To celebrate the launch of the new Samsung Galaxy S7, Verizon on Friday announced that for a limited time it will waive activation fees on all consumer-provided basic devices and smartphones.
A Verizon representative said the fee will be waived both in stores and online through a $20 bill credit. The credit applies to consumer-provided devices and devices for which the consumer has paid the full retail price, but not devices purchased on an installment plan.
Additionally, the carrier is offering customers a Samsung Core Prime for $1 per month for 24 months when they purchase a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge on a device payment plan.
Verizon is also offering a $20 Visa gift card when they trade in their old Fitbit and buy a new Fitbit priced $99.99 or higher.
According to Verizon, Friday’s deals can be combined with the carrier’s lineup of other promotions currently in play, including the $100 bill credit for customers who buy a DROID Turbo, Turbo 2, Maxx 2, Samsung Galaxy S7 or Samsung Galaxy S7 edge on a device payment plan; up to $300 for device trade ins; a Free Samsung Gear VR or Gear S2 smartwatch with the purchase of a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge; and up to $650 for customers who switch to pay off their old device and contract.
Verizon’s move to waive activation fees comes just days after Sprint quietly dropped its own activation fees from $36 to an even $30. The change was first noticed by Jeff Moore of Wave7 Research.
But while Sprint and Verizon are edging downward, albeit temporarily for the latter, T-Mobile last week moved in the opposite direction when it upped the price of its 3-in-1 SIM Starter Kit from $15 to $20.
This article has been updated to clarify which devices are eligible for waived activation fees.
