MediaMarkt Türkiye rents phones for 24 months, should retailers add a rental model?
Customers can now rent an iPhone Duo or a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 for 24 months at MediaMarkt Türkiye (Perakende.org, 29 September 2026). From month 12, renters can move to a new device with an “Upgrade Support Discount”, damage is covered free of charge up to 70 percent of the device’s value, and at the end of the term they get a cash-back bonus based on the phone’s second-hand market value. According to the report, the service has already put more than 5,000 new phones in users’ hands.
What it means for you: every retailer selling expensive products now has a second door. Instead of selling a product once, you can rent it out, take it back, refurbish it and rent it again. That door brings in revenue and it brings in work; which one weighs more depends on your stock, service and collections setup.
How does MediaMarkt Türkiye’s phone rental model work?
The model runs in four steps: the customer rents the device for 24 months, pays in instalments or monthly, earns an upgrade option after month 12, and returns the device at the end for a cash bonus. Phones come with the original manufacturer’s warranty, a screen protector and a case (Perakende.org). According to MediaMarkt’s service page, Smart Kirala runs the operation.
What revenue does a rental model bring a retailer like MediaMarkt?
Here’s the thing: rental revenue comes from three places. There is the regular monthly payment, the new contract that follows an upgrade after month 12, and the returned device going back into use after refurbishment. In a sale, the story ends when the product leaves the till. In a rental, the same device can earn more than once.
Which retailers does phone rental in Türkiye affect, and how?
In Türkiye this autumn, the businesses most exposed are phone and electronics chains and mobile operator dealers. The likely winners are large chains with service and refurbishment capacity. Small phone shops that compete only on price face the harder road. Second-hand device buyers, repair shops and consumer finance providers feel it indirectly.
What burdens does a rental model like MediaMarkt’s put on the business?
There are three heavy ones: keeping the stock on your books, carrying the damage and service risk, and doing something useful with returned devices. In MediaMarkt’s case, Smart Kirala runs the operation and refurbishes returned phones. A retailer going into rental alone has to build these three jobs in-house or hand them to a partner.
| Item | Sales model | Rental model |
|---|---|---|
| When revenue arrives | All at once | Spread over 24 months |
| Ownership of the product | Passes to the customer | Stays with the business |
| Damage risk | With the customer outside warranty | Covered up to 70 percent |
| End of term | Relationship ends | Return, refurbishment, new contract |
How do you make a rental service like MediaMarkt’s visible on your website and in search?
Rental should be set up on your site as its own product type, with the monthly fee, term, damage cover and return terms clear on the product page. On the search side, think about the queries people use, such as “phone rental” plus a model name. For local visibility, your map listing should say which store offers the service.
What should a retailer of expensive products do this week about a rental model?
Let me ask you one thing: if a product you sold came back to you in two years, what would you do with it? If you have no answer, you are not ready to rent yet. This week, do three things: choose candidate products, draw up a list of refurbishment and service partners, and add a simple form to your site that collects rental requests.
Check the current terms on MediaMarkt’s smartphone rental page; the month-12 options there are worded differently from the news report. We discuss the commitment logic behind rental in our piece on Mobildev’s cookie campaign with a 24-month commitment. Moving a returned product into a second channel grows from the same root as the model that turns surplus food stock into value. Our retail page, where we interpret the retail agenda for you, brings models like these together in one place.
My decision is clear: if you can write down what you will do with a product when it comes back, go into rental with a pilot; if you cannot, keep selling for now.
Quick Summary
- MediaMarkt Türkiye offers 24-month rentals of the iPhone Duo and Galaxy Z Fold 8 (Perakende.org, 29 September 2026).
- During the rental, damage is covered free of charge up to 70 percent of the device’s value (Perakende.org).
- According to the report, the service has put more than 5,000 new phones in users’ hands (Perakende.org).
- Returned devices are refurbished by Smart Kirala and put back into use.
- The monthly rental fee and the cash-back calculation method have not been disclosed.
Short Glossary
- Circular revenue
- Circular revenue is the business model term used to describe one product being taken back, refurbished and earning revenue more than once.
- Refurbished device
- A refurbished device is the term used for a used product that has been checked, repaired and offered for use again.
