Credit: AP photo
Tier-1 carriers AT&T and T-Mobile squared off on Wednesday with back-to-back announcements of buy-one-get-one (BOGO) offers on the new Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone.
AT&T is offering new and existing consumers a free Galaxy S7 with the purchase of a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge and addition of a new line of service.
According to the terms of the AT&T offer, the first phone may be a new line or an upgrade on the carrier’s NEXT installment plan while the second device must be a new line purchased on AT&T’s NEXT 24. Both lines must be added to a qualifying plan, like the Mobile Share Value plan.
AT&T said the second S7 device will be made free through $695 in credits spread out over 30 monthly bills, but noted the bill credits could instead be applied to the S7 edge for a deep discount. Tax on both phones must be paid at the time of purchase, the company said.
Customers who preordered the S7 and S7 edge on Feb. 26 or later can have their account credited for the second phone provided the purchases meet the offer criteria, AT&T said.
T-Mobile also extended a BOGO offer to customers on Wednesday.
With the Un-carrier promotion, customers who add a new line and purchase a Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 edge on an equipment installment plan will get a second Galaxy S7 device free through a rebate card. The promotion goes into effect Thursday, T-Mobile said.
T-Mobile said the Samsung Galaxy S7 will be available for $0 down on an installment plan while the S7 edge will cost $59.99 upfront. The Un-carrier said consumers are welcome to buy two of the same devices or mix and match, and will get the full retail price of the second, lower-priced device back on a prepaid debit card.
Like AT&T, T-Mobile is extending the offer to customers who have already preordered their Galaxy S7 devices as long as they add a line.
T-Mobile rolled out a similar BOGO offer for the Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S6 edge plus, Note5 and other premium smartphones in January, while AT&T followed suit in February.
Both AT&T and T-Mobile (as well as Verizon and Sprint) are also offering up to $650 to cover early termination fees and old equipment installment plans for customers who want to switch carriers.
The move marked the latest effort from U.S. carriers to secure customers interested in the new device, which was unveiled last month at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Sprint previously offered a buy-one-get-one half off lease deal on the new devices, while Verizon aimed to entice with a $100 bill credit and a free Samsung smartwatch or virtual reality (VR) headset.
U.S. Cellular and T-Mobile also offered a free Samsung VR headset to Galaxy S7 and S7 edge purchasers.
The Un-carrier said those who take advantage of its new BOGO offer will still be eligible to receive the free Samsung VR, six-game Oculus bundle and year of Netflix. That deal ends March 18, T-Mobile said.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 will also be offered through T-Mobile’s Metro PCS prepaid brand for $649 starting Friday and will make its debut with AT&T’s prepaid brand Cricket on March 18.
