AT&T Black Friday deals: The best offers from last year and what to expect in 2020

Are you looking for a great deal on an AT&T smartphone? Then you’ll want to check out AT&T Black Friday deals to see how much money you can save. Our guide will show you when Black Friday and Cyber Monday happens this year, where to score the best deals and some of the savings you can expect during Black Friday at AT&T.

AT&T Black Friday deals 2020

AT&T released its first round of 2020 Black Friday deals this week, and there are some impressive savings to be found. We combed through the fine print to find the very best discounts this year on all the latest smartphones. Here are some of our favorites.

$700 off all iPhones

• Trade-in required
• Open a new line (min. $75/mo.) or upgrade an existing line

This iPhone deal from AT&T allows you to get $700 off any iPhone when you trade in an eligible phone and open a new line or upgrade an existing line. That means you could get the iPhone 12 mini entirely for free. Here are the smartphones AT&T is accepting for trade in for the full $700 off:

• Apple: 8, 8 Plus, X, XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max
• Samsung: A71, A71 5G, Fold, Z Fold2 5G, Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+, Galaxy S9+ Duos, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10 5G, Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10 Lite, Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, Galaxy S20+ 5G, Note9, Note10, Note10+, Note10+ 5G, Note20 5G, Note20 Ultra 5G, Z Flip 5G
• Google: Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL
• LG: V50 ThinQ, V60 ThinQ 5G
• Other: Asus Rog Phone2, moto razr, OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, OnePlus 7T, OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren, OnePlus 8 5G, OnePlus 8 Pro

If you don’t have one of these phones, you can still save some money on a new iPhone. AT&T is offering $350 off for the following trade-ins:

• Apple: iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, iPhone 7, 7 Plus, SE (2nd gen)
• Samsung: A11, A20, A20s, A30, A50, A50s, A51, A70, A8+, A9, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Active, Galaxy S8 Duos, Galaxy S8+, Note5, Note8
• Google: Pixel 2, 2XL, 3, 3 XL, 3a, 3a XL
• LG: G7 ThinQ, G7+ ThinQ. G8 ThinQ, G8X ThinQ, K51, Stylo6, V35 ThinQ, V40 ThinQ
• Other: Moto Z4, RED Hydrogen One, Razer Phone, Razer 2, Huawei P20 Lite, Kyocera DuraForce Pro 2, OnePlus 5, OnePlus 5T, OnePlus 6, OnePlus 6T, OnePlus 7 Pro

$700 off Samsung Galaxy models

• Trade-in required
• Open a new line (min. $75/mo.) or upgrade an existing line

Like the iPhone deal, you’ll need to jump through a few hoops to get this deal, including having the right phone to trade in and opening or upgrading an unlimited line with AT&T. Here are the Samsung Galaxy devices that will work with this deal, along with their retail prices: 

• Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G 128 GB (Mystic Bronze, Gray) ($1000)
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G 128 GB (Mystic Black, Bronze, White) ($1300)
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G 512 GB (Mystic Black) ($1450)
• Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G 128GB ($1200), 512GB ($1350)
• Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G 128GB ($1400), 512GB ($1600)
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G 128GB ($700), 256GB ($770)
• Samsung Galaxy Z-Flip 5G 256GB ($1450)
• Samsung Galaxy Z-Fold2 5G ($2000)

To get the full $700 off, you’ll need to trade in one of the following smartphones:

• Apple: iPhone 8, 8+, X, XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro Max
• Samsung: A71, A71 5G, Fold, Z Fold2 5G, Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+, Galaxy S9+ Duos, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10 5G, Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10 Lite, Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, Galaxy S20+ 5G, Note9, Note10, Note10+, Note10+ 5G, Note20 5G, Note20 Ultra 5G, Z Flip 5G
• Google: Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL
• LG: V50 ThinQ, V60 ThinQ 5G
• Other: Asus Rog Phone2, moto razr, OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, OnePlus 7T, OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren, OnePlus 8 5G, OnePlus 8 Pro

For just $350 off, you can also trade in the following devices: 

