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expired Posted by dealwars • Oct 3, 2024
expired Posted by dealwars • Oct 3, 2024

128GB Apple iPhone 13 5G Smartphone (Metro by T-Mobile) w/ Metro Flex Plus Plan

w/ Number Port-In + Free S/H

$175

$630

72% off
Metro by T-Mobile
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Deal Details
Metro by T-Mobile is offering their 128GB Apple iPhone 13 5G Smartphone (Midnight, Metro by T-Mobile) w/ Metro Flex Plus Plan ($70/month) on sale for $99.99 when you join Metro/Add A Line to Your Existing Metro account + Port Your Existing Phone Number over. Shipping is free.
  • Note: Metro Flex Plus Plan is $75 for the first month and then $70/month w/ AutoPay.
Thanks to community member dealwars for finding this deal.

Note: Must join Metro on a Metro Flex Plus Plan to qualify + bring your number and verify your identity

About the Product
  • 6.1" 2532x1170 Super Retina XDR OLED Touchscreen Display
  • A15 Bionic Chipset
  • 4GB RAM
  • 128GB Internal Storage
  • Advanced Dual-Camera System
  • 5G Connectivity
  • Smart HDR 4
  • IP68 Water Resistance
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6 w/ Bluetooth 5.0
  • Supports MagSafe Accessories
  • Apple iOS 15 (upgradable to latest iOS 18 update)

Editor's Notes

Written by SubZero5 | Staff
  • About the deal:
    • Existing Metro customers adding a line will need to be on a Metro Flex Plus plan to get this promotional offer
    • If you want to move to a less expensive rate plan during the next 6 months after getting this deal, you'll need to pay $50 to change plans
    • Applicable sales tax applies
    • Offer valid for a limited time only or while promotional offer/supplies last
    • Please see the original post for additional details & give the WIKI and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion.

Original Post

Written by dealwars
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Metro by T-Mobile is offering their 128GB Apple iPhone 13 5G Smartphone (Midnight, Metro by T-Mobile) w/ Metro Flex Plus Plan ($70/month) on sale for $99.99 when you join Metro/Add A Line to Your Existing Metro account + Port Your Existing Phone Number over. Shipping is free.
  • Note: Metro Flex Plus Plan is $75 for the first month and then $70/month w/ AutoPay.
Thanks to community member dealwars for finding this deal.

Note: Must join Metro on a Metro Flex Plus Plan to qualify + bring your number and verify your identity

About the Product
  • 6.1" 2532x1170 Super Retina XDR OLED Touchscreen Display
  • A15 Bionic Chipset
  • 4GB RAM
  • 128GB Internal Storage
  • Advanced Dual-Camera System
  • 5G Connectivity
  • Smart HDR 4
  • IP68 Water Resistance
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6 w/ Bluetooth 5.0
  • Supports MagSafe Accessories
  • Apple iOS 15 (upgradable to latest iOS 18 update)

Editor's Notes

Written by SubZero5 | Staff
  • About the deal:
    • Existing Metro customers adding a line will need to be on a Metro Flex Plus plan to get this promotional offer
    • If you want to move to a less expensive rate plan during the next 6 months after getting this deal, you'll need to pay $50 to change plans
    • Applicable sales tax applies
    • Offer valid for a limited time only or while promotional offer/supplies last
    • Please see the original post for additional details & give the WIKI and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion.

Original Post

Written by dealwars

Community Voting

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Top Comments

Peerless_Warrior
13451 Posts
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1 year...
blarg0001
739 Posts
548 Reputation
Thanks OP! I just added a google voice number to my google account and ported that in. Takes no time at all. You'll need to go to GV settings and pay $3.00 to unlock the number. You'll also need to enable the "Call to Listen" setting under Voicemail which will let you set a PIN which Metro will ask for. You'll also need the google account number which is just the phone number.
ed1968
623 Posts
61 Reputation
Looks like a free Pixel 10.

893 Comments

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Oct 30, 2024
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aabbccbbaa
Oct 30, 2024
1,343 Posts
Quote from SlySol :
Hehe … I haven't done a Metro deal in like a decade because it seems like the good deals were almost always in-store only and shady reps. But I just got in on the free 12 last month and decided to grab another since the secomd line is half price. I'm tempted to activate that one, leaving it sealed and see if it unlocks, but still mulling.
Yes, I was pleasantly surprised that the 12 and 13 deals were also available online this time. If you do decide to try your luck with keeping the phone sealed then please keep us posted on what happens. Smilie
Pro
Oct 30, 2024
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SlySol
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Oct 30, 2024
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Quote from aabbccbbaa :
Yes, I was pleasantly surprised that the 12 and 13 deals were also available online this time. If you do decide to try your luck with keeping the phone sealed then please keep us posted on what happens. Smilie
I'll try to remember (although remembering to reply so far down the road may be another reason that may account for so few reports of it).

