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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 314,516 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

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 31, 2023
29 Posts
Joined Aug 2017
Mar 31, 2023
QuincyP1117
Mar 31, 2023
29 Posts
Quote from gadgetNerd :
You would have to put the SIM on another unlocked phone, reboot, make some calls. Make sure the unlocked phone shows in your account. Then try the unlock gain as a not ATT customer with IMEI of fold 3
Anyone hear about if the move to an unlocked phone not showing up on att account matters? I did a few calls from it and it's been hours won't show up. I searched around there's a button for "can't find your device" when switching it and I don't think OnePlus phones show up in MyATT account. Really don't want to burn another try for 24 hours but might take a while to find an unlocked iphone or something too
Mar 31, 2023
59 Posts
Joined Nov 2014
Mar 31, 2023
Madhawk1995
Mar 31, 2023
59 Posts
Quote from CrimsonSquirrel353 :
When you get the unlock code how many digits is it? I got one from a rep and it keeps saying it's incorrect
15 Digits exactly
Mar 31, 2023
59 Posts
Joined Nov 2014
Mar 31, 2023
Madhawk1995
Mar 31, 2023
59 Posts
Quote from QuincyP1117 :
Anyone hear about if the move to an unlocked phone not showing up on att account matters? I did a few calls from it and it's been hours won't show up. I searched around there's a button for "can't find your device" when switching it and I don't think OnePlus phones show up in MyATT account. Really don't want to burn another try for 24 hours but might take a while to find an unlocked iphone or something too
someone said earlier his unlocked OnePlus didn't work. They don't have that phone in there system. They had to get an unlocked iPhone for it to work. I was struggling on my 2nd one to switch to my iPhone's eSim. It finally did after like 3-4 hours. By then, the cancellation department was closed. I will be calling to cancel later today. I can't port out because I ported in already and Tello won't allow the number to be ported back.
Mar 31, 2023
59 Posts
Joined Nov 2014
Mar 31, 2023
Madhawk1995
Mar 31, 2023
59 Posts
Quote from iNICK20 :
Heads up! We approved your unlock request.
LFG! Its been a ride from hell. But the following steps worked for me.
Put your sim in another device. Make a few test calls.
go to ATT Device unlock page.
select not an customer.
enter in IMEI and info.
bam you'll get approved automatically.
This is the method that works
Activate the phone
then pop sim into your Unlocked iPhone
then wait for it to update in the system
then submit the unlock request
I got the email unlock code within 1 min
after confirming the unlock request email
Both my Fold 3's are unlocked
Mar 31, 2023
2,196 Posts
Joined Nov 2009
Mar 31, 2023
eore227
Mar 31, 2023
2,196 Posts
Are they going to restock these for shipping? Haven't seen in stock for days.
Mar 31, 2023
1,430 Posts
Joined Apr 2016
Mar 31, 2023
ctr11
Mar 31, 2023
1,430 Posts
Quote from Madhawk1995 :
This is the method that works
Activate the phone
then pop sim into your Unlocked iPhone
then wait for it to update in the system
then submit the unlock request
I got the email unlock code within 1 min
after confirming the unlock request email
Both my Fold 3's are unlocked
How much did you have to pay for on top of the $35 activation fee? Did you (do you) have to pay the $60+$35?
Last edited by ctr11 March 31, 2023 at 05:20 AM.
Mar 31, 2023
292 Posts
Joined Apr 2009
Mar 31, 2023
evets88
Mar 31, 2023
292 Posts
Quote from CrimsonSquirrel353 :
When you get the unlock code how many digits is it? I got one from a rep and it keeps saying it's incorrect

A rep purposely gave me the wrong unlock code also. Be careful, you have 5-8 tries to successfully use an unlock code with Samsung phones or it get permently locked and you need a master unlock code to reset the counter.

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Mar 31, 2023
382 Posts
Joined Oct 2007
Mar 31, 2023
perdesi
Mar 31, 2023
382 Posts
Quote from eore227 :
Are they going to restock these for shipping? Haven't seen in stock for days.
It's been coming in stock and getting out of stock shortly later. You just need to keep monitoring it. Keep it mind since you are just buying it, you may not be able to get it unlocked till 60 days after purchase
Mar 31, 2023
2,196 Posts
Joined Nov 2009
Mar 31, 2023
eore227
Mar 31, 2023
2,196 Posts
Quote from perdesi :
It's been coming in stock and getting out of stock shortly later. You just need to keep monitoring it. Keep it mind since you are just buying it, you may not be able to get it unlocked till 60 days after purchase
Looks like using second IPhone trick is working so that may work
Mar 31, 2023
1,391 Posts
Joined Sep 2010
Mar 31, 2023
devious20000
Mar 31, 2023
1,391 Posts
So I'm finally able to make and receive calls on ATT with the fold 3, so I popped the sim in my unlocked note 10+ and now that one shows up under my Att profile, so I tried to unlock the fold 3 and get this message.

We can only unlock devices that are part of the AT&T network. Make sure you have the correct IMEI number and then submit a new request.
Mar 31, 2023
195 Posts
Joined Nov 2020
Mar 31, 2023
CyanMeerkat9809
Mar 31, 2023
195 Posts
After I sent a to request ATT to unlock my f3. Here is what I got from ATT's response.
Before we can approve your unlock request, you have to pay off your installment plan.

So, what's next?
Want to pay off your device now? Here's how

Already paid off your device as part of your monthly bill? You can submit an unlock request at the start of your next billing period.

Just paid off your device? Wait 48 hours after you make your final payment to submit an unlock request
Does anyone get like this?
TIV
Mar 31, 2023
467 Posts
Joined Jun 2013
Mar 31, 2023
GauravG7068
Mar 31, 2023
467 Posts
Here is my status (still locked device)

1. Tried unlock via sim transfer method. Got rejected after 15mins saying device is active on different account. Device is infront of me and didn't have any sim card, since day 1.

2. Tried again. This time got email from att. "
Thank you for contacting AT&T Customer Care about unlocking your device. Your request for device unlock requires additional research to determine eligibility. Please be assured that we are actively working on it. We'll send a response as soon as possible.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Five unsuccessful unlock attempts permanently locks the device to the AT&T network."

I think att is updating their backend.
Mar 31, 2023
7 Posts
Joined Mar 2023
Mar 31, 2023
OliveCrow4837
Mar 31, 2023
7 Posts
I received this message can you please help me with next steps

Because you canceled your service less than 14 days after you bought your device, we can't unlock it.

Thanks for choosing us,
AT&T
Mar 31, 2023
195 Posts
Joined Aug 2021
Mar 31, 2023
404_notfound
Mar 31, 2023
195 Posts
Moving the simcard to different unlocked phone - method still works!

Adding this as a dp

- Picked up the phone from BB.
- Finished setting up on AT&T.
- Updated the phone to Android 13.
- Moved sim card to an unlocked iPhone and waited till the iPhone showed up on my account.
- Requested an Unlock code using IMEI.
- Was sent a unlock code within seconds.

The key seems to be getting the New device to show up on your account.
Last edited by 404_notfound March 31, 2023 at 09:07 AM.

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Mar 31, 2023
1,391 Posts
Joined Sep 2010
Mar 31, 2023
devious20000
Mar 31, 2023
1,391 Posts
After I moved the att sim to my unlocked note 10+ I can make calls and receive calls now, but under att.com it only shows the fold 3 device, and hasn't updated to my note 10+, how long should I wait to see if the device gets replaced so I can try to unlock the fold 3

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