
Note for NYS: Apparently all Long Island stores are not eligible for this offer as they don't have the appropriate licensing with T-Mobile. Must go to an NYC store.
Folks not receiving verification text from BestBuy - Opt for text messages from BestBuy by sending 'HELP' to numbers - 332211 and 22891 (do both). You should receive verification text on the next try
Additional Info that may help
Q: Do we have to pick a plan from Best Buy for T-Mobile if we are not a current customer?
Ans: You don't have to pick a post paid T-Mobile plan from Best Buy to get this deal. You can sign up for the plan anywhere and have it active before trading in your device at Best Buy.
Q: Can we cancel the plan immediately out of the store?
Ans: If you cancel the plan immediately out of the store then you won't be able to unlock the phone because you are no longer with T-Mobile.
Q: Can we unlock by messaging T-Force?
Ans: Yes, you can. But, you have to be with T-Mobile and wait times are long. People had success unlocking anywhere between 3 days to 40 days after getting the iPhone 13. T-Force can override the system after 30 days.
Q: Do we wait 40 days with service or without service?
Ans: With service, of course. Otherwise you are no longer with T-Mobile and why would they unlock the phone?
Q: Do they accept phones with a lightly cracked front or back?
Ans: Cracked front or back. Totally depends on the rep helping you but more than likely it won't fly.
Q. Can I insert a SIM card from a different carrier other than Tmobile?
Ans: Due to Flex Policy, the device is locked to the first sim card inserted.
_____________________________________________________________
If you get the message "We're sorry, there was an issue processing your request. Please try again later." when trying to validate your T-Mobile account, try the follow procedure below. It seems to help some users but not all YMMV!.
Go to your T-Mobile account and turn OFF every block for "chargeable" things including sms, downloads, etc. If they are already OFF toggle them ON and OFF just to clear the system of residual blocks. You CAN leave scam block ON. Then send "HELP" (without quotes) text message from each of your mobile no. that you are trying to upgrade to 22891, 332211 and 66803. Wait 30 minutes after completing everything above and try again. If it does not work, you might an account that has employee discounts or something else.
______________
Almost instant unlock process via ATT (AT&T) SIM card (as reported by multiple users)
Note: The iPhone 13 must not be be activated with T-Mobile sim card at Best Buy by the rep in order to use this ATT unlock trick! It needs to be in brand new, inactivated state.
You don't need to be a current ATT subscriber to use the ATT unlock portal as mentioned below.
- Get an ATT sim card.
You can go to a local Apple store and ask for a new ATT sim card. Users reported: I visited my local Apple store and asked for an AT&T not activated SIM card. They ordered one on their iPad and a few minutes later they handed it to me. They didn't ask for any personal or iPhone information.
You can also order one for $2 plus tax from the Microsoft store if you don't have an Apple store nearby or it's not worth the gas: https:// www. microsoft.com/en-us/d/at-t-sim-card/8n0scjxn845k
(Remove spaces!) - Put the SIM card into your new Best Buy iPhone and go through the activation process and connect to WIFI. The iPhone will then state under settings that it's carrier locked.
- Go to the ATT unlock page: https:// www. att. com/deviceunlock/unlockstep1
(Copy, paste and remove spaces as we don't want to send a lot of slickdeals referrers to this page) - Select "No" for "Are you an AT&T wireless customer?"
- Enter the IMEI into the field. You can get the IMEA under settings or dial *#06# on your iPhone to bring up device information.
- Go to the next step and enter your personal information. The email needs to be valid as ATT will send a confirmation email to this address.
- If everything is correct, wait for the confirmation email and click on the link to confirm the request. Note: Use it within 24 hours or ATT will cancel your request.
Users reported that the "No SIM restrictions" info under "Carrier Lock" appeared within 60 seconds after clicking on "confirm your unlock request".
Quote
:
Once you get the email, click on the link to confirm the unlock. It should be unlocked within a minute
|
Quote
:
I can confirm that the ATT sim card unlock trick worked for my 3 Best Buy iPhone mini 13. I used an unactivated (new) prepaid AT&T SIM card when I started the iPhone and then proceeded to unlock via the portal.
|
Leave a Comment
Top Comments
Good luck!
Jon
6,472 Comments
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
After some research reading the old thread it seems this error has to do with credit/ identity verification.
Has anyone that has been getting the same error been able to go in store and order a phone? Plan to go to my local best buy today but don't want to spend hours through the process of creating a tmobile account and all.
edit: also when i tried to open an account via byod directly from tmobile the order doesn't go through as well , definitely has to do with tmobile and its verification process.
Only wondering this bc the primary account holder is unreachable for the next few days or so.
Only wondering this bc the primary account holder is unreachable for the next few days or so.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
if you are not receiving t-mobile verification code - text 332211 and 22891 the code "help" to opt-in for text messages and then try again to get code, it should work!*
* If you get only "Service access denied." after texting HELP to those short codes contact T-Force on Twitter (@TMobileHelp [twitter.com]) and ask them to enable the short codes, for example:
"Hi! Can you check whether short codes are enabled on my lines? I tried to perform an iPhone upgrade through Best Buy but I don't receive the verification text (probably short codes 332211, 22891, 66803) after entering my number and last digits of my social. Many thanks!"
When considering the $100 discount and $100 trade-in promo:
(Old promo discount - New Promo discount)
iPhone XS Max: $495 - $500
iPhone SE 2nd Gen: $380 - $370
iPhone XR: $415 - $420
iPhone 11 Pro Max: $715 - $700
iPhone 12: $620 - $630
iPhone 12 Pro: $800 - $800
iPhone 12 Pro Max: $975 - $975
Carrier . I have traded in many phones already
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Placed an online order for in-store pickup yesterday morning. No issues adding to cart, getting the trade-in discount applied in cart, verification logins or texts, etc.
Went last night around store close to pick it up. Mobile department was already closed so another associate assisted with the check out at the mobile desk. Processing the trade was easy, but there was a misunderstanding about how the boosted trade-in value would be applied (system at that point was only showing the standard value). A manager came over to finish out the transaction and since it was closing time, they closed it out quickly and handed me the phone to finish the activation at home. Total was exactly what was stated on the website.
Overall a good experience.
Leave a Comment