- Customer lifetime value
- Customer lifetime value is the metric used to measure the total revenue a customer brings over the whole relationship with a business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Next Step
To talk through whether a rental or buy-back model fits your business, fill in the consult your expert form and we will get back to you based on your product range.
Sources: Perakende.org, 29 September 2026 · MediaMarkt Türkiye smartphone rental service page
Updated: October 2026
Sık Sorulan Sorular
There are two. Customers can pay in 6 or 12 credit card instalments, or choose Smart Kirala’s payment method, which collects monthly without blocking the full amount on the card. Look, that second option brings the customer with a tight card limit to the table too.
During the rental, damage is covered free of charge up to 70 percent of the device’s value. While the phone is being repaired, the customer gets a free replacement device. That service layer is what really separates renting from buying on instalments.
MediaMarkt’s service page lists five locations in İstanbul plus stores in Ankara, İzmir, Bursa, Adana, Mersin and Kayseri. The report does not say whether the service runs in every store or online.
A sale brings in money once and in a lump; a rental brings in smaller amounts on a regular schedule. That makes budgeting easier, but it lowers what reaches the till in the first months. Let’s say you have tied up a lot of money in stock; you need to know from day one who finances the first year’s cash gap.
The option to move to a new device after month 12 brings the customer back to your door instead of a competitor’s. In terms of customer lifetime value, that builds a far longer relationship than a one-off sale.
The returned device is refurbished and offered for use again. So the product is not gathering dust on a shelf; it goes to a second user. That is exactly what we mean by circular revenue.
Once rental is on the table, a customer can ask “what is it per month, and what happens if it breaks” instead of “what is the price”. A shop that cannot offer damage cover or a replacement device risks watching that customer walk out the door. Competition starts to move from price to the service package.
Products that are expensive, replaced often and hold their second-hand value. Foldable phones, laptops, game consoles and cameras fit that description. For cheap products that lose value fast, the rental math does not add up.
Returned and refurbished devices make second-hand supply more regular. For businesses selling refurbished products, that creates both a competitor and a possible source of stock. For repair shops, refurbishment can become a new line of work.
Covering damage up to 70 percent of a device’s value means someone pays for every cracked screen. If you build your own model and no insurer or partner carries that risk, it lands on you. Then the rental margin can melt away with the first broken screen.
The bonus is based on the device’s second-hand market value; the report does not give the method or the amount. If you build your own model, put that formula in writing from the start. Otherwise every return turns into a negotiation at the counter.
Here’s what I’ve seen: the weakest link in a system is often not the sale, it is returns and service. So my system idea for rental is simple. You do the selling, you hand refurbishment and collections to a specialist partner, and you never hand over the customer relationship.
Term, payment options, damage cover, replacement device and end-of-term choices. I have been looking at e-commerce checkout pages for years, and here’s what I keep seeing: unclear terms make people hesitate at the basket. With rental that doubt counts double, because the customer is signing up for two years.
If the service runs only in certain stores, add it to each store’s local business listing and city page. MediaMarkt’s service page lists the cities openly. That is a simple way to send local searchers to the right store.
In rental, a conversion is not a sale, it is a contract. Ad measurement has to track contract starts and month-12 upgrades, not basket value. Otherwise you never see what your campaigns really earn.
Pick the three highest-priced SKUs that hold their second-hand value best. Start the pilot in one store or one city. MediaMarkt also keeps its service limited to stores in certain cities.
Who collects payments, who covers damage, who refurbishes returned devices, and who keeps the customer data. Do not sit down at the contract table until those four answers are in writing. These notes on pricing and contracts are for information only; this is not legal or financial advice.
Add a “would you like a rental option” button to product pages and count the requests. Tying up stock before you see real demand is locking up your till for nothing. If you want to design the rental page, payment flow and measurement setup together, we do this work as part of our e-commerce consulting service.
The monthly rental fee is not in the news report; you need to check the current price on MediaMarkt’s rental service page or in store.
It can, but it has to set up collections, damage cover and refurbishment itself or hand them to a partner. Piloting with one product group and one store first limits the risk.
According to the report, MediaMarkt’s rental service covers damage free of charge up to 70 percent of the device’s value and provides a replacement phone during repair.