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AT&T gets in the holiday spirit, offers ‘free’ Galaxy S6 if you buy a separate Samsung phone

Samsung Galaxy S6
Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends
The holidays are now upon us, which means that deals are just about everywhere you look. Enter AT&T, which announced a promotion that nets customers a free Samsung Galaxy S6. However, before you rush to your nearest AT&T store or overload the company’s servers by going to its website, there are a few things to keep in mind.

For one, in order to get the free Galaxy S6, you’ll need to buy a separate Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge Plus, S6 Active, or a Note 5. If you were already set on picking up a Samsung smartphone, then this step shouldn’t be much of an issue. Things get a little trickier, however, when you consider that you’ll need to open up a new line of service for the offered Galaxy S6.

In addition, both the additional Galaxy S6 and any of the aforementioned Samsung smartphones must be signed up for AT&T’s 24-month Next plan, which has customers paying for the phone in installment plans over a 24-month period. In this case, the installment plans will be a minimum of $70 a month and might go up from there, depending on the Samsung smartphone that you choose.

Furthermore, you’ll still need to pay for the “free” Galaxy S6, whether through an installment plan or by purchasing it outright. Then, for the next 30 months, AT&T will give you a discount of $21.67 a month for 30 months, with the discounts capped off at $650 total. In other words, AT&T will pay you back after you buy the “free” Galaxy S6.

Finally, if you decide at some point that AT&T simply doesn’t work out for you, AT&T will have you pay the remaining balance on the phone.

For those who were already planning on sticking with AT&T, this looks to be a great deal, especially if you were already on the hunt for a second smartphone to give to a loved one. For others, however, AT&T’s two-for-one offer might be one to pass. Either way, the offer is not as straightforward as it might seem, so take the time to read through what this means for you before making a decision. Don’t take too long, though, as the promotion ends on New Year’s Eve.

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