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Buying A Non Contract iPhone 5 From Best Buy

B

beeinformed

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 30, 2010
369
6
Hi,

I went to Best Buy's website to buy an AT&T iPhone 5 and it gives you four options, one of which is "replace my device, no contract" and below that option it saids "unactivated price" at $699.99. You pay at the "checkout" with a credit card and pick up the phone at your nearest Best Buy location.

I wish to pay for the phone this way, since it is not yet available officially to buy an unlocked version from Apple. I would like to add that I am with another carrier (T-Mobile) and the AT&T version seems to be the best choice (from what I've read).

Is this "method" of buying this phone, a good way of getting an unlocked, non-contract iPhone? Thanks! :)
 
I bought my AT&T iPhone from Best Buy full price. Locked with AT&T sim already installed out of the box. I unlocked it on eBay for a few bucks.
 
duneriderltr450 said:
I bought my AT&T iPhone from Best Buy full price. Locked with AT&T sim already installed out of the box. I unlocked it on eBay for a few bucks.
Click to expand...

Did you have to activate the phone in the store and did they ask if you have an account with At&T? I wish to activate the phone, when I leave the store as I have a T-Mobile nano sim card ready to insert in the phone.
 
Yeah but I just said I would just like to buy it without a contract. I didn't get the unlock message in iTunes when I first synced it, but I did not test it with a different sim to see if it was truly unlocked. So I don't know... The unlock was so cheap on eBay I just went with that option.
 
I hope they would let me buy the phone without having an account with AT&T and activate it on my own.
 
That's exactly what I did. I didn't have an account with AT&T and I even mentioned to the sales guy that I plan to use it with t-mobile or straight talk.
 
I just talk with a BB sales representative by chat and they told me that you can buy the device only but the phone will come locked to a carrier.
Since the iphone could be unlocked on ebay or thru ATT, I guess this is a best safe to buy it.
What do you think?

beeinformed said:
I hope they would let me buy the phone without having an account with AT&T and activate it on my own.
Click to expand...
 
Unlocking

If a phone is locked to a carrier, the best is to have the store unlock it. You might check with a reputable listing on ebay, they may help you, and buy a Tmobile sim on ebay. Or buy both on ebay. Shop around for the best deal:)
 
Last edited:
beeinformed said:
Hi,

I went to Best Buy's website to buy an AT&T iPhone 5 and it gives you four options, one of which is "replace my device, no contract" and below that option it saids "unactivated price" at $699.99. You pay at the "checkout" with a credit card and pick up the phone at your nearest Best Buy location.

I wish to pay for the phone this way, since it is not yet available officially to buy an unlocked version from Apple. I would like to add that I am with another carrier (T-Mobile) and the AT&T version seems to be the best choice (from what I've read).

Is this "method" of buying this phone, a good way of getting an unlocked, non-contract iPhone? Thanks! :)
Click to expand...

Buy it from the apple store. Walked in Friday Asked for 2 AT&T device only iPhones and bam. Already unlocked. Just throw a t-mobile sim in and it works. Now I am stuck using t-mobile on 3G but the workers at tmobile said they are working on getting the hspa+ network up and running by January and then LTE by the summer. AT&T iPhones are unlocked out of the box from the apple store. No need to even restore in itunes like some people have said
 
You're better off not buying it at Best Buy for 699.99. It's 649.99 from Apple for a no-contract iPhone. Best Buy might match it.
 
Can anybody please tell me how to buy unactivated iphone 5 on bestbuy. Because whenever I hit on 'Add to Package' they add carrier locked iPhone 5 and I don't want to buy on-contract iphone.
 
Apple store didn't want to sell me the iphone without a contract or an existing phone line to activate the phone. I bought the aTT version and I'm actually waiting for a response from thee unlocking service.

mactumors said:
You're better off not buying it at Best Buy for 699.99. It's 649.99 from Apple for a no-contract iPhone. Best Buy might match it.
Click to expand...


----------

I choose the AT&T at full price.
mandark100 said:
Can anybody please tell me how to buy unactivated iphone 5 on bestbuy. Because whenever I hit on 'Add to Package' they add carrier locked iPhone 5 and I don't want to buy on-contract iphone.
Click to expand...
 
Could you please tell us who in eBay made the unlock? Just want to be sure that I'm giving my money to a trustable person. Thanks!
duneriderltr450 said:
Yeah but I just said I would just like to buy it without a contract. I didn't get the unlock message in iTunes when I first synced it, but I did not test it with a different sim to see if it was truly unlocked. So I don't know... The unlock was so cheap on eBay I just went with that option.
Click to expand...
 
Do I need to activate the iPhone before?

I got the unlocked confirmation but I dont have the phone yet (stills in the US)
My sister is not familiar with technology as us so I guess I'll need to wait but I was reading the email I got from unlock fusion and got this:

What if your phone shows up as NOT ACTIVATED?

You need to use an AT&T active sim card to activate or get the last owner billing zip code & last 4 of social. Please make sure you DONT confuse UNLOCKING with Activating it. They are two different things.


Since I bought the phone full price but skip the activation process in store and I dont have an ATT SIM (just have one unactive from an iphone 3 and one active from T Mobile)... do I need to activate it with ATT before complete the unlock process? Could anybody help me pls?

Thanks!
:apple:


duneriderltr450 said:
unlock_fusion

Took about 24 hours for the unlock to go through for me.
Click to expand...
 
I have done that, but I'm worried because I didnt activate the phone with ATT. I have already unlocked via ebay but I dont know if the phone will work when I put the Non ATT SIM here in PERU.

Thats why I am asking if I need to activate it with ATT first and how??

Thanks!

marsmissions said:
If you can't wait best buy is a perfectly fine option. They charge $50 more than apple does.
Click to expand...
 
Help

Ok, this is what have i done
1. Bought the iphone at unactivated price on best buy (799plus taxes)
2. request the unlock to att but they denied my order because the phone is not linked to any account
3. request the unlock to unlock fussion on ebay. got their email with the unlock successful message.
4. as the iphone stills in the US, im afraid to wont be able to activate the iphone in my country with my local carrier.
There is an activation screen who says that apple and att need to validate the phone I provide when I buy the iphone, since I didnt provide a phone number, will I get that screen? If So, what should I do (check attachment)


I'm thinking to ask my sister en GA to return the phone... since I'm not sure I'll make it work here.. what do you think?
 

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