The best iPhone deals in September 2026 include a free iPhone 18 Pro at T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon with an eligible trade-in and a qualifying plan, and an iPhone 17 Pro for $9.99/month at AT&T with a new line and no trade-in at all. Almost every one of these offers pays out as monthly bill credits over 36 months instead of cash at checkout, so you need to keep the line active and stay on installments to collect the full amount.
Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its first foldable, the iPhone Duo, at the September 9 "Surprise and shine" event. There is no standard iPhone 18 this fall because Apple moved that model to spring 2027 alongside the iPhone 18e and a second-generation iPhone Air. Apple also raised the price of every older iPhone by $100 on the same day and discontinued the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, which means the iPhone 17 deals still running at Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are carrier inventory clearing out rather than offers Apple is backing.
Compare top iPhone deals right now
| Carrier | Deal | Details |
|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | Free iPhone 18 Pro, up to $1,200 off, with a trade-in in any condition or a line switch on Experience Beyond | View Deal |
| AT&T | iPhone 18 Pro for $0/month with an eligible iPhone trade-in, or iPhone 17 Pro for $9.99/month with no trade-in | View Deal |
| Verizon | Up to $1,200 off the iPhone 18 Pro with a new myPlan line and trade-in, or phone and plan together for $80/month | View Deal |
iPhone 18 Pro deals
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299, which is a $100 increase over each of last year's equivalents. Both phones run Apple's A20 Pro chip on a 2nm process and add a variable aperture to the 48MP main camera. The iPhone 18 Pro uses Apple's own C2 modem everywhere, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses C2 in every country except the United States. Preorders opened Saturday, September 12, and the phones ship Friday, September 18.
All three major carriers are advertising up to $1,200 off with a trade-in, which is the highest launch-window trade-in figure the big three have ever put on a new iPhone. That number is the ceiling and not the going rate. T-Mobile's own fine print uses an iPhone 15 as the example that reaches the full $1,200, AT&T requires an iPhone 14 or newer excluding the 16e, and the credit arrives as 36 monthly bill credits rather than money off the sticker price.
What Apple has confirmed about iPhone 18 Pro pricing and availability
- iPhone 18 Pro from $1,199, iPhone 18 Pro Max from $1,299, both with 256GB of base storage and 2TB at the top
- Preorders opened Saturday, September 12 at 5am PT, with general availability Friday, September 18
- Up to $1,200 in trade-in credit at Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, applied as monthly bill credits over 36 months
- $175 to $885 in trade-in credit from Apple directly, credited instantly at checkout for an iPhone 13 or later in any condition Apple's estimator accepts
- Apple Upgrade leasing from $34.99/month on a 24-month term
Apple's trade-in range is smaller than the carrier headline numbers, but it lands the day you buy instead of arriving across three years of bills. For reference, Apple is quoting up to $305 for an iPhone 15 and up to $255 for an iPhone 13 Pro.
iPhone 18 Pro deals at the major carriers
The big three are all quoting the same $1,200 ceiling, but they get there differently. T-Mobile runs a four-tier ladder based on your plan, Verizon splits its offer into a trade-in route and a no-trade route, and AT&T ties its best number to a trade-in of an iPhone 14 or newer.
| Carrier | Offer | Details |
|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | Up to $1,200 off on Experience Beyond 2.0, Experience Beyond, or Go5G Next. Up to $930 on Experience More tiers, up to $730 on Essentials 2.0, up to $300 with a trade-in on Essentials | View Deal |
| AT&T | Up to $1,200 off with a trade-in of an iPhone 14 or higher in any condition, excluding the 16e, on a qualifying unlimited plan. Switchers get up to $800 per line to clear an old device balance | View Deal |
| Verizon | Up to $1,200 off with a new myPlan line and trade-in, or up to $1,020 upgrading an existing line. Simplicity Pro bundles phone and plan at $80/month with no trade-in | View Deal |
iPhone 18 Pro deals at prepaid and cable carriers
The prepaid and cable brands published real numbers this year instead of sitting the launch out, and Xfinity is running the single largest discount of any carrier. Coverage varies by model, so check the phones column before you assume an offer applies to the one you want. These offers generally pay out over 24 months rather than 36, which is a shorter commitment than the postpaid deals above.
