Quote from Savings Beagle on April 21, 2020, 11:25 am

As of 3/14/2021 this deal is back for both AT&T and Verizon, but at a lower price point of $149.  The specifics listed below are no longer accurate, but the links will take you to the current deals.  You can check availability and purchase there.  This deal appears to be good for phone upgrades on an existing line as well as new lines.

This deal is not exactly tied to lower-priced cell service providers, but does offer a lower-priced new phone option that could be used to take to a lower-priced MVNO.

Here are the details.

Walmart is offering a pre-order deal on the soon-to-be-released Apple iPhone SE (Generation 2) that will allow Verizon Wireless or AT&T customers to purchase/upgrade for only $199 or $6.63 per month (AT&T).

This is a pretty good deal for an iPhone that will price at $399 to start.

Basically, Walmart is subsidizing $200 per phone to spur purchasing through its site.

THE IPHONE SE 2 DEAL

This deal is for a Verizon Wireless or AT&T upgrade and 24-month (Verizon) or 30-month (AT&T) installment agreement (more on this below).

Upgrade offers are rare with Verizon and AT&T. Typically, smartphone deals with these providers require a new line of service to be established to get the deal pricing on phones. That’s not the case with this deal.

There are three colors from which to choose:

• Red
• Black
• White

And three storage options from which to choose:

• 64 GB
• 128 GB
• 256 GB

Offer valid now through 7/17/20. *As of 10/23/2020 part of this deal is still available. Verizon phone pricing appears to be higher. Let us know in the comment section if you see something different.

$200 for iPhone is a reduction of the cash price (excluding tax) financed in device payment agreement.

Offer valid only on purchase with installment plan, no penalty for early pay off. 

You can view this deal’s Terms and Conditions, as well as language associated with Verizon and AT&T at this link.

VERIZON PRICING

• 64 GB – $8.29 per month (24-months)
• 128 GB – $10.38 per month (24-months)
• 256 GB – $14.54 per month (24-months)

Colors are priced the same.

Verizon has a $40 activation fee. There are reports that the activation fee – which will be charged to your Verizon bill – can sometimes be waived by calling and making the request.

Additionally, a report indicates that a Verizon customer service representative stated there are no upgrade or activation fees during the current state of emergency (coronavirus pandemic). If one were to post to your bill, call and it will be removed.

I can’t say that pandemic policy is completely accurate, but something to consider.

Tax will be charged on the phone purchase, but reports indicate only on the reduced cash price…not the regular price as is often the case with phone deals.

The exact amount of tax depends on rates where you live.

AT&T PRICING

• 64 GB – $6.63 per month (30-months)
• 128 GB – $8.30 per month (30-months)
• 256 GB – $11.63 per month (30-months)

Colors are priced the same.

AT&T has an activation fee of $30. It appears, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, AT&T is waiving fees through May 13, 2020, on online activations and upgrades. This is purchased through Walmart, though, so not exactly sure this will be honored. Provides a good argument for waiving of the fee, though.

Tax will be charged on the phone purchase, but reports indicate only on the reduced cash price…not the regular price as is often the case with phone deals.

The exact amount of tax depends on rates where you live.

THE DEAL PLAY

Obviously, if you just want to grab a new iPhone to upgrade on Verizon or AT&T, then this is a pretty good deal.

You can stick with your carrier for the full 24 or 30-month periods, paying the per month amount associated with the phone you choose.

Or, you can pay the phone off, in-full, based on the per month price of the phone you choose x the number of months remaining and either stay with your chosen provider without a monthly phone charge or move to a lower-priced Verizon or AT&T MVNO with your new iPhone SE.

Or, you could pay the phone off and resell it for a profit.

A quick example might be: $199 + tax (? $10 or so) = $209 (as long as you can get the activation fee waived) all-in for a phone that will be priced at $399 when released later this week.

Sell it for more than $210, but less than $399 and anything above $210 is profit.

THE WALMART PURCHASE LINK

Remember, this deal is for Walmart purchases only.

You must purchase via walmart.com to get the deal pricing.

The link below will take you to the iPhone SE 2 deal page. You’ll need to select the carrier (AT&T or Verizon), the color and GB version.

APPLE IPHONE SE 2 WALMART DEAL LINK

The page on which you’ll land is the AT&T version…just select Verizon if that’s your choice.

This is a very popular deal. Many of the options will show as unavailable. If the one you want isn’t currently available, check back later in the day or tomorrow, they seem to be “restocked” on a semi-regular basis.

And, there are many reports that it is very difficult to get the purchase to go through – especially when trying to connect Verizon accounts. Keep trying with different browsers, or even different computers/tablets/phones if you have difficulties.

Some report success when using a PC rather than iOS or Android to buy.

WRAP UP

If you’re looking to upgrade your smartphone, this Apple iPhone SE 2 deal from Walmart just might be what you’re looking for if Verizon or AT&T is your carrier.

Pricing starts at just $199 – which is a $200 discount to the regular to-be starting price of $399 for the iPhone SE 2 (release date is April 24, 2020).

This Walmart deal is scheduled to run through July 17, 2020 (Not sure of an end date at this point), but you might want to buy sooner rather than later just in case it gets pulled early.

If you need the latest and greatest smartphone, this deal probably is not for you.

But if you want to upgrade an older smartphone to a brand new – albeit lower-end – Apple phone, then this deal is hard to beat.

And the key is upgrade, since phone deals that do not require a new line of service be started, are hard to come by these days.

What do you think of this deal?