If you haven’t claimed any free or discounted streaming video services from your wireless carrier, you’re probably leaving money on the table.
Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T all offer streaming deals with certain wireless data plans, letting you get services like Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max for free or cheap. While some of these offers are just extended free trials, others are entirely free or deeply discounted with no strings attached.
Making sense of all these streaming offers isn’t easy, though, so I’ve attempted to wrangle all the details into one place. Here’s everything you need to know about how to get Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, or other services for free through your wireless carrier:
Updated April 14, 2023 to reflect the following changes: Verizon’s Netflix deal, Verizon’s removal of six-month Discovery+ trials, T-Mobile’s removal of one-year Paramount+ trials, and T-Mobile’s removal of YouTube TV discounts.)
Verizon streaming deals
Add a +play subscription, get a year of Netflix Premium ($240 value):
- Available for Verizon postpaid subscribers only.
- Must pay for one year of an eligible subscription, subscriptions then renew monthly.
- Works for both new and existing Netflix subscribers.
- Limited-time offer, more details here.
The Disney bundle ($15-per-month value):
- Includes Disney+ (no ads), Hulu (with ads), and ESPN+ (with ads)
- Free with “Get More Unlimited” and “Play More Unlimited” plans
- Upgradeable to ad-free Hulu for $6 per month, but not to Hulu + Live TV
- Redeem by May 17, 2023.
- Redeem through the My Verizon website, or see Verizon’s FAQ for more details.
Six months of Disney+ Premium ($11-per-month value):
- Free with eligible unlimited plans.
- Redeem by May 17, 2023.
- Redeem through the My Verizon website, or see Verizon’s FAQ for more details.
Apple TV+ ($7-per-month value):
- Free with “One Unlimited” plan. (Also includes Apple Music, Arcade, and iCloud+)
Not sure which Verizon plan you have? You can check by logging into Verizon’s My Plan page.
T-Mobile and Sprint streaming deals
Netflix for free (T-Mobile only):
- Basic (SD video, one stream, $10-per-month value) with single-line “Magenta Max” or multi-line “Magenta” plans
- Standard (HD video, two streams, $15.49-per-month value) with multi-line “Magenta Max” or legacy “One Plus” plans
- Can be upgraded to higher Netflix tiers at a discount
- See T-Mobile’s website for instructions on how to redeem
Hulu on-demand for free (Existing Sprint customers only, $8-per-month value):
- Available with Sprint Unlimited plans
- Upgradeable to ad-free for an additional charge
- Redeem through the Sprint website
Apple TV+ for free ($7-per-month value):
- Available with T-Mobile Magenta Max and Sprint Max plans
- Magenta and Sprint One plans get six months instead
- Redeem through T-Mobile or Sprint
Philo discounts:
- $10 per month off (for one year) with all postpaid T-Mobile and Sprint plans
- Redeem through T-Mobile’s website
One year of Vix+ (T-Mobile only, $84 value)
- Available with all postpaid T-Mobile and Sprint plans
- Auto-renews at full price after one year
- Redeem through T-Mobile’s website
MLB TV for free ($140 value):
- Only offered at the start of baseball season.
- Will be available every season through 2028.
- Redeemable through the T-Mobile Tuesdays app
What happened to AT&T’s free HBO Max deal?
AT&T has stopped offering free HBO Max with its current wireless plans, but if you have an older AT&T unlimited data plan, you might still be able to get HBO Max at no charge.
The following AT&T plans are currently eligible for HBO Max as of this writing:
- Unlimited Elite
- Unlimited Plus and Plus Enhanced
- Unlimited Choice, Choice II, and Choice Enhanced
- Unlimited &More Premium
To see which plan you have, you can sign into AT&T’s plan management page.
Assuming you’re eligible, choose “Sign in through TV or mobile provider” when logging into the HBO Max app, then select AT&T as your provider and enter your account ID and password. AT&T has more detailed instructions on its website.
Prepaid carrier perks
Some prepaid carriers offer free streaming services as well. Here’s a quick rundown:
- Free HBO Max with Cricket: Available with $60-per-month Unlimited plans.
- Free Amazon Prime with Metro by T-Mobile: Available with $60-per-month Unlimited plans.
- Total by Verizon (formerly Tracfone): Get Disney+ free with $60 plans, or six months with $50 plans.
- Pick a free service with US Mobile: Customers with three Unlimited Premium lines can choose from Netflix Standard, HBO Max, the Disney bundle, or Apple TV+. Customers with four lines can choose a second service from the list.
Subject to change
Keep in mind that wireless carriers often tweak their plans or introduce new ones. I’ll try to keep this story up to date as things change, but feel free to send me an email if something looks amiss.
You can also check out my Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter to stay up to date on the ever-changing TV world.
Author: Jared Newman
Jared Newman has been helping folks make sense of technology for over a decade, writing for PCWorld, TechHive, and elsewhere. He also publishes two newsletters, Advisorator for straightforward tech advice and Cord Cutter Weekly for saving money on TV service.