Quick Best Buy Trade-In Values (With $200 T-Mobile Promotion):
| Model | before Feb. 7 | since Feb. 07 |
| iPhone SE (2nd generation) | $340 | $330 |
| iPhone 12 | $650 | $575 |
| iPhone 12 mini | $525 | $450 |
| iPhone 11 Pro Max | $650 | $585 |
| iPhone 11 Pro | $590 | $510 |
| iPhone 11 | $500 | $445 |
| iPhone XS Max | $275 | $425 |
| iPhone XS | $410 | |
| iPhone XR | $390 | $365 |
| iPhone X | $380 | $360 |
| iPhone 8 Plus | $340 | |
| iPhone 8 | $230 | |
| iPhone 7 Plus | $240 | |
| iPhone 7 | $190 | |
| iPhone 6s Plus | $200 | |
| iPhone 6s | $180 | |
| iPhone SE (1st generation) | $165 | $165 |
| Samsung S21 Ultra | $770 | |
| Samsung S21+ | $650 | |
| Samsung S21 | $550 | $550 |
| Pixel 6 Pro | $0 | $500 |
| Pixel 4a 5G | $325 | $325 |
This is not the full list of accepted phones (i.e. missing Google and most Samsung phones)
Looking for trade-in phones to buy? Here are your options.
-------------
Q: Who can take advantage of this T-Mobile & Best Buy promotion?
Ans: T-mobile post-paid subscribers only. No prepaid, business, Metro, Mint, etc. accounts. Some business and government T-Mobile discounts will prevent Best Buy from accessing the plan from T-Mobile, and will result in an error (this promotion is not for you unless you remove your discount). T-Mobile insider discount is okay and does not interfere with Best Buy from accessing your plan.
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 signup for 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. In fact, other retailers like Costco have promotions
they run for new T-Mobile customers / lines, which you can stack with this promotion for extra cash. Also, the cheapest postpaid plan that works for this Best Buy promotion ($20 Talk and Text) is not available to signup at Best Buy, so if you want that plan you will have to signup elsewhere.
Q: What is the cheapest T-Mobile plan that works for this promotion?
Ans: The cheapest T-mobile postpaid plan that works for this promotion is $20/month per line. Plan name is "Unlimited Talk & Text Only". You cannot sign up for it online, you have to call in, chat, or visit a store / reseller. https://www.t-mobile.com/offers/u...hone-deals
Q: What are the acceptable methods of purchasing?
Ans: Order online for in-store trade-in and pickup (same time), or purchase directly in store. Your store must have stock of the phone model you want to purchase.
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: Do they accept trade-in phones with a lightly cracked front / back / any other damage?
Ans: Depends on the rep helping you. We can't tell you what a best buy rep considers as acceptable wear and tear. Typically, the agent does a quick examination of the exterior of the phone and powers on the phone to grab IMEI and other information. Therefore, make it easy for the agent by removing the case, screen protector, resetting the phone, etc.
Q. Can I insert a SIM card from a different carrier other than Tmobile?
Ans: Due to Flex Policy, the iPhone is locked to the first USA sim card inserted. If you don't mind getting the phone unlocked in the future by your carrier, you can insert a USA sim card of your choice. Flex Policy blocks international sims from being used UNTIL the iPhone is fully unlocked (No SIM Restrictions).
Q. Can I trade-in multiple phones for a single purchased iPhone?
Ans: Only 1 trade-in will receive the T-mobile $200 bonus per purchased phone. You can trade-in as many phones as you want for Best Buy gift cards, but that will not include the $200 T-mobile bonus.
Q. Can I trade-in multiple phones for using the same T-mobile phone number?
Ans: Only 1 active trade-in & pickup order per phone number. Once your trade-in and pickup is completed, you can reuse the same number to order another trade-in and pickup. There is a cap on this, but it's unknown / differs by person. Best Buy may block your account by automatically cancelling orders if they suspect you are a reseller or abusing the promotion.
Q. Why does my trade-in receipt only show the value of the phone, without the $200 T-Mobile bonus?
Ans: For online order for in-store trade-in and pickup, this is normal. The receipt (titled "Best Buy Trade-In - Trade-In Receipt) will only show the trade-in value of the phone, not the $200 T-Mobile bonus. The charge to your credit card should be right. Do not hassle the agent about this.
