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Here Are The Best Carrier Deals You Can Get When Pre-Ordering iPhone 17 Today

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Apple has launched pre-orders for the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. If you're looking to place a pre-order on one of these models at a cellular carrier, we've rounded up all of the best deals and offers you can find from the major carriers in the United States.

iphone-17-lineup.jpg
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

AT&T


Starting with AT&T, you can get the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro at no cost with eligible trade-in, and the iPhone Air for up to $830 off with eligible trade-in. Finally, the iPhone 17 Pro Max will be available at up to $1,100 off with eligible trade-in.



If you switch to AT&T from a different carrier, AT&T will pay off your phone balance at up to $800 off per line. AT&T also has the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch SE 3, and Apple Watch Ultra 3 available for order today. If you buy one, you can get $300 off the second.

Verizon


New and existing Verizon customers on the Unlimited Ultimate plan can get the iPhone 17 Pro at no cost, or up to $1,100 off the iPhone 17 lineup when trading in select smartphones in any condition.



In terms of watches, Verizon is offering a bundle deal when you buy any new iPhone 17 Pro on Unlimited Ultimate, you can get an Apple Watch SE 3 or Apple Watch Series 11 at no cost, or $500 off Apple Watch Ultra 3.

T-Mobile

  • iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro: No cost with eligible trade-in
  • iPhone Air: Up to $830 off with eligible trade-in
  • iPhone 17 Pro Max: Up to $1,100 off with eligible trade-in

T-Mobile's offers are nearly identical to AT&T. You can get the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro at no cost when you trade in an old device and purchase the new device on an eligible unlimited plan. Otherwise, you can get the iPhone Air for up to $830 off and the iPhone 17 Pro Max for up to $1,100 off, both with eligible trade-in on unlimited plans.



For Apple Watches at T-Mobile, if you buy any new Apple Watch device, you can get $200 off the device when you add a watch line on an eligible plan.

Visible


Visible offers unlimited talk, text, and data for $19/month on the Visible plan or $29/month on the Visible+ plan (prices include $6 discount with current promo code 60FF12). The Visible+ plan includes everything in the base plan plus smartwatch service, plus a few upgrades to mobile hotspot and international roaming features.



If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.



Deals Newsletter

Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find as we head into the fall? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!






Article Link: Here Are The Best Carrier Deals You Can Get When Pre-Ordering iPhone 17 Today
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/09/12/best-carrier-deals-iphone-17/
I wasn't planning to upgrade my 13PM since it's still running strong (other than diminished max battery), but ATT offering $1100 for it and this being the last year it has that kind of value made upgrading to 17PM too hard to pass on. They also waived the $35 activation fee, so just had to pay total tax upfront (~$85) and then $100 over the course of three years (~$3/mo).
 
You need the Visible + Pro plan to get the watch included. The regular plus plan charges $10 more for the watch.
 
I have an even better carrier deal: pay for the iPhone unlocked and have the freedom to choose a carrier. And change it with no penalty if you don't like the service. You're not getting a discount on the phone. You're actually paying more for it, just over time instead of upfront.

Oh, you can't afford to pay $1,000 for a shiny new iPhone 17 Pro? THEN DON'T BUY ONE! Use your crummy old iPhone 14, 15 or 16 until you save enough to buy it instead of paying interest for 2-3 years!
 
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Verizon’s require ultimate plan. Umm no. It’s more like 830 trade in with middle. But stuck doing that 3 years. But add on dumb activation charge and it’s 790. Factor in veteran discount at Apple Store and not worth it to use Verizon to buy when it’s unlocked and paid for from Apple at about same.
 
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victorvictoria said:
I have an even better carrier deal: pay for the iPhone unlocked and have the freedom to choose a carrier. And change it with no penalty if you don't like the service. You're not getting a discount on the phone. You're actually paying more for it, just over time instead of upfront.

Oh, you can't afford to pay $1,000 for a shiny new iPhone 17 Pro? THEN DON'T BUY ONE! Use your crummy old iPhone 14, 15 or 16 until you save enough to buy it instead of paying interest for 2-3 years!
Click to expand...
I'm a big fan of buying the iPhone directly from Apple each year. I wish there were deals that make more sense from a financial perspective, and not just a convenience perspective.

