Carriers Offering Discounts Up to $200 to Subsidize Higher Cost of 5G iPad Pro Models

The major wireless carriers in the United States are teaming up with Apple to subsidize the cost of the new 5G iPad Pro, which debuted today. Choosing cellular over WiFi carries a $200 premium, which is more expensive than the $130 upgrade price that Apple normally charges for a cellular model.

ipad pro carrier subsidies
As noted by Bloomberg, carriers are hoping to encourage customers to purchase the new 5G tablets despite the cellular price increase through subsidies. Multiple carriers are offering up to $200 in gift cards, which makes choosing a 5G ‌iPad Pro‌ over a standard WiFi version more or less free, with the exception of monthly costs.

Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint are all offering $200 reimbursements, while AT&T is offering $150 back. AT&T is providing credits to a monthly bill, while Verizon is offering a digital gift card. T-Mobile and Sprint are providing a gift card that can be spent like a credit card.

Carriers often offer these kinds of discounts for iPhone models, but it is unusual to see these subsidies provided for iPads.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...

Top Rated Comments

agsystems Avatar
63 months ago
Just for kicks - I tried to a trade-in (with Apple) my 11" 256GB second gen and I got a 'fair' price of $90 - god bless Apple
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kkspire Avatar
63 months ago
This is going to be the first time I literally buy every product announced. Love the iPad Pro 12.9
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Freeangel1 Avatar
63 months ago
The Best Bang for your BUCK is the $650 M1 Mac mini.
you've already proven by the Chinese that you can upgrade the RAM and disk size.
Better M1 chip than the iPad and iMac.
My God they even rip you off on the iMac and come out with a crippled M1 chip that has only 7 GPU cores enabled instead of 8.

The $650 M1 Mac mini is the STEAL here.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fishkorp Avatar
63 months ago

The Best Bang for your BUCK is the $650 M1 Mac mini.
you've already proven by the Chinese that you can upgrade the RAM and disk size.
Better M1 chip than the iPad and iMac.
My God they even rip you off on the iMac and come out with a crippled M1 chip that has only 7 GPU cores enabled instead of 8.

The $650 M1 Mac mini is the STEAL here.
No normal person can do that, or have access to the chips. Actual Apple repair centers don’t have access to chips for repairs. The average person will never be able to get the chips, never mind the process of doing the upgrade (or necessary equipment to do it).
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
takasugi Avatar
63 months ago

It's very telling when AT&T gives an outright price reduction, Verizon gives a big gift card (most likely after some time and subject to clawback), while the most dishonest US carrier of them all T-Mobile has a reverse 2-year contract bill credits scam for suckers.
T-Mobile is a virtual MasterCard.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ppj845 Avatar
63 months ago

Just for kicks - I tried to a trade-in (with Apple) my 11" 256GB second gen and I got a 'fair' price of $90 - god bless Apple
How so? Apple trade in for my iPad Pro 2018 base model is $455. Maybe you clicked damaged by mistake?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)