likewize, pays out after the device is assessed, and offers a gift card option that it says gives you more to spend at John Lewis. You can sell outright by post or in store, or trade in alongside a purchase. If you want money rather than credit, check its payout options against a buyback quote.
Can I trade in a broken MacBook at Currys?
Not under the conditions Currys publishes: a laptop that will not power on, has a cracked screen or liquid damage, or has no working battery or power adapter is not accepted. We quote faulty Apple Silicon MacBooks instantly, without photos, and pay by bank transfer within 24 hours of inspection, with free insured postage.
Is retailer trade-in or cash better for a MacBook?
Trade-in suits you if you are buying from that retailer today and the MacBook works perfectly. Cash suits you if the Mac is faulty, you are buying elsewhere, or you simply want money. You can also do both: sell the old MacBook to us for cash, then spend the money wherever you like.
Do I need to wipe my MacBook before a Currys or John Lewis trade-in?
Yes. Both say devices are wiped, but the John Lewis scheme's terms make backing up and deleting your data your responsibility, and in store it asks for devices already cleared. Sign out of iCloud, turn off Find My and use Erase All Content and Settings. We also erase every Mac we buy to NIST 800-88.
Keep comparing
- CeX MacBook trade-in
Cash or voucher, branch or post, the ID CeX asks for, what to bring, and when a Mac specialist is the better fit.
- musicMagpie vs CeX vs us
Where each one buys, what you are paid in, which MacBooks each takes, and what happens when the price changes after checking.
- Best place to sell a MacBook in the UK
- MacBook trade-in: cash buyback vs credit
- Sell a broken MacBook
- Sell a new or sealed MacBook
- All comparisons
Sources for competitor statements
Each statement about another company on this page comes from that company's own published pages, checked on . Their terms can change; always read their current page before you sell.
- Currys: Trade in laptops
- John Lewis: Trade-in your old device
- John Lewis Trade-In (Likewize): Terms and Conditions
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