AT&T, T-Mobile Offer Free iPhone 15 in Lure for New Subscribers

The biggest phone debut of the year comes with the smallest price tag, as the top US wireless carriers announce free iPhone promotions following Apple Inc.’s introduction of its newest models Tuesday, including the new iPhone 15 starting at $799 and iPhone 15 Pro starting at $999.

Top US carriers, including AT&T Inc., T-Mobile US Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., are offering the models at no cost, or with $1,000 discounts and even free annual upgrades. (Unsplash)

 The biggest phone debut of the year comes with the smallest price tag, as the top US wireless carriers announce free iPhone promotions following Apple Inc.'s introduction of its newest models Tuesday, including the new iPhone 15 starting at $799 and iPhone 15 Pro starting at $999.

Top US carriers, including AT&T Inc., T-Mobile US Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., are offering the models at no cost, or with $1,000 discounts and even free annual upgrades. Dish Network Corp, which owns Boost Mobile, is also offering promotions for the first time.

The promotion intensity signals not just the urgency of the sales push going into the holiday season, but will likely be a test of just how much cost the carriers are willing to take on in the hunt for subscriber growth. Growth has slowed dramatically in recent years, especially from the phone-buying frenzy of the Covid-19 pandemic.

AT&T has set the tone in the past for freebies, this year it is giving away the iPhone 15 to new and existing customers and offering a $1,000 toward the iPhone 15 Pro. Both promotions require one of AT&T's unlimited data plans and an eligible trade in.

T-Mobile has upped the ante a bit, offering a free iPhone 15 Pro or $1,000 toward any iPhone 15 model. The deal is for existing and new customers taking its top tier Go5G plans and requires an eligible trade in.

Dish, a newcomer to iPhone promotions, is including the iPhone 15 in a $60 a month Boost Infinite “membership” plan. The offer promises customers a free iPhone upgrade every year along with an unlimited data plan that is subject to throttling when use reaches 30 gigabytes. Dish is also providing $1,000 toward more expensive iPhones.

Verizon said it planned to announce its iPhone 15 promotion after the Apple event. 

Carriers have seen a slowdown in mobile phone subscriber gains as the industry cools down from prior years. Adding to the struggle to find new customers, cable giants Charter Communications Inc. and Comcast Corp. have been competing heavily for wireless subscribers by offering free mobile lines.