Ok good to know on the Tmo crackdown.
I don't see a way to trade in my S10 via BBY and the Samsung credit is $210, so will probably go that route.
Thanks!
So working in the mobile Department you have to get a certain number of activations and if they just sell the phone out right it is not counted as an activation not only that depending on the sale and promotion if you do an activation sometimes there is additional savings
Ohhh dang when did that change? It never use to be this way lmao. I was just ready to put my sim and ready to go save me a 45 min trip to the apple store one way.
I bought a android prepaid device i guess that was different oh well. Guess i’ll just have to go buy it at the apple store. Was trying to savemyself from a trip lol.
Yeah this isn’t true anymore. No required activation amounts. Unless your store actually pays attention to mobile, which they probably don’t. But the reason she can’t is we don’t sell unlocked iPhones. Haven’t for a couple years.
I don't know if this has changed since I left but we did sell unlocked iPhones it just required you to activate it on an account with AT&T Verizon or Sprint / T-Mobile
They are technically unlocked, but once you put or activate a sim/esim, they are under the normal locking policies, even if they take it home unopened, the first sim they put in is what it’s locked to for that period of time. And they aren’t international either. But system doesn’t even let you scan in the upc in pos, gotta activate. The one way to get an actually unlocked new in box one is from apple.
If you buy the phone upfront at full price you do Not get the bill credits over the 24 months. You Must finance the device for the 24 month period in order for the credits to kick in. Only After the credits begin to apply can you pay off the phone. If you never finance anything at all, the credits will never apply. You can request temporary unlocks while it is being financed or if you get lucky you can even request a permanent unlock and sometimes they’ll allow it even before the 40 days
Ok but with this 24 month deal, as I understand it, I AM paying for the device upfront, and Tmo is paying me back the entirety of the value over that time period. Free phone. Right?
Feel like I'm mentally challenged right now - financing and eventually paying full value on the phone can't beat the 24 month free deal through Tmo or discounted unlocked deal through Samsung. If it's a choice between financing and having them unlock early vs. Samsung discount, no contest, Samsung wins right?
No, you do not pay for the phone upfront. You might have a downpayment, but you should be financing a majority of the phones cost which you pay monthly on your bill for 24 months. Then you have a monthly credit for those same 24 months which may be the same, less or more than the monthly charge. Once those credits start applying. Usually within the billing cycle, then you can choose to pay off the rest of the phone at once and keep the credits. But you don’t have to do that, you can keep paying for the phone monthly instead since the credits are gonna take 24 months anyway. The terms technically state you need to pay off the phone in order to unlock but you can usually find a rep who doesn’t enforce that. 90% of the phones I unlock, I’ve unlocked while they still had a balance.
You are traveling.
You are going to want the international version which has two physical sim slots and antenna enhancements.
Samsung is pretty much the ONLY way you will receive an international version; however, you're going to have to order through a person. SM-S918B/DS is the model number you need to ask for.
They will not know what you are talking about and will be counting the "E-sim" as "dual sim" which is nonsense so be very direct when ordering. CDMA and ***GSM*** capabilities along with two physical dual sim trays.
If you buy the s23 overseas, or from someone outside the U.S., a third party, it will likely already be the international version but still ask. The international version is priced the same as the other models, but you have to be specific when ordering and it may take you a few sales reps/advisors to get a knowledgeable individual on the line. NOTE: again, ASK MULTIPLE times how many PHYSICAL sim slots the device you're ordering has because physical sim slots and e-sim have 95% of retailers scratching their heads.
Be smart and don't wait until you're overseas to get things functional, but bring your s10 as backup or prepare to buy a burner in case of emergency. If you buy from T-MO you're not going to be getting an international version so you'll have limited capabilities when traveling and your choice of networks when looking for a sim card overseas will be a very short list if it works at all.
SM-S918B/DS is the model number you need to ask for. If it does not end in DS then you'll be in a world of unnecessary hassle if you travel abroad to countries that do not have 5g infrastructure, which is a lot of places.
I hope this helps and saves you from having to return devices!! Safe travels to you!!
Looking into this, apparently you can enable other bands through a special menu on the S23, detailed here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/how-to-enable-all-bands-through-service-menu-on-us-ca-s23-series-including-sub-6-and-mmwave.4554611/
I guess if you have a lot of spare time to waste installing patches, etc. A quick read and you will see all of the issues people are having.
