Device discounts biggest focus
With the holiday shopping season now officially on, mobile operators jumped into today’s Cyber Monday activity. Most of the Cyber Monday deals involved free or discounted device pricing, though some also threw money on the table for customers bringing over lines of service from competitors.
The two most active Cyber Monday carriers appeared to be Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile US, both of which heavily promoted device discounts.
Verizon Wireless went heavy on “free” devices, offering up the Motorola Droid Maxx, HTC One Remix, LG G3 Red, Ellipsis 7 tablet and iPhone 5C 8 GB – all gratis if consumers sign up for a two-year service contract. The carrier is also putting up a $150 credit for customers who bring a line from a competitor to a new smartphone and sign either a two-year contract or the carrier’s Edge device program.
T-Mobile US’ efforts were strongly behind Apple products, with the carrier touting a “free memory upgrade” promotion for the iPhone 6, 5S and 5C. The deal calls for customers to receive an iPhone 6 64 GB model for the price of a 16 GB model; the iPhone 5S 64 GB model for the price of the 32 GB model; and the iPhone 5C 32 GB model for the price of the 5C 8 GB model.
Regional operator U.S. Cellular is discounting a pair of smartphones, offering up the LG G3 and Motorola Moto X for 1 cent each with a two-year contract. Discounts can also be had from Sprint’s Boost Mobile division with $100 off the LG Volt, $200 off the Samsung Galaxy S5 and $150 off the Galaxy S III; while AT&T Mobility’s Cricket Wireless is offering 50% off the Galaxy S4 and S5.
AT&T Mobility’s Cyber Monday specific item is a lone $150 bill credit for customers bringing their phone number from a rival. Sprint is also lying low, offering up just an LG G3 smartphone for free with a two-year contract.
Outside of direct channels, a number of third-party retailers are also offering up carrier-focused discounts. Best Buy is offering a $50 gift card on all Sprint phones purchased and attached to a two-year contract, and the LG G3 is priced at $1 for service on Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility and Sprint. Amazon.com has the HTC One M8 priced at 1 cent with a two-year contract at Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility and Sprint, as well as the LG G3 for 1 cent at AT&T Mobility and Sprint.
Domestic carriers can’t be blamed too much for their lack of Cyber Monday enthusiasm as they have spent the past couple of months constantly altering rate plans and rebates. Sprint, for instance, just last week altered its iPhone for Life Plan, which followed a rash of other rate plan changes. Carriers have also been offering variations of paying off early termination fees for customers who bring their phone line from a rival carrier.
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