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Get a Free iPhone 6

ILowry82

ILowry82

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 26, 2014
341
117
I figured out a plan to get a free iPhone 6. It uses loop holes but it's not technically dishonest or illegal. First off, I am on Sprint and am not currently eligible for an upgrade. I have an old AT&T iPhone 4 sitting around that is in good condition. My plan is to start a new line of service on contract with Verizon. They are running a promotion that gives $200 for a trade in on an iPhone 4. I would then put myself on the lowest cost plan which is $48 per month after my work discount. Then I will switch to T-Mobile and have them pay the ETF on the line. T-Mobiles terms require you to trade in a working phone and purchase a new phone on their network. I have purchased a cheap verizon flip phone on craigslist. I will trade that in and purchase the T-Mobile 768 which is $72 outright and cancel the T-Mobile service as soon as I am able to which I assume to be about a month. Lastly, assuming the verizon phone won't work on Sprint, I would attempt to trade the verizon phone for a sprint one. This shouldn't be hard as the verizon phone is unlocked and therefore more valuable. So this isn't technically free but much cheaper than buying a phone outright. Does anyone know how long the T-Mobile line needs to be active before I can cancel it and still receive the EFT reimbursement?
 
ILowry82 said:
Actually per the fine print in the details they don't. They just need a working device.
Click to expand...

I love you so much/ Thank you. I got an AT&T iPhone just chilling here and the verizon iPhone 6 will work on AT&T.

Can we trade in the iPhone 4 at a verizon store or does it have to be online?

The only catch is we might have to wait like 2 weeks for the return in date to expire and then straight up cancel the service which would then leave us with 1 months of bill (possibly half month prorated)
 
ToroidalZeus said:
I love you so much/ Thank you. I got an AT&T iPhone just chilling here and the verizon iPhone 6 will work on AT&T.

Can we trade in the iPhone 4 at a verizon store or does it have to be online?

The only catch is we might have to wait like 2 weeks for the return in date to expire and then straight up cancel the service which would then leave us with 1 months of bill (possibly half month prorated)
Click to expand...

I believe you can do it either at a store or online. I'm still doing some research but if you trade it in at a store I believe you get the discount right away. Online will require you to purchase the phone on the contract price and wait for a visa gift card.
 
I thought I read in order to get the $200 trade in from Verizon, you had to preorder a 6 or 6+ by 9/30/14. Did they change this?

*Looks like they extended this through 10/15/14
 
ILowry82 said:
I figured out a plan to get a free iPhone 6. It uses loop holes but it's not technically dishonest or illegal. First off, I am on Sprint and am not currently eligible for an upgrade. I have an old AT&T iPhone 4 sitting around that is in good condition. My plan is to start a new line of service on contract with Verizon. They are running a promotion that gives $200 for a trade in on an iPhone 4. I would then put myself on the lowest cost plan which is $48 per month after my work discount. Then I will switch to T-Mobile and have them pay the ETF on the line. T-Mobiles terms require you to trade in a working phone and purchase a new phone on their network. I have purchased a cheap verizon flip phone on craigslist. I will trade that in and purchase the T-Mobile 768 which is $72 outright and cancel the T-Mobile service as soon as I am able to which I assume to be about a month. Lastly, assuming the verizon phone won't work on Sprint, I would attempt to trade the verizon phone for a sprint one. This shouldn't be hard as the verizon phone is unlocked and therefore more valuable. So this isn't technically free but much cheaper than buying a phone outright. Does anyone know how long the T-Mobile line needs to be active before I can cancel it and still receive the EFT reimbursement?
Click to expand...

Here's how much you're saving:

+ $200 for trade-in
- $20 (or however much you paid for the flip phone)
- $72 for the 768
- $30 for cheapest T-Mobile plan (after taxes, fees, etc)

So that leaves you with $78.00 roughly.

Let's say this all takes you, at a minimum, two hours. And let's say you make about $30.00/hour at your day job. So you've also wasted about $60.00 of your time. That brings your total savings to $18.00. I'm also assuming you're doing some driving for all of this, and your car is powered by gasoline.

You're probably losing money by doing this.
 
bizack said:
Here's how much you're saving:

+ $200 for trade-in
- $20 (or however much you paid for the flip phone)
- $72 for the 768
- $30 for cheapest T-Mobile plan (after taxes, fees, etc)

So that leaves you with $78.00 roughly.

Let's say this all takes you, at a minimum, two hours. And let's say you make about $30.00/hour at your day job. So you've also wasted about $60.00 of your time. That brings your total savings to $18.00. I'm also assuming you're doing some driving for all of this, and your car is powered by gasoline.

You're probably losing money by doing this.
Click to expand...

Aren't you forgetting the whole "free iPhone" part in your $ calculation? :confused:
 
In the T-mobile detail it says "and within 8 weeks you will receive a Prepaid Visa Card covering your ETF amount up to $350 per line"

So that means we would have to sign up for the iPhone 6 under Verizon's 2 yr contract plan.

