
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.
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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.
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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".
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Once you get the email, click on the link to confirm the unlock. It should be unlocked within a minute
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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.
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Top Comments
Good luck!
Jon
6,472 Comments
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I can trade my SE2 for new iPhone 13, 799 - 370 = 430 + tax = net amount, I am thinking to use a line where no promotion credit on the line.
This phone will be unlocked automatically after 40-45 days and it can be used with any other carrier.
Questions:
I can add extra line on my account, is there any extra promotion by adding a line I can combine with?
I am reading Costco offers 300 GC for adding a new line, is it better to do at Costco or BB?
I think there was $200 promotional credits BB offers on iPhones, is it still there or included in this price?
Please help.
Thanks.
Been out of stock in SoCal when I checked for last two days.
MN
EDIT: adding into cart works now. looks like the site just had a bug this morning.
You can also go right in and do the trade in/upgrade. No need to order online first.
Thanks!
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Thanks!
My 12 Mini was purchased through Visible in June 2021, and I don't currently have a T-Mobile account. I was planning to leave Visible anyway, and didn't need the Visible number ported. So, in the online checkout, I chose to create a new T-Mobile account. It was at this step, I made three mistakes:
After the Best Buy reps spent a long time trying to find the details of my new T-Mobile account in their system and process the trade-in, they finally opted to cancel the order and start from scratch in-store. When I returned after a while to start the process again, it still wouldn't work. They seemed very knowledgeable about the system, and knew exactly what needed to be done and how to do it to complete the trade-in. Their system just wasn't accepting any of the information they were attempting. I eventually had to leave without it ever working.
Before I make another attempt at this deal very soon, I'm going to create a T-Mobile account myself, and get it activated on my iPhone 12 mini *before* ordering the trade-in and going to the store (perhaps a different location this time). I don't know what issue could possibly happen then. Personally, I find $70 for an upgrade to the 13 mini worth a few hassles.
Edit: I happened to find this article, on a T-Mobile outage affecting Best Buys as well, occurring on the same day I tried the trade-in in store: https://tmo.report/2021/10/t-mobi...-affected/
The reps seemed to think there were issues on T-Mobile's end, too. Guess I just picked a bad day to try this.
Edit 10-24-21: Ordered a T-Mobile SIM card from Amazon, and signed up my iPhone 12 mini for the $60/mo Essentials plan. The next day, did the whole Best Buy process of evaluating trade-in, this time logging into my new T-Mobile account. My new T-Mo account info showed correctly, chose my line, and chose the nearest Best Buy that had the 13 mini color I wanted. Rep at Best Buy seemed a little unsure of the process at first, and initially said I owed the full price of the phone (!), but everything went okay once I showed him the details of the order on my Best Buy account. Was in and out in under 1 hr with the 13 mini. Thanks to all who posted, good deal. 10-25-21: Contacted T-Mobile on twitter requesting unlock. Customer service had it unlocked in 2 hours.
You can always enter your phone number and check if it lets you.
Traded in my XS max for $400 and got the 13 pro max for grand total $662 (tax $62).
Got an estimated phone will be available on Oct 29, but got an email the phone is ready to be pick up on Oct 17, about 2 weeks early.
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