Black Friday 2025: Where and how to get the best tech deals

'Tis the season to be jolly... and who wouldn't be, with all the savings you can get from Black Friday? We're already getting a taste of which Black Friday deals to expect from all of the major carriers and retailers on the latest iPhones, Samsung Galaxy phones, and phone accessories.

Methods for getting the best Black Friday deals include switching carriers, taking advantage of trade-in offers, and purchasing a slightly older model phone. Keep reading for more on what Black Friday is, who offers Black Friday deals, and details on how to score the deepest discount.

What is Black Friday?

While Black Friday has historically been a massive in-store event, with people lining up hours before stores open (who else remembers the 1996 Tickle Me Elmo stampede?), now retailers offer Black Friday deals online and in-store.

Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday

Consider Black Friday and Cyber Monday the two bookends around the shopping window that is the post-Thanksgiving weekend. Black Friday deals often extend through that weekend until Sunday; at this point, many in-store discounts will end. However, once Monday arrives, those same retailers may offer exclusive online savings for other products, or even deeper discounts on stock that didn't sell over the Black Friday weekend. For online-based brands without brick-and-mortar locations, Cyber Monday is their opportunity to cash in on the shopping frenzy (though most also offer online Black Friday deals, too).

Cyber Monday began in 2005 as a way to encourage people to shop online, which was still a relatively new endeavor at the time. It is now considered the second-biggest shopping day of the year.

When is Black Friday?

When will Black Friday deals be live?

Who has Black Friday deals?

How to get the best Black Friday deals

Really, the best way to get the best Black Friday deals is to keep your eyes open for them during the weeks leading up to the shopping event. The days of waiting in the wee hours of the morning for stores to open their doors are behind us and most deals are either already available before the actual day, or are also available online. Taking advantage of a great shopping app for Black Friday can help ensure you get the best deals.

As for phone plans, here are our top tips to get the best Black Friday deal in 2025:

1. Switch carriers: The best deals are offered to new customers.
2. Check out installment plans: Some of the best deals require that you buy the phone via monthly payments.
3. Find a buddy: We're expecting plenty of BOGO deals this Black Friday!
4. Consider older phones: Lots of older phones are going to go on sale (and even be free!).
5. Trade in your old phone: There'll be slews of trade-in deals offering huge discounts on some of the year's top devices.

Let's look at each of these Black Friday deal strategies in more detail.

Switch carriers

Many Black Friday deals offered through phone carriers provide the deepest savings to new customers. Fortunately, switching cell phone providers is simple, and you often don't even need to cancel your current plan yourself—your new carrier will do it for you!

A lot of the fine print of these Black Friday deals includes wording such as:

• "Requires one new line"
• "Must port your current phone number"
• "Save when you add a line"
• "Get a discount when you switch"

This tactic is the best way for carriers to broaden their subscriber bases (and thus reduce their competitors' simultaneously). If your current carrier doesn't offer an attractive Black Friday deal to existing customers, and you know you have good coverage with a different provider, Black Friday is a great time to consider switching to someone else.

Installment plans

Many Black Friday deals will require you to sign up for an installment plan, on which you'll purchase the phone via monthly payments over a set period of time (typically 24 to 36 months). Your Black Friday discount will then be divided up over that period and provided to you as a monthly credit on your phone bill. Carriers often have their best deals attached to installment plans in order to guarantee you stay on their network for longer. If you exit their network early, you'll have to pay the remainder of the phone's full price, without benefiting from the rest of the credits for your discount.

If you plan on staying with your carrier for a few years, installment plans are a great way to take advantage of deep discounts. Plus, installment plans give you the option of paying off your device in smaller amounts rather than spending hundreds (or thousands!) upfront—as low as just $10 or $20 per month for a brand-new Galaxy or iPhone.

BOGO deals

Black Friday is a great time to pick up a second device, because buy one, get one (BOGO) free deals are rampant. These deals usually only apply to phones bought on monthly installments or via a leasing program, and typically require that either at least one new line is added to the account or that both phones are signed up to a specific eligible plan (usually one of the carrier's premium unlimited plans). 

What does this mean? You could potentially stay with your current carrier, grab two brand-new phones, and pay a fraction of the cost. For example, instead of paying $1,600 for two new iPhone 17 phones, a BOGO deal could get you both for the price of one—just $800 total.  

Older phone models

This Black Friday, if you really want to save, look for older phones that are going for cheap, or even FREE. Smaller MVNO carriers all stock older models and often basically give them away for a song. 

There is a caveat, however: most require that you switch from another carrier (again, many deals are for new customers only). Carriers will also lock these phones to their network for a while—even up to a year—to stop you from switching to another carrier right after you claim your free phone.

Trade-in discounts

Trade-in deals are the most common phone deals offered throughout the entire year, but Black Friday trade-in deals often up the ante significantly. You're likely to see Black Friday trade-in deals such as a free iPhone 17 when you swap your old phone, or $1,000 off a new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 (that's 50% off, by the way).

The actual trade-in value of your phone will depend on the model—newer phones will garner a deeper trade-in discount than older phones, simply because they're still in demand and valued highly. A huge benefit of this type of Black Friday deal is that existing customers often get the same discount as new subscribers, so there's no need to switch if you really love your current carrier. What you'll often see, though, is that the best trade-in deals require signing up for specific unlimited plans, requiring you to switch plans if you aren't already on that designated unlimited option. Otherwise, you can still trade in your phone, but for a lesser discount.