Best Buy has the iPhone X unlocked for $649 “with qualifying activation”. I have straight talk and was wondering if I could buy the phone for the $650 then cancel sprint right away and just use it with my straight talk sim? If you buy it without activation it’s $750, so I would be saving $70 (after paying the $30 sprint activation). Would this work?
A number of issues here.
1. Best Buy is subject to the Apple Retail Flex Policy. What that means to you is that it doesn't matter if you buy unlocked because the device will lock to the carrier of the first SIM you insert. So…if you insert a Sprint SIM and activate, guess which carrier your 'unlocked' iPhone gets locked to?
2. Sprint requires a minimum of 50 days active service and the device to be paid off before they will unlock.
3. It's tough finding someone at Sprint who even knows what you are talking about (unlock), much less anyone capable of actually sending Apple the unlock request.
4. Assuming you finally find someone after a multitude of phone calls, frustration and outright rage, you'll have to wait 48-72 hours before the unlock goes through. Unless of course it doesn't, because Sprint's been known to tell you it's unlocked three or four times before they actually get it unlocked.
5. Refund. Ha. Sprint does not prorate. They charge you the entire month. Whether you do one day or 30 days, you will be charged the entire month. Oh, and they don't refund for service, only devices.
6. So what about third party retail unlocks? Right. Forget it. If you actually find someone that can do it (Sprint relentlessly seeks out employees who submit unauthorized unlocks for profit) then it's going to cost you way more than you believe it's worth.
All of this because you first inserted a Sprint SIM and Apple's stupid policy caused the device to lock to Sprint.
I highly, highly suggest that if you go after this phone, the first SIM you insert be an active Verizon SIM.