I did see a mention of someone in an old thread successfully keeping phones sealed until the expected unlock date, but it's not iPhone so it's a bit different process and not sure if there may be other possible issues …

https://slickdeals.net/f/17325810-metro-by-t-mobile-port-in-new-number-offers-select-smartphone-30-days-service-from-40-free-shipping?v=1&p=169662348&src=SiteSearch#post169662348
Original Poster
Oct 30, 2024
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dealwars
Original Poster
Oct 30, 2024
1,197 Posts
Quote from taser :
I have received my phone, but the number isn't ported.
When the line is activated (which it will automatically do if you do nothing) the port will complete.

The port was put into an authorized pending state when you bought the phone. Metro does not need to take any additional steps to complete the port.
Quote from SlySol :
Have you tried leaving one sealed (although line / device activated in their system) to see if it still unlocks after the required time?

I'd love to hear from a couple of people who have actually tried it. The written terms are often conservatively written to be on the safe side and also allow for enforcement tweaks down the road. And any info from someone associated with the company never seems to be reliable.
I have not tried it, but T-Mobile's systems absolutely have the ability to tell if a device was ever actually used on a line or not. This is enforced on the post-paid side.

iPhone activation also depends on the device pinging Apple's activation server (which controls the unlock state). If the iPhone is never activated, it never pings the activation server.

If you are looking at preserving max value for your device (for potential sale in the future) I would absolutely open it up and ensure the device is active and has made a handful of calls on the network. Why risk it not unlocking?

If you are just looking to use it for a trade in and don't care about resale value and/or unlocking it for use, you can leave it sealed.
Oct 30, 2024
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hpham_53
Oct 30, 2024
8,468 Posts
Quote from SlySol :

I did see a mention of someone in an old thread successfully keeping phones sealed until the expected unlock date, but it's not iPhone so it's a bit different process and not sure if there may be other possible issues …

https://slickdeals.net/f/17325810-metro-by-t-mobile-port-in-new-number-offers-select-smartphone-30-days-service-from-40-free-shipping?v=1&p=169662348&src=SiteSearch#post169662348
Yep. Metro Android phones are unlocked by connecting it to WiFi, then going into Settings and use the Unlock function to get it unlocked. So, can't unlock a Metro Android phone without taking it out of the box.
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Oct 30, 2024
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SlySol
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Oct 30, 2024
4,376 Posts
Quote from dealwars :
I have not tried it, but T-Mobile's systems absolutely have the ability to tell if a device was ever actually used on a line or not. This is enforced on the post-paid side.

iPhone activation also depends on the device pinging Apple's activation server (which controls the unlock state). If the iPhone is never activated, it never pings the activation server.

If you are looking at preserving max value for your device (for potential sale in the future) I would absolutely open it up and ensure the device is active and has made a handful of calls on the network. Why risk it not unlocking?
The phone only needs to contact Apple's activation servers to get the unlock signal once it's unlocked. I've gotten a number of phones from Tracfone / Total / ST and kept them sealed and they successfully unlocked (Sickw will show when the device is unlocked). I've also physically verified on a couple of them that they were actually unlocked immediately once unsealed.

As far as the reason why, it's just an interesting option to have available and the question inevitably arises in a lot of these threads. So just having a confirmed answer one way or another would be good. It seems like someone has reported success with some sealed / unlocked Android phones from Metro in a previous thread, so seems like it's worth a shot.
Last edited by SlySol October 29, 2024 at 06:28 PM.
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Oct 30, 2024
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Oct 30, 2024
SlySol
Pro
Oct 30, 2024
4,376 Posts
Quote from hpham_53 :
Yep. Metro Android phones are unlocked by connecting it to WiFi, then going into Settings and use the Unlock function to get it unlocked. So, can't unlock a Metro Android phone without taking it out of the box.
True, but they appeared to have been unlocked immediately upon opening after waiting the required time (as opposed to being unlocked 180 days after initial setup / device activation). So I'd be curious if a sealed iPhone would also be unlocked immediately as long as the line was successfully activated for that linked device.
Oct 30, 2024
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hpham_53
Oct 30, 2024
8,468 Posts
As I posted above, a Metro Android phone has to be taken out of the box and use the Unlock function in Settings to get it unlocked. As such, if someone wants to keep a Metro Android phone in its sealed box and sell it as Unlocked, he can't prove that it was unlocked. Sickw and other sites can't querry the Unlock Status of an Android phone as they can with iPhones.

