Pre-Order Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Phone w/ Eligible Trade-In Device, Get Extra

DelightfulJuice6656

Mar 19, 2026 3:21 PM

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Joined Dec 2021

DelightfulJuice6656Mar 19, 2026 3:21 PM

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Quote from okhello

:

Yes, I believe we all received the tax refund last year.

When the Reddit crowd gets word of this hopefully customers can organize formal action against Spectrum. They cannot legally withhold refund of taxes on promotional discounts. It they are doing this with every single trade-in this year it could potentially be a multi-million dollar class-action case against Spectrum.

1

DelightfulJuice6656

Mar 19, 2026 3:24 PM

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Joined Dec 2021

DelightfulJuice6656Mar 19, 2026 3:24 PM

501 Comments

Quote from spacemanvt

:

Whats the cheapest new phone I can trade in for a s26 ultra and get the max credit?

If you do not have a phone on hand to trade-in a lot of people have been doing the $30 Moto G 5g 2025 from Straight Talk at Walmart.

It wont give you the "max credit" in the sense that you get much for the phone but it is inexpensive way to get the $700 promotional credit with the trade-in.

Last edited by DelightfulJuice6656 March 19, 2026 at 08:35 AM.

1

spacemanvt

Mar 19, 2026 3:43 PM

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Joined Feb 2008

spacemanvtMar 19, 2026 3:43 PM

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Quote from DelightfulJuice6656

:

If you do not have a phone on hand to trade-in a lot of people have been doing the $30 Moto G 5g 2025 from Straight Talk at Walmart.

It wont give you the "max credit" in the sense that you get much for the phone but it is inexpensive way to get the $700 promotional credit with the trade-in.

Thanks! I am doing the math here on a S26 Ultra:
Total. $1410.99 (w/ FL tax)
2 x $20 month plan= 40 + 20 activation + 30 for Moto G - 705 credit = $795 total for the S26 Ultra.
Considering we cannot do the S26 to S26 Ultra trade in, this is probably the best deal we can get right?

spacemanvt

Mar 19, 2026 4:00 PM

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spacemanvtMar 19, 2026 4:00 PM

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Quote from DelightfulJuice6656

:

When the Reddit crowd gets word of this hopefully customers can organize formal action against Spectrum. They cannot legally withhold refund of taxes on promotional discounts. It they are doing this with every single trade-in this year it could potentially be a multi-million dollar class-action case against Spectrum.

this is correct, i. complained to spectrum and got my tax back last year. they were trying not to give to me though.

DelightfulJuice6656

Mar 19, 2026 4:03 PM

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Joined Dec 2021

DelightfulJuice6656Mar 19, 2026 4:03 PM

501 Comments

Quote from spacemanvt

:

Thanks! I am doing the math here on a S26 Ultra:
Total. $1410.99 (w/ FL tax)
2 x $20 month plan= 40 + 20 activation + 30 for Moto G - 705 credit = $795 total for the S26 Ultra.
Considering we cannot do the S26 to S26 Ultra trade in, this is probably the best deal we can get right?

Yes, assuming they do not allow that trade-in of S26 to S26 at any point this year that may be the most cost-effective option. I am not sure if there is a better way to get an S26 Ultra through a promotion from another carrier, but I am guessing most other carriers that offer lower price would require a 1-year contract. If you use another carrier you might want to check with your current carrier to see what promotions they have.

If you have Spectrum internet you might qualify for a free year of Spectrum mobile, you can test checkout online to see if you qualify. You might not even need to pay for the line in that case. If you qualify then you would see the discount during the checkout process when selecting plan option, the Unlimited plan would show as $0.

Last edited by DelightfulJuice6656 March 19, 2026 at 09:13 AM.

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DelightfulJuice6656

Mar 19, 2026 4:12 PM

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Joined Dec 2021

DelightfulJuice6656Mar 19, 2026 4:12 PM

501 Comments

Quote from spacemanvt

:

this is correct, i. complained to spectrum and got my tax back last year. they were trying not to give to me though.

You had this issue last year? Who did you complain to that was able to get it fixed? Will be interesting to see if people can get it fixed this year especially if it is a wide-spread issue. I am not joking when I say that this is in violation of tax laws since tax codes in most states do specifically address how taxes are handled for these types of promotions/discounts.

1

oldNbroke

Mar 19, 2026 4:27 PM

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Joined Nov 2014

oldNbrokeMar 19, 2026 4:27 PM

130 Comments

Quote from okhello

:

Yes, I believe we all received the tax refund last year.

