Ready for an Upgrade? The Best New Phone Deals From Major Carriers

If you’re tired of lugging around a phone with a cracked screen and a slow processor that takes forever to open apps, it may be time for an upgrade.

Likewise, if you’ve been stressing about your wireless data caps every month, that might also mean it’s time to upgrade. You’ve held out this long without upgrading your phone and cellphone plan, so obviously you’re a conscious spender.

Thankfully, cellphone carriers are so desperate for your business that they will give you some amazing deals if you want to upgrade your device or cellphone plan. Here are the best deals for wireless upgrades from major cellphone carriers.

The Best AT&T Upgrade Deals

Whether you currently use AT&T or want to switch to AT&T from a different provider, check out how you can take advantage of these deals.

Get $800 off the iPhone 13

The iPhone 13 was just announced, and AT&T already has a deal lined up. You can get up to $800 off the iPhone 13 if you trade in your old device and either switch over to AT&T, upgrade your existing AT&T data plan or add a new AT&T line altogether.

Keep in mind that $800 is the maximum amount you can get discounted on the iPhone 13. The newer your current phone is, the more trade-in credit you’ll get. For example, I just traded in my iPhone SE (2020), and I only got $400 credit toward an iPhone 13.

Better than nothing, but not quite as much as I would have hoped. If you have an iPhone 12 or iPhone 11, you’ll probably get the full $800 credit applied to your account.

Get a free Galaxy Z Flip3 5G with trade-in

Have you seen the commercial with the people listening to music on the subway, and it suddenly turns into a BTS concert? If you’ve been watching any football lately, chances are you’ve seen this commercial many times.

Well, that commercial is all about the Galaxy ZFlip3 5G phone, the smartphone you can fold in half and comfortably put in your pocket. If you’ve never tried folding one of these phones, I highly recommend it because it’s immensely satisfying.

You can get a free Galaxy Z Flip3 5G from AT&T if you trade in your old device and upgrade to an unlimited plan. If you’re already on an AT&T unlimited plan, then you should just need to trade in your old phone.

Here are the AT&T cellphone plans that you can choose from to get a free Galaxy Z Flip3:

Get an iPhone 11 for $10 per month (no trade-in required)

If you don’t have a phone to trade in, you can jump on this AT&T deal to get a heavily discounted iPhone 11. All you need is an AT&T unlimited plan to qualify for the deal.

When you buy your new iPhone 11, make sure to purchase the phone on monthly payments, and your discount will automatically apply every month.

The Best T-Mobile Upgrade Deal

T-Mobile only has one deal worth mentioning at the moment, but it’s a really good deal.

Get $650 off the iPhone 13

T-Mobile doesn’t offer a deal quite as good as AT&T with the iPhone 13, but you can still get $650 off the newest phone. It’s the usual process to get the discount on an iPhone 13 from T-Mobile:

First, you trade in your old device. Then do one of the following:

• Switch to T-Mobile.
• Upgrade an existing T-Mobile line.
• Add a new T-Mobile line.

Lastly, you’ll purchase the new phone via a payment plan.

Check off those boxes, and you can get a heavily discounted iPhone 13. Your trade-in credit will automatically apply to your cellphone bill every month.

The Best Verizon Upgrade Deals

Verizon has been a bit more aggressive with its deals lately, making now a good time to consider upgrading your phone or plan.

Get $800 off the iPhone 13

Verizon matches AT&T’s deal for the iPhone 13, offering $800 off a new device. To qualify for the deal, you’ll need to start a new unlimited line on Verizon or upgrade an existing Verizon plan.

Also, if you’ve seen the Kate McKinnon commercial hundreds of times like me, you’ll also know that Verizon customers who already have unlimited plans can also qualify for the deal. Just make sure that you purchase your new iPhone 13 via the monthly installment payment option to have the deal apply.

Verizon actually sweetens the deal even more offering a $500 virtual MasterCard and a year of AMC+ as well.

Get a free Galaxy Z Fold3 5G with trade-in

Similar to the AT&T deal, you can get the brand new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G when you trade in your old device, upgrade to an unlimited plan and purchase the phone with a 24-month payment plan.

If you already have an unlimited Verizon plan, then all you need to do is trade in your old device and do the 24-month payment plan to be eligible.

Get a free iPhone SE (no trade-in required)

The latest version of the iPhone SE (which is the phone I personally use) boasts the same processing chip as the iPhone 11 but is much more affordable. Plus the iPhone SE comes with a good old-fashioned button to return to the home screen.

You don’t have to worry about trading in an old phone to qualify for this deal. You just need to start a new line on Verizon and activate your new iPhone SE on an unlimited plan.

Purchase the phone on monthly payments, and the discount will automatically apply. Here are the Verizon plans you can choose from: