Best Cell Phone Deals: October 2018

We do the research, you save the money.

Ready to switch cell phone providers or maybe just upgrade your phone? It’s hard to know when the best time to do either of those things is.

But if you keep an eye on the latest cell phone deals, you might stumble over some pretty compelling reasons to act now. Here’s what we uncovered this month for the best cell phone offers out there.

AT&T cell phone deals

1. Buy one Samsung Galaxy Note9, get one 75% off

Deal details:

• Get 75% off a second Samsung Galaxy Note9 when you buy both on the AT&T Next device upgrade plan.

The fine print:

• You’ll need to add a new line and both phones to a wireless plan that totals at least $80 per month after any discounts.
• You’ll need to sign up for a DIRECTV plan that’s at least $29.99 a month.
• This limited time offer is only available in select areas.
• You’re still on the hook for the $30 activation/upgrade fee and sales tax.

2. Get up to $600 in credits when you trade in for a new Samsung

Deal details:

• Grab double your trade-in value (up to $600) when you upgrade to a Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+, or Note9.

The fine print:

• This deal is good through November 3, 2018.
• You’ll need to complete your trade-in no later than 14 days after you buy your new eligible Samsung phone.
• Your trade-in amount depends on which phone you’re trading in and ranges from a minimum of $50 to a maximum of double the trade-in value of your phone (up to $600).
• You’ll get your trade-in credit back as a promotion card within three weeks of buying your new phone.

Other AT&T perks

Why do we love AT&T? Let us count the ways:

• Hard-to-beat nationwide coverage
• DIRECTV and DIRECTV NOW discounts
• The &More Premium plan’s premium TV channel perks

And there’s more. Seriously. Check out our AT&T review to see the rest.

Sprint cell phone deals

1. Get the iPhone XS for free

Deal details:

• Pay $0 per month for a new 64 GB iPhone XS when you trade in your old phone.

The fine print:

• You’ll need to sign up for an 18-month Sprint Flex lease.
• You’ll see a $41.67 credit each month that should be applied within 2 bills.
• To qualify, you’ll need to trade in an eligible phone and have approved credit OR open a new line.
• If you cancel before your 18-month lease is up, you’ll owe Sprint the remaining balance.

2. Save on the Samsung Galaxy S9

Deal details:

• Get the Samsung Galaxy S9 for $15 a month for 18 months (regular price is $33 per month for 18 months).

The fine print:

• You’ll receive an $18 credit per month within 2 billing cycles.
• You must sign up for an 18-month Sprint Flex lease and a new line of service, plus have approved credit.
• If you cancel before your 18-month lease is up, you’ll owe Sprint the remaining balance.

3. Save on the Samsung Galaxy S9+

Deal details:

• Get the Samsung Galaxy S9+ for $18 a month for 18 months (regular price is $38 per month for 18 months).

The fine print:

• You’ll receive a $20 credit per month within 2 billing cycles.
• You must sign up for an 18-month Sprint Flex lease and a new line of service, plus have approved credit.
• If you cancel before your 18-month lease is up, you’ll owe Sprint the remaining balance.

4. Sprint Unlimited Basic plan limited time offer

Deal details:

• Switch to Sprint and get 5 lines on the Unlimited Basic plan for $24 per month per line.

The fine print:

• After January 31, 2020, you’ll pay $60 per month for line 1, $40 per month for line 2, and $20 per month per line for lines 3–5 (with autopay).

Other Sprint perks

Want to know why we love Sprint? Here’s the scoop:

• Free Hulu Limited Commercials plan with Sprint unlimited plans
• Free Tidal music app account
• Free Amazon Prime membership with Sprint Unlimited Premium

Find out more in our Sprint review.

T-Mobile cell phone deals

1. Trade-in and get half off the iPhone XR

Deal details:

• Trade in an eligible device and get up to $390 off a new iPhone XR.

The fine print:

• Your savings will be issued as credits on your bill over the next 36 months.
• You must have qualifying credit and an eligible device to trade in.
• You must sign up for a monthly device payment plan.
• You’ll pay tax on the pre-credit price of your new iPhone XR when you buy it.

2. Upgrade and get up to $390 off iPhone XS

Deal details:

• Trade in an eligible device and get up to $390 off an iPhone XS.