• Apple: iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, iPhone 7, 7 Plus, SE (2nd gen)
• Samsung: A11, A20, A20s, A30, A50, A50s, A51, A70, A8+, A9, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Active, Galaxy S8 Duos, Galaxy S8+, Note5, Note8
• Google: Pixel 2, 2XL, 3, 3 XL, 3a, 3a XL
• LG: G7 ThinQ, G7+ ThinQ. G8 ThinQ, G8X ThinQ, K51, Stylo6, V35 ThinQ, V40 ThinQ
• Other: Moto Z4, RED Hydrogen One, Razer Phone, Razer 2, Huawei P20 Lite, Kyocera DuraForce Pro 2, OnePlus 5, OnePlus 5T, OnePlus 6, OnePlus 6T, OnePlus 7 Pro

The best AT&T Black Friday deals from 2019

AT&T offered excellent Black Friday deals last year. Here is a look at some of the best deals from last holiday season:

Free Google Pixel 4

AT&T gave the Google Pixel 4 for free when you signed up for a new line on its unlimited plan. All you had to do was maintain service, and AT&T would provide bill credits to offset the monthly payments. Overall, you saved $850 on a new phone. 

Receive $700 off the iPhone 11 with eligible trade-in

New customers could receive up to $700 off (in monthly credits) when they traded in an eligible device and ported their current numbers to AT&T. If you were not transferring a number, you could receive up to $500 off the new iPhone 11. And similar to the Google Pixel deal, you had to choose an unlimited service plan. 

A significant discount on the Samsung Galaxy Note

For Samsung fans, AT&T enticed you with a $500 discount off the Samsung Galaxy Note. To receive the $500 credit, you would buy the phone on the monthly installment plan. However, if you paid for the phone outright, you received $400, so, either way, you are saving money.

Free iPhone XR

AT&T offered a free iPhone XR when you ported your number in and chose an unlimited plan. From there, you received $600 in billing credits spread out over 30 months. It was a smart deal for those who wanted a reliable phone without higher costs.

Half off the LG V40 ThinQ

For buyers looking for an alternative to Samsung and Apple phones, AT&T had you covered. When you bought the LG V40 Thin Q on the monthly installment plan, you only paid $15.84/mo., while AT&T gave you a monthly discount of $15.83. This incentive allowed you to receive a $475 discount on a brand new phone, as long as you were a new customer and signed up for a plan totaling at least $50/mo.

Free iPhone 8

If you bought the iPhone 8 online and were a new customer, you were eligible to receive the phone for free. All you had to do was buy the phone online in monthly installments, and AT&T would pay these for you. In turn, you saved up to $449.99.  

The AT&T deals we expect to see for Black Friday 2020

Based on what we saw last season with AT&T’s Black Friday deals, it’s a safe bet we will see more of the same this year. We expect AT&T to offer significant discounts on the iPhone 12 with trade-in incentives. On the website, you can check to see if your phone is eligible for a discount.

And if you’re new to AT&T, keep in mind many of its incentives involve you porting your number and having an unlimited data plan. Moreover, we expect them to offer significant discounts on some of the new Samsung, Google and LG models.

Also, if you want a free phone, you might be in luck. If last year was any indication, AT&T might offer some of the iPhones for free. It’s imperative to follow all directions from the carrier to receive the deal. Often, it means you will need to pay for the phone in monthly installments since AT&T pays credits in this fashion. Doing so allows you to take advantage of their best deals with minimal out-of-pocket expenses on your end. 

Where to find the best AT&T deals on Black Friday

As noted above, COVID-19 will change the way we shop this season. We believe AT&T will offer more online incentives this year because they understand many shopping behaviors will be altered. 

If you decide to buy online, pay attention to all the terms and conditions to ensure you receive the incentive. Some deals require you to port new lines and pick unlimited data plans. 

Meanwhile, if your preference is to shop in the store, you will want to contact the store first to see if they are taking appointments or allowing walk-in shoppers. It is also ideal to follow all social distancing guidelines and any other mandates the store imposes for a stress-free shopping experience. 

The bottom line

Overall, AT&T offers excellent Black Friday deals, and this year should be no different. The only difference will be since more people will shop online, we expect to see more online incentives. To keep up to date with all of AT&T’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, be sure to bookmark this page and check back, as we will post all developments as they become available. 

*Originally written 11/10/20. Last updated 11/19/20.

By Sean Jackson