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expired Posted by treo • Mar 23, 2023
expired Posted by treo • Mar 23, 2023

256GB Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G 2-in-1 Smartphone (Various Carriers)

(Activation Required) + Free Shipping

from $300

$1,800

Best Buy
1,739 Comments 310,202 Views
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Deal Details
Best Buy has 256GB Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G 2-in-1 Foldable Smartphone Tablet (AT&T or Verizon) on sale from $299.99. Shipping is free or select free store pickup where available.

Thanks to Community Member treo for finding this deal.

Note: Activation on cellular carrier is required. Be sure to select your carrier and select 'Activate Today' to see pricing. Availability for store pickup may vary by location.

Available Carriers:Available Colors:
  • Phantom Black
  • Phantom Green
  • Phantom Silver
Specs:
  • Screens:
    • Main: 7.6" Infinity Flex display - Cover: 6.2" Dynamic AMOLED
    • 120Hz AMOLED 2X Screen
  • Memory: 12GB
  • Storage: 256GB
  • Main Camera: 12MP Wide, 12MP UW, 12MP Tele + 2x optical zoom, 10x digital zoom, 10MP Front
  • Battery: 4,400mAh / 25W Super Fast Charge
  • S Pen Support
  • IPX8 rating

Editor's Notes

Written by powerfuldoppler | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Activation on a cellular carrier is required for from $299.99 pricing. Activation fees may apply and vary by carrier.
  • About this product:
    • Rating of 4.4 from over 140 Best Buy customer reviews.
  • Additional Note:

Original Post

Written by treo
Product Info
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Product Info
Community Notes
About the Poster
Best Buy has 256GB Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G 2-in-1 Foldable Smartphone Tablet (AT&T or Verizon) on sale from $299.99. Shipping is free or select free store pickup where available.

Thanks to Community Member treo for finding this deal.

Note: Activation on cellular carrier is required. Be sure to select your carrier and select 'Activate Today' to see pricing. Availability for store pickup may vary by location.

Available Carriers:Available Colors:
  • Phantom Black
  • Phantom Green
  • Phantom Silver
Specs:
  • Screens:
    • Main: 7.6" Infinity Flex display - Cover: 6.2" Dynamic AMOLED
    • 120Hz AMOLED 2X Screen
  • Memory: 12GB
  • Storage: 256GB
  • Main Camera: 12MP Wide, 12MP UW, 12MP Tele + 2x optical zoom, 10x digital zoom, 10MP Front
  • Battery: 4,400mAh / 25W Super Fast Charge
  • S Pen Support
  • IPX8 rating

Editor's Notes

Written by powerfuldoppler | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Activation on a cellular carrier is required for from $299.99 pricing. Activation fees may apply and vary by carrier.
  • About this product:
    • Rating of 4.4 from over 140 Best Buy customer reviews.
  • Additional Note:

Original Post

Written by treo

Community Voting

Deal Score
+132
Good Deal
Visit Best Buy
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Top Comments

Want this phone for $299 and not have to pay the monthly fee and be able to use another carrier??
Let me save y'all about 4 hours, which is how long it took me to finally get to the right people to make this happen. Here is how I got this handled
I ordered a $5 Tello number, selected e-sim, received number within a few minutes. Make sure to register the pin they give you in the email, it gives you all the port out info access. Theres a code there that is needed to enter in Best Buy portal when you port it over to ATT.
Ported that number in to ATT via Best Buy portal
Picked up phone
Powered on Phone with ATT sim
Finished ALL account creation, including pin number creation etc via ATT email
Spent 3 hours getting tossed around 10 different reps and departments and supervisors via online chat, disconnected multiple times, told no multiple times, etc etc etc.
Don't bother submitting request online for unlock, it will be denied.
Just call technical support, JUST CALL!!! 1800-288-2020. Call from a phone other that the Z Fold 3. Reason you call from other phone is you will want to pop your sim in from other provider to get to the sim unlock prompt while you are on the phone with them. Tell them you need technical support, you may get tossed around one more time, but you WILL get someone that can help you.
Have your link ready that states phones paid in full at purchase can be unlocked without waiting 60 days. I had to legit provide not just the wording, but the exact link. The rep will literally navigate to it and will be super surprised and state that this is the first they've ever heard of this policy and that they always get hassled by the unlock team and ultimately never get the unlock code for the customer.
Have your receipt from Best Buy ready ready to go (I had to legit take pics with my phone and text them to a number they gave me).
After about 10 minutes with the rep, they provided the unlock code.
Make sure to input the unlock code prior to getting transferred over to cancellation department.
Get sent over to cancellation department and submit for cancellation under buyer's remorse policy.
Done and done. Save yourself a lot of time and just call them. I paid $299 plus tax and have a fully unlocked phone on T-mobile with no issues at all. ATT service is shut down, I didn't care about the Tello number, much easier to pay the $5 for a Tello than mess with a number you actually care about keeping. Just cancel the service and it is over and done with.
I obviously can't promise this is gonna work for every single person. I suppose a non-cooperative rep might not wanna go the extra mile for you, but my telephone rep was super helpful and patient. She admitted I had done my diligence with researching the terms and pushed the "unlock team" to help her with the code. YMMV of course, but this worked for me. Just be patient and courteous to the rep. I was frustrated with how long it was taking but you need to acknowledge that each new person you talk to, it is their first interaction with you, they have no idea how long you've been dealing with people. You can avoid a lot of frustration by just calling to start out instead of trying to manage the situation via online chat.
Questions, feel free to ask, perhaps I wasn't completely thorough, but that was basically what I went through. Good luck all.
As soon as yo have the phone in hand.