Verizon's details say "you can cancel a line of Service within 14 days of accepting this Agreement without having to pay an early termination fee as long as you return, within the applicable return period, any equipment you purchased from us or one of our authorized agents at a discount in connection with your acceptance of this Agreement, but you'll still have to pay for your Service through that date"

So worst case we have to pay half a month of Verizon service. But porting automatically cancels a contract so I think we'd only pay for 1 days service.

As for T-mobile, ya we can purchase the T-Mobile 768. The only catch is it says 8 weeks for the prepaid visa card to arrive. So worst case is 2 months of service on t-moble. Cheapest plans are 50 a month + taxes & fees.

All in all it would be <200 worst case scenario for a fully unlocked Verizon iPhone free and clear.
 
bizack said:
Here's how much you're saving:

+ $200 for trade-in
- $20 (or however much you paid for the flip phone)
- $72 for the 768
- $30 for cheapest T-Mobile plan (after taxes, fees, etc)

So that leaves you with $78.00 roughly.

Let's say this all takes you, at a minimum, two hours. And let's say you make about $30.00/hour at your day job. So you've also wasted about $60.00 of your time. That brings your total savings to $18.00. I'm also assuming you're doing some driving for all of this, and your car is powered by gasoline.

You're probably losing money by doing this.
Click to expand...

How poorly did you do in math class? a 16gb iPhone 6 costs $649. The breakdown of what I am spending is as follows: $20 for a flip phone, 1 month of verizon service at $48, $72 for the T-Mobile phone, 1 month of T-Mobile service for approximately $40. That equals out to $180. Plus I could probably sell that T-Mobile phone on craigslist for $40. That is a savings of $500. Tell me again how I'm losing money? Again, this only worth the effort if you aren't eligible for an upgrade and would have to pay full price for the phone.
 
Tell you what. You give it a go and let us know how you get on. Or were you hoping that someone else would take your plan, give it a go and report back.
 
Even better, a refurbished Nokia Lumia 521 is $50. A savings of $20 more.

----------
Mercenary said:
Tell you what. You give it a go and let us know how you get on. Or were you hoping that someone else would take your plan, give it a go and report back.
Click to expand...

Nope just trying to help others out. My only real question was if anyone knew how long I would need the T-Mobile service active.
 
Mercenary said:
Tell you what. You give it a go and let us know how you get on. Or were you hoping that someone else would take your plan, give it a go and report back.
Click to expand...

*Steps forth.

Going to the verizon store tomorrow with my AT&T 8GB iPhone 4 to trade in.

ILowry82 said:
Nope just trying to help others out. My only real question was if anyone knew how long I would need the T-Mobile service active.
Click to expand...

It says 8 waits for delivery of prepaid visa card so worst case 2 months of service.

btw do you know if the verizon offer includes activation fees or tax. Regardless we are still taking about a 500 dollar savings.
 
ILowry82 said:
How poorly did you do in math class? a 16gb iPhone 6 costs $649. The breakdown of what I am spending is as follows: $20 for a flip phone, 1 month of verizon service at $48, $72 for the T-Mobile phone, 1 month of T-Mobile service for approximately $40. That equals out to $180. Plus I could probably sell that T-Mobile phone on craigslist for $40. That is a savings of $500. Tell me again how I'm losing money? Again, this only worth the effort if you aren't eligible for an upgrade and would have to pay full price for the phone.
Click to expand...

I have a Masters degree in Computer Science, so pretty well, actually. I didn't see that you're getting the iPhone6 for $0.00 from Verizon. However, here's a few snags:

Please allow up to 4-6 weeks from receipt of trade-in device for the Verizon Wireless Gift Card to arrive if trade-in was submitted online.

You’ll receive shipping materials to return your old device to Verizon Wireless within 7 days after receiving the your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, but no later than 12/01/2014.

Verizon worded the offer so that it seems like you're paying $0.00. But they've put enough snags in place to thwart exactly what you're trying to do.

----------
bizack said:
I have a Masters degree in Computer Science, so pretty well, actually. I didn't see that you're getting the iPhone6 for $0.00 from Verizon. However, here's a few snags:

Please allow up to 4-6 weeks from receipt of trade-in device for the Verizon Wireless Gift Card to arrive if trade-in was submitted online.

You’ll receive shipping materials to return your old device to Verizon Wireless within 7 days after receiving the your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, but no later than 12/01/2014.

Verizon worded the offer so that it seems like you're paying $0.00. But they've put enough snags in place to thwart exactly what you're trying to do.
Click to expand...

Also:

Can I use my electronic gift card to replenish my prepaid account?

No, not at this time. However, you can use your electronic gift card towards the purchase of an accessory or device at verizonwireless.com or at a Verizon Wireless Communications store near you or to pay your bill online at My Verizon.
 
bizack said:
I have a Masters degree in Computer Science, so pretty well, actually. I didn't see that you're getting the iPhone6 for $0.00 from Verizon. However, here's a few snags:
Click to expand...
Ya well I got an A in Hustling 101.

