DOREEN’S DEAL

Four carriers start fierce competition.

It’s time to show Big Daddy he’s No. 1 by celebrating Father’s Day with freebies, dining deals and fun things to do with the man in your life. Dads deserve a break on Father’s Day at South Florida McDonald’s restaurants.

Fathers who bring a child to breakfast from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Sunday get a free sandwich and small beverage at participating restaurants in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, according to a news release. Palm Beach County stores are offering a choice of a breakfast sandwich or extra value meal breakfast with a small drink.

No purchase or coupon is necessary. The offer is one per customer.

After breakfast, consider taking Dad on a fun outing. Several South Florida attractions are offering free admission with purchase, including Rapids Water Park in West Palm Beach, Flamingo Gardens in Davie and Bonnet House and Gardens in Fort Lauderdale. At Jungle Island in Miami, Dads get in free with no purchase necessary. Thrill seekers who bring the kids on Sunday to XTreme Action Park in Fort Lauderdale get a free pro racing session and a Coke cup.

One last idea: See more than 150 unique cars on display from antiques to classics to street rods at the Downtown Drive Car Show in Mizner Park in Boca Raton. The city’s annual event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday with the FAU Summer Concert Band giving a free concert at 7 p.m. at the amphitheater.

These are just a few highlights from my long list of freebies for Dad, found at SunSentinel.com/FathersDay. Free Roku from DirecTV Now

The Big Four carriers continue to try to outdo each other to attract new customers. Here’s an update on deals:

AT&T is appealing to cord cutters (like me) by offering a free $70 Roku Premiere streaming device with two months of prepaid service on DirecTV Now, according to a news release.

Prices for the app-based streaming service, which AT&T launched in December, start at $35 a month for 60 channels and run up to $70 for 120 channels. There are no contracts to sign, and customers can cancel at any time. Channels include AMC, CNN, Disney, ESPN, A&E, TBS and TNT, among others.

The No. 2 carrier continues to sweeten the pot with savings on bundling DirecTV satellite services and DirecTV Now streaming services with

“Unlimited Choice” and “Unlimited Plus” cellular data plans. Prices start at $60 a month for the Choice plan and $90 a month for the Plus plan. The unlimited plans, introduced in March, offer $25 a month bill credits, according to a June 1 news release.

Best part, the Roku and bill credit offers can be combined.

Get details on the free Roku offer at Directvnow.com/rokunow; find info on bill credits at ATT.com/bundles.

Carriers continue to come up with creative offers designed to steal customers away from each other. Consumers win with all this fierce competition.

A week doesn’t go by without press releases arriving in my inbox from the carriers touting cheaper service or additional perks added to plans. Customers have to opt into new offers, so chances are, you’ll pay less and get more by spending a few minutes calling your carrier — or a new one — to ensure you’re getting the best deal.

No. 1 Verizon is offering to finance a new Apple iPhone 7 or Samsung Galaxy S8, among other devices, for $15 a month with eligible trade-in and switching or adding a new line of service with unlimited data. Info at Verizonwireless.com/deals.

Before taking the leap, consider that tech blogs are reporting Apple may release a waterproof iPhone 7S with wireless charging this month, so it may be prudent to wait and see if a free offer emerges to move the iPhone 7 off shelves. Or, hold off for the 10th anniversary iPhone 8 running iOS 11, which reportedly has a 5.8-inch OLED display, due out this fall.

No. 3 T-Mobile is offering to pay off Verizon smartphones up to $1,000 with a prepaid debit card by switching to T-Mobile One, which costs $70 a month for unlimited service and includes taxes and fees, according to a news release. But there is a catch, of course. You have to buy a $15 a month device protection plan. Due to compatibility issues, the offer is only for customers with select iPhones and Google Pixels.

The scrappy carrier also is now offering a familyfriendly deal on four lines for $35 each with AutoPay, which you should be using no matter your carrier (hey, it’s $60 a year in savings) and preferably paying bills with your airline rewards credit card to amass miles. Get details on these limited-time offers at TMobile.com.

Not to be outdone, No. 4 Sprint is offering a year of free unlimited service with eligible smartphones for those who switch from the other three carriers, according to a news release. You have to pay $12.99 to get a SIM card by mail. Get more info at Sprint.com/1yearfree. The offer ends on June 30.

If you’re considering switching carriers, be sure to check coverage maps to make sure you’ll have good service where you live and frequently travel. What’s your deal? Email it to dchristensen@sunsentinel.com.