Port out the line to cancel. Line automatically cancels as soon as the number it ported out (5-10 mins). You can port to Tello for $2.50.
https://slickdeals.net/f/16531969-tello-50-off-selected-plans

These phones are subsidized by the carriers and hoping people would switch or add more lines and stay with them, etc; therefore different carrier may offer different prices.

You can request unlock right away because it's paid in full with no money owed; i.e., no monthly installment,

Yes.

Port out the number to cancel right away (5-10 min, as soon as the number is ported) so that you don't have to deal with rep that doesn't allow you to cancel. You can port to Tello for $2.50.
https://slickdeals.net/f/16531969-tello-50-off-selected-plans

Yes, but you can cancel right away.
Option 1 worked for me

I picked up my Fold 3 this morning from bestbuy. ATT variant.
Ordered online with the porting in option as it wouldn't let me order otherwise. Used a random boost mobile number I had and have no intention of porting in a number.
BB didn't ask for anything in store, just gave me the phone and i walked out.

Received att emails after pickup, created account, created ATT PIN, jotted down account number, and saw $60 plan but $0 due.

unboxed and booted with t-mobile sim card, asked for unlock code.

tried to unlock from my att portal, but denied.
tried to unlock using the request unlock website for non att members, but denied via email

Started a chat with att to cancel service and request unlock.
I mentioned having bad service reception in my area and wanted to cancel and wanted to unlock phone to use it for work which was a different provider.
They wanted me to reset the network, but i said not interested just want to cancel.

They also mentioned that i lose my port in number if i cancelled. which was wierd since i never actually ported in the number yet.

Eventually, they said, "Since the total due balance if $0.00 there will be no charges now. Your services with AT&T will be completely shut off."

Then i asked about the network unlock, which they said they sent directly to my phone. Didn't work even though she said it was unlocked on their system. Eventually they provided the unlock code which worked.

Now my fold 3 is cancelled with att service with 0 payments or fees and unlocked so i can use my Tmobile sim.

hope that helps some of ya.

1,739 Comments

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Mar 24, 2023
2,568 Posts
Joined Jul 2016
Mar 24, 2023
Meribela_S
Mar 24, 2023
2,568 Posts
Quote from tim_iman :
Great summary!
We need someone who will receive clarification from AT&T. For now most likely it's option 3

This deal like emotional rollercoaster, from slickdeals to feel scammed
The guy that said he works for ATT should be able to provide answers but he hasn't. Wish he did.
Mar 24, 2023
292 Posts
Joined Apr 2009
Mar 24, 2023
evets88
Mar 24, 2023
292 Posts
Has anyone called customer service to unlock? Their website specifically says " Was paid in full when you bought it (not on an installment plan). You don't have to wait 60 days to unlock it".
Mar 24, 2023
84 Posts
Joined May 2020
Mar 24, 2023
tim_iman
Mar 24, 2023
84 Posts
It's my second Z Fold 3, the first one I had was factory unlocked.

Main issue with AT&T variant that it can't be updated to the latest software, I received one update, but now stucked on Android 12 and One UI 4.0, security patch Dec 2021. I don't know maybe I should wait a bit to receive update, for now security patches outdated on AT&T phone, just keep it in mind
Last edited by tim_iman March 24, 2023 at 12:24 PM.
1
Mar 24, 2023
481 Posts
Joined Dec 2007
Mar 24, 2023
penbralat
Mar 24, 2023
481 Posts
Sigh...I decided to try as well. Found a BB 25 min from my house that had (1) in stock and will go pick it up later today once I get the confirmation e-mail from them that it's ready for pickup. Not waiting to cancel, either. Will port out the # today to ensure the service is cancelled ASAP. Will report back my findings. Still wondering if we'll still be on the hook for the $60 for (1) month of service and the $30 activation fee, though. We shall see.
Mar 24, 2023
1,817 Posts
Joined Dec 2014
Mar 24, 2023
joshs1930
Mar 24, 2023
1,817 Posts
Quote from sonnaly :
It is complicated. It is wired that I have both service with the old carrier(tracfone) and new carrier(ATT). But anyway, after arguing and verification, both lines are cancelled.
I have now confirmed one of the device is already unlocked. But the other one is denied
as the device is not in ATT system.
----------------------
Request date & time
03-24-2023 12:26:10 PM
Status
Denied
So that means we have to open the box and make sure the phone connects to the at&t network, guessing that's what needs to be done in order to get it unlocked.
Mar 24, 2023
1,728 Posts
Joined Jul 2019
Mar 24, 2023
Milk4Ever
Mar 24, 2023
1,728 Posts
Quote from tim_iman :
It's my second Z Fold 3, the first one I had was factory unlocked.