The fine print:

• Your savings will be issued as credits on your bill over the next 36 months.
• You must have qualifying credit and an eligible device to trade in.
• You must sign up for a monthly device payment plan.
• You’ll pay tax on the pre-credit price of your new iPhone XS when you buy it.

3. Switch to T-Mobile and get half off the Samsung Galaxy S9

Deal details:

• Trade in your phone when you switch to T-Mobile and get $360, $250, or $150 off the Samsung Galaxy S9.

The fine print:

• Your savings will be issued as credits on your bill over the next 36 months.
• You must have qualifying credit and an eligible device to trade in.
• You must sign up for a monthly device payment plan.
• You’ll pay tax on the pre-credit price of your new Galaxy S9 when you buy it.

Other T-Mobile perks

We’re over the moon for T-Mobile, and here’s why.

• Unlimited plan prices include taxes and fees (gasp!)
• Rated top of the bunch for 4G speed
• Sweet, sweet travel perks
• A whopping 50 GB of unthrottled (read: not slowed) data each month

Want to know more about the so-called “uncarrier”? Check out our T-Mobile review.

Verizon cell phone deals

1. Buy one Google Pixel 3, get one free

Deal details:

• Buy one Google Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL and get a second 64–GB Pixel 3 on Verizon, OR
• Buy one Google Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL and get $799.99 off any other Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL

The fine print:

• You’ll have to add a new line to one of your Pixel 3 phones.
• You have to sign up for a 25-month payment plan.
• You’ll see a credit of $33.33 per month on your bill over the next 24 months.
• The $33.33 monthly credit will show up on your bill after 1–2 billing cycles.

2. Buy the latest iPhone, get an iPhone XR for free

Deal details:

• Upgrade to one of the following iPhone models and get the iPhone XR 64 GB for free (or get $750 off any other iPhone XR): iPhone XR, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XS, or iPhone X

The fine print:

• You’ll need to sign up for a 24-month device payment plan on your new phone.
• You’ll need to add a new line to one of your new iPhones.
• You’ll see a credit of $31.25 applied to your bill each month for 24 months.
• This credit will show up within 1–2 billing cycles.
• You can only purchase one iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max combination per order.

3. Trade in your old phone and add a new line to get $300 off a new iPhone

Deal details:

• Add a new line and get $300 off one of the following iPhone models: iPhone XS Max, iPhone XS, iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, or iPhone 8

The fine print:

• A $999.99 device payment purchase is required.
• You’ll need to trade in your old phone within 30 days of purchasing your new phone—and it has to be in good condition.
• You’ll need to add a new line to get $300 off—otherwise you’ll get $100 off if you just trade in your old phone.
• You’ll need to sign up for monthly device payments on your new phone.
• The $300 off will be applied to your account over 24 months as a small credit on your bill.
• This credit will show up within 1–2 billing cycles.

4. Save $100 on the Samsung Galaxy S8

Deal details:

• Save $100 on the Samsung Galaxy S8 from Verizon.

The fine print:

• Online offer only
• Applies to device payment plan only
• $100 promotional credit applied to your account over 24 months and within 1–2 billing cycles

Other Verizon perks

Thinking of switching to Verizon—or maybe you need a reason to stay? Here’s a peek at what we think of this wireless provider.

• Large coverage area
• Top-rated network performance and speed
• The only top four wireless provider that has the coveted Google Pixel 3

Want to know more? Check out our Verizon review.

Other notable cell phone deals

1. Cricket Wireless: save $200 on Samsung Galaxy S9

Deal details:

• Save $200 and grab a new Samsung Galaxy S9 for $499.99 when you switch to Cricket Wireless.

The fine print:

• Online offer only
• Requires service activation (up to $25 per line) with a qualifying plan of at least $30 per month
• First month’s service charge and sales tax due when you buy the phone

2. Metro by T-Mobile: get Amazon Prime or Google cloud storage with your phone plan

Deal details:

• Get a free Amazon Prime subscription with your $60 Metro by T-Mobile (formerly MetroPCS) plan.
• Get 100 GB of free Google One cloud storage with your $50 or $60 Metro by T-Mobile (formerly MetroPCS) plan.

The fine print:

• Amazon Prime and Google One offers not valid in Indiana (sorry guys!)
• Amazon Prime offer valid for new members only—Amazon account required
• Google One cloud storage requires a capable Android device