AT&T undercuts T-Mobile’s Carrier Freedom with a new promo of its own

AT&T is now running a promotion that seems to respond to T-Mobile’s recent “Carrier Freedom” upgrade, an initiative meant to convince customers to switch to its services.

Dubbed “Switch and Save,” AT&T’s new promo feels like a slightly better version of Carrier Freedom. It’s like an AT&T official looked at T-Mobile’s Carrier Freedom perks, added a few more, and improved existing ones to make Switch and Save better overall. Before you check out AT&T’s new Switch and Save website, here is what you need to know.

First off, your account with your current carrier must be active for a minimum of 120 days in order to be eligible for AT&T’s Switch and Save promotion. Another important requirement is that you must have paid at least four of your payments on your phone’s installment plan.

The next step would be to purchase a new device from AT&T via installments or at full price, or, if you prefer, you can bring your own phone. You also have the option to bring the phone that you paid off.

Lastly, you must absolutely port your numbers in from an eligible carrier, which means that you can’t switch from an AT&T-owned carrier or select prepaid services.

The Switch and Save promotion promises to save customers up to $800 per line. Basically, if you bought a Samsung flagship and still have to pay a certain amount, AT&T will give you up to $800 per line to pay it off, if you’re willing to switch.

Unlike T-Mobile’s Carrier Freedom promotion, AT&T’s Switch and Save doesn’t limit customers to a maximum of 4 lines. You can use AT&T’s up to $800 rebate card for up to 10 lines.

One other important difference is that there’s no trade-in requirement for AT&T’s Switch and Save promotion, whereas T-Mobile’s Carrier Freedom forces customers into trading in their devices for a new one.

Finally, if you’re going for T-Mobile’s Carrier Freedom promotion, you’re most likely locked into a new financing agreement. However, AT&T’s Switch and Save doesn’t require customers to finance a new device. To be clearer, you can finance a new device if you want, but you also have other options like buying a new phone outright or simply bringing your own phone to AT&T.