Verizon's subscriber churn rates are typically the lowest in the industry, and the carrier would like to keep it that way. The carrier has recently matched two of T-Mobile's price promotions in an effort to discourage its customers from giving the "Uncarrier" a try.
Verizon is offering the 64 GB iPhone 8 for free to customers who buy a new iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, or a second iPhone 8. The iPhone X and the iPhone 8 were both released last fall. Verizon's iPhone promotion does not require customers trade in an existing device.
T-Mobile is also offering a buy-one get-one iPhone deal, but this one does require the trade-in of a "qualifying device." Customers can take advantage of the deal when they buy an iPhone X, an iPhone 8 or an iPhone 7. No matter which phone they buy, the second phone will be an iPhone 8.
According to Strategy Analytics, the iPhone X, the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus were the world's three best-selling smartphones during the first quarter of this year. The firm says Apple sold 16 million iPhone X phones, 12.5 million iPhone 8 phones, and 8.3 million iPhone 8 Plus phones.
Discounts for some Florida residents
In addition, Verizon is continuing its discounted unlimited plans for people over the age of 55 who live in Florida. Customers can get one line with unlimited data, talk and text for $60 per month, and two lines for $80. That compares to the regular price of $75 for one line and $130 for two lines for younger customers. The plan includes unlimited use of the customer's smartphone as a Wi-Fi hotspot, roaming in Mexico and Canada, and access to the Verizon Up rewards program.
T-Mobile offers discounts nationwide for people 55 and over. Its plan offers two lines for $70 per month to customers 55 and above who use AutoPay. The plan includes texting and data in 140 countries, Wi-Fi hotspot use, and some in-flight connectivity. The company notes that "on all T-Mobile plans, during congestion, the small fraction of customers using more than 50GB/month may notice reduced speeds until next bill cycle due to data prioritization."
Verizon was the first carrier to match T-Mobile's age-based discounts, and Sprint followed suit last month.