Inertia is an incredibly powerful force. One of the many ways it manifests is in how unwilling we are to change mobile carriers. Even when we’re paying too much, our cell service is shoddy, and customer service is non-existent, we still can’t be bothered to make a change. That’s one reason why the carriers offer so many perks for switching. For example, starting this week, T-Mobile is giving away a free iPhone to customers who activate a plan on its network.
In an email on Wednesday, T-Mobile announced that its latest back-to-school special includes a free iPhone. If you bring your number to T-Mobile and activate a line on the Magenta MAX plan, you can get up to $830 off the price of the phone via 24 monthly bill credits.
The best part is that this promotion does not require a trade-in. Carriers often give away phones to tempt customers to switch, but they often ask for older devices in return. If you take advantage of T-Mobile’s promotion, you can keep your current phone and get a new one for free.
What if you don’t care about keeping your phone and would rather it not sit in a drawer somewhere? Well, if you do opt to trade in your old phone, you can get up to $1,000 in monthly bill credits instead. That’s enough to pick up an iPhone 12 Pro without spending a dime.
Devices you can trade in for a free iPhone from T-Mobile:
- $830 off: Apple iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XS, XS Max, XR, X; Samsung Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, Galaxy S20 Ultra, Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, Note20, Note20 Ultra, Note10, Z Flip 5G, Z Fold2; Motorola razr 5G; OnePlus 8 5G, 8T Plus 5G.
- $730 off: Apple iPhone 8, 8 Plus; Samsung Galaxy A71, Galaxy A71 5G, Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+, Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10 5G, Note9; Google Pixel 4, 4 XL, 4a, 4a 5G; LG V50 ThinQ, V60 ThinQ 5G, Wing; OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, 7T, 7T Pro 5G McLaren, 8 Pro; Asus ROG Phone II.
- $530 off: Apple iPhone 7, 7 Plus, SE (2020); LG Velvet.
- $380 off: Apple iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, 6, 6 Plus; Samsung Galaxy A20, Galaxy A20s, Galaxy A30, Galaxy A50, Galaxy A50s, Galaxy A51, Galaxy A70, Galaxy A8+, Galaxy A9, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S7 Active, Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy S8 Active, Note5, Note8; Google Pixel 2, 2 XL, 3, 3 XL, 3a, 3a XL; LG G7 ThinQ, G8 ThinQ, G8s ThinQ, G8x ThinQ, K51, Stylo6, V35 ThinQ, V40 ThinQ; OnePlus 5, 5T, 6, 6T, 7 Pro; Motorola Z4, RED Hydrogen One, Razer Phone, Razer 2; Huawei P20 Lite; Kyocera DuraForce Pro 2
As a warning, you might owe up to the full value of the phone if you cancel your line before receiving all 24 credits. You might also need to allow two bill cycles to pass before seeing your first credit. You can learn more about this promotion and others at T-Mobile’s deals hub.