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Oct 30, 2024
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hpham_53
Oct 30, 2024
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Quote from SlySol :
True, but they appeared to have been unlocked immediately upon opening after waiting the required time (as opposed to being unlocked 180 days after initial setup / device activation). So I'd be curious if a sealed iPhone would also be unlocked immediately as long as the line was successfully activated for that linked device.
As you previously mentioned, and I also did it myself, a Tracfone iPhone kept in a sealed box and reported on sickw as unlocked would be unlocked whenever it's taken out of the box and connected to WiFi. The issue with doing so with a Metro iPhone is whether or not Metro would unlock an iPhone that had no network activities. I guess you can wait 1 year and use Sickw to see if your sealed iPhone gets unlocked.

The problem with selling a sealed Metro Android phone is that you can't prove to the buyer that it was unlocked without taking it out of the box to unlock it and take a screenshot of its Unlock Status, because you can't check its unlock status on any web site.
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Oct 30, 2024
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SlySol
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Quote from hpham_53 :
As I posted above, a Metro Android phone has to be taken out of the box and use the Unlock function in Settings to get it unlocked. As such, if someone wants to keep a Metro Android phone in its sealed box and sell it as Unlocked, he can't prove that it was unlocked. Sickw and other sites can't querry the Unlock Status of an Android phone as they can with iPhones.
Yes, but the poster with the Android phones said that he was able to leave them sealed and then immediately have the phone unlocked with a request once he opened them. That would seem to indicate that the device doesn't actually need to make calls or texts on their system in order to be unlocked. Again, the process may differ from the iPhone but the basic question of whether it needs to be physically used on the line is still uncertain. I would be interested in the iPhone side of it, not Android. Really hoping that a couple of people who have tried it with an iPhone might weigh in at some point (if they're out there somewhere).
Last edited by SlySol October 29, 2024 at 06:41 PM.
Oct 30, 2024
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hpham_53
Oct 30, 2024
8,468 Posts
Quote from SlySol :
Again, the process may differ from the iPhone but the basic question of whether it needs to be physically used on the line is still uncertain.
I guess you'll have to wait 1 year and find out for certain Big Grin
1
Oct 30, 2024
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Joined Jan 2013
Oct 30, 2024
alevinia
Oct 30, 2024
1,271 Posts
I got my phone today but there is no sim. When I tried to log in to my account it said "Something went wrong while serving your request". Anyone experienced the same?
Oct 30, 2024
9,774 Posts
Joined Aug 2004
Oct 30, 2024
JaTaN
Oct 30, 2024
9,774 Posts
Quote from alevinia :
I got my phone today but there is no sim. When I tried to log in to my account it said "Something went wrong while serving your request". Anyone experienced the same?
Did you activate the line from the order status page?

https://www.metrobyt-mobile.com/order-status

Metro iPhones come with eSIM which will automatically install when you power on the phone and go through setup using wifi
Oct 30, 2024
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Joined Mar 2017
Oct 30, 2024
hpham_53
Oct 30, 2024
8,468 Posts
Quote from alevinia :
I got my phone today but there is no sim. When I tried to log in to my account it said "Something went wrong while serving your request". Anyone experienced the same?
Metro uses eSIM now if the phone has eSIM. You need to activate the phone first, because Metro will text a security code to the phone each time you want to log in.
Oct 30, 2024
1,343 Posts
Joined Oct 2021
Oct 30, 2024
aabbccbbaa
Oct 30, 2024
1,343 Posts
Quote from kqian111 :
You can activate the phone online without ever opening it. They also send you an email to confirm your phone has been activated which you can use as evidence later. It should count as long as they don't say you need actual activity on the phone to count as "activation".
Yes, I just am not sure if the online activation is the same as turning on the phone and having it activate. The email from Metro that is sent when the phone ships talks about service activation. But as you said, the email that is sent after you activate online says "You did it! Your phone is active".

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Oct 30, 2024
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ELofLA
Oct 30, 2024
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Quote from ssyymm :
Is there any fast unlock policy possible? Thanks!
eBay. .

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