Verizon offers free year of AMC+ to customers, but there’s a catch

Verizon will provide up to a year of AMC+ to new and existing customers who either buy a new 5G phone with a payment plan or sign up for Fios home Internet service. (AMC+ carries a cost of $8.99 per month after the Verizon promotion ends.)

Verizon’s deal is the latest in an increasingly aggressive battle among telecom giants to lure customers with streaming subscriptions. Rival AT&T offers free access to HBO Max to some customers, while T-Mobile offers free Netflix to people with unlimited data plans.

Streaming services are fighting each other too. Bundling services with telecom providers offers a way for them to become part of people’s viewing habits; the idea is to hook customers before the monthly charges kick in.

New or existing Verizon customers who purchase a 5G phone with a device payment plan will be eligible for 12 months of AMC+ at no extra charge. That deal will also extend to new Verizon Fios customers who sign up for one of Verizon’s Mix & Match home Internet plans.

Verizon is also giving six-month AMC+ packages to customers who buy a 5G phone on its “start unlimited” plan, which includes 4G data instead of 5G. Customers who upgrade to a 5G phone on their existing phone line will also get six months of free AMC+ streaming.

AMC+ bundles programming from AMC, BBC America, IFC, and SundanceTV, with top-line shows that include The Walking Dead, Mad Men, Orphan Black, and Portlandia.