It’s been a very long time since you can solely get an iPhone instantly from Apple or from AT&T. At the moment, it’s provided by all main carriers and massive retailers, and plenty of of them wish to entice you to purchase with them by providing particular offers. In fact, you may at all times purchase from Apple instantly, both in-store or on-line.
When you haven’t but put in your order for an iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Professional, right here’s a abstract of a number of the offers and promotions provided by totally different retailers that will help you make up your thoughts. For every, we’ll inform you about any present particular offers, when it’s best to take into account shopping for there, and if you shouldn’t.
Apple Retailer
Finest offers
Shopping for direct from Apple is without doubt one of the few methods to purchase an unlocked, SIM-free iPhone 12
or iPhone 12 Professional , and it’s the go-to place to hitch the iPhone Improve Program. Apple will allow you to commerce in your outdated iPhone (in good situation) as credit score towards a brand new buy, too.This yr, Apple is partnering with AT&T and Verizon to supply reductions on the iPhone 12 mini (which is not avaiable till November) and iPhone 12. As an alternative of paying $729/$829 you get a $30 low cost in case you purchase a cellphone activated on AT&T or Verizon.
Each AT&T and Verizon have discounted trade-in plans which you can buy by way of Apple (you’ll commerce your cellphone in on to the provider, not Apple). With AT&T, you will get the iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 mini for $0 a month over 30 months in case you commerce in no less than an iPhone 8 in good situation.
On Verizon, you’ll pay or $11.95 a month for the iPhone 12 mini or $14.95 a month for the iPhone 12 over 24 months with the trade-in of an iPhone X or newer.
For the iPhone 12 Professional, AT&T’s trade-in deal will value you $6.64 per 30 days for 30 months, whereas Verizon can be $23.29 for twenty-four months, once more with the identical trade-in necessities. For the iPhone 12 Professional Max (obtainable in November) these charges go as much as $13.30 and $27.45, respectively.
Observe that these offers require you to be on a month-to-month fee plan with AT&T or Verizon and to subscribe to an eligible Limitless information plan. You’ll get the price of your cellphone diminished in month-to-month invoice credit.
Learn extra about these necessities right here.
Why you can purchase right here

That is the primary time in a very long time you will get provider trade-in offers when shopping for direct from Apple. This will likely have one thing to do with selling carriers that wish to push the iPhone 12 to get clients on their 5G networks, and it might have one thing to do with COVID-19 precautions making in-store procuring much less frequent.
As common, these provider offers include quite a lot of caveats and lock-ins, however they will undoubtedly get you into an iPhone 12 with little to no up-front value.
If you wish to purchase your cellphone with the iPhone Improve Program, you’ll must do it on the Apple Retailer or within the Apple Retailer iOS app.
When shopping for instantly from Apple with an Apple Card, you get 3 % money again. What’s extra, Apple will now allow you to pay for a brand new iPhone along with your Apple Card in 24 month-to-month installments, interest-free.
When you at all times need the newest iPhone yearly, the iPhone Improve Program is a reasonably whole lot. You repay your iPhone in 24 month-to-month installments, however can swap it in for a brand new iPhone after 12 months (thus renewing the 24-month contract). You get Apple Care+ included, too.
It’s additionally one of many few locations you will get your iPhone 12 or 12 Professional SIM-free and unlocked.
Why you shouldn’t purchase right here
When you plan to change carriers or open a brand new line, shopping for instantly from the provider could be a higher cut price—many carriers supply good incentives to change over. Once in a while, carriers might supply offers (“purchase one get one free” or different rebates), although these often require some form of long-term dedication. The very best provider offers are typically for brand new line activations and transfers, although.
Apple gives trade-in worth on your outdated iPhone, however it’s usually not as a lot as a provider (with the caveat that carriers wish to lock you right into a long-term fee plan).
Amazon
Finest offers
The iPhone 12 and 12 Professional don’t look like obtainable from Amazon as of this writing.
Why you can purchase right here
Amazon hardly ever has offers on the newest iPhone fashions, however it may be place to attain a deal on an older licensed refurbished mannequin.
Why you shouldn’t purchase right here
You’re virtually by no means shopping for instantly from Amazon, however slightly by way of a reseller. And a lot of the iPhones you’ll discover on Amazon are licensed refurbished, which isn’t a foul factor, however it’s not the place to go in case you’re on the lookout for a model new mannequin.
AT&T
Finest offers
AT&T is providing an iPhone 12 totally free, the place “free” means as much as $800 in invoice credit if you commerce in an outdated cellphone and finance the brand new one over 30 months. You may get a dearer iPhone 12 (a Professional, or extra storage) and scale back the price by $800 this manner, too.
There are gotchas, after all. You’ll must:
- Buy an eligible smartphone on a qualifying installment settlement, together with taxes on full retail worth (up entrance) and $30 activation/improve price.
- Add a brand new line of service or improve an present line.
- Activate postpaid limitless wi-fi service (min. $75 per 30 days for brand new limitless clients earlier than reductions).
- Commerce-in an eligible Smartphone in good working situation with a minimal trade-in worth of $95 for $800 credit score ($35 for $350 credit score) inside 30 days of activation.
When you meet all these circumstances, you get an iPhone 12 “free” as a result of they’ll provide you with invoice credit sufficient to cowl the month-to-month installments for it. If you need extra storage or an iPhone 12 Professional
, you stand up to $800 value of invoice credit.