As I'm sure many of you have noticed, Valentine's Day is just a week away, and it looks like T-Mobile will be celebrating the holiday in one of the only ways it knows how. According to our friends at TmoNews, T-Mobile is planning to hold a Valentine's Day sale on February 11th that'll see the carrier offering all of its 4G smartphones for free after mail-in rebate and two-year contract. The deal will reportedly be open to both new and existing customers and, unlike some of T-Mobile's past big sales, this one is said to include Classic and Value plans.
Want details? TmoNews explains that interested customers will pay for their phone in-store (two-year subsidy for Classic plans, down payment for Value plans) and then that amount will be reimbursed to the consumer in the form of a mail-in rebate. All 4G smartphones, as well as some tablets and mobile hotspots, will be included in the sale. However, some devices, like the Galaxy S II and Amaze 4G, will reportedly require a 5GB data plan.
So there you are, Magenta faithful. Obviously this sale and its details still have to be made official by the folks at T-Mobile, but as long as today's leaked information holds true, it may be worth your time to make a stop by your local neighborhood T-Mobile store on Saturday. The good news is that we may not have long to wait before the sale is announced, as TmoNews claims that it could be unveiled by T-Mobile as soon as this afternoon. We'll let you know when we hear more.
UPDATE: And just as soon as this post went up, T-Mobile has made the promotion officially official. This Saturday, T-Mobile will be celebrating Valentine's Day by offering all of its 4G smartphones and select tablets and mobile hotspots for free with a two-year contract and qualifying Classic or Unlimited Value plan.
As mentioned in the leak above, customers that opt for a Classic plan will pay the two-year subsidy for a device and then receive that amount back on a mail-in rebate card. For example, both the Samsung Galaxy S II and BlackBerry Bold 9900 will require customers to pay $249.99 in-store, and then those folks will receive a $250 mail-in rebate to bring the net cost down to $0. Value plan customers will make their down payment in store and then will also receive a mail-in rebate for that amount. As is normally the case, Value plan users will also be subject to monthly payments of varying amounts. Some EIP monthly payments examples include $20 for the Galaxy S II, $15 for the Lumia 710 and $5 for the Sonic 4G Mobile Hotspot.
T-Mobile also notes the data requirements in place for devices: 200MB for voice phones, 2GB for most smarpthones, 5GB for the Galaxy S II and Amaze 4G. You can find the full press release below for the full rundown from T-Mobile.
Cupid’s Arrow Hits Mark: T-Mobile Offers Free 4G Phones to Celebrate Valentine’s
For one day only, on Feb.11, all of T-Mobile’s 4G smartphones and select mobile broadband devices are free with the switch to a qualifying two-year plan
Bellevue, Wash. — Feb. 7, 2012
2012-02-07 15:08:25
In the spirit of the season, T-Mobile USA, Inc. will show consumers lots of love with another jaw-dropping promotion for its “Valentine’s Day Sale.” For one day only, Saturday, Feb. 11, T-Mobile will give customers the chance to get their hands on the latest 4G smartphones and select tablets for free, making a perfect gift for loved ones or themselves. The promotion includes T-Mobile’s fastest 4G smartphones and select tablets running on America’s Largest 4G Network® such as the Samsung Galaxy S™ II1 and the T-Mobile® SpringBoard™ with Google™.
New and existing eligible customers can take advantage of this deal receiving their device for free after a mail-in rebate card when they sign up for a new two-year contract on any qualifying Classic Plan™2 or for a $0.00 down payment after mail-in rebate card when signing up on a qualifying Unlimited Value™3 plan.
“T-Mobile has a commitment to make the 4G experience affordable and accessible to everyone, so this sweet deal on smartphones and tablets is our Valentine’s gift to consumers,” said John Clelland, senior vice president of marketing, T-Mobile USA. “No matter where loved ones live, T-Mobile wants to bring them closer with unlimited talking, photo sharing, video chatting, texting, and more.”
A recent online Omnibus survey4 with Harris Interactive found that four-in-ten (44%) of first time smartphone buyers in 2012 say the cost of the data plan associated with the smartphone is the most influential reason they have not purchased a smartphone before. The value for customers extends beyond the “Valentine’s Day Sale” as T-Mobile offers the best rate plan pricing on America’s Largest 4G Network.
The “Valentine’s Day Sale” will be available on Feb.11 at participating T-Mobile retail stores nationwide and T-Mobile will support the promotion with a national television advertising campaign. For more information about T-Mobile’s “Valentine’s Day Sale” and details about qualifying plans, visit http://bit.ly/z36M9c.
1 Devices must be supported with the following data requirements: voice phones: 200 MB data; most smartphones: 2 GB data; 42 Mbps devices (Amaze and Galaxy S II): 5 GB data.
2Standard upgrade eligibility rules apply for existing Classic customers that stay on a Classic plan; standard migration fees will apply for existing Classic customers that switch to a Value plan and have less than 18 months contract tenure.
3 $0 down payment offer not applicable in RI, CT, or Miami-Dade County, FL; customers in these regions will be eligible for a different offer. Equipment installment plans: On approved credit and 0 percent APR. Down payment and unfinanced portion required at purchase. Remaining balance paid in 20 monthly installments. Total post-rebate price of each device equals down payment amount plus monthly payment amount times 20.
4This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of T-Mobile USA from December 20-22, 2011 among 2,573 adults ages 18 and older, among whom 235 will be first time smartphone buyers in 2012, and 988 are current smartphone users who will remain smartphone users in 2012. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact kmcfadzean@waggeneredstrom.com.
5Mail-in rebate not applicable in RI, CT, or Miami-Dade County, FL.
