How to get a free Google Pixel 9a (and earbuds) without leaving your current T-Mobile plan

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How to get a free Google Pixel 9a (and earbuds) without leaving your current T-Mobile plan

If you’re in the market for a new phone and happen to be with T-Mobile, you might want to hit pause on any upgrade plans. The carrier is offering Google’s newly released Pixel 9acompletely free, and that even includes customers on older, grandfathered plans. On top of that, if you order online or through the T-Life app, you’ll get a free pair of Pixel Buds A-Series earbuds as a bonus.The Pixel 9a is Google’s latest entry-level model in the Pixel lineup, sitting at a $499 price tag if purchased outright. But even as the most affordable Pixel of the bunch, it’s packing some serious hardware. You get the same Google Tensor G4 chip that’s found in its flagship siblings, along with a solid camera setup that leans heavily on Google’s software smarts.

Google’s latest mid-range option, the Pixel 9a, is here! You can pre-order your handset with advanced Gemini features at its standard price. This is the 128GB model. The unit will be released on June 1, according to Amazon.

Pre-order at Amazon

So what’s the catch? To get the Pixel 9a for free, T-Mobile is requiring either a new line activation or a trade-in of an eligible device. And that list of trade-in options is quite generous. Full trade-in credit of $500, enough to cover the cost of the Pixel 9a, includes some pretty mainstream and recent devices.

The Google Pixel comes with IP68 dust and resistance. | Image credit — Google

For Samsung users, that includes models like the Galaxy S21, S22, and S23 series, all the way up to the S24 and various Galaxy Z Fold and Flip devices. For Apple fans, the list starts at the iPhone 11 Pro and goes through every model up to the iPhone 15 Pro. Google’s own Pixel 6, 7, 8, and 9 series devices also qualify for full credit. A handful of OnePlus and Motorola foldables are on the list too.

Even if you have an older or mid-tier phone, partial credit options are available. Devices like the Galaxy S9, A54 5G, iPhone XR, or Pixel 5a can get you $250 off, which still brings the Pixel 9a’s price down to a very manageable level.

What makes this offer especially interesting is that it’s available to customers on older rate plans like ONE, Magenta, and Simple Choice — the kind of plans that usually get left out of the good deals. That means if you’ve been hanging on to a legacy plan for its perks, you won’t have to give it up to take advantage of this promotion.

The midrange space has been heating up this year, with devices like the Galaxy A56 and iPhone 16E expected to dominate attention. But with this offer, Google is clearly trying to make the Pixel 9a hard to ignore — and T-Mobile’s promotion only sweetens the deal.

While the 9a doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it builds on the strengths of its predecessor with a better screen, longer software support, and more power under the hood. If you missed the Pixel 8a or 7a, this might be your moment.

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