Get up to $650 in credit from AT&T for switching to its side of the fence

Flattery may not get you far, but in the cell phone service provider world, bribery may get you new customers. The latest firm to offer an enticing deal designed to test customer loyalty is AT&T, which is currently dangling the prospect of as much as $650 in credit for people who switch from other carriers like Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile. As per AT&T’s related post, “Beginning today, AT&T is offering you up to $650 in credits to help you switch your wireless service to us. Simply purchase a new smartphone on AT&T NextSM, activate eligible service, port your number, and trade-in your current eligible smartphone.”

The $650 amount is a maximum, subject to conditions we’ll describe below, but there doesn’t appear to be a significant catch in the scheme. And to sweeten the deal, you can combine this latest offer with AT&T’s current buy-one-get-one-free offer on some of its most popular smartphones. So if you’re looking for a time to bid adieu to one carrier in favor of another, this opportunity may be worth looking into.

While the term “eligible smartphone” may raise some eyebrows, not to worry — that simply means it simply must carry, at a minimum, a $10 value. So chances are, if you’re a smartphone owner of any sort, you qualify. Once you bring your old device in, you’ll receive “either AT&T store credit or an AT&T Promotion Card in the amount of your trade-in value.”

Then, you’ll have to submit your final statement from your old carrier, whereupon you’ll be gifted “an AT&T promotion Visa pre-paid gift card in the amount of the early termination fee or device balance owed on your final bill minus your trade-in value.” The total credit value, according to AT&T, is up to $650.

“These offers are some of our best to date,” said Glenn Lurie, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility. “Our $650 credit is a great reward for new customers who switch to AT&T and our buy-one, get-one free is another great reward for our valued customers in the market for new smartphones.  There has never been a better time for new and existing AT&T customers to rack up the savings.”

Of course, the main thing to note is that the you can receive up to $650, and not necessarily that full amount — but something’s still better than nothing.