| Carrier | Phones | Offer | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity Mobile | Any new iPhone, including iPhone Duo | iPhone 18 Pro Max on us, or up to $1,300 off any new iPhone. $400 off without a trade-in | Mobile Plus line and an eligible trade-in. Ends October 8 |
| Total Wireless | iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Duo | $600 off as a $25 monthly credit for 24 months | ALL ACCESS plan |
| Straight Talk | iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, 256GB and 512GB only | $480 off as a $20 monthly credit for 24 months | Gold Unlimited plan at $55/month or higher |
| Visible | iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max | $480 off as a $20 monthly credit for 24 months | Visible+ Pro plan, full retail purchase, no trade-in |
| Metro by T-Mobile | iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max | $300 off any iPhone 18 Pro model | Bring your number to the $50 plan with AutoPay |
| Spectrum Mobile | iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max | $240 off | Device purchase and eligible trade-in. Ends November 8 |
| H2O Wireless | iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max | $250 off | $60 plan |
iPhone Duo deals
The iPhone Duo is Apple's first foldable iPhone, and it starts at $1,999 for 256GB, which puts it $800 above the iPhone 18 Pro and $700 above the iPhone 18 Pro Max. The Duo opens into a 7.6-inch inner display with a nano-texture finish, folds down to a 5.4-inch outer screen, and runs the same A20 Pro chip as the Pro models. Storage runs to 2TB at $3,199, colors are star white and night sky, preorders open Friday, October 16, and the phone ships Friday, October 23.
Almost no carrier has published Duo pricing yet. Xfinity Mobile has confirmed the Duo is covered by its up-to-$1,300 trade-in offer, Total Wireless is taking $600 off, and AT&T has said its $1,200 trade-in deal will extend to Duo orders in October. T-Mobile and Verizon are both carrying the phone but have published nothing on terms. Apple has not released per-model trade-in values toward the Duo, monthly financing for the 512GB and larger tiers, or an AppleCare price. Apple's own trade-in credit still caps at $885, and Apple Upgrade leasing starts at $57.99/month over 24 months.
Why we are telling you to wait on the iPhone Duo
Preordering on October 16 means committing before two of the three major carriers have said what their offer is, which is a hard thing to price out in advance. Apple is also expected to produce the Duo in limited numbers at launch, so the first wave of carrier promotions will likely be thin and allocation-limited. Foldable launch deals tend to improve noticeably in the two or three months after release once supply catches up, which is what happened with the Galaxy Z Fold 8. If you want a foldable iPhone at the best price, preorder only if you have a high-value trade-in ready and a carrier offer you have actually read; otherwise wait for the holiday promotions. We will update this page as carriers publish their terms.
iPhone 17 deals
The iPhone 17 lineup is where the low monthly payments are this month. Apple discontinued the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max on September 9, so what is left at the carriers is inventory they want to move, and the discounts reflect that. Apple still sells the iPhone 17 at $899 and the iPhone Air at $1,099 after this month's $100 increase, which means a carrier credit that used to cover the whole phone no longer quite does. Here are the best trade-in deals and clearance offers available on the iPhone 17 right now.
- Eligible unlimited plan required
- New line required, no trade-in needed
- 36-month installment plan required
iPhone 17 Pro for $9.99/month at AT&T, no trade-in
AT&T has the most aggressive clearance pricing on the discontinued Pro models. The iPhone 17 Pro is $9.99/month and the iPhone 17 Pro Max is $14.99/month, both on a new line with no trade-in required, down from $30.56 and $33.34 respectively. The standard iPhone 17 drops to $0/month with an eligible trade-in, and the iPhone Air lands at $5.99/month on a new line. Those prices include AT&T's extra $5.56/month online credit, so ordering online rather than in store is what gets you there. AT&T is also paying off up to $800 per line of your remaining device balance if you are switching from another carrier, delivered by reward card. Everything runs through 36 monthly bill credits, and because these are discontinued models, stock is finite.
