What Phone Companies Give Free Phones When You Switch?

A new phone is tempting to buy, but they’re also super expensive. Is there anyone who doesn’t like the idea of getting a free phone?

Yes, you’ll be happy to know that it is, in fact, possible for you to get free phones from certain phone companies when you switch to their network. However, this is a deal rather than a gift, so there will be some conditions that you have to meet first in order to get the phone you want.

In this article, we will talk about which companies give you this privilege and how you can earn it.

Key Takeaways:

• T-Mobile, Verizon, AT & T, Metro, Cricket, Google Fi, and Boost Mobile are some of the best phone companies with free phone deals.
• The conditions for the free phone switching deal vary for different carriers and MVNOs.
• No trade-in is required for prepaid-only services.
• Cricket Wireless and Boost Mobile have the cheapest plans for the deals.

Can You Get Free Phones When You Switch?

Yes, if you switch to the network of a carrier, the carrier may offer you a free phone. This free phone can come with a trade-in or without one. Not all carriers and MVNOs have this feature, but there are more than enough that do, and there’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of those.

And in case you’re wondering whether you can choose which phone to get for free, yes, you can, to an extent. Every carrier has its own catalog of phone deals they offer, and you can choose from within the catalog.

What Phone Companies Give Free Phones When You Switch?

T-Mobile

One of the three major phone companies in the US is T-Mobile. To summarize them:

• Their free smartphones tend to be the latest models. This includes but isn’t limited to: Motorola One 5G Ace, Samsung Galaxy A32 5G, Apple iPhone 13 Series, Apple iPhone 12 Series, and Samsung Galaxy S21 Series.
• The unlimited plans and data speed prioritization are highly satisfactory.
• The commitment period for getting a free phone from T-Mobile is 24 months, which is lower than some of the other operators in this list.
• No trade-in will be required if you are going for a lower-end device.
• If it’s a higher-end device, you will need to do a trade-in, along with the unlimited Magenta MAX rate plan.

Verizon

Verizon Wireless is the largest carrier in the US. Let’s learn more about their network and deals:

• Verizon is the carrier with the fastest 5G speeds.
• When you join their network, you can get access to the best mobile entertainment.
• The network coverage stretches as far as the remote areas of the Western region while retaining data speed.
• The list of free phone deals on Verizon is huge, including the Apple iPhone 12 Mini Phone, Samsung Galaxy S20FE 5G, and Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max Certified.
• The CDMA carrier has amazing deals on the recently-released iPhone and Samsung Galaxy devices, for which you’ll need a trade-in and some other conditions.

AT & T

Presently, AT&T is a popular choice because you get to secure the new Samsung Galaxy S22 absolutely for free. The features of this career:

• Very few phone deals are available, but all are the latest models, including the Google Pixel 6 128GB Smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 128GB Android, and the Apple iPhone 13 Mini 256GB Series.
• Don’t worry about the data speed prioritization with them either, since they have their own cellular towers.
• You’ll get a full rebate on the qualified phones in bill credits over 36 months.
• They’ll start releasing the bill credits from up to three bill cycles, but you’ll receive a catch-up amount.

Metro by T-Mobile

Of all the MVNOs out there, T-Mobile’s Metro is inarguably one of the top ones. The three carriers mentioned earlier were postpaid, but Metro is for when you switch prepaid carriers and want a free phone from them. The matters to take note of are-

• Highly affordable cell phone service.
• Metro has more free phone switching deals than AT & T despite being an MVNO.
• Usually, the deals don’t ask for a trade-in, but a trade-in program is also available.
• Phone deals include models like OnePlus Nord N200 5G 64GB, Motorola Moto G Stylus 128GB, Alcatel Go Flip 4 Basic Phone, Samsung Galaxy A32 5G 64GB, Apple iPhone SE (2020 Edition), and Samsung Galaxy A13 5G 64GB.

Google Fi

If you didn’t know before that Google also has a virtual mobile network operator of its own, well, now you do. You need to know:

• Google Fi doesn’t have a network infrastructure of its own, so it relies on T-Mobile and US Cellular to bring the service to you.
• There are quite a few devices available for the switch deal of Google Fi, the notable ones being: Samsung Galaxy A32 5G Smartphone, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 128GB Phone, and Motorola One 5G Ace 64GB Android 10.
• The unlimited plans are a little expensive, so you might have to go for the by-the-gig plans instead.
• The trade-in program can help you get up to $500 and upgrade to a brand like the Galaxy S21 for free after combining the promotional offer.

Cricket Wireless

Cricket Wireless is an MVNO of AT & T, and there are many good things to look forward to here.

• The cell phone plans are way more budget-friendly compared to Metro and Google Fi.
• The browsing speed of up to 1000+ Mbps when on the 5G+ mmWave spectrum is bound to be satisfactory and is more than what you can get from most other carriers.
• Unlike the parent company, AT & T, you don’t need a trade-in to qualify for the free phone switching deal.
• Speaking of deals, some of the best models you can find here are the Samsung Galaxy A12 32GB 6.5″ Screen and the Motorola One 5G 128GB Android Phone.
• Usually, they offer entry-level devices on the free phone switcher deals.

Boost Mobile

Finally, on this list is Boost Mobile, another amazing MVNO free phone deal. To summarize them:

• In fact, it is one of the cheapest deals you will find out there, requiring as low as $15 a month if you make do with 2GB of data.
• Just like AT&T, Boost doesn’t have a large catalog to offer you, but the few available are the latest models like the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G 64GB Smartphone and the Apple iPhone SE (2020 Edition).
• The 5GB selections provide ultra-fast networks.
• Available only in its physical stores.

How Do You Get Free Phones When You Switch?

Each mobile operator has their own sets of conditions and requirements in order for the customer to be eligible for the free phone switching deal. Depending on your situation and liking, you have to decide which condition suits you the best and choose that operator. Here is a table detailing on these requirements:

Why Do Phone Companies Offer Free Phones When You Switch?

You might be wondering how in the world, something as expensive as a phone can be free. That’s a valid concern. As you might know already, most MVNOs actually do not give free phones when you switch. So what gives rise to such generosity within certain operators? The answer’s pretty obvious: they also gain something from the other end of the deal.

This is nothing more than a strategy that mobile operators use to lure you in. They want you to use their service, and hence they offer you something irresistible—a free phone! They do something for you, and you do something for them; they deal fair and square.

So though it’s hard to believe, you really can get a free phone when you change to the carrier’s network. However, in exchange for getting that, you will have to give them what they want, as mentioned in terms of the agreement.

For example, the condition of getting a free phone like the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE from Verizon’s deal is that you will have to switch to any of their unlimited plans. After you do, you will receive a full rebate in the form of bill credits. There won’t be any monetary value attached to these bill credits; you can only use them for the service.

Suppose you’re getting one of those Samsung Galaxy S20 FE from Verizon’s free deals. If the distributed rebate is $599.99 over the span of 30 months, your total service bill within that period will be somewhere around $19.99.

This doesn’t sound like that bad of a deal, but not all deals might be to your liking. However, on the whole, there will still be more to gain than lose.

Final thoughts

As you can see, it’s easier to get yourself a new phone than you may think. Just find yourself a requirement that matches your needs, and take advantage of the free phone switching deal.