Best Cell Phone Deals of September 2021

We scoured the web and compared all the cell phone deals we could find. These are the best ones for this month.

Xfinity Mobile has a few great deals going on right now for new customers. (Remember, Xfinity Mobile is available only to existing Xfinity home internet subscribers.)

New customers can get a free Samsung Galaxy A42 5G smartphone or $100 off any Motorola phone. To qualify for these deals, customer need to purchase one of these phones and transfer their number within 30 days. Credits will be applied to the device payment plan over a period of 24 months. These smartphone deals from Xfinity Mobile end November 21, 2021.

For new customers who already love the phone they have, they can receive a $200 prepaid card when they switch to Xfinity Mobile and bring their own phone or device (BYOD). This BYOD offer from Xfinity Mobile ends November 17, 2021.

Read Full Xfinity Mobile Review | View More Xfinity Mobile Deals

The Galaxy S21 5G is an awesome phone. But it costs a pretty penny. Luckily, you can get up $700 off when you switch to AT&T or add a new line. You just have to have an eligible old phone to trade in. Here’s a partial list of eligible devices (check with AT&T for full list).

• Apple devices: iPhone 8, 8+, X, XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, 12, 12min, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max
• Samsung devices: A71, Galaxy S9/S9+, Galaxy S10/S10+, Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S20/S20+, Note8, Note9, Note10, Note10+,
• Google devices: Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 5

Read Full AT&T Review | View All AT&T Plans

The biggest downside to the iPhone 12 is the price. But if you sign up for a new line on select unlimited plans with Verizon, you can get up to $600 off. That’s a whole lot of savings.

Read Full Verizon Review | View All Verizon Plans

We consider Visible the best value for a Verizon MVNO—the plan price is just too hard to beat. With those savings, you might want to jump to Visible while upgrading to a new iPhone 13 Pro. Just remember that to qualify for the deal, new customers must transfer their current number from another carrier.

Read Full Visible Wireless Review | View All Visible Wireless Plans

The Galaxy S20 FE is basically Samsung’s version of the iPhone SE (2020). It takes all of the best parts of the regular S20 model and puts them into a simpler and cheaper device. What’s not to love?

Boost Mobile is making the deal even sweeter. You can score a brand new Galaxy S20 FE for $399 instead of the usual $699 when you sign up for a new Boost plan.

Read Full Boost Mobile Review | View All Boost Mobile Plans

Here’s the golden rule of buying a new phone: never pay full price. There’s almost always a way to get the device you want with a discount, a BOGO deal, or some other promotional offer. Here’s what to look for when you’re shopping.

Last year AT&T announced that it would start giving its existing customers some of the very same phone deals that it offers to new customers. Since then the other two major carriers—T-Mobile and Verizon—have followed suit.

Be sure to check your current carrier’s deals before running to a new company. It can help to actually call (so old fashioned) and tell a representative what you’re looking for (especially if you say you’re thinking of changing carriers!).

You like your friends (most of the time) and you like saving money (all of the time), so why not put the two together? Many carriers—like Mint, Visible, and AT&T—will give you an account credit when you refer a friend.

While these account credits aren’t exactly phone deals, they do cut your monthly bill. Since many phones are bought on installments that you pay with your monthly bill, it’s basically the same thing.

Verizon is usually running some kind of incredible trade-in deal that will give you $800+ off your new device when you give up your old one. While not every carrier offers that kind of cash, most do have some sort of trade-in policy.

Remember, if you’re trading in an iPhone 6 with a busted screen, it’s going to be worth a lot less than a Samsung Galaxy S20+ that’s just a year old.

We talked about how some carriers are beginning to offer deals to existing customers. But this is the exception to the rule. In most cases, switching to a new carrier opens up a whole new world of phone deals.

Companies often save their best deals—like iPhone BOGO offers—for those who sign up for an unlimited data plan. Besides, switching to the right company can save you money and give you more data (depending on what plan you’re on now).

Cell phone companies like to throw in perks to get you to sign up for their plans. Some perks are boring, like 500 MB free data when you travel south of the border. But there are other perks that are, to be honest, freakin’ awesome.

AT&T will give you a free HBO Max subscription on certain plans. T-Mobile will hook you up with a Netflix plan. And Verizon plans often give you Disney+, Hulu, and other subscriptions! These may not be directly related to your phone purchase, but they sweeten the deal for sure.

Welcome to the FAQ section, where we answer all of your burning questions about love, life, and cell phones. Well, mostly about cell phones actually.

It depends on what you want. It’s well known in the industry that Apple tends to unveil its new devices in September of each year, while Samsung usually sticks to a January release date. So, if you want a new iPhone or Galaxy phone, then those will be the times you’ll see a flurry of deals on new models.

You’ll also see a good amount of deals landing around Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other holidays.

If you’re not interested in waiting for the right deal to land in your lap, then you can take the initiative by switching to a new carrier or adding a new line to your plan (to make it a family plan). Since pretty much every company has done away with restrictive contracts, it doesn’t really matter when you switch.

The short answer is yes, unless you’re really happy with your current carrier.

Not only are the best deals usually saved for new customers, but many companies will also give you other incentives to “break up” with your current cell phone company. For example, T-Mobile will pay up to $650 for you to pay off your phone or phone bill with your old carrier when you switch over.

There is some incentive for folks to stay with their existing carrier. Most companies will offer upgrade deals every year or two. These deals can help you keep up with the latest models from Apple, Samsung, or Google, but they might not be as substantial as the deals for brand new customers.

If you think you should be eligible for an upgrade, give your carrier a call.

Mint Mobile has one of the best referral deals around. You can get up to $240 of credit when you refer up to five friends. That’s enough credit to get you a full year on Mint’s 10 GB plan! Plus, each friend that you refer will get a $15 credit for themselves. Everyone wins.

Most companies have a referral program. So, if you’ve got friends looking for a new phone plan, be sure to ask your current carrier about their referral deals. You may be able to score some credit for a new phone or to help pay your bill.

That old iPhone 8 may seem totally worthless to you. But it could be worth a couple hundred bucks in the right context. Verizon Wireless probably has the most robust trade-in program, offering up to $800 (!) off a new iPhone 12.

Of course, trading in your old phone might not fetch as much as selling on your own using Facebook Marketplace.

There are several contenders for the best smartphone on the market. But after a lot of research and analysis, we’ve come up with three devices that clearly beat out the competition.

• Best overall performance: The Samsung Galaxy S21+ quite simply has everything. The best camera, a lightning-fast processor, an insanely beautiful display, 5G capability, and pretty much everything else you could want.
• Best overall value: If you want a phone that balances incredible performance with reasonable price, the iPhone 12 is the way to go. You’ll get the beautiful design and solid reliability of an Apple product for less than $1,000 factory price.
• Best for budget: Google has snuck into the cell phone market in recent years with some phones that rival the performance of Apple and Samsung but cost half as much. The Pixel 4A is no different. You can get this surprisingly powerful phone for under $400.