If you are want to be a long-term customer of AT&T or Verizon, there is some good news for you. Both of these phone companies are giving away free iPhones for customers who commit to them for the long run.
They’re giving their biggest discounts in years, giving some consumers brand-new devices for no money down or small monthly payments spread out over several months.
Customers must commit to long-term contracts, which provides carriers with the stability they need to convince investors while they ramp up spending on 5G network improvements.
In October, AT&T started the trend by giving away high-end cellphones like the iPhone 12 for free with a qualifying trade-in device. Its discount was eventually reduced to $700, which covers the whole cost of an iPhone 12 Mini and the majority of the cost of a normal iPhone 12, among other devices.
On Tuesday, Verizon followed AT&T by offering $700 in trade-in credits for new iPhones and $800 in trade-in credits for high-end Android phones.
Customers must commit to an unlimited data plan for a certain period of time in order to take advantage of the most generous deals from both businesses.
Over a decade ago, wireless carriers used to offer free cell phones by getting customers to subscriber to monthly phone plans.
This began to change in about 2013, when carriers began promoting no-contract wireless services to customers who purchased their own devices.
AT&T and Verizon are now bearing the majority or all of those bills in exchange for consistent revenue.
