Samsung last week unveiled the phones we’ve been discussing for the better part of the year, including the Galaxy Z Flip foldable and the new Galaxy S20 flagship series. The Z Flip was the first handset to hit stores, going on sale last Friday. The S20 preorders went live on Friday, with Samsung and its partners expected to ship the handset on March 6th. All three Galaxy S20 versions, including the S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, come with 5G support, and you won’t be able to score a 4G-only variant in the US. That also means all of them are more expensive than we’d have expected, with prices starting at $999 for the cheapest option. We’ve already told you that it might be a good idea to wait a few more months for the prices to go down. It always happens with Android phones, and last year’s S10 series proved price cuts arrive a lot sooner than expected. We’ve also shown you a few deals that make Samsung’s prices much easier to swallow, especially if you’re looking to trade-in an old device fro the brand new phones. But carriers also have their own S20 deals in place that might get you additional savings right now.
As a reminder, each S20 preorder comes with free credit from Samsung, ranging from $100 to $200, depending on what model you get. The credit is good towards accessory purchases from Samsung.com, and you’ll get it no matter what deal you select from carriers or electronics retailers — here’s the base pricing structure for the Galaxy S20 series:
- 128GB Galaxy S20 5G – $999 and get $100 Samsung credit
- 128GB Galaxy S20+ 5G – $1,199 and get $150 Samsung credit
- 128GB Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G – $1,399 and get $200 Samsung credit
Carrier deals will include installment payment plans, buy-one-get-one deals, and trade-in discounts. Also, most of the savings will be applied via bill credits for the entire duration of your contract. so make sure you read the fine print on all deals before going forward.
AT&T
AT&T sells all three S20 versions and has a few special offers in place for customers:
- $300 in bill credits with a trade-in and unlimited plan
- Up to $1,000 in bill credits with trade-in of qualifying phone, with port-in and new line.
- $500 in bill credits when you add a line w/o port-in on an unlimited plan
- Save $50 on al new Galaxy Buds+ when you buy with a Samsung device — you can always score cheaper Buds+ by using the Samsung credit
Sprint
Sprint also stocks all three versions of the S20, and has a couple of S20 deals for you:
- Lease any S20 and get a free S20 lease via credits, with two Sprint lines
- Up to $750 off any S20 via bill credits
- Switch to Sprint and trade-in a Galaxy S8 or newer phone for a free S20 or cheaper S20+ and S20 Ultra
T-Mobile
Like AT&T and Sprint, T-Mobile has all three S20 phones available for preorder, and offers buyers a couple of deals:
- Up to $500 off any phone when trading-in an eligible device
- Up to $1,000 off a second S20 of equal or lesser value via bill credits when you add up to two lines
Verizon
Verizon will only stock the S20+ and S20 Ultra, as the regular S20 lacks the mmWave support that Verizon requires. Therefore, you’re already looking at paying $1,199 for the cheapest S20 5G phone that will run on Verizon’s network. However, Verizon is looking to make up for it by offering buyers a variety of deals that can be combined for extra savings:
- Buy a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G or Galaxy S20+ 5G and get $1,050 towards another Galaxy S20, when you add a new line and purchase the phone on a Verizon Device Payment plan (stacks with $150 off offer below).
- New and existing customers can save an additional $150 when you buy a new Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G. This discount is given in 24-month bill credits (stacks with all offers).
- Existing customers can save up to $300 if you upgrade to a new Galaxy S20 and trade-in your existing smartphone and have an active Verizon Unlimited plan (stacks with $150 off offer above).
- Purchase a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G or S20+ 5G on Verizon and have a Verizon Unlimited plan, you get a free six months subscription to the Hatch streaming game service. Hatch is a new way to game, giving you instant access to 100+ premium games in one made-for-5G app (stacks with all offers).
Other retailers will also have the S20 available for preorders, including Samsung, Best Buy, and Sam’s Club. Samsung.com won’t get you a better deal than its partners, but the company will award all buyers who preorder the phone that free credit, no matter how they buy it. Best Buy is ready to get you up to $850 off the S20 phones with a qualifying trade-in. Sam’s Club will get you a $200 Sam’s Club eGift card with preorder, purchase, and activation of the phone (on AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon).
