Purchasing a new phone

You can get credit toward the purchase, even if you make the purchase online. See the following from the Frequently Asked Questions section of Apple Trade In - Apple

• It depends on where and when you make a purchase.

• If you’re ready to buy a new product at an Apple Store, you can bring your old device with you. If it’s eligible for trade-in, we’ll apply an instant credit at the time of purchase. The only exception is that Mac trade-ins are only available online.

• If you’re ready to buy a new Apple product online (apple.com or the Apple Store app), you can trade in an old device and get credit toward your purchase.

• If you’re not ready to make a purchase, you can trade in your old device online for an Apple Store Gift Card via email that you can apply to any future Apple purchase.

• And no matter how you use Apple Trade In, if your device has no trade-in value, you can always recycle it responsibly for free.

You probably need to contact Apple directly with your question. Click on Contact Support at upper right corner of any forum page.