Where to Look for Some of the Best Pre-Christmas iPhone Deals
Credit: Hadrian / Shutterstock
Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, we bet there are a few of you out there slapping your foreheads, wishing that you had bought an iPhone when the better deals were still going on. Now you may realize that you really wanted a new iPhone for Christmas or as the perfect holiday gift, but now it's a little too late to grab those great prices.
Good news! Just because the big discount days are in the past doesn't mean that all iPhone deals are dead. There are still ways you can find deals and save money to avoid paying the full cost for a shiny new iPhone – if you know where to look. Here are several of the best pre-Christmas deals that aren't too late to use!
4 Verizon
Interestingly, one of the best places to look for iPhone deals right now is with carriers and service providers. These telecom companies don't always benefit as much as more traditional stores during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday rush, but they are looking to make sales over the holidays, so they tend to offer long-term deals that you can take advantage of up to the New Year.
Verizon is currently a good example, with no contract required for a new iPhone and an additional bonus for switching or trading a phone in. If you are switching to an iPhone for the first time, you can get $300 off your purchase. If you are upgrading a current phone, you can get $100 off with the right high-quality trade-in models. Verizon is also offering deals for the older iPhone 6s, which you can buy for $5 per month (previously $15 per month).
3 Sprint/MetroPCS
Do you or your loved ones prefer Sprint to Verizon? No problem – Sprint has its own eye-catching deals to watch. Notably, you can pay $0 down for a new iPhone XS or XS Max, with monthly payments of $41.67 and $45.84 respectively. The catch is that you have to sign up for the Sprint Flex plan. This is an 18-month lease plan that basically lets you use a brand new phone for 18 months and then either buy the phone with an additional payment or swap it for a new model (including models beyond the iPhone). If you swap the phone out, you save the monthly payments it would take to fully pay the phone off - about six months in this case.
The Flex plan is a good idea if you know that you'll be sticking with Sprint for a long time and like the idea of potentially upgrading to a newer model in a year and a half without having to pay for your current model in full.
These are the two main carrier deals for this holiday season. However, note that other deals may be available in limited areas or quantities from other carriers. MetroPCS, for example, offers a more limited $850 deal on the iPhone XS. So even if you don't use Sprint or Verizon, it's worth checking with your preferred providers.
2 Best Buy
Interested in a store-based discount this Christmas? These discounts tend to be better if you want to purchase an iPhone as a gift...although there are still some limitations. Best Buy is probably your best option, although its deals are largely decided by carriers.
For example, if you use AT&T, then you can get $700 off a second iPhone when buying the first (as long as you are using AT&T Next). Via Verizon, Best Buy offers $100 to $150 off the latest iPhone models in a straight purchase. If you are on Sprint, you can get monthly payments as low as $10.42. And so on. Take a look at all the Best Buy deals here to get a better idea of what they are offering this season.
1 Apple Trade In
While Apple doesn't really do discounts itself, the company has made the unique decision this year to increase – temporarily – how much money it is offering for trade-ins. That means if you have an iPhone or another iDevice that you want to trade-in for a new model, you can essentially get an automatic discount by acting now.
Specifically, if you are trading in an iPhone 6 or newer model, then you can get up to $100 additional credit for purchasing a new XR or XS model. The exact amount varies, but the right trade-ins will get you anywhere from $150 to $300 instead of $75 to $275. This is an unusual move by Apple, and worth taking advantage of of...especially if you are buying an iPhone for yourself and look forward to upgrading.
? Bonus
There are many genuine, high-quality, refurbished Apple devices available at iDrop News' online store for lower prices than buying new. See some of the latest products below.