" Get instant savings in a Verizon Wireless retail store, or submit your trade-in online"

I checked the math out.
199 for a Verzion iPhone 6
+ 52 tax
+32 activation fee
-199 for iPhone 4 trade in (CL value is ~70 tops)
+ prorated service (~55 for one month)
= 83+ dollars

10-20 buck verzion CL phone
+ 50 lumina refurb
+ 10 sim fee
+ 120 2 months service T-mobile [worst case scenario]
- 20 sell lumia phone
=60+ dollars (180 worst case)

180 + 84 = 264
252 is about price I would pay on AT&T for an iPhone 4 + tax. So it works out to a 450 dollar savings. Not exactly 'free' but still a hell of a good deal.
 
Last edited:
ToroidalZeus said:
Ya well I got an A in Hustling 101.

" Get instant savings in a Verizon Wireless retail store, or submit your trade-in online"

I checked the math out.
199 for a Verzion iPhone 6
+ 52 tax
+32 activation fee
-200 for iPhone 4 trade in (CL value is ~70 tops)
+ prorated service (~55 for one month)
= 84+ dollars

10-20 buck verzion CL phone
+ 50 lumina refurb
+ 10 sim fee
+ 120 2 months service T-mobile [worst case scenario]
- 20 sell lumia phone
= 180

180 + 84 = 264
252 is about price I would pay on AT&T for an iPhone 4 + tax. So it works out to a 450 dollar savings.
Click to expand...

So instead of paying just the $199 in front, you end up paying $264, and still have to pay monthly payments for two years? I don't see where the savings come in. What am I missing here?

Edit: I must admit, that as I'm living in another part of the world, where phones are mostly sold without contracts, I'm not really familiar with the workings of Verizon contracts.
 
Last edited:
laurihoefs said:
So instead of paying $252 in front, you end up paying $264, and still have to pay subsidies for two years? I don't see where the savings come in. What am I missing here?
Click to expand...

Step 1 is Verizon's deal pays which pays the 199 down payment.
Step 2 is T-Mobille's deal that pays off Verizon's ETF.

So in the end we are getting a 710 dollar phone for as low as 143. (252 if we pay 2 months for t-mo service).

EDIT: When you buy a phone on contract they give you a 450 dollar discount (subsidy) in return for locking you into their service for 2 years. If you cancel before the 2-years are up. You have to pay an ETF (early termination fee) which is basically the subsidy they gave you. So you'd pay for the entire device. So here we have T-mobile offering to pay that fee.
 
ToroidalZeus said:
Step 1 is Verizon's deal pays which pays the 199 down payment.
Step 2 is T-Mobille's deal that pays off Verizon's ETF.

So in the end we are getting a 710 dollar phone for as low as 143. (252 if we pay 2 months for t-mo service).
Click to expand...

And you can do this even with the cheapest possible T-mobile contract? Ok.

Do you have to pay higher monthly fees for your phone service, if you get a contract without a subsidized phone?

Again, sorry if this question is silly, I'm asking just out of curiosity, and am not familiar with the terms the US telcos offer :)
 
There's nothing in the fine print from T-Mobile saying you have to keep service with them longer than 1 or 2 months if they pay your ETF? I would think these companies would have something in place to prevent people from doing this.
 
After tax, it'll be more than $48 per month. Since you have to stay with Verizon for 14 days, there could be a chance you'll be paying for 1.5 months if your billing cycle starts on an odd day. Also stock is limited so if you don't find an iPhone 6 at a verizon store for instant trade in, then you'll have to trade in your phone online and who knows how long before you get your gift card.

There's tax on the activation fee as well and tax on the ETF. ETF at least in florida comes out to almost $420 after tax from $350. T-mobile is only paying $350 so that's about $70 out of pocket you're going to have to pay.

T-mobile: Again tax on the plan could make it go up to $60. You'll also have to stay until they pay off your ETF which could be 2 months.

Overall, you're def saving money. I'm using this method too. However, there's just some small misc. fees that you've missed.
 
"You may return or exchange wireless devices and accessories purchased from Verizon Wireless within 14 days of purchase."

"You may terminate service for any reason within 14 days of activation. If you purchased a wireless device at a promotional price at the time of activation, you must return it within the device return period to avoid being assessed an Early Termination Fee of $175, or $350 if you purchased an Advanced Device. You will remain responsible for your Activation Fee unless you terminate service within three days of activation. You will also be responsible for all applicable usage fees, prorated access charges, taxes, surcharges or other charges that accrued to your account through the termination date. If you paid a security deposit, it may take between 30 and 60 days to process the return of your security deposit. "

It looks like we could cancel service within the first 3 days and simply keep the device to be forced the ETF fee. Also when you port a number over, it automatically closes the account. The tricky part will be the security deposit.
 
This doesn't make any sense. OP is with sprint.

Wants to trade in iphone 4 to verizon. However op isn't eligblr for upgrade with sprint. Which means they are probably under contract with sprint.

Op wants Verizon iPhone for $199 on contract with a $200 old iphone trade in. Op needs to pay ETF with sprint first. Than sign on with verizon.

Than if they want tmobile. Tmobile will pay ETF from other carrier.
 
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