Not everyone, I believe I already mentioned on the fold 7/ flip 7 , stopped getting tax back on trade in around May 2025.

spacemanvt

Mar 19, 2026 4:37 PM

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Joined Feb 2008

spacemanvtMar 19, 2026 4:37 PM

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Quote from okhello

:

I just got $705 credit to my card. Yup, they didn't credit back the tax on it unlike last year.

How fast did they do it after you received it? Last year they made me wait 60 days exactly

DelightfulJuice6656

Mar 19, 2026 4:46 PM

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Joined Dec 2021

DelightfulJuice6656Mar 19, 2026 4:46 PM

501 Comments

Quote from spacemanvt

:

How fast did they do it after you received it? Last year they made me wait 60 days exactly

Once the credit hits your account you should be able to request immediately. The only thing 60 days is relevant for is how long before you can unlock device.

DarkYagami27

Mar 19, 2026 4:57 PM

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Joined Aug 2020

DarkYagami27Mar 19, 2026 4:57 PM

13 Comments

Quote from DelightfulJuice6656

:

The promotions are kind of confusing on the Spectrum mobile website for iPhone products in terms of what actually applies in cart. It appears the Air might have some improved promotions that make it similar price to the 17 as you mention. But I am not sure that I agree that the Air has similar value as the 17 pro though.The main problem with the Air compared to regular 17 is that it lacks ultrawide camera. Also the A19 Pro chip set that the Air has is a reduced version and performs not much different than the A19 chipset the 17 has when you look at benchmarks and the Air runs hotter.Obviously the Air is better choice if you want a thinner device but otherwise not too sure the higher MSRP is really going to translate to a better product for everybody. Plus in a year the resell value between the two is probably going to be pretty similar.

I think the Air ends up being a full $100 cheaper, although it's up to interpretation which is the better phone it is pretty clear the air is worth more than the 17. It will both sell for more and trade in for more in almost any situation. Currently the air trades in for more than the 17 with spectrum.

spacemanvt

Mar 19, 2026 4:57 PM

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Joined Feb 2008

spacemanvtMar 19, 2026 4:57 PM

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Quote from DelightfulJuice6656

:

Once the credit hits your account you should be able to request immediately. The only thing 60 days is relevant for is how long before you can unlock device.

Last year they refused to credit most people until 60 days for the z fold 7

iyg

Mar 19, 2026 5:07 PM

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Joined Feb 2011

iygMar 19, 2026 5:07 PM

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Quote from spacemanvt

:

this is correct, i. complained to spectrum and got my tax back last year. they were trying not to give to me though.

How did you complain? I talked to mobile billing specialist and he pretty much said it is correct and refused to create a ticket.

My refund was over $1000 so he created a ticket instead of doing it immediately.

DelightfulJuice6656

Mar 19, 2026 5:08 PM

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Joined Dec 2021

DelightfulJuice6656Mar 19, 2026 5:08 PM

501 Comments

Quote from DarkYagami27

:

I think the Air ends up being a full $100 cheaper, although it's up to interpretation which is the better phone it is pretty clear the air is worth more than the 17. It will both sell for more and trade in for more in almost any situation. Currently the air trades in for more than the 17 with spectrum.

If they are planning to actually use the device then the current resell value is probably not important to them. That is why I said in 1-year the trade-in value difference is likely to be negligible. I agree with you though that if the Air actually works out to be $100 cheaper then I would probably just get that but it does not mean that it is a better phone for everybody who is actually planning to use it.

My point is that they may prefer the regular 17 because the camera situation is better than the Air. The Air lacks a wide-angle camera which some people may not find acceptable for their purposes. The primary actual benefit from the Air (aside from the higher MSRP) is that it is thinner. Otherwise the performances are similar (similar benchmarks) and the Air runs hotter (physically the device gets hotter when using), which raises concern that the battery will degrade faster over time. The speaker performance of the Air is worse.

I am just providing you with the rationale as to why somebody might choose a 17 over Air even with a similar or higher price. Not arguing that it is universally right or wrong.

Last edited by DelightfulJuice6656 March 20, 2026 at 01:10 PM.

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UNevernoLuv

Mar 19, 2026 5:17 PM

588 Comments

Joined Apr 2011

UNevernoLuvMar 19, 2026 5:17 PM

588 Comments

Quote from kqian111

:

This is in store or online?

online

okhello

Mar 19, 2026 5:43 PM

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Joined Sep 2013

okhelloMar 19, 2026 5:43 PM

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I was denied in-store trade-in today because the trade-in phone is not in the system currently, but if I add the new line, then I will be approved. I refused to add the new line, so no trade-in for me.

Pre-Order Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Phone w/ Eligible Trade-In Device, Get Extra

$700 Off

$1,500

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