This article may be outdated
Terms, offers, links, or instructions in this article may no longer be valid. Please verify with official sources before taking action.

【2022.12.5 更新】This sales company laid people off, shut down, and ran off!

【2022.11 update】The new round of the promotion is buy two phones and get up to $720 back, plus an extra $100 gift card for new activations. This promotion should run through Black Friday. Buying iPhone 12 and 13 has similar deals too. If you're interested, go check the store soon. If they don't have some popular models, remember to ask the rep to add you to the waitlist so you can jump on it as soon as it comes in.

  • Promotion link (promotion period November 10-November 16, and it should keep getting extended week by week past Black Friday)

2022 iPhone Buying Guide

At the beginning of the article, the key information has been updated based on this 2022 promotion. For the detailed steps, timeline, and how to get the rebate, you can directly refer to the 2021 version; it's basically the same~

Overview

The new round of the promotion is buy two phones and get up to $720 back, plus an extra $100 gift card for new activations. This promotion should run through Black Friday. Buying iPhone 12 and 13 has similar deals too. If you're interested, go check the store soon. If they don't have some popular models, remember to ask the rep to add you to the waitlist so you can jump on it as soon as it comes in.

  • Promotion link (promotion period November 10-November 16, and it should keep getting extended week by week past Black Friday)

This promotion can be stacked with the BYOD (bring your old device) promotion, and this BYOD promo is usually renewed continuously (the form in the store should currently be dated as of today; ask in the store for the specifics).

The way to do it is to buy two iPhones; 14, 13, and 12 all work. The stackable parts are

  • BYOD $300*2: you need to bring two non-T-Mobile numbers and two unlocked phones (or the IMEIs of two unlocked phones)
  • Two-iPhone promotion $630 rebate: you need to fill out the rebate form online

iPhone Prices

About the plan

According to information seen by readers in the group at the store, after porting in you can't choose the cheapest Essential plan. But there are also DPs saying the rep confirmed Essential plan works and the rebate was submitted successfully. In short, it still depends on whether the system approves it; last year some people also got it with the cheapest plan. Please weigh the risk yourself~

Right now, the rep in the store will only set you up on the top-tier Magenta Max. You can call later and downgrade to another non-Essential plan; in theory that won't affect the rebate. Also, the plan waives two lines out of six, so if you have extra lines you can add them too. (HT. WeChat group reader Muzi)

The plan details and pricing are below

Detailed terms for the $630 rebate

Reader-group DPs

DP1: Just scored two Costco iPhone 14s, located in HI. The BYOD numbers are Visible and AT&T

  • Cost = $720 each * 2 + two BYOD SIM cards at $7.5 each = total $1,523.54 after tax
  • Service cost = 4 lines on Magenta Max at $185 per month; it takes 4 months (usually 3 months is enough, but I'm counting one extra month here) to get back all the reimbursements (two BYOD + two iPhone lines)
  • Cost per phone: $517 (or $420 if you count 3 months), including 3-4 months of service
  • Compared with last year, 4 months of service cost $180 more, cash back was $90 less ($720 down to $630), and Costco cash back was $200 less, for a total cost increase of $470, or $235 more per phone on average. Missing last year's average $282 IP13.

DP2: group member amy

FAQ

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or post in the reader group; I'll update this section all together here~

  • Q: Why do you need BYOD? How many lines are you actually opening?

A: If you want to buy two iPhones, you're opening four lines in total, two of which are the two new iPhone lines. The other two are BYOD lines ported over from another carrier, purely for the $300*2. Adding two extra lines is just to lower the total service cost, because the extra service cost over 3 months is less than $600, so you might as well stack it.

  • Q: What is so good about this T-Mobile Costco offer compared with other places? Doesn't it still require a plan?

A: This offer has a few advantages. 1. T-Mobile is easy to unlock. Just say your eSIM needs to work with another company and they can unlock it for you, turning it into an unlocked phone. Even if you don't make up an excuse, you can still contact support to unlock it after 45 days. 2. T-Mobile gives rebate cards, and everyone gets them in about 3 months. After you unlock the phone, you can just leave and switch to the carrier you actually want. Other places may give bill credits over 12 months, forcing you to stay. 3. It really is cheaper on the math, and once you get the unlocked phone, you can even resell it directly. Keep the number and just wait for the rebate, which is basically making money..

