if you got address errors, change your Walmart address to be the EXACT match of your carrier billing address.
There is no benefit to paying 60% or 90% down. Just get the phone, and you can pay it off by calling Verizon or AT&T. No need to stand in line in store.
This is very important for those of you doing this deal and trading in a phone. Do NOT mail in. Take it to a Corporate Store! Doesn't matter if it's AT&T or Verizon. Resist all temptation to mail in. Get a receipt to verify what you traded in! Don't believe the store employee if told you have to mail in.
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Item 1 of 8
expiredProudToBeAnIndian posted Nov 17, 2022 11:58 PM
Apple iPhone 14 (Verizon or AT&T Postpaid) + $300 Walmart GC
$799
$1,099
27% off
& More + Free S&H (Activation/Upgrade + 1-month service req'd)at Walmart
Top Comments
In 2019 I lined up in store and purchased 2 phones in store. It was $350 actual gift cards back then, they were loaded and activated at the time of phone purchase but they said the funds should be available after 4 hours back then.
In 2020 I did 2 lines again but it was only $300 gift cards but via email. The emailed gift cards and PIN codes came in a few hours after the phone purchases.
In 2021 I got smarter. I booked each phone's activation appointment 1 day apart. This time I upgraded 3 lines. The first $300 credit came in within 2 hours of paying for the first phone upgrade. So for the second phone's activation the next day, I used the first phone's gift card and paid down $300. Same with the 3rd phone upgrade the following day as the second phone's gift card email came in shortly same day after they processed the second activation. Therefore I am left with only 1 $300 gift card to spend later. Yes I went there 3 days in a row, lucky it's only 4 miles away and you get to reserve the phone size and color you wanted on their available phones on-hand list.
You DO NOT get monthly billing credits. This way you are never tied up for 3 years because billing credits balance is forfeited if you cancel or port out. The only situation where you may get billing credits is if you did a trade in and received $800 credit or whatever corporate ATT was promoting. But then you are REALLY tied up for 36 months if you wanted the $800 or whatever the ATT trade in promo was offering. The trade in promo billing credit deal is ONLY worth it if you plan on staying with ATT for 3 years AND if they were giving you $800 for an old cracked phone. I have never done this because the trade in promotions always required a plan change for me. Sorry I can not shed any light on this type of deal stacking as I do not want my grandfathered plan changed. Perhaps someone who has traded in as well as received the $300 gift card can share their experience here.
Please note, you ARE required to do the installment plan. There must be some kind of cell carrier kickback commissions for installment plans along with the line upgrade or new line activation commissions to the retailer. The monthly installment amount to be paid is dependent on how much you pay up front during checkout. So if the phone is $1049 and you pay down $849 plus your state's sales tax on the full amount, it will leave you with a $200 balance due, your monthly installments would be $200/36 months = $5.56 per month.
After 2 billing cycles (probably when the cell carrier commissions are paid due to Net60 terms) you can pay off your remaining balance via the ATT website and then cancel and go to another carrier and request the unlock code via their unlocking portal entering your IMEI number and cell phone number and email address. It usually takes a few days for the unlock email with the codes to arrive, a few times it came same day as submission.
For me I pay them off right before the next year's promos and request the unlock, unless I need a phone to be unlocked sooner due to international travel etc, then I would pay off that line ASAP as it may take a few days to process the unlock. Once the installments are paid off, I can quickly upgrade again via Walmart Black Friday promo, wash, rinse and repeat.
So to sum it up, you will receive your $300 gift card via email shortly after the phone purchase and activation. If you want the phone unlocked as soon as possible, do not do trade in billing credits and be tied up for 36 months. Pay down as much as you can at the time of purchase. Pay off the remaining balance after 2 billing cycles and request the unlock. For iPhones you do not have to do anything after requesting the unlock. Once you receive the email that it has been approved, just insert your non-ATT SIM card and it will re-activate the phone via Apple's server and it will be unlocked permanently, it will reboot, and probably automatically do a carrier settings update right after.
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Would you happened to know if plan change takes effect immediately?
And I can change between plans as often as I want as long as I understand bills will be prorated for every switch?
Although Unlimited is not needed for the actual phone deal, would you recommend waiting until after activation to switch back to 4GB plan? My only concern would be the newly added line will be the only one left on the 4GB plan. Not sure if that complicates things. In hindsight should have switched to Unlimited first before doing anything else.
Btw, thanks for answering all the questions. Appreciate your insight.
In fact they are some of the better cell phone deals for the latest phones just released. Where else are you going to get $300 back for buying a newly released phone? Or $500 back on last year's flagship iPhone. All without tying you down for 36 months of billing credits. You can pay them off within 60 days and use them on any other carrier you want.
The retailers need to make their money back, so they rely on the activation commissions and installment plan commissions to offset the gift card they give you. The carriers hope the installment plan keeps you long enough with them so that you stay on with their service. These Walmart deals are not billing credit deals, you can leave and move on after 60 days.
I think the only better promo might be the T-Mobile buy one iPhone get one free promo. I have not studied the fine print on that one because T-Mobile service is lousy in my area, but I believe you are tied to billing credits on that one, so no thanks.
In fact they are some of the better cell phone deals for the latest phones just released. Where else are you going to get $300 back for buying a newly released phone? Or $500 back on last year's flagship iPhone. All without tying you down for 36 months of billing credits. You can pay them off within 60 days and use them on any other carrier you want.
The retailers need to make their money back, so they rely on the activation commissions and installment plan commissions to offset the gift card they give you. The carriers hope the installment plan keeps you long enough with them so that you stay on with their service. These Walmart deals are not billing credit deals, you can leave and move on after 60 days.
