Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max opened Saturday, September 12, and the big three carriers are competing on the same headline number: up to $1,200 off with a trade-in. That is enough to make the $1,199 256GB iPhone 18 Pro free on paper. As always, the details determine whether you actually get there.
Carrier by carrier
- AT&T: Up to $1,200 in bill credits when you trade in an iPhone 14 or newer in any condition. MacRumors notes the offer is tied to upgrading with AT&T Next Up Anytime or switching. Switchers can also get up to $800 per line toward paying off their old phone.
- T-Mobile: Up to $1,200 off with any device in any condition on Experience Beyond 2.0, Experience Beyond or Go5G Next plans. Customers on Experience More or Go5G Plus get up to $930. T-Mobile also introduced EIP Flex 36, a 36-month financing plan with $0 due at checkout for qualifying customers, and $300 off a second device when adding a watch line.
- Verizon: Up to $1,200 in promo credits spread over a 36-month payment plan with an eligible trade-in and a new line. Upgrading an existing line on myPlan nets up to $1,020 off, per Android Authority. Verizon is also throwing in an Apple Watch Series 12 and an iPad at no cost with a new iPhone on qualifying plans.
Cheaper alternatives
Verizon-owned Visible is offering $480 off the iPhone 18 Pro through monthly service credits if you join its Visible+ Pro plan at $39 per month and buy the phone at full retail. New members can also take 50 percent off a year of Visible+ Pro with code SAVEHALF. Apple's own trade-in program tops out at $1,200 for an iPhone 14 or newer.
Read the fine print
The full $1,200 typically requires a recent flagship, roughly an iPhone 14 Pro or newer, and a top-tier unlimited plan. Older phones earn far less, and the credits are paid out monthly over 36 months, so leaving early forfeits the balance. If you are not already on a premium plan, the plan cost over three years can eat most of the discount.
Source: MacRumors, Android Authority
Photo: MacRumors (source)
