A leaked Verizon rebate sheet confirms the wireless carrier will be changing its mail-in rebate (MIR) policy effective Monday January 31st. The previous leak suggested rebates will only be available for handsets priced at $150 or lower. All higher-priced handsets will lose the MIR and will be sold at a lower, subsidized price. The rebate sheet goes into effect starting 1/31/2011 and is devoid of most high-end smartphones in Verizon’s lineup. The notable exceptions are the DROID 2 Global and the DROID R2D2 both of which are now available for $199 after a $100 mail-in rebate. To meet the $150 price point for MIR eligibility, these two Android handsets may see a price reduction in the upcoming week.
This is an interesting move by Verizon and is one that should be well received by customers. Though Verizon’s rebate process is very smooth, any MIR is an inconvenience that most people would rather avoid. Verizon realizes this and offers all its handsets online with an instant discount applied at purchase in lieu of a MIR. If you buy the above DROID 2 Global from Verizon’s online website, you will pay $199 plus taxes and shipping. If you buy the same handset in a Verizon store, you will have to $299 and receive the $100 discount via a MIR. If you don’t mind the shipping, buying online was the way to go. Now with in-store rebates poised to change, it will be interesting to see if this new policy changes peoples’ buying habits.
For those that like to peruse the rebate sheet, it is available in full on the second page.
[Via BGR]