Best Buy kicks off tablet trade-in program toward Surface Pro 3

Though Microsoft rolled out the Surface 3 recently, the consensus is that the company isn't through with its tablet updates, as rumors of a Surface Pro 4 continue to course through the Internet. One sign of an impending update people point to has been Microsoft's aggressive price cuts on the current Pro 3, which started as very temporary reductions in February and only recently were halted.

Gone, too, is the trade-in program that the company started a couple of months ago, which promised up to $650 toward a Surface Pro 3. This week Best Buy rushed in to fill that trade-in void with a program of its own. Now through Saturday, April 18, the retailer will offer credit toward the purchase of a Surface Pro 3 from its stores if you exchange any working tablet. (It did a similar program a couple of years back before the launch of the Surface 2.)

Whereas you could earn as little as $84 from Microsoft by trading in an original 32GB Surface RT, Best Buy guarantees a minimum of $200 in credit for your tablet exchange. That amount is broken down into a $50 Best Buy gift card and a $150 coupon off a Surface Pro 3. That means you can purchase the base Surface Pro 3 for as little as $599.99, or $100 cheaper than Microsoft's previous price cut.

Fine print to be aware of includes e-readers not counting for the program and tablets with cracked screens or water damage not being eligible. You'll need to power your tablet on during the trade-in process in order to prove it's in working condition. Best Buy limits individuals to trading in a maximum of two tablets at a time, though you'll only receive a single coupon in exchange along with presumably two gift cards.

Is this a deal you will take advantage of to grab a Surface Pro 3? Or are you waiting for the Surface Pro 4 to be announced? Please let us know your thoughts in the discussion section below.