For in-store purchase. your receipt will contain 3 sections:
Was Price: Current Price of the purchased phone
TRADE IN ALLOW 1: Value of trade-in (negative)
T-MOB TRADEIN 2: 200 T-Mobile bonus (negative)
Q. If I fully paid for the iPhone from Best Buy, how do I unlock?
Ans: If you fully paid for the iPhone from Best Buy (no monthly charges), you may be eligible for unlocking from the carrier of your choice. Select your carrier carefully since the Best Buy iPhone will lock to the first carrier sim that is insert in the phone.
T-Mobile
Call, Facebook Message, or Twitter T-Mobile to ask for the unlock. The official unlocking policy is 40 days on an active T-Mobile line, but SDers have reported successful unlocking anywhere between 1 to 40 days. What they need is a screenshot or photo of the Best Buy receipt showing the IMEI of the phone.
AT&T
AT&T Unlock portal works for some Best Buy iPhones for automated unlocks between 1 to 24 hours. You can check to see if the AT&T Unlock Portal supports your iPhone's IMEI without locking it to AT&T. The full instructions is in post #1534
Verizon
Verizon's official policy is automatic unlock after 60 days. YMMV, there is a paid Verizon unlock service.
Other Carriers
Other carriers are not recommended because they may not be able to unlock phones that weren't purchased directly from them. Use at your own risk.
______________
Tips for the first timers, keep your trade-in simple and ordinary to avoid questions and minimize time needed.
1) Trade-in a phone that looks used. Take your trade-in out of the box. Remove factory plastic wrap. Jingle it in your pockets to get some dirt and lint on it. Get some fingerprints and oil on it. You don't have to actually use or activate the phone, just make it look used. Trading in a perfect, spotless phone invites questions because it is out of the ordinary.
2) Trade-in the phone only. Remove the box, accessories, and case / screen protector. BB doesn't want them.
3) Factory reset the trade-in phone at home. Per the terms that you agreed to when you signed up for the trade-in, you must sign out of all your accounts (apple, google, etc.) and factory reset the phone. Do this at home to minimize the time at BB. Your trade-in should be at the "hello" screen when you hand it over to the BB agent.
4) Remove the sim card from the trade-in at home. You don't want to accidentally give away your sim card (some agents don't check). Also, you don't want to raise suspicion if the agent does check and finds a tracfone sim card on a "verizon" phone. Remove your sim card at home.
5) Charge your trade-in. Your trade-in just needs to be charged enough for the BB agent to get the necessary information off of it. Don't bring a dead phone and expect them to charge it.
Doing this keeps your trade-in time to under 5 mins at BB.
----------
Everything below is a copy from the very helpful wiki of the previous BB Tmobile iPhone thread https://slickdeals.net/f/15340573-for-t-mobile-plans-trade-in-apple-iphone-and-save-up-to-975-on-iphone-13s-or-other-brands?v=1
Slickdeals Rule 1 | You don't talk about Slickdeals.
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
_____________________________________________________________
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.
----------------------------------------------------
I got the message that the "Package could not be added to cart". I went to the BB store to get the line added and found that i had the "International Long distance Barrring Call feature turned on which is causing the issue. We spoke to a T-Mobile Rep who removed the feature and then the order went smoothly.
______________
Leave a Comment
Top Comments
T-Mo is still the best in value overall.
2,860 Comments
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
What would be the process if I want to take advantage of the Best Buy deal for a 13 mini with an XR trade-in if I want to unlock the mini, use it on my current Verizon plan/Verizon # and cancel the $20 T-Mob plan?
Thank you in advance.
Ways to unlock iphone bought from this deal:
1. ATT sim card trick (unlocks instantly)
2. Tmobile unlock (request in twitter etc and get unlocked within 24-72hrs)
3. If you are currently using verizon then put the verizon sim directly and start using it.
First of all, I have only been using a borrowed iPhone 8 plus for about 3 weeks, so I'm still pretty iPhone/Apple ignorant.
