Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and Sprint (NYSE: S) both said they will launch a buy-one, get-one-free promotions for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge this week, joining rivals T-Mobile (NYSE:TMUS) and AT&T (NYSE:T) in pushing the new, high-end phone.
Starting this Friday, customers who buy one phone will get a prepaid card for the value of the second, less-expensive device when both are purchased on the carrier's installment plan. Customers who have already purchased either phone on the payment plan are also eligible to get a second phone free, Verizon Corporate Communications Manager Trevor Thomas confirmed to FierceWireless.
Sprint on Friday announced that customers who lease the new Samsung Galaxy S7 on the Galaxy Forever plan for $25.99 per month for 24 months with upgrade available after 12 payments are eligible to lease a second one for $0 per month for 24 months after a $25.99 service credit and with upgrade available after 12 payments. Sprint is also offering a similar deal to customers who opt for the $27.09 24-month installment pricing on the Galaxy S7. To qualify, at least one of the devices must be on a new line of service. Sprint said it will retroactively apply the credit for any customers who made qualifying device purchases dating back to Feb. 23.
Verizon's campaign follows the launch of similar offerings by both T-Mobile and AT&T last week. And like each of its major rivals, Verizon has other ongoing promotions: the nation's largest carrier currently offers as much as $650 to users who switch from another provider and trade in their current phone, and it is giving 24 GB of "bonus data" every year to users who activate a new phone on a payment plan and the Verizon's XL or XXL data plans. The extra data is shareable and available as 2 GB per month for as long as the line is active.
Verizon also continues to offer a second Droid phone for half off when users purchase one of three Droid models, and it is waiving the activation fee in the form of a bill credit for users who start service on their existing phones.
As the first quarter of 2016 draws to a close, carriers have turned to BOGO offers in an effort to boost post-holiday sales and grow subscriber additions in an increasingly competitive market. T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon all launched aggress buy-one, get-one campaigns in January, as Wave7 Research noted at the time, although Sprint has largely continued to focus on its promotion offering to cut the bills in half for users who switch from other carriers.
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Article updated March 18 to include Sprint's newly announced BOGO offer.