T‑Mobile is tempting you with a headliner offer: when you switch to the Experience Beyond plan, get Apple’s brand new iPhone 17 Pro for $0 with eligible trade‑in. The carrier will give up to $1,100 in credits over 24 months, effectively zeroing out the cost of the base 256GB model for those who qualify. Here’s how the deal works, what you need and the fine print to watch before you take the leap.
How the “free” part goes down
The bonus is paid as bill credits. You purchase the iPhone 17 Pro on an equipment installment plan, and T‑Mobile provides monthly credits — up to $1,100 — until you’ve paid for the phone in full. Cancel early or switch to a non‑qualifying plan and remaining credits will stop; you also will be charged the remaining device balance.
Be prepared to pay taxes on the full retail price at the time of purchase (varies by state) plus a $35 activation fee. Because of delay in when billing occurs, credits may take one or two billing cycles to begin; you’ll get any missed months back‑credited once they do. Below is a breakdown of the structure for each of the four major U.S. carriers.
Who is eligible, and which plans apply?
The $0 iPhone 17 Pro is available to new and existing customers who trade in an eligible device and activate on T‑Mobile’s Experience Beyond plan for unlimited talk, text and data. Lines must be active and in good standing for the 24-month credit term.
If you don’t have a trade‑in, there’s a second option: switch to T‑Mobile on Experience More or Go5G Plus and get a base iPhone 17 for free—or save up to $830 off any iPhone 17 series device—with no trade‑in needed. It’s not quite the complete “free Pro,” but for users with older devices or for lighter users, it might be a better value.
Trade‑in criteria and preparing to trade in your device
The most credit is given for current top-of-the-range handsets in good working condition. Device lineups vary slightly from year to year, but trade‑ins that usually fall into the top tier are late‑generation iPhones and premium Android devices from Samsung and Google. Cracks to the screen, water damage, or non‑working components will lower the value of your credit.
Before you give a phone away: back up your data, sign out of iCloud (or Google, respectively), turn off Find My iPhone and factory‑reset. If you’re mailing your device, get it in the mail promptly within the window specified, and get a receipt. Consumer advocates say that the most common reason for a credit’s being denied is that a trade-in was delayed, so documents do matter.
What you’re paying for iPhone 17 Pro
Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro launches with the new A19 Pro chip which is expected to enhance performance while making it more power efficient. Apple promises all‑day battery life — up to 33 hours on a full charge — depending on use. The 6.3‑inch Super Retina XDR display is Dolby VisionHDR compatible, and the mobile’s camera system is built around a 48MP unit for wide, ultra‑wide and telephoto shooting, combined with an 18MP front camera for high‑quality video calls and content capture.
Apple’s safety stack—Crash Detection, Emergency SOS, and satellite connectivity for off‑grid messaging—now comes back as the differentiator. The T‑Mobile deal begins at 256GB of storage and offers higher tiers all the way up to 2TB for additional monthly fees.
Step‑by‑step: How to lock in the $0 price
1) Ensure you are eligible to participate: review the requirement for the Experience Beyond plan may and your line status.
2) Validate your trade‑in: Validate your trade‑in with T‑Mobile’s device checker; make sure it turns on, the display functions, and is not blacklisted.
3) Pick the right storage: 256GB is included in the max credit; higher capacity models will move the financed price higher.
4) Sign up for autopay if you like the discount on the monthly plan; in many cases, carriers offer bill credits for bank or debit autopay over using credit cards.
5) Monitor your credits: They usually show up by the second or third bill. If they don’t, send support a trade‑in receipt.
Is this the best carrier deal at the moment?
“Free with trade‑in” promos chained to top‑tier unlimited plans are said to be increasingly used by carriers. Analysts like those at Counterpoint Research observe that U.S. upgrade cycles remain close to three years, and these deals are designed to draw long‑in‑the‑tooth devices that people are looking to trade or recycle at the very moment that those who own them happen to be ready to make the switch. Rival carriers tend to match the $1,000‑plus credit range, but the math can be skewed by the cost of plans and perks bundles.
Independent tests conducted by the testing firm Opensignal have consistently found T‑Mobile ahead of rivals for its 5G availability and download speeds in many markets, while J.D. Power’s consumer surveys have ranked it high for customer care. If T‑Mobile’s coverage is strong in your area, it’s tough not to be drawn by the full device credit stacked on top of the network advantage.
Bottom line
If you can switch to Experience Beyond and have a qualifying trade in, T‑Mobile’s up‑to‑$1,100 bill‑credit promotion makes the iPhone 17 Pro $0 over 24 months. Be careful about the taxes, activation fee and having to maintain your plan. And for every other customer, the no‑trade‑in discounts on the Experience More or Go5G Plus plans are a robust fallback — just take the total two‑year cost and see which option is best for your usage.