Written Up Front

This article was contributed by WeChat group reader Zhang Chichi and organized and edited by the author. Other readers are welcome to contribute! The content was written in 2021 for buying the iPhone 13, but it should also work for the iPhone 14

The brand-new iPhone 13 has already been released, and many friends can't wait to start using the new phone. Right now, most new phones come from the major carriers, and basically all of them are locked. It looks like the best deal right now should be Costco's offer. Not long ago, with Costco's iPhone 12 offer, many people not only got the phone for free, but also came out ahead by quite a bit; some people who bought a lot of phones even made $4,000-$5,000. Below is a brief introduction to Costco's current iPhone 13 offer.

Introduction to Costco's iPhone promotion

Right now, this Costco promotion can only be handled in person.

  • Promotion period；2021/9/24-2021/9/30
  • Location: Must be purchased at the Wireless center counter in a Costco warehouse store (you can use the URL https://www.costco.com/warehouse-locations to find Costco warehouse locations, and you can find the phone number here)
  • Offer 1: Buy two of the same iPhone 13 series model at a Costco warehouse store at the same time (13 mini, 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max) or iPhone 12 series (12mini, 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max) and get up to $720 in Visa gift cards,

Guide to buying the iPhone 13 series at Costco

This method is currently more suitable for people who do not already have a T-Mobile account. Opening a T-Mobile account should require SSN verification and is probably a soft pull, so you need an SSN to do this. If you do not have one, you can team up with someone else. Here we mainly use the iPhone 13 series as an example to explain the buying process, and the iPhone 12 series can be done the same way. The specific steps are as follows:

Preparation

You can first call nearby Costco locations to ask whether they have the model you want. Use the website below to find Costco locations and phone numbers, then call to ask.

Or go to Costco's Wireless Center to confirm whether the model you need is available. Please note that Costco only carries 128G models, and most are black or blue. If it is not available, leave the Wireless Center's business card so you can call later to check.

Plan selection

If the store allows the cheapest Essentials plan, it is $105+tax per month; Magenta is $140 per month; and Magenta Max is $160 per month. These should all be able to activate all the offers. Some stores reportedly do not let employees open Magenta and Essentials, so before going for this offer, ask clearly whether BYOD and opening new lines for the iPhone 13 can use the Essential plan. If not, ask the manager.

In the discussion below, we assume all four lines successfully choose the Essentials Plan.

Bring your own device (BYOD) Offer

Note: this offer is actually unrelated to the iPhone purchase below. It is simply to grab another offer and make some extra money, and then later combine the two new iPhone lines to lower the total monthly bill. There is no order requirement between the BYOD offer and the new iPhone lines below; either can be done first.

Once you get to Costco Wireless, the first thing is to go for Costco's port-in (BYOD) offer. Porting in one new line (12-14 weeks) can get you a $300 Costco gift card, and each Costco account is limited to two gift cards. You need to prepare:

  • Two unlocked phones: phones that can be used with any carrier's SIM card (if you do not have them)
  • Two phone numbers that can be ported into T-Mobile: you can use numbers you are currently using, buy numbers that are already eligible for porting on eBay, or use numbers from us mobile, ting, or visible (if you do not have two spare numbers, you can actually buy two SIM cards on the spot and open two new numbers, which should also work; ask the store staff whether this can be done)

Port in 2 lines means changing the carrier for the two phone numbers mentioned above to T-Mobile, using the IMEIs of the unlocked phones mentioned above. If you do not have two spare numbers, you can actually buy two SIM cards on the spot and open two new numbers, which should also work (ask the store staff whether this can be done).

After 3 billing cycles (the image shows 12-14 weeks), you will receive two $300 Costco gift cards. (According to some DPs, they may arrive in 2 weeks; YMMV.)

Buying the iPhone 13

Here we are buying two new iPhones and stacking the following three offers:

  • Offer 1: At present, purchasing an iPhone 13 series (13 mini, 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max) or iPhone 12 series (12 mini, 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max) with a Costco membership card gets you 10% off. The prices for the iPhone series at Costco are shown below (already discounted by 10%):
  • Offer 2: Buying two iPhone 13 series phones of the same model (13 mini, 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max) or two iPhone 12 series phones of the same model (12 mini, 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max) at the same time can get you up to a $720 Visa gift card. The gift card is issued through a virtual prepaid Mastercard. After purchase and activation, you need to go to the T-Mobile promotion gift card redemption page to claim the gift card. Promo code: COSTCO2021APPLEBUY2P2. The gift card expires after six months. Usually you can claim the gift card 6-8 weeks after buying the phones, but it may take up to 14 weeks, so be prepared to pay for 3 months.
  • [Not available in 2022] Offer 3: After buying iPhone 13 series phones (13 mini, 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max) or iPhone 12 series phones (12 mini, 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max), opening a new line (12-14 weeks) can get you a $100 Costco gift card. To maximize profit, you need to open two lines for the two new phones, and after 3 billing cycles (the image shows 12-14 weeks) you will get two $100 Costco gift cards. So, opening two new lines means you can get $200 in gift cards.