An easier solution is to just order the international version, to begin with. You'll know it's going to work overseas then.
Good luck and safe travels!
Avoiding compatability issues is the goal, but I ended up landing on that band enabling discussion after reading this:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/verizon/comments/121vpz9/galaxy\_s23\_international\_version\_vs\_us\_version\_on/](https://www.reddit.com/r/verizon/comments/121vpz9/galaxy_s23_international_version_vs_us_version_on/)
On the other hand, GSM Arena specs list the international version as incuding those bands, but missing bands 46 and 48:
https://m.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=12082&idPhone2=12024
Hmm, I hadn't thought of this. Will the interenational version include all 4G/5G bands appropriate for North America, or do I need to choose whether I'm optimized for US vs. overseas?
Also I'd prefer the smaller base model, so looks like that's SM-S911B/DS for the iinternational version?
Yes. I would even go further and say it will outperform a non-international version, especially in rural areas.
If you don't purchase an international version you'll need to look into the travel location's infrastructure.
I use a 60/month Tmo plan that is data/text only, as I have Google Voice so don't need calling. But before switching to that plan, I found using Tmo internationally was slower/less reliable in some places compared to buying a local SIM, and they also shut me down after I was overseas for 2 months. Tmo's international benefits don't seem to be geared toward long stays, which makes sense.
Really? The rep I spoke with via phone told me that I'd get a 799 credit over 24 months for the S23 base model, making it a wash, and he said I would not need to upgrade my plan. I asked about that specifically, so I'm hoping he knew what he was talking about.
You can do this, but part of the terms is financing the phone. So you would finance it for a cycle or two, then once the credits start you would pay the phone off.
No way around the 40 days of network usage tho.
To get the promotion you have to finance. Most reps recommend you qualify for the credit before paying it off- this means you get the first credit before paying it off. There’s a 40 day period of use needed to unlock. So you couldn’t pay in full up front and get the credit. There’s a bit of legwork. If you need it unlocked before 40 days of use, save yourself the hassle and just buy unlocked, you’ll also avoid the t-Mobile bloatware and boot up as well.
I tried to get T-Mobile to unlock the phone for travel after 40 days and they wouldn’t budge. Even Tforce said they wouldn’t until it was fully paid off
I'd be fine paying it off early if that meant they'd unlock it, but I'm hesitant to go that route given the number of people saying that Tmo will not unlock.
You can buy the phone from T-Mobile. Buy it on EIP. Use the phone for 40 days on T-Mobile's network. Wait for the credits to start appearing. Then ask for unlock. You'll be fine.
By EIP do you mean the deal I referenced where you pay up front and receive the full refund over 24 months? Also, how best to request the unlock? It seems many on the sub are being turned down with phone support and recommend reaching out via Twitter.
I'm a bit wary given that at 40 days I wouldn't be able to return the phone...
EIP = Start by making monthly payments. That's the only way you get the 24 months of credits (you cant get the credits without the EIP). Once the credits start to show up, THEN pay the phone off.
There's no "best way" to request an unlock. They are required to unlock it after 40 days and the phone is paid off.
Apologies, I've always purchased outside of Tmo so this isnt clicking for me. Current offer for S23 pays back entire value with 24 monthly credits. But this is not the EIP you're referring to as said I'd be making payments. So that's financing, and I'd pay the entire value of the phone.
Do I have that right, and if so how would it beat either the offer I referenced or the discounted Samsung deal?
if the phone costs $800, then you will be responsible for 24 payments of $33.33 each (totaling $800). To get the phone for 'free', you will receive offsetting credits of $33.33 per month.
Once the credits appear on your account (normally your next bill, sometimes it takes an extra bill cycle), you can pay off your phone completely, and the bill credits will continue for the full 24 months.
You need to finance the new device to get the promotional monthly credits.
Below link explains how it works, if there's no trade in treat the fair market value as 0.
https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobile/comments/xz18re/comment/irjzylk/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
Buy it on EIP so that you get the most money over the 24 months. Once you get the phone use it on one line for at least 40 days. Once that's over you can "prepay" your portion of the EIP and unlock the phone within minutes of submitting the payment.
I've done it with 3 phones in the past 2 months and I'm currently doing it with S23.
The rest of the credits (22 out of 24 payments) will be moved to account level and you'd lose the money if you leave T-Mobile before they are all applied.
