In Pre-Emptive Strike, AT&T Offers up to $450 to Lure T-Mobile Customers

Rather than wait for T-Mobile to launch its latest salvo, AT&T has decided to fire first in the escalating battle between the two wireless carriers.

AT&T announced a limited-time offer Friday that will give as much as $450 to T-Mobile customers willing to switch. T-Mobile is widely expected to offer a similar pitch to AT&T customers as part of an “Un-Carrier 4.0” event at CES next week.

Under AT&T’s offer, which starts today, those trading in a smartphone who switch to AT&T can get up to $250 in credit, with those willing to sign up for one of AT&T’s Next plans able to get an additional $200 credit.

Of course, while AT&T can beat T-Mobile to the punch time-wise, AT&T has a lot more customers to steal than does its smaller rival. Plus, T-Mobile’s plans are generally less expensive than AT&T’s.

Update: Here’s what Legere thinks of AT&T’s new offer.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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