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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 315,202 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
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Top Comments

stealth805
136 Posts
95 Reputation
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.
quantecipher
2786 Posts
1616 Reputation
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.
snoopykul
26 Posts
18 Reputation
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.

1,738 Comments

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Mar 26, 2023
70 Posts
Joined Mar 2013
Mar 26, 2023
SlickDealOrNoDeal
Mar 26, 2023
70 Posts
Quote from shibinloy :
I just managed to unlock my device.

I replaced the Samsung Z Fold 3 in my account on the website with another random phone model in my profile (can't remember how i got to that page, was randomly clicking things. If someone finds it please share it).

Go to the unlock page, now click on not a ATT account holder, submit your IMEI. It would not have the "phone is already active in another account" message. Sent in the unlock request. Confirmed the unlock request in my email, and within 10 min the unlock code was sent to me via email.

Another thing to share, i purchased this phone with "port-in" from a random google voice number that was available but i did not sign up for.

I have not cancelled my phone line but i am going to do it as soon as customer service is open.

Hope this helps. Good Luck.
Hope this works for me. Im am waiting for mine to ship. Will do this same proccess once it arrives. Thanks. Fingers crossed it works
Mar 26, 2023
1,824 Posts
Joined Dec 2014
Mar 26, 2023
joshs1930
Mar 26, 2023
1,824 Posts
Quote from Cobe98 :
Why do you say I am screwed? I am using the device right now with TMobile. Once a device is unlocked I don't think it can be locked again right?
It won't lock again. It's a permanent unlock. Even if you factory reset the phone.
Mar 26, 2023
96 Posts
Joined Jun 2014
Mar 26, 2023
EvanW5076
Mar 26, 2023
96 Posts
Quote from shibinloy :
I just managed to unlock my device.

I replaced the Samsung Z Fold 3 in my account on the website with another random phone model in my profile (My Device -> Manage Device -> Device Support).

Go to the unlock page, now click on not a ATT account holder, submit your IMEI. It would not have the "phone is already active in another account" message. Sent in the unlock request. Confirmed the unlock request in my email, and within 10 min the unlock code was sent to me via email.

Another thing to share, i purchased this phone with "port-in" from a random google voice number that was available but i did not sign up for.

I have not cancelled my phone line but i am going to do it as soon as customer service is open.

Hope this helps. Good Luck.
Thank you for sharing this! I will try tomorrow. Fingers crossed 🤞
Mar 26, 2023
1,775 Posts
Joined Jul 2019
Mar 26, 2023
Milk4Ever
Mar 26, 2023
1,775 Posts
Quote from spcl_agnt :
Why wouldn't boost port in work on this ?
It does. I did it for the AT&T phone.
Mar 26, 2023
8 Posts
Joined Mar 2023
Mar 26, 2023
AquaHeat416
Mar 26, 2023
8 Posts
Quote from BeigeLadybug6351 :
Out of stock everywhere?
I see that it's out of stock too. It says shipping unavailable. Wish I had jumped on the green one sooner!
Mar 26, 2023
1,391 Posts
Joined Sep 2010
Mar 26, 2023
devious20000
Mar 26, 2023
1,391 Posts
Since the Att is out of stock now, can we do the same for the Verizon one for $100 more
Mar 26, 2023
359 Posts
Joined Dec 2021
Mar 26, 2023
SeriousKitten2924
Mar 26, 2023
359 Posts
Quote from Milk4Ever :
It does. I did it for the AT&T phone.
Orange SIM from Boost works on ATT towers. Black SIM kits on TMobile. I got three sim kits from Iphone Xr promo and they can not be used for ATT port, unfortunately.

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Mar 26, 2023
4,599 Posts
Joined Jul 2006
Mar 26, 2023
bjsguess
Mar 26, 2023
4,599 Posts
I'll just add my story.

1. Created a new account with Tello to do a port in (eSIM).
2. Ordered the phone, walked through the steps on BB site for porting (credit check, etc).
3. Text came in telling me that the order was good - just needed to wait for the text for when the item would be ready (this was all last night).
4. By 2PM today I still hadn't received the text that my order was ready. Getting a little nervous I headed down to try and complete the pick up. At the pick up counter they said there was an issue and I needed to talk to the phone people.
5. They had two people working, they had two customers already. I was next in line. Literally, an hour later, they begin to help me. System shows there was an issue porting. BB people call AT&T, call their tech department, call AT&T again. This all takes another hour. Nobody can figure out what is going on. BB supervisor finally comes over and starts working his magic. He tries to set up another account for me with AT&T. That seems to work. He attaches the phone to the new account. Prints all the paperwork, just waiting for the port to go through.
6. Final step is that he cancels my previous order. He tells me the port may take a few hours.Total time in the store was nearly 3.5 hours.
7. 6 hours later and the port hasn't gone through. While I'm waiting I decide to see if the portal will let me unlock. I get a message saying that the phone can't be unlocked because I terminated my service within 14 days of opening the account. I THINK that when he canceled my previous order it somehow screwed up what he just did with the new account.