I add: if last year was any indicator, if you buy an iPhone 17 Pro or ProMax, you will have no problem activating it on any network. Reports last year indicate that the carrier screen wasn't even present. The single reported exception from last year was if an AT&T installment plan was chosen.

I did choose an option to login with my TMO account, and I believe I was prompted to login as part of the process with the 16 ProMax.
 
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imlynxy said:
T-mobile Go5G plus gives only 200 off with iPhone 13 trade-in, but documents on Apple web site say 800 off. Skip the iPhone this year.
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I was also counting on that and then I saw the up to part of Apple's page. So the offer on Go5G Plus is lame. They want you to move to the newer plans and pay them more every month in order to get more credit towards the new phone. They always do the same, last time I had to move from Magenta Max to one of the new Go5G plans in order to get the 15 Pro for "free". Now to upgrade again they once more want me to go to a more expensive plan. Screw that, not upgrading the phone or changing the plan.
 
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getting a free 17 pro with my 14 pro mx trade in and upgrade to premium unlimited (extra $20/month) with xfinity mobile. Seems worth it. total cost will be $480 over 2 years. i was getting the iphone 17 with my 14pm trade in for $400
 
17 Pro 256 is free with my iPhone 14 trade in through AT&T. Yeah I know it’s 36 months and a statement credit that makes it “free,” but honestly I went three years with the base 14 and I’m not expecting Apple to blow me away with the 18, 19 or 20 so eh.
 
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These carrier deals are a rip, honestly. Better to buy your phone outright and be able to take it to whoever can offer the best deal on service.

And if you can't come up with the cash up front for the new phone... don't you have something else you should be worried about, then?
 
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AT&T iphone17 pro is not free with trade in. the credit is capped at $1100. not worth it to get stuck with them for 3 years waiting for the credits to apply.
 
T mobile wants to change my plan from 165$(3 line family plan) a month to a new plan of 215$ a month in order to get the 1100$ trade in deal from my 15 pro.

So looks like we are holding out another year. Sounds like they are pushing people into 50$ more plans in order to qualify for the full 1100 trade in
 
The AT&T deal is a ripoff if you plan on upgrading your brand new phone in the next year or two. Those trade-in values aren't deducted from the cost of the phone but rather are credited to your bill every month for the next 3 years. In other words, you still owe the full cost of the phone. If you plan on upgrading before the 3 years are up, you have to pay off the balance left on your 2025 phone and lose whatever trade-in credits you haven't gotten yet. In other words, you're giving them a trade-in where you'll lose 2/3 of that credit if you upgrade next year or 1/3 if you upgrade in 2 years.

The devil is in the details. It's a bad deal since you lose your trade-in and don't get most of the money for it you were promised. And you still have to pay whatever's left over on the full cost of the new phone. Since when does a trade-in not get deducted straight from the price of the phone you're buying? It's a clever way to trap you for 3 years where you can't get out without paying a big penalty.

I can't speak for the other carriers, but I'd check the fine print before buying and trading anything in.
 
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tobybrut said:
The AT&T deal is a ripoff if you plan on upgrading your brand new phone in the next year or two. Those trade-in values aren't deducted from the cost of the phone but rather are credited to your bill every month for the next 3 years. In other words, you still owe the full cost of the phone. If you plan on upgrading before the 3 years are up, you have to pay off the balance left on your 2025 phone and lose whatever trade-in credits you haven't gotten yet. In other words, you're giving them a trade-in where you'll lose 2/3 of that credit if you upgrade next year or 1/3 if you upgrade in 2 years.

The devil is in the details. It's a bad deal since you lose your trade-in and don't get most of the money for it you were promised. And you still have to pay whatever's left over on the full cost of the new phone. Since when does a trade-in not get deducted straight from the price of the phone you're buying? It's a clever way to trap you for 3 years where you can't get out without paying a big penalty.

I can't speak for the other carriers, but I'd check the fine print before buying and trading anything in.
Click to expand...