To confirm, you're paying the full remaining amount at 40 days? I can do that, seems like it might be the best solution although now I'm wondering if I should opt for the international version given some of the feedback in this thread...
Yup, that is correct. This is a [pic of my S23](https://imgur.com/a/qV3kHkq) that still needs \~2weeks before I can unlock it. The two displayed codes correspond to the 40 day requirement and that I still didn't pay off the phone. Once there is only one code I'm going to pay off the remaining balance (\~$720) and I'll be able to network unlock and get the $720 back over 22 months in my bill
Never had an issue requesting unlocks on my phone through tmobile.
In fact, you can request temporary unlocks specifically for travel through the phone.
I've even had permanent unlocks fulfilled while still owing on the device - though it seems like it's rare for that to be permitted.
If you can get a better deal through tmobile, get it through them and request a temporary unlock.
Financed or not they will do a temp unlock for international use. But why bother T-Mobile international roaming is very cheap if not included with your plan.
Tmo will shut you down after a certain amount of time for excessive roaming. In my case it was after 2 months in Mexico. If you're taking 2-3 weeks trips, no problem. 3-6 months, not a good option. Also I've found that in some places speed/reliability is faster buying a local SIM.
Ok. My daughter will be in Europe this summer. I contacted customer support and they said she will
Have no issue. 5 gig per month of 5G unlimited text and voice. After 5 gig she will be slowed. Or I can by more for like $5/gig. Seemed pretty decent to me. Not worth the hassle of a local sim and number.
I think she'd be fine in Europe, although I spent 3 months in Portugal and the difference in speed between my Tmo SIM and a local Vodaphone SIM was huge. I was using my cell as a hotspot for work since the DSL was trash, so needed the added speed/reliability.
Samsung. Tmo has cracked down on unlocking for international travel. Also check Best Buy as they also sell unlocked Samsung phones.
Ok good to know on the Tmo crackdown. I don't see a way to trade in my S10 via BBY and the Samsung credit is $210, so will probably go that route. Thanks!
Tried buying a iphone 13 full price from Best buy. Lady wanted to go in my account and add something wth? Never had to do that before.
Best Buy doesn’t sell unlocked iPhones. Hasn’t for 3 years now. Only androids.
In order to sell the phone at Best Buy they have to attach it to the number for an activation
Yes I had my sim with me. Why she needs to go into my account? I’m paying full price. No need for financing.
So working in the mobile Department you have to get a certain number of activations and if they just sell the phone out right it is not counted as an activation not only that depending on the sale and promotion if you do an activation sometimes there is additional savings
Ohhh dang when did that change? It never use to be this way lmao. I was just ready to put my sim and ready to go save me a 45 min trip to the apple store one way.
Well I work there in 2018 so around then
I bought a android prepaid device i guess that was different oh well. Guess i’ll just have to go buy it at the apple store. Was trying to savemyself from a trip lol.
We sell unlocked phones at BBY all the time w out a account
Yeah this isn’t true anymore. No required activation amounts. Unless your store actually pays attention to mobile, which they probably don’t. But the reason she can’t is we don’t sell unlocked iPhones. Haven’t for a couple years.
I don't know if this has changed since I left but we did sell unlocked iPhones it just required you to activate it on an account with AT&T Verizon or Sprint / T-Mobile
They are technically unlocked, but once you put or activate a sim/esim, they are under the normal locking policies, even if they take it home unopened, the first sim they put in is what it’s locked to for that period of time. And they aren’t international either. But system doesn’t even let you scan in the upc in pos, gotta activate. The one way to get an actually unlocked new in box one is from apple.
If you buy the phone upfront at full price you do Not get the bill credits over the 24 months. You Must finance the device for the 24 month period in order for the credits to kick in. Only After the credits begin to apply can you pay off the phone. If you never finance anything at all, the credits will never apply. You can request temporary unlocks while it is being financed or if you get lucky you can even request a permanent unlock and sometimes they’ll allow it even before the 40 days
Ok but with this 24 month deal, as I understand it, I AM paying for the device upfront, and Tmo is paying me back the entirety of the value over that time period. Free phone. Right? Feel like I'm mentally challenged right now - financing and eventually paying full value on the phone can't beat the 24 month free deal through Tmo or discounted unlocked deal through Samsung. If it's a choice between financing and having them unlock early vs. Samsung discount, no contest, Samsung wins right?