Main issue with AT&T variant that it can't be updated to the latest software, I received one update, but now stucked on Android 12 and One UI 4.0, security patch Dec 2021. I don't know maybe I should wait a bit to receive update, for now security patches outdated on AT&T phone just keep it in mind
I've heard that you only need an AT&T sim card (even if not active) in the phone to be able to update. Have you tried that?
Edit: I thought you meant after unlocking and using another operator. That's still a concern for most people.
Mar 24, 2023
84 Posts
Joined May 2020
Mar 24, 2023
tim_iman
Mar 24, 2023
84 Posts
Quote from bjsguess :
Man this is a frustrating thread. After reading and rereading this thread the possible outcomes are many:

1. Buy it, unlock it, port out / cancel. Get your activation and 1st month back. Total cost is $300+tax.
2. Buy it, unlock it, port out. Stuck with the activation and 1st month. Total cost is $390+tax.
3. Buy it, wait the 60 days, port out. Stuck with activation and at least 2 months of service. Total cost is $450-$510.

Option 1 is a great deal. Option 2 is an OK deal. Option 3 is probably a pass for most people. So frustrating that we can't get a definitive answer. I really wish that I understood AT&T's policies better. Want to jump on the deal but afraid that option 3 will play out and I'm stuck with a bad deal.
If the 3rd option is the way it works, might be better to use it as a tablet and cancel the service, it will be still possible to trade-in later

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Mar 24, 2023
164 Posts
Joined Feb 2015
Mar 24, 2023
Jony_rider77
Mar 24, 2023
164 Posts
Quote from tim_iman :
It's my second Z Fold 3, the first one I had was factory unlocked.

Main issue with AT&T variant that it can't be updated to the latest software, I received one update, but now stucked on Android 12 and One UI 4.0, security patch Dec 2021. I don't know maybe I should wait a bit to receive update, for now security patches outdated on AT&T phone just keep it in mind
This is News for me. Once phone is unlocked why would ATT come in picture for software updates??
Mar 24, 2023
1,728 Posts
Joined Jul 2019
Mar 24, 2023
Milk4Ever
Mar 24, 2023
1,728 Posts
Quote from tim_iman :
If the 3rd option is the way it works, might be better to use it as a tablet and cancel the service, it will be still possible to trade-in later
Can we trade-in a network-locked phone? i have never tried it.
Mar 24, 2023
26 Posts
Joined Sep 2009
Mar 24, 2023
snoopykul
Mar 24, 2023
26 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank snoopykul

Quote from bjsguess :
Man this is a frustrating thread. After reading and rereading this thread the possible outcomes are many:

1. Buy it, unlock it, port out / cancel. Get your activation and 1st month back. Total cost is $300+tax.
2. Buy it, unlock it, port out. Stuck with the activation and 1st month. Total cost is $390+tax.
3. Buy it, wait the 60 days, port out. Stuck with activation and at least 2 months of service. Total cost is $450-$510.

Option 1 is a great deal. Option 2 is an OK deal. Option 3 is probably a pass for most people. So frustrating that we can't get a definitive answer. I really wish that I understood AT&T's policies better. Want to jump on the deal but afraid that option 3 will play out and I'm stuck with a bad deal.
Option 1 worked for me

I picked up my Fold 3 this morning from bestbuy. ATT variant.
Ordered online with the porting in option as it wouldn't let me order otherwise. Used a random boost mobile number I had and have no intention of porting in a number.
BB didn't ask for anything in store, just gave me the phone and i walked out.

Received att emails after pickup, created account, created ATT PIN, jotted down account number, and saw $60 plan but $0 due.

unboxed and booted with t-mobile sim card, asked for unlock code.

tried to unlock from my att portal, but denied.
tried to unlock using the request unlock website for non att members, but denied via email

Started a chat with att to cancel service and request unlock.
I mentioned having bad service reception in my area and wanted to cancel and wanted to unlock phone to use it for work which was a different provider.
They wanted me to reset the network, but i said not interested just want to cancel.

