If you’re in need of a new smartphone, but aren’t willing to spend an arm and a leg to get it, there’s now another option.
The new “AT&T Access More Card” from Citi is offering new cardmembers a free smartphone (up to $650 in value) excluding taxes, shipping, fees, and wireless service.
Just to give you an idea of prices, the iPhone 6 Plus runs as high as $499 for the 128 GB version. And the smaller iPhone 6 costs $399 for the same storage. But those prices require a two-year wireless contract with AT&T.
Assuming you don’t want an annual contract, you can get an unlocked iPhone 6 with 16 GB of storage for $649.
If you want a truly free iPhone from AT&T, you’ll need to sign up for a two-year contract and they’ll only give you the iPhone 5c for free. That probably won’t impress too many people.
In order to earn the free phone with this credit card offer, you need to spend at least $2,000 in the first three months from account opening. And you need to keep the phone and AT&T service for at least 15 days.
The good news is that the phone purchase can be part of that $2,000, so the spending requirement can be as low as $1,350 of non-phone spending.
Once you meet the spending requirement, you will receive a one-time statement credit of up to $650 to cover the cost of the phone. Please note that the credit may take up to two billing cycles to appear.
There is a $95 annual fee with the AT&T Access More Card and it is not waived the first year. So your free phone isn’t really free.
How to Get the Free Phone
Once you apply for and get approved for the AT&T Access More Card, you will be given a unique “Phone Offer Link” to complete your phone purchase. The phone must be purchased at the full retail price (with no annual contract).
This link may be available at the time you apply for the credit card, via a welcome e-mail, or through your online account at Citi.
You can make the phone purchase right away, or save it for later. But you must spend the $2,000 in the first three months.
Once you purchase the phone (using your new AT&T Access More Card and the Phone Offer Link), you must activate it with a qualifying AT&T postpaid wireless plan.
And it must remain active and in good standing for at least 15 days. That’s it. Once you meet all those requirements, Citi will reimburse you for up to $650 (less if you buy a cheaper phone).
So it’s probably wise to get an expensive phone via this offer to get the full $650 value out of the deal.
Also Earn 3 Points per Dollar Online with the AT&T Access More Card
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- 3 ThankYou Points per $1 at retail websites
- 3 ThankYou Points per $1 at travel websites
- 3 ThankYou Points per $1 on AT&T purchases
- 1 ThankYou Point per $1 elsewhere
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Aside from the free phone offer, the AT&T Access More Card also offers decent bonus point categories all year round.
For example, you can earn 3 ThankYou Points per dollar spent at so-called “retail websites,” which Citi says includes department store websites, specialty store websites, and warehouse store websites.
You also get 3 ThankYou Points per dollar spent at travel websites like Expedia and Priceline, to name a couple.
And you get 3 ThankYou Points per dollar spent on products and services from AT&T, such as wireless service. You don’t get double points (6X) for online AT&T purchases though. Shucks.
Lastly, the card comes with 0% APR for seven months on AT&T purchases, which is kind of strange if they’re giving you the phone for free. Be careful not to mix up AT&T purchases and non-AT&T purchases as it could burn you via costly finance charges.
All in all, this is a decent offer if you need a new phone and don’t want a two-year commitment. But as mentioned, there is a $95 annual fee and a $2,000 spending requirement.
And AT&T already subsidizes phones with long-term contracts, so it may not make sense unless you want/need an unlocked phone.