View at AT&T
- Qualifying unlimited plan required
- Trade-in in any condition or line switch required
- 36-month installment plan required
Free iPhone 17 at T-Mobile
T-Mobile folded its iPhone 17 offer into the new iPhone 18 Pro structure, so the iPhone 17 comes at no cost as the alternative to the $930 discount on the Experience More 2.0, Experience More, and Go5G Plus tiers. You get there by trading in an eligible device or switching a line over, and the trade-in is graded on condition rather than rejected for damage, so a cracked screen still gets you into the offer. T-Mobile is still carrying the iPhone 17 Pro with a discount attached, though the exact figure moved when the 18 Pro launched. Every version of this deal pays out through 36 monthly bill credits under T-Mobile's EIP financing, so you need to keep the line active for three years to bank the full amount.
View at T-Mobile
- Simplicity Plus or eligible myPlan required
- New line or trade-in required
- Installment plan required
iPhone 17 and plan for $65/month at Verizon
Verizon's newest angle on the iPhone 17 skips trade-ins entirely. On the Simplicity Plus plan the phone and plan together come to about $65/month, with $35 of that covering the device, and nothing to hand over. If you would rather take a credit, Verizon is still advertising up to $1,000 off the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone Air with either a new line or an eligible trade-in instead of needing both. Verizon is also including NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube on select Unlimited plans, worth roughly $480, but that offer closes September 23 and the iPhone 17 is on the eligible device list while the 18 Pro currently is not. The higher credit tiers point you toward Unlimited Ultimate, so price out the plan cost over three years before you assume the phone is genuinely free.
View at VerizonMint Mobile: Cheap T-Mobile alternative
Mint Mobile is a Ryan Reynolds-owned small carrier that operates on the T-Mobile network. That means stellar T-Mobile 5G coverage without the high T-Mobile prices. One of the ways Mint is able to offer such cheap plans is by asking their customers to commit to 3 months at a time. Check out Mint's $30/month ($90 for 3 months) Unlimited Plan:
Mint Mobile Unlimited Data Plan
| Carrier | Mint Mobile |
|---|---|
| Data | Unlimited Data |
| Type | No Contract |
| Current Deal | Get this unlimited plan for just $15/mo. (applicable for 3, 6 or up to 12 months of service) |
| Total Price |
$15 per month
$45 for 3 months of service
|
| View Plan |
iPhone 17e and iPhone 16 deals
The iPhone 17e is Apple's cheapest current iPhone at $699, up $100 from its launch price after this month's increase, and it is still the model most people should look at if the Pro pricing this year feels absurd. It packs a 6.1-inch OLED display, the A19 chip, 256GB of storage, a 48MP main camera, and MagSafe, so the compromises are mostly the 60Hz refresh rate and the single rear lens. The iPhone 16 is still sold by Apple at $799 and still carries carrier promotions, so both are worth a look if you want a free iPhone without paying for a premium plan tier.
- Eligible unlimited plan required, Value Plus excluded
- New line required, no trade-in needed
- 36-month installment plan required
iPhone 17e for under $1/month at AT&T
AT&T will sell you the iPhone 17e for $0.99/month with no trade-in required, which is the lowest barrier to entry of any deal on this page. The catch is that it needs a new line rather than an upgrade, and the price includes the $5.56/month online credit, so you have to order online. You also need to buy the phone on a 36-month installment plan and stay on an eligible unlimited plan for the full term. Add up the plan cost before you call it free, because AT&T's eligible unlimited plans start at $60/month per line before discounts, and the Value Plus tiers do not qualify for the online credit at all.
View at AT&T
- Qualifying unlimited plan required
- Trade-in or switch from Metro required
- 36-month installment plan required
Free iPhone 17e at T-Mobile
T-Mobile is offering the iPhone 17e at no cost two different ways, so you can either trade in an eligible device on a qualifying unlimited plan or move over from Metro by T-Mobile without a trade-in at all. The Metro route is the one worth knowing about because it lets prepaid customers step up to postpaid service and walk away with a current-generation iPhone for nothing down. The credits run across 36 months on T-Mobile's EIP financing.
View at T-Mobile
- Eligible myPlan unlimited plan required
- New line required, no trade-in needed
- 36-month installment plan required
Up to $729.99 off the iPhone 16 at Verizon
Verizon is knocking up to $729.99 off the iPhone 16 with a new line on an eligible unlimited plan and no trade-in required. That covered the entire phone until September 9, when Apple pushed the iPhone 16 back up to $799, so you are now looking at roughly $70 left to pay rather than nothing. Existing Verizon customers get the same offer by adding a line rather than upgrading one, so this works as a second-phone or family-plan deal more than an upgrade path. Verizon is also advertising up to $600 off the iPhone 17e on the same new-line-or-trade-in terms if you would rather have the newer chip. The discount lands as 36 monthly bill credits.
