T-Mobile launched a two-for-one deal—well, kind of—for Samsung’s Galaxy S8, joining the bandwagon of carriers and other companies hitching their stars to the manufacturer’s latest flagship.
The No. 3 carrier in the United States is offering a prepaid card worth $750 to cover the cost of a second handset to customers who add a line of service and buy both on T-Mobile’s equipment installment plan. Customers must pay $30 down plus taxes per handset, and the carrier charges $25 for a SIM starter kit.
A $20 “upgrade support charge” may also be required, the carrier said. And as Tom’s Guide pointed out, the rebate will be applied via a prepaid Master Card issued by Citibank within eight weeks of purchase rather than a service credit or cash back.
The offer is available for a limited time, and T-Mobile didn’t say when it would expire.
The campaign marks the latest attempt by carriers and other companies—including Samsung itself—to leverage the Galaxy S8, which is the highest-profile smartphone to hit the market in months. AT&T last week began offering at least $200 off the price of an S8 or S8 Plus for users who trade in a used handset worth $20 or more, as BGR reported. Costco initially offered prepaid cards to customers who bought Samsung’s latest phone, although most of those offers have expired. And Samsung is offering a six-month subscription to Netflix and phone accessories to users who purchase the Galaxy S8.
All those promotions underscore a U.S. wireless market where smartphone growth has slowed to a crawl, prompting carriers and their partners to move aggressively to leverage the latest high-profile handsets. Smartphone shipments in the U.S. declined by 4% year over year in the first quarter, Strategy Analytics said today, underscoring stalled demand in a saturated market where upgrade cycles continue to slow.