Carrier deals only make sense if you plan to keep phone and stay on that carrier for 3 years. You cannot trade it in or pay off early or you lose the discount.

Carriers know many dont do this.
 
cardfan said:
Carrier deals only make sense if you plan to keep phone and stay on that carrier for 3 years. You cannot trade it in or pay off early or you lose the discount.

Carriers know many dont do this.
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That’s not true. You can pay it off early at any point in the 3 years. You don’t forfeit the monthly credits that were already applied.

AT&T is offering me $350 towards an Air for a functioning iPhone 8 with a busted screen. I’m definitely taking that deal. If at any point in the next 3 years I want out of the “contract” I’ll just pay whatever I owe for the phone at that point.
 
joeblough said:
AT&T iphone17 pro is not free with trade in. the credit is capped at $1100. not worth it to get stuck with them for 3 years waiting for the credits to apply.
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1) The 17 Pro 256GB is 1,099. If you buy that model like I did, it’s “free.”
2) Credits are applied on each statement, not at the end of three years. So even after just two years, assuming the iPhone 19 is exciting enough to upgrade early for, those credits will have totaled ~$733 by that point leaving ~$366 left to pay off. I keep my stuff in pristine condition, and am confident I could sell a mint unlocked 256GB 17 Pro for at least $400, making it not only “free” but leaving me with 33 bucks in my pocket for the trouble, or about what I spent on a 3rd party case + screen protector anyway.
Worst case scenario I’m walking away even. This is for my specific use case, but I doubt I’m some unique being here, so if you see some kind of flaw in my math, feel free to illuminate me.
 
cardfan said:
Carrier deals only make sense if you plan to keep phone and stay on that carrier for 3 years. You cannot trade it in or pay off early or you lose the discount.

Carriers know many dont do this.
Click to expand...
I’ve been with AT&T since 1997. I really don’t see myself switching anytime soon. Verizon prices are almost identical to what I currently pay, as they usually are because ATT/VZN have been playing the Coke/Pepsi Ford/Chevy game for decades, and T-Mo doesn’t even offer service in my area. Even if I do switch, other carriers are always offering to pay out the remainder of your contract if you port over your existing number anyway, so again, where’s the catch here unless you specifically need an unlocked phone for travel or you upgrade every year?
 
What's frustrating and confusing is that Apple and T-Mobile both show deals on the iPhone pages for older plans (e.g. Go5G Plus) that would make the iPhone 17 $0/month after credits w/trade, but when you try to check out on the Apple Store for pre-order, those deals for existing plans don't populate and it makes it SEEM like you'd need to change your plan to THE MOST EXPENSIVE ONE to get the deal. This is not the case— indeed you can buy the phone through T-Mobile and get the trade deal— but T-Mobile charges $30 more for the phone AND requires a $35 Device Connection Charge. Trading in at Apple, assuming you could get T-Mobile to honor their own published deal when paired with Equipment Installment Plan, would result in a more advantageous payment arrangement in case you ever decide to bail since the Apple trade-in value is higher (making the financed amount lower).
 
BuckyLurker said:
What's frustrating and confusing is that Apple and T-Mobile both show deals on the iPhone pages for older plans (e.g. Go5G Plus) that would make the iPhone 17 $0/month after credits w/trade, but when you try to check out on the Apple Store for pre-order, those deals for existing plans don't populate and it makes it SEEM like you'd need to change your plan to THE MOST EXPENSIVE ONE to get the deal. This is not the case— indeed you can buy the phone through T-Mobile and get the trade deal— but T-Mobile charges $30 more for the phone AND requires a $35 Device Connection Charge. Trading in at Apple, assuming you could get T-Mobile to honor their own published deal when paired with Equipment Installment Plan, would result in a more advantageous payment arrangement in case you ever decide to bail since the Apple trade-in value is higher (making the financed amount lower).
Click to expand...
It's bullsh|t. Verizon charges a $40 upgrade fee - ok that's been around forever - but on top of that the iPhone 17 is $829.99 not $799. So another $30 BS "fee"
 
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