View at VerizonWhat you should know about iPhone deals
Deals are great, but what's the catch? From finding a good deal to understanding how a deal actually works, we'll give you the inside scoop.
Who typically features them?
The best iPhone deals are pretty much always going to come from the major carriers. With these deals, you're likely going to be able to get your hands on one of the latest iPhone models for free or for a very low price, usually with a trade-in device or a new line of service attached.
How do they work?
The big carriers entice and keep customers by offering generous phone deals to customers who agree to buy their new phone on a payment plan. The carrier will then apply discounts on the new phone to your monthly payments.
In other words, if the promo is saying that your iPhone is free, you will technically be charged the monthly cost for it, but the carrier will apply a credit that cancels out the cost of the phone.
Apple raised prices on older iPhones this year instead of cutting them
Older iPhones normally get cheaper when a new model lands, and this year Apple did the opposite. On September 9 the iPhone 16 went from $699 to $799, the iPhone 17e from $599 to $699, the iPhone 17 from $799 to $899, and the iPhone Air from $999 to $1,099. Apple has pointed to memory and storage chip costs as the reason, and the increase applies to Apple's own pricing rather than to carrier promotions.
The practical effect on deal shopping is that a fixed-dollar carrier credit does not stretch as far as it did in August. A $729.99 credit covered an entire iPhone 16 two weeks ago and leaves a balance today, so check the current retail price before you take a "free phone" headline at face value.
Every major carrier now finances phones over 36 months
All three major carriers now spread device payments and promotional credits across 36 months instead of 24. Verizon and AT&T moved to three-year terms several years ago, and T-Mobile joined them in August 2026 when it launched EIP Flex 36 and EIP Standard 36 alongside its Essentials 2.0, Experience More 2.0, and Experience Beyond 2.0 plans.
The practical consequence is that a "free" iPhone now ties you to a carrier for three years rather than two, and paying the device off early forfeits every remaining promotional credit. T-Mobile's EIP Flex 36 does let you roll taxes and fees into the financed amount for a genuine zero-dollar checkout, which no other carrier offers, so it is a real benefit as long as you understand the trade-off in commitment length. Worth noting that the prepaid and cable offers on this page mostly run 24 months instead, which is a shorter leash for a smaller discount.
What to consider
Carriers tend to reserve the best deals for customers who are on the most expensive plans. Is it worth paying for a $70 to $90 plan to have a new free iPhone? That's entirely up to you. However, we suggest you only go for these types of deals if you would be happy with one of these plans even without the new phone.
Remember that these plans, while expensive, do tend to provide you with the best service and data limits. Otherwise, you should shop around for some less expensive plans. You may find a plan that serves your needs and is also so affordable that you save more over three years than a brand-new iPhone would cost.
How we pick the best iPhone deals
WhistleOut reviews iPhone deals from every cell phone carrier and retailer in the United States. We audit deals daily and update our picks as needed. Here's how we rank the best deals each month:
- Max savings: We factor in the total savings and percentage of savings compared to the full price of the iPhone. We prioritize free phone deals over discounted phone deals, though both can be beneficial.
- Features: We favor the latest iPhones as they include the latest features.
- Eligibility: We also factor in eligibility requirements for each deal, giving higher marks to offerings that have a low barrier to eligibility for maximum savings.
- Commitment length: We weigh how long a promotion locks you in, because a 36-month credit schedule is a three-year commitment even when the phone itself costs nothing.
- Extras: Lastly, we look at whether the carrier is throwing in any freebies to sweeten the deal. With the best iPhone deals, you can often score extra perks like free Apple Watches, iPads, and streaming subscriptions.
You may wonder why we rarely list offers from retailers. Big box stores like Best Buy or Walmart often promote huge deals on the iPhone. However, these deals are almost always the exact same deals that you get from the major carriers. Of course, when you buy an iPhone from one of these retailers, you are also purchasing a plan (or upgrading your phone) from one of the carriers.
Scott Houghton
Jr. Staff Writer
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