Now that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has launched its new iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X, the four major mobile network providers are making their pitch to current and potentially new subscribers who want to buy one of the new iPhones.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S) and T-Mobile US Inc. (NYSE: TMUS) already have announced their initial gambits in their bids to hold on to existing subscribers and attract new ones.

Not every detail of all four companies’ plans were immediately available, but all wasted no time getting what they did have out in front of consumers.

Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure tweeted an offer just minutes after the Apple press event ended on Tuesday. The company is offering 50% off the price of a monthly lease on an iPhone 8 for customers who trade in an iPhone 7. That works out to $14.58 a month, and after 12 months subscribers can sign-up for the company’s iPhone Forever program, allowing them to upgrade to the latest iPhone every year. Sprint is also waiving a $30 activation fee for online or phone orders and is offering up to $650 per line to customers who switch from another vendor.

Verizon will knock off up to $300 on the price of an iPhone 8 ($700) or 8 Plus ($800) for customers who trade in a “qualifying” phone and sign up for the company’s unlimited data plan. The company has not yet specified which phones qualify for the discount. At full retail, payments start at $29.17 a month for the iPhone 8 and $33.33 a month for the 8 Plus for 24 months.

AT&T appears to be offering a deal on any new iPhone, including the 8 and 8 Plus that includes a 32 gigabyte iPad for $99.99 for customers who subscribe to the company’s unlimited data plans. Also thrown in is a subscription to HBO on either the Unlimited Plus or Unlimited Choice plan. If you add an Apple Watch Series 3 on an “eligible” account, you can get bill credits worth up to $55. AT&T is also offering up to $650 in switching fees.

T-Mobile’s deal offers a $300 savings with a trade-in of an iPhone 6 or newer model. The deal includes the company’s unlimited data plan and free Netflix subscription.

The carriers plan to charge $10 month for the GPS + Cellular version of the Watch Series 3. Because the watch needs to be on the same network as a customer’s iPhone and is likely to use scant amounts of data, this may be a charge that will get discarded quickly as these carriers compete for subscribers.

All carriers will begin taking online preorders Friday, September 15, for the 8 and 8 Plus sales beginning on September 22. T-Mobile notes that it will begin preorders for the iPhone X on October 27, with sales to begin November 3.

Get Our Free Investment Newsletter

I have read, and agree to the Terms of Use

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.