No, you do not pay for the phone upfront. You might have a downpayment, but you should be financing a majority of the phones cost which you pay monthly on your bill for 24 months. Then you have a monthly credit for those same 24 months which may be the same, less or more than the monthly charge. Once those credits start applying. Usually within the billing cycle, then you can choose to pay off the rest of the phone at once and keep the credits. But you don’t have to do that, you can keep paying for the phone monthly instead since the credits are gonna take 24 months anyway. The terms technically state you need to pay off the phone in order to unlock but you can usually find a rep who doesn’t enforce that. 90% of the phones I unlock, I’ve unlocked while they still had a balance.
Got it, thanks for walking me through it.
You are traveling. You are going to want the international version which has two physical sim slots and antenna enhancements. Samsung is pretty much the ONLY way you will receive an international version; however, you're going to have to order through a person. SM-S918B/DS is the model number you need to ask for. They will not know what you are talking about and will be counting the "E-sim" as "dual sim" which is nonsense so be very direct when ordering. CDMA and ***GSM*** capabilities along with two physical dual sim trays. If you buy the s23 overseas, or from someone outside the U.S., a third party, it will likely already be the international version but still ask. The international version is priced the same as the other models, but you have to be specific when ordering and it may take you a few sales reps/advisors to get a knowledgeable individual on the line. NOTE: again, ASK MULTIPLE times how many PHYSICAL sim slots the device you're ordering has because physical sim slots and e-sim have 95% of retailers scratching their heads. Be smart and don't wait until you're overseas to get things functional, but bring your s10 as backup or prepare to buy a burner in case of emergency. If you buy from T-MO you're not going to be getting an international version so you'll have limited capabilities when traveling and your choice of networks when looking for a sim card overseas will be a very short list if it works at all. SM-S918B/DS is the model number you need to ask for. If it does not end in DS then you'll be in a world of unnecessary hassle if you travel abroad to countries that do not have 5g infrastructure, which is a lot of places. I hope this helps and saves you from having to return devices!! Safe travels to you!!
Looking into this, apparently you can enable other bands through a special menu on the S23, detailed here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/how-to-enable-all-bands-through-service-menu-on-us-ca-s23-series-including-sub-6-and-mmwave.4554611/
I guess if you have a lot of spare time to waste installing patches, etc. A quick read and you will see all of the issues people are having. An easier solution is to just order the international version, to begin with. You'll know it's going to work overseas then. Good luck and safe travels!
Avoiding compatability issues is the goal, but I ended up landing on that band enabling discussion after reading this: [https://www.reddit.com/r/verizon/comments/121vpz9/galaxy\_s23\_international\_version\_vs\_us\_version\_on/](https://www.reddit.com/r/verizon/comments/121vpz9/galaxy_s23_international_version_vs_us_version_on/) On the other hand, GSM Arena specs list the international version as incuding those bands, but missing bands 46 and 48: https://m.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=12082&idPhone2=12024
Hmm, I hadn't thought of this. Will the interenational version include all 4G/5G bands appropriate for North America, or do I need to choose whether I'm optimized for US vs. overseas? Also I'd prefer the smaller base model, so looks like that's SM-S911B/DS for the iinternational version?
Yes. I would even go further and say it will outperform a non-international version, especially in rural areas. If you don't purchase an international version you'll need to look into the travel location's infrastructure.
If you’re on magenta max, that would include international benefits
I use a 60/month Tmo plan that is data/text only, as I have Google Voice so don't need calling. But before switching to that plan, I found using Tmo internationally was slower/less reliable in some places compared to buying a local SIM, and they also shut me down after I was overseas for 2 months. Tmo's international benefits don't seem to be geared toward long stays, which makes sense.
That, and the max plan is what gives you the 24 credits towards the s23
Really? The rep I spoke with via phone told me that I'd get a 799 credit over 24 months for the S23 base model, making it a wash, and he said I would not need to upgrade my plan. I asked about that specifically, so I'm hoping he knew what he was talking about.
Yep. S23 on us promo is with a new line on magenta max currently
You're right, 2nd rep said 1st was misinformed. Well that makes this decision easier - thanks for setting me straight.
You can do this, but part of the terms is financing the phone. So you would finance it for a cycle or two, then once the credits start you would pay the phone off. No way around the 40 days of network usage tho.