I have read through nearly all of this thread, as well as the one from 3 months ago, but I still need some clarification, and then a little advise please. I don't know why I'm struggling to understand, but I feel dumb. So if you're willing to help, maybe you should explain it to me like I'm 5 - to borrow from Reddit 🙂
I currently have 2 lines of service with AT&T. I am hoping to move both lines to Visible, at some point. I have checked the unlocking policy posted on the AT&T website, and it says, both phones meet all criteria to be unlocked immediately.
I have 2 iPhone 12's (my son got one Christmas and I bought one earlier today) to trade in.
I want an iPhone 13 and an iPhone 13 mini.
I would like to trade them in under the T-Mobile promotion because it's a better deal.
If I can use the TMobile promotion, would the overage on the mini be applied to the 13, or should I just order a 256 mini and pay the $100 for both devices?
Does an account actually have to exist with TMobile? If so, can I set up an account online or call or do I need to go to into a store? Before I order from BB or before I pick them up? Can I set up the account online or by calling and then go into a store and have r plan changed to the $20 plan or will I be stuck with the more expensive plan? Will I have to wait for them to send me SIM cards? Can I get them from Best Buy or a brick and mortar store? Do they offer eSIMs?
***How do I stop BB from putting the TMobile SIM in them?***
There is no TMobile coverage anywhere near where I live, so if they have to stay on TMobile, how will I ever reach 40 days of service? If all goes well, once I get them home and set up on the AT&T account, how do I close the TMobile account? I saw where someone said to port out to make sure the account is closed. Can you open then close an account in the same day, or open one day and close the next? Will TMobile prorate my bill? Are there any fees I should be prepared for? How do I port numbers if I don't have anywhere for them to go?
Secondly, I bought 2 Apple Watches from BB last month and TODAY is the LAST day to return them. I know that my failure to plan does not constite an emergency for y'all, but I am in a time crunch and I haven't been able to figure this out on my own 😒.
I called BB customer service earlier and she said they I could purchase TotalTech, return and repurchase the watches and both watches and both phones would be covered with AppleCare for 24 months. She said as long as TotalTech is valid at time of purchase, it doesn't matter if I cancel it or don't renew, it will not affect the AppleCare coverage. The coverage through TotalTech does not include loss and theft. the obvious lack of coverage?
Do back up both current phones to the iCloud, reset them to trade them and use the iCloud backup to put everything on the new phones? That just sounds too easy to me 🤷.
Lastly, any opinions on colors? Is one easier to sell than another? Can I get more for a specific color if I decide to sell one or both?
If you're still with me, thank you for reading my post and thank you in advance if you have any answers or opinions to share. You guys are the BEST!
https://www.t-mobile.com/support/.../sim-cards
Select Install or replace a SIM card
Select I upgraded or replaced a device
Click on Activate the sim card and it will take you to "Change or activate a SIM card / esim"
I believe what you did is correct too. Perhaps the system is under maintenance. T-Mobile does a lot of that
What would be the process if I want to take advantage of the Best Buy deal for a 13 mini with an XR trade-in if I want to unlock the mini, use it on my current Verizon plan/Verizon # and cancel the $20 T-Mob plan?
Thank you in advance.
just trying to figure the reason for the new thread ?
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
just trying to figure the reason for the new thread ?
I guess purchasing through Bestbuy helps because they had to submit the request to a third party for that.
Did itune backup but not sure how that works (im on android).
would prefer to just transfer data from old IP to new one @ store but not sure how long that takes.
I may bring phone as is to store and see if they can just transfer and then wipe phone clean.
I read in post to bring it it completely reset and erased though.
anyone bring in phone and transfer data onsite to new phone and then erase?
Also, Best Buy will more than likely have slow wifi and you could be in there for a long time.
It's up to you. iOS has a feature that they give you extra iCloud storage space if you are buying a new device. You have about 21 days. So you can back everything up to iCloud, and then log in on your new device and restore it from that backup.
To be safe, I would do that as well as backing up to iCloud.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
1. Trade in XR to get Iphone 13 by creating a new TMO account (65/mo plan)
2. And not insert the TMO sim, instead insert Cricket Sim
3. Call TMO to cancel the service, get the refund ?
4. Unlock Iphone 13 on Cricket/ATT later ?
Ps: Im currently under Cricket Group plan.
Leave a Comment