Buying a new iPhone and switching to T-Mobile - Activiation Fee at Apple Store?

[neoelectronaut]

I've decided I'm going to leave AT&T and switch to T-Mobile and I'm gonna go ahead and purchase a iPhone SE in the process, so I'm trying to weigh my options of how to do so.

If I do it on the T-Mobile website, it looks like I'm going to be charged a $25 "Sim Kit" which is basically masquerading as an activation fee. On top of that I'll have to wait 2 to 4 days for the phone to be shipped to me unless I want to pay extra for overnight shipping.

If I call up T-Mobile directly, I can probably get them to swing overnight shipping for me for free, but the activation fee/sim kit may be a harder sell, if at all.

But what's the deal with buying it from Apple? I see the website says a T-Mobile SIM is included and that I'll have to go into the store to switch carriers, but if I do so, do they charge the same $25 that T-Mobile would or do they activate the phone for free?

 

[sslade6752]

I switched from AT&T to T-Mobile also I went to the t-mobile store and got stuck with the SIM card fee. I believe if you activate at Apple they pass on the activation fees to you and also run a credit check to see what deposit your desired carrier might require.

The only way I found on avoiding the sim fee was when I was visiting my brother and his wife in Boston she got a cheap phone from Groupon but T-Mobile wanted the sim fee I had a SIM card in a old phone that I went to the T-Mobile store with them and transferred over to their account avoiding the sim purchase fee there is no fee to activate an existing SIM card only new SIM cards so if you can find a friend with an old phone use it the same size SIM card you might be in luck