I think I own the phone free and clear now. When I log into AT&T it doesn't show any devices or billing info. BUT I also can't unlock. Will need to call in on Monday to see if I can get the unlock to work.

My question to anyone out there - if the phone isn't attached to my account is there any way that AT&T could come back after me for the retail price? Thoughts?
Last edited by bjsguess March 25, 2023 at 11:49 PM.
Mar 26, 2023
8 Posts
Joined Mar 2023
Mar 26, 2023
AquaHeat416
Mar 26, 2023
8 Posts
Quote from devious20000 :
Since the Att is out of stock now, can we do the same for the Verizon one for $100 more
If it still lets you, I wouldn't see why not. It's def cheaper to do it that way versus buying used/refurb from eBay or BackMarket.
Mar 26, 2023
2,786 Posts
Joined Jul 2017
Mar 26, 2023
quantecipher
Mar 26, 2023
2,786 Posts
Quote from evets88 :
So they can do an over the air unlock?
They can if you request for OTA and you must have active SIM/eSIM, i.e., active line, for it to push through. Most people here just want to keep the phone and cancel the new line. For "deal" like this, it's best to quietly request unlock code from the portal and port out the number to cancel instead of interact with any humans/reps because once they are alerted about this "deal" or they notice unusual high activity of people calling in to unlock phones and/or to cancel lines, this "deal" is practically over unless you truly want to keep the phone and keep the new line.
Mar 26, 2023
1,431 Posts
Joined Apr 2016
Mar 26, 2023
ctr11
Mar 26, 2023
1,431 Posts
Quote from quantecipher :
They can if you request for OTA and you must have active SIM/eSIM, i.e., active line, for it to push through. Most people here just want to keep the phone and cancel the new line. For "deal" like this, it's best to quietly request unlock code from the portal and port out the number to cancel instead of interact with any humans/reps because once they are alerted about this "deal" or they notice unusual high activity of people calling in to unlock phones and/or to cancel lines, this "deal" is practically over unless you truly want to keep the phone and keep the new line.
I like your idea of quietly request the unlock code and then port out the number to cancel, however in practice, it doesn't seem to work like that as several people above have said that they get a message saying the unlock is denied saying the service hasn't been active for 60 days, same message I got after trying the portal.

And then for those that cancel first, for some of them the portal works and for others (see a few posts above at bjsguess for example) it says denied because they cancelled within 14 days. There seems to be no consistent definitive pattern to be able to learn exactly how the unlocking portal works quantecipher. I haven't seen anyone able to get the unlock first and then port out. The most success we've seen is with those who either change the device to a different one on their account (1 guy above) or the ones that have the phone team cancel their account and they subsequently on their own just go ahead and try the unlock portal and it works...
Mar 26, 2023
212 Posts
Joined Dec 2005
Mar 26, 2023
AJolly
Mar 26, 2023
212 Posts
Quote from uselessinfodude :
Got excited about this one for a moment, but upon further reading of the comments it seems the juice is not worth the squeeze for me. Especially being an iphone guy I was just going to get it as a secondary/backup device to test the android water. Seems like ATT is even less eager to unlock these now and there's nothing I hate more than dealing with customer service.
If you're looking to try Android, OnePlus has a deal going on right now where you can try their phone for a hundred days.
Mar 26, 2023
2,786 Posts
Joined Jul 2017
Mar 26, 2023
quantecipher
Mar 26, 2023
2,786 Posts
Quote from ctr11 :
I like your idea of quietly request the unlock code and then port out the number to cancel, however in practice, it doesn't seem to work like that as several people above have said that they get a message saying the unlock is denied saying the service hasn't been active for 60 days, same message I got after trying the portal.

And then for those that cancel first, for some of them the portal works and for others (see a few posts above at bjsguess for example) it says denied because they cancelled within 14 days. There seems to be no consistent definitive pattern to be able to learn exactly how the unlocking portal works quantecipher. I haven't seen anyone able to get the unlock first and then port out. The most success we've seen is with those who either change the device to a different one on their account (1 guy above) or the ones that have the phone team cancel their account and they subsequently on their own just go ahead and try the unlock portal and it works...
I don't know their detailed situations; most likely users error. The key to successfully request unlock from the portal is the portal cannot know the phone is associated with AT&T account/service/line when you submit the request. There are a few methods to do this, depending on your situation. On mine, I swapped out the phone from my account and chose I don't have a mobile number from AT&T on the portal. Make sure you check your email to confirm the request or it will fail. Hope this helps.
Mar 26, 2023
1,478 Posts
Joined Dec 2011
Mar 26, 2023
garymeter48
Mar 26, 2023
1,478 Posts
Here's a thought. I've read comments where there has been success when the phone is removed from the account. One possibility could be to activate the account and put the AT&T sim in another phone, to associate the account with a different IMEI. Then, order the unlock code via the portal using the Fold 3 IMEI number. If it works, cancel the account after you receive the unlock code. Would this work?

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Mar 26, 2023
105 Posts
Joined Mar 2014
Mar 26, 2023
AdolphoV
Mar 26, 2023
105 Posts
Unlock with imei # on the app.

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