They also mentioned that i lose my port in number if i cancelled. which was wierd since i never actually ported in the number yet.

Eventually, they said, "Since the total due balance if $0.00 there will be no charges now. Your services with AT&T will be completely shut off."

Then i asked about the network unlock, which they said they sent directly to my phone. Didn't work even though she said it was unlocked on their system. Eventually they provided the unlock code which worked.

Now my fold 3 is cancelled with att service with 0 payments or fees and unlocked so i can use my Tmobile sim.

hope that helps some of ya.
3
Mar 24, 2023
1,728 Posts
Joined Jul 2019
Mar 24, 2023
Milk4Ever
Mar 24, 2023
1,728 Posts
Quote from Jony_rider77 :
This is News for me. Once phone is unlocked why would ATT come in picture for software updates??
I guess because this being an AT&T device, the updates are set to be performed through AT&T severs and the unlocking doesn't change that. But I don't have any direct experience with it. Hopefully others will enlighten us.
Mar 24, 2023
84 Posts
Joined May 2020
Mar 24, 2023
tim_iman
Mar 24, 2023
84 Posts
Quote from Milk4Ever :
I've heard that you only need an AT&T sim card (even if not active) in the phone to be able to update. Have you tried that?
Edit: I thought you meant after unlocking and using another operator. That's still a concern for most people.
I am on AT&T sim now, received only one update.

Made a research, it's common situation with AT&T, just have to wait
Mar 24, 2023
1,345 Posts
Joined May 2018
Mar 24, 2023
vaiof1
Mar 24, 2023
1,345 Posts
Quote from snoopykul :
Option 1 worked for me

I picked up my Fold 3 this morning from bestbuy. ATT variant.
Ordered online with the porting in option as it wouldn't let me order otherwise. Used a random boost mobile number I had and have no intention of porting in a number.
BB didn't ask for anything in store, just gave me the phone and i walked out.

Received att emails after pickup, created account, created ATT PIN, jotted down account number, and saw $60 plan but $0 due.

unboxed and booted with t-mobile sim card, asked for unlock code.

tried to unlock from my att portal, but denied.
tried to unlock using the request unlock website for non att members, but denied via email

Started a chat with att to cancel service and request unlock.
I mentioned having bad service reception in my area and wanted to cancel and wanted to unlock phone to use it for work which was a different provider.
They wanted me to reset the network, but i said not interested just want to cancel.

They also mentioned that i lose my port in number if i cancelled. which was wierd since i never actually ported in the number yet.

Eventually, they said, "Since the total due balance if $0.00 there will be no charges now. Your services with AT&T will be completely shut off."

Then i asked about the network unlock, which they said they sent directly to my phone. Didn't work even though she said it was unlocked on their system. Eventually they provided the unlock code which worked.

Now my fold 3 is cancelled with att service with 0 payments or fees and unlocked so i can use my Tmobile sim.

hope that helps some of ya.
Does that result in a hard inquiry?
1
Mar 24, 2023
84 Posts
Joined May 2020
Mar 24, 2023
tim_iman
Mar 24, 2023
84 Posts
Quote from Milk4Ever :
Can we trade-in a network-locked phone? i have never tried it.
Yes, we can

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Mar 24, 2023
453 Posts
Joined Jun 2013
Mar 24, 2023
GauravG7068
Mar 24, 2023
453 Posts
Quote from snoopykul :
Option 1 worked for me

I picked up my Fold 3 this morning from bestbuy. ATT variant.
Ordered online with the porting in option as it wouldn't let me order otherwise. Used a random boost mobile number I had and have no intention of porting in a number.
BB didn't ask for anything in store, just gave me the phone and i walked out.

Received att emails after pickup, created account, created ATT PIN, jotted down account number, and saw $60 plan but $0 due.

unboxed and booted with t-mobile sim card, asked for unlock code.

tried to unlock from my att portal, but denied.
tried to unlock using the request unlock website for non att members, but denied via email

Started a chat with att to cancel service and request unlock.
I mentioned having bad service reception in my area and wanted to cancel and wanted to unlock phone to use it for work which was a different provider.
They wanted me to reset the network, but i said not interested just want to cancel.

They also mentioned that i lose my port in number if i cancelled. which was wierd since i never actually ported in the number yet.

Eventually, they said, "Since the total due balance if $0.00 there will be no charges now. Your services with AT&T will be completely shut off."

Then i asked about the network unlock, which they said they sent directly to my phone. Didn't work even though she said it was unlocked on their system. Eventually they provided the unlock code which worked.

Now my fold 3 is cancelled with att service with 0 payments or fees and unlocked so i can use my Tmobile sim.

hope that helps some of ya.
Thank you sir! I tried store pickup in San Jose,CA but they failed to run credit. Placed order online waiting for delivery next week. $328.11 total, hopefully the unlock works
1

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