I think the only better promo might be the T-Mobile buy one iPhone get one free promo. I have not studied the fine print on that one because T-Mobile service is lousy in my area, but I believe you are tied to billing credits on that one, so no thanks.
You need to pay 50% and then give the phone to them. You can probably get more money by selling it on your own when you want to upgrade.
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2. Follow the prompts to setup new ATT account. Make sure you choose port in and follow the screens to enter your Xfinity account number and PIN code
3. Once account is setup and approved, agree to the terms, select your pay down amount if you would like to pay off a big chunk now and have lower monthly installments.
4. Checkout and pay taxes for your phone
5. You will receive a confirmation email regarding the purchase and acknowledgment that they will send you eGift Card via email after phone has been activated. The eGift Card email will contain the gift card number and PIN code. Add this to your Walmart app as payment method and when paying at any Walmart or Sam's Club register, scan the QR code on the credit card pin pad terminal with your Walmart app and that purchase will draft from the eGift Card and the app will show remaining balance.
6. Login to your ATT account after phone has been activated and see the total installment balance due by clicking on the Pay Off My Device link. Please note you can not unlock the phone prior to 60 days of service, so mark your calendar for 60 days out. You can pay it off completely at this point and wait out the 60 days total if needed. Or come back and pay it off 58 days later to give it 2 business days to post.
7. After 60 days and your installment balance is zeroed out, click on the Unlock Phone link to take you to the page to submit your unlock request. Once the Unlock Approved email arrives, if it is an iPhone you just insert any non-ATT SIM card and the phone will contact Apple Activation servers and it will be unlocked permanently, most likely it will download a cell carrier update and reboot and you are set. If it not an iPhone, the Unlock Approved email will contain the network unlock code. Insert a non-ATT SIM and you will get a pop up requesting this code. Key it in and the phone will be unlocked and be used on any supported carrier.
Now your line is free and clear to upgrade again or you can port out and cancel your account.
I bought the phone online and wish to wait until Christmas to activate since it's a new line and Christmas gift. Will I still get the gift card "within 20 days of shipment" if I do not activate immediately upon receiving the device? I would rather not pay for a month of service to just sit in the box...
In fact they are some of the better cell phone deals for the latest phones just released. Where else are you going to get $300 back for buying a newly released phone? Or $500 back on last year's flagship iPhone. All without tying you down for 36 months of billing credits. You can pay them off within 60 days and use them on any other carrier you want.
The retailers need to make their money back, so they rely on the activation commissions and installment plan commissions to offset the gift card they give you. The carriers hope the installment plan keeps you long enough with them so that you stay on with their service. These Walmart deals are not billing credit deals, you can leave and move on after 60 days.
I think the only better promo might be the T-Mobile buy one iPhone get one free promo. I have not studied the fine print on that one because T-Mobile service is lousy in my area, but I believe you are tied to billing credits on that one, so no thanks.
I bought the phone online and wish to wait until Christmas to activate since it's a new line and Christmas gift. Will I still get the gift card "within 20 days of shipment" if I do not activate immediately upon receiving the device? I would rather not pay for a month of service to just sit in the box...
Unclear to me whether the GC will process on phone shipment or only after activation.
QUESTION TO AGENT:
If I buy an iPhone 14 at Walmart to
upgrade my current XR on my current Verizon plan, can I take my XR to a Verizon store & get $400 trade in
credits from Verizon?
Verizon Agent:
Alright, base on the Indirect Retailer here, the list of the
store that you can get the $400 trade in promo credit
are:
-Best Buy
-Costco
-Military
Verizon Agent
as these will fall under
the manual trade in already. as the trade in promo for
$400 - $800 must be done in conjunction with the purchase of an upgrade and done at
Verizon online or Verizon store.
QUESTION TO AGENT:
Ok, thank you. So no, I can't get the $400 trade in promo
credit if I buy at Walmart, only at the retailers listed
above. BUT I can trade in my XR to Verizon for the value
as listed in the link you provided,
Which is $84.
Verizon Agent
Correct
The steps are easy
1. Buy an eligible phone for Verizon with a Verizon installment plan or at full retail price.
2. Activate the phone on a qualifying plan (Get More, Do More, Play More, One Unlimited)
3. Within 14 days of activation, go to www.vzw.com/tradein, sign in, and follow the instructions to submit your trade-in.
4. Take your trade in phone to a Corporate Verizon store. *Do not send by mail or take to an Verizon authorized retailer*
5. Credits will start in approx 2 months. First credit will be larger as it includes a catch up for the months you didn't receive a credit.
Unclear to me whether the GC will process on phone shipment or only after activation.
The steps are easy
1. Buy an eligible phone for Verizon with a Verizon installment plan or at full retail price.
2. Activate the phone on a qualifying plan (Get More, Do More, Play More, One Unlimited)
3. Within 14 days of activation, go to www.vzw.com/tradein, sign in, and follow the instructions to submit your trade-in.
4. Take your trade in phone to a Corporate Verizon store. *Do not send by mail or take to an Verizon authorized retailer*
5. Credits will start in approx 2 months. First credit will be larger as it includes a catch up for the months you didn't receive a credit.
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I bought an iPhone 14 Pro and kinda wished I went with the Max instead. I'm just not sure how long it will take for my Verizon account to say I'm "eligible" to upgrade again.
*EDIT* I called and struggled to have a coherent conversation with the rep, but the takeaway was I can return it to the store and reorder a new one. Who knows if there will be much stock left by then but we'll see how it goes.
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