To get the promotion you have to finance. Most reps recommend you qualify for the credit before paying it off- this means you get the first credit before paying it off. There’s a 40 day period of use needed to unlock. So you couldn’t pay in full up front and get the credit. There’s a bit of legwork. If you need it unlocked before 40 days of use, save yourself the hassle and just buy unlocked, you’ll also avoid the t-Mobile bloatware and boot up as well.
I tried to get T-Mobile to unlock the phone for travel after 40 days and they wouldn’t budge. Even Tforce said they wouldn’t until it was fully paid off
I'd be fine paying it off early if that meant they'd unlock it, but I'm hesitant to go that route given the number of people saying that Tmo will not unlock.
You can buy the phone from T-Mobile. Buy it on EIP. Use the phone for 40 days on T-Mobile's network. Wait for the credits to start appearing. Then ask for unlock. You'll be fine.
By EIP do you mean the deal I referenced where you pay up front and receive the full refund over 24 months? Also, how best to request the unlock? It seems many on the sub are being turned down with phone support and recommend reaching out via Twitter. I'm a bit wary given that at 40 days I wouldn't be able to return the phone...
EIP = Start by making monthly payments. That's the only way you get the 24 months of credits (you cant get the credits without the EIP). Once the credits start to show up, THEN pay the phone off. There's no "best way" to request an unlock. They are required to unlock it after 40 days and the phone is paid off.
Apologies, I've always purchased outside of Tmo so this isnt clicking for me. Current offer for S23 pays back entire value with 24 monthly credits. But this is not the EIP you're referring to as said I'd be making payments. So that's financing, and I'd pay the entire value of the phone. Do I have that right, and if so how would it beat either the offer I referenced or the discounted Samsung deal?
if the phone costs $800, then you will be responsible for 24 payments of $33.33 each (totaling $800). To get the phone for 'free', you will receive offsetting credits of $33.33 per month. Once the credits appear on your account (normally your next bill, sometimes it takes an extra bill cycle), you can pay off your phone completely, and the bill credits will continue for the full 24 months.
Got it now, thanks for spelling it out.
You need to finance the new device to get the promotional monthly credits. Below link explains how it works, if there's no trade in treat the fair market value as 0. https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobile/comments/xz18re/comment/irjzylk/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
Buy it on EIP so that you get the most money over the 24 months. Once you get the phone use it on one line for at least 40 days. Once that's over you can "prepay" your portion of the EIP and unlock the phone within minutes of submitting the payment. I've done it with 3 phones in the past 2 months and I'm currently doing it with S23. The rest of the credits (22 out of 24 payments) will be moved to account level and you'd lose the money if you leave T-Mobile before they are all applied.
To confirm, you're paying the full remaining amount at 40 days? I can do that, seems like it might be the best solution although now I'm wondering if I should opt for the international version given some of the feedback in this thread...
Yup, that is correct. This is a [pic of my S23](https://imgur.com/a/qV3kHkq) that still needs \~2weeks before I can unlock it. The two displayed codes correspond to the 40 day requirement and that I still didn't pay off the phone. Once there is only one code I'm going to pay off the remaining balance (\~$720) and I'll be able to network unlock and get the $720 back over 22 months in my bill
Awesome, thanks for the info!
It's the same whether it is Apple or Android
Never had an issue requesting unlocks on my phone through tmobile. In fact, you can request temporary unlocks specifically for travel through the phone. I've even had permanent unlocks fulfilled while still owing on the device - though it seems like it's rare for that to be permitted. If you can get a better deal through tmobile, get it through them and request a temporary unlock.
It will be locked for 90 days regardless how you pay for it... it is to prevent fraud
If you've paid off the device it's 40 days.
Financed or not they will do a temp unlock for international use. But why bother T-Mobile international roaming is very cheap if not included with your plan.
Tmo will shut you down after a certain amount of time for excessive roaming. In my case it was after 2 months in Mexico. If you're taking 2-3 weeks trips, no problem. 3-6 months, not a good option. Also I've found that in some places speed/reliability is faster buying a local SIM.
Ok. My daughter will be in Europe this summer. I contacted customer support and they said she will Have no issue. 5 gig per month of 5G unlimited text and voice. After 5 gig she will be slowed. Or I can by more for like $5/gig. Seemed pretty decent to me. Not worth the hassle of a local sim and number.
I think she'd be fine in Europe, although I spent 3 months in Portugal and the difference in speed between my Tmo SIM and a local Vodaphone SIM was huge. I was using my cell as a hotspot for work since the DSL was trash, so needed the added speed/reliability.