Sprint's free unlimited data offer has some limits
Mobile
Sprint is giving new customers a free year of unlimited data service.
Wait, what?
Yes it sounds crazy and that's because wireless carriers are willing to do crazy things these days to get your business.
There's no major catch, but there are a few limitations.
For starters you need to be switching from Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile.
Also this is online only, Sprint does not plan on advertizing this deal which is only offered until the end of June.
And you'll need to bring your own unlocked phone.
You can keep your phone number.
So if your phone's already paid off and you're not currently in a contract, this could be a sweet deal.
Although it won't work with every phone, only some models were eligible, which include the iPhone, Google Nexus and Pixel, some Motorola phones, and the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S8.
Your phone may not even work on Sprint's network.
For example, if you have an iPhone 7 on AT&T or T-Mobile, It's not gonna work on Sprint, because it doesn't have the right CDMA chip to use the Sprint network.
But the iPhone 7 on Verizon would work fine.
So how free is free?
You still have to pay $3 for a SIM card and monthly taxes and fees.
The $30 activation fee is gonna be credited back to you.
And if you don't use electronic billing, or auto pay, Sprint's going to charge you more fees.
Now, if you wanna leave Sprint, you can any time.
There's no penalty because you're not in a contract.
You may be wondering how can Sprint afford to give away free service?
Well, one executive told us that Sprint normally doesn't make any money off a customer in the first year anyway.
With all those promotional deals and whatnot, it's a good time to be a wireless customer.
Sprint's deal is the most extreme freebie we've seen yet.
Two months ago the best offer was from AT&T offering free HBO.
I'm Bridget Carey.
You can find a comparison of the different carriers unlimited plans at cnet.com
