Telekom wants to make high-quality smartphones easier for you to finance. To do so, it is introducing an installment plan with "Telekom Rückgabedeal" on September 10. The plan is based on a final payment agreed upon at the start of the contract. This payment represents the smartphone's residual value at the end of the agreed contract term. The final payment is included when calculating the monthly installments, reducing them throughout the term. If you want to keep the smartphone at the end, you pay the agreed final payment. If you return it on time in used condition, you do not have to pay that amount. The benefit: If you keep the device, the total price is the same as with a traditional installment plan. You have more flexibility at no additional cost.
For many consumers, a smartphone is a significant purchase – especially when their preferred model is from the premium segment. That can mean a trade-off: You do not want to compromise on features or quality, but you also want your monthly costs to stay affordable. This is where "Telekom Rückgabedeal" comes in. The smartphone’s expected final installment is set at the start of financing and factored into the monthly payments. For you, that means a lower monthly payment from the beginning.
Here is an example: A smartphone costs 1,179 euros in total. With a down payment of 99 euros, a traditional 24-month installment plan would require monthly payments of 45 euros. With "Telekom Rückgabedeal", 312 euros are initially set aside as the final installment. This lowers the monthly payment to 32 euros – 13 euros less each month. You decide only at the end of the term: If you want to keep the smartphone, you pay the final installment. If you return the smartphone in used condition, the final installment is waived.
When you return your smartphone, Telekom checks its condition. If it works properly and shows only normal wear and tear, you return the device and pay nothing more. This may include scratches or dents, for example, as long as the display, battery, and device generally work and there is no liquid damage.
If there is more significant damage, part of the final payment may be due. This applies, for example, if the display glass, camera, or back is broken, or if the display is not working properly. In this case, you pay 50 percent of the agreed final payment.
If the smartphone is severely damaged, no longer turns on, has liquid damage, or has a defective battery, it cannot be returned under the "Telekom Rückgabedeal". The agreed final payment is then due.
The "Telekom Rückgabedeal" lets customers postpone the decision of whether they want to keep their smartphone permanently until the end of the contract term. Customers do not need to decide when they sign the contract. At the end of the term, they choose: keep the device and pay the agreed final payment, or return it in used condition. This flexibility comes at no extra cost. Those who choose to keep the smartphone at the end pay the same total amount as with a traditional installment purchase. The "Rückgabedeal" keeps the option of returning it later open while reducing monthly payments.
Around 200 million old cell phones and smartphones are lying unused in drawers across Germany. It does not have to be that way. "Telekom Rückgabedeal" brings more devices back into the cycle. The goal is to use smartphones longer, conserve resources, and reduce their environmental footprint. Returned devices are inspected and refurbished. This includes data deletion in line with international security standards. After refurbishment, these quality pre-owned smartphones are offered for sale again. "Telekom Rückgabedeal" supports Deutsche Telekom's comprehensive climate and environmental strategy: By 2030, IT, network technology, and end-user devices are to be designed for circularity.
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