There's an unexpected twist in Verizon's latest "iPhone on us" trade-in offer
Several Verizon customers have been receiving a text today with a tempting new offer: you can get a brand new iPhone 16 from Verizon, even if your old phone is broken, and you don't have to switch your current phone plan. Verizon is letting people trade in almost any old phone, no matter how bad it looks or works, to get the newest iPhone.
Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it appears that the only catch is the 36-month agreement you will be bound to should you go for this. Basically, as explained by a Redditor, the iPhone 16 with 128GB of storage costs $830. That amount will be technically divided over length of the contract, which in this case is 36 months, which equals $23.05 a month. Trading in a device will cancel out that monthly payment in the form of credits.
This offer is currently being sent out via text to several Verizon customers, although it is not known exactly how candidates are being chosen or if you can access this offer directly from the Verizon site. As of right now, the only options I see publicly listed for existing customers requires users to be enrolled in the Unlimited Ultimate plan, which is not a requirement in the offer that is being sent via text, which states the below:
Get an iPhone 16 on us ($830 in value) when you trade in any phone from Apple, Samsung or Google, any condition guaranteed
Verizon offer text to customers, March 10th, 2025
A similar offer is being sent geared towards the Android crowd, offering a Galaxy S25 Ultra for $5 a month while keeping the current plan with any trade in, in any condition. In the past, phone companies usually made you sign up for a new, more expensive plan if you wanted a deal on a new phone in order to get people to stay with them. But, a lot of people didn't like having to change their plans or needing a phone in perfect shape. Verizon's new offer appears to change this requirement.
There's quite a bit of discussion in online forums right now about this deal, and many are surprised to hear that Verizon will take any phone. Some wonder if there's a catch, while others want to know exactly how broken or old a phone can be when traded in. Some also question if there are any hidden costs or long contracts associated.
If you received the aforementioned text with any of these offers, we would suggest first checking the terms carefully, particularly those surrounding paying off the phone early — if that's something you might want to do in the future. Otherwise, on paper, this sounds like a great offer for those looking to buy an iPhone 16 or a Galaxy S25 Ultra without an up-front investment.
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