Looking for a deal on new iPhones?
We break down offers from 4 major networks.
Apple’s new iPhone XS and XS Max aren’t just similar to last year’s iPhone X in design; they also are fairly close in price – expensive at $999 or more.
With both phones available for preorder, carriers are starting to advertise offers to lure customers to get Apple’s latest on their respective networks by offering hundreds of dollars off.
❚ The “add a line deal”: The cheapest way to get a new phone isn’t necessarily the easiest: switching networks.
All four major carriers have aggressive promotions to get you to switch and add lines to their networks. In the case of the iPhone XS and XS Max, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon are each offering up to $700 off a second iPhone XS or XS Max if you add a new line.
While we’re focusing here on Apple’s newest iPhones, the $700 discount also can be applied to purchase other iPhones, such as the 8 or 8 Plus or X (while they’re still around). So, for example, you could get a 64GB iPhone
8 or 8 Plus for free (the cheaper of the two devices purchased will be the one getting discounted).
Note: The $700 discount isn’t applied up front when you buy it but is instead doled out over 24 or 30 months (depending on your carrier). This is similar to how the carriers offer some trade-in discounts and is how they keep you locked into their systems.
For those planning to stay on their current network, here are options:
❚ AT&T: As of this printing, AT&T hadn’t announced any additional discounts on top of its add-a-line deal.
❚ Verizon: Verizon will be offering a “guaranteed” $100 minimum trade-in with the purchase of an iPhone XS, XS Max, 8, or 8 Plus on a Verizon payment plan, with the discount being doled out over 24 months.
While those with recent iPhones, such as the X, will get a sizable trade-in value (up to $630 for the X), Verizon’s offer ensures older devices such as the iPhone 6 Plus, 6, SE and 5S will still get
$100 off even though the Verizon tradein site lists those phones’ values as less than $100. In the case of the 6, SE and 5S that’s better than what Apple offers.
❚ T-Mobile: T-Mobile will similarly be generous on trade-ins, offering $300 when trading in the iPhone 8, 7 Plus or 7 (a better deal than Apple for the 7 Plus and 7) and $200 when trading in a 6S Plus and 6S (both better than Apple). Older iPhones, all the way down to the original, will get $100 off when trading in for phones in good working condition.
❚ Sprint: Instead of offering big money off for adding a new line, the company is offering the 64GB iPhone XS for free (and the XS Max for just $4.17 a month). You’ve got to have an eligible trade-in and sign up for the company’s
18-month Flex lease plan. Larger-capacity versions of the XS and XS Max also are available in this deal, but they require upfront down payments. Sprint is offering $100 to each new line that switches, hoping to provide a more incentive to give its network a shot.