Some might offer you more for an older device than the others. (You have to go directly to Verizon to get the new customer discount, for example.)Īpple’s site might be a good way to compare the three carriers’ deals, by the way. Apple, for instance, has “carrier deals” on its iPhone sales page that are, for the most part, the same as what those carriers are offering on their own sites. You may also be able to get them through other sellers, like the manufacturers. You can buy the phone directly from the carrier, either online or in-store. And they may want add-ons to make their money back, because nothing’s free.” How do I get these discounts? “These companies don’t offer the supposed free iPhones because they want to be nice to you,” Murray said. When people aren’t buying as many phones as often as they used to, offering a “free” new phone is a great way to give them a push and get them on the most expensive plan. Verizon will give new customers full credit for any iPhone trade-in, regardless of age or condition the others give less for older or damaged phones - that’s why these deals always say you get “up to” a certain amount off.įor carriers, this is where the real money is. AT&T’s deal extends to some of its cheaper (but not its cheapest) plans. T-Mobile, for example, gives bill credits for 24 months while the others do it for 36, which means you’re on the hook for a year less. The minor differences between the three carriers’ offers might also be enough to acquire new customers. Even if they lose money upfront by funding part of those phones (they make some money back from selling the trade-ins off to refurbishers, so they’re not losing the entire discount here), they make it back by keeping their customers effectively locked in for several years and upselling them on the pricier plans they have to get to qualify for the full discount. “It may be a great deal, especially if you were getting ready to upgrade,” Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog for Public Interest Research Group, told Vox. If you stay with the same carrier and plan until the phone is paid off, it won’t make a difference. That means you’ll owe them less money if you change providers or plans early. While AT&T evenly distributes the entire discount across a 36-month term, Verizon and T-Mobile give you a chunk of your credit upfront (that’s the trade-in) and finance the remainder. Here’s the catch: To get the full discount, you have to trade in your old phone, and in most cases you’ll get a smaller discount for older or broken devices if you switch to a different carrier or downgrade your plan before those installments end, you’re on the hook for paying whatever’s left - no more bill credits for you. But the carrier also gives you bill credits that can be as much as those installments, making it seem as though the phone is cheap or free. Instead, your phone purchase is financed by the carrier, interest-free, and you’re paying it off in monthly installments on your phone bill for the next several years. As iPhone prices have gone up, those arrangements have been phased out. End that contract early and you were on the hook for what could be a considerable cancellation fee. Why are the three major carriers offering me so much more than everyone else?īack in the day, your iPhone purchase price was largely subsidized by your carrier when you agreed to a years-long contract. But the biggest discounts might not be the best deals, depending on your needs and, of course, the desires of whoever’s offering them in the first place. Any discount is welcome, and free is very tempting. Meanwhile, a herd of low-cost carriers are offering phones for full price, but throwing in big service discounts with a purchase.įor most of us, a phone is an important and expensive purchase. ![]() Their manufacturers are offering big (though not as big) discounts, too. The major three carriers - AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon - are offering up to $1,000 off the price of iPhones and Androids, which covers the price of most of them entirely, from an iPhone 15 Pro to a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. And you’ll want to get the best price for it, of course. With the new iPhone 15 hitting the shelves, now might be a great time to upgrade what you’ve got. ![]() Are you in the market for a new phone, or just want to get the latest and greatest? Either way, you’re sure to come across seemingly incredible offers from major carriers offering heavily discounted if not free phones, including the highest-end versions of the newest models.
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