[Not available in 2022] Additional port-in bonus (uncertain whether you will receive it)

In addition, the two ported-in lines may qualify for a $150 port-in bonus per line. You can submit it on that website (https://promotions.t-mobile.com/), Promo Code: Switch2021P7. Based on past experience, these can be stacked, meaning $300. Because I could not find the specific T&C, it is unclear whether a specific carrier or plan is required.

According to a user report, the SwitchP7 rebate requires using the max plan. In any case, try it first and see.The gift card redemption website is below: https://promotions.t-mobile.com/. As shown below:

Summary

After completing all the steps above, the store associate will give you four Online Redeem slips. Keep them and submit them online when you get home.

  • 300*2: BYOD offer
  • [Not available in 2022] 100*2: Costco gift card offer for buying two iPhones
  • Costco gift card, $720 Visa gift card: need to submit on https://promotions.t-mobile.com/, promo code COSTCO2021APPLEBUY2P2.

What you can take home immediately is:

  • Two iPhone 13s
  • 4 T-Mobile lines and four phone numbers (two for the new iPhones, two from the old numbers you ported in)
  • A T-Mobile 4-line plan; if you choose Essentials, it is $120 per month

Other information

  • Now T-Mobile has a referral bonus: get $50 for opening an account. It is not clear whether accounts opened through Costco are eligible. You’re welcome to use the submitter’s referral link: https://share.t-mobile.com/luw-65
  • Also, according to some users, Costco’s BYOD offer can only be claimed twice per user (though some users say that although the terms say 2 per account, in practice it can be claimed multiple times).
  • Also, T-Mobile’s 3rd line is free, so the actual cost is the price of a 3-line plan.
  • The BOGO deal can be claimed at most 2 times per account, which means you can buy 4 phones at once. After the phones are unlocked in 40 days, if you have a channel to sell them, you may even make a profit.

Unlocking and other follow-up questions

The iPhones you buy are locked to T-Mobile, which means they cannot be used with a SIM card from another carrier. According to the terms, T-Mobile phones can be unlocked after 40 days, but some store associates have said 45 days. Some users say they were able to get them unlocked faster by messaging T-Mobile on Twitter or contacting the store. Just say you have another carrier number that needs to use eSIM.

Since the $720 requires three months of active service, these four numbers need to stay with T-Mobile for at least 3-4 months. After that, you can either keep them with T-Mobile or port them to another carrier, depending on your preference. Be sure to confirm the phone is unlocked before porting out, otherwise it would be awkward to find out the phone is still locked.

Cost-benefit analysis

At the moment, buying two iPhone 13s only costs $525, which works out to about $260 each. That is still very attractive.

Cost

Two iPhone 13 series phones cost: $(630 ~ 989 + Tax ) * 2. Note that sales tax is calculated based on the pre-discount price (excluding the $720 discount). If the associate allows the cheapest Essentials plan, it is $105 + tax per month; Magenta is $140 per month; Magenta Max is $160 per month. It is said that some stores do not allow Magenta and Essentials. Since the number of lines each account can hold varies (likely tied to credit), the 3-month cost is $315 or $420.

Benefits

  • BYOD Rebate: -$600 Costco gift card
  • iPhone new line Costco: -$200 Costco gift card
  • iPhone BOGO rebate: -$720
  • SwitchP7 rebate: -$300 (not sure whether it can be stacked)

In total, that is $800 in Costco gift cards and $720 in Virtual Master gift cards (and maybe an extra $300 Virtual Mastercard). Total gift card value is $1520 or $1820. Since Costco members get 10% off phones, there is an additional $200 discount on the phone purchase (compared with the website price: the iPhone 13 Pro Max 128 GB is $1099.99 on the official site, while Costco’s price is $989.99).

Example

An iPhone 13 mini costs $1,260 + tax in total, plus $420 in plan costs (three months of Essentials), for a total of $1,680. A conservative estimate of the gift cards received is $1,520.

Finally, if you are only doing this for the phones, please close the account as soon as you receive all rewards. The next bonus usually won’t be available until 60 ~ 90 days after closing the account.

About Trade-in (cannot be stacked with the $720)

Since the offer above includes getting $720 when buying a new phone, Trade-in cannot be stacked. If you are an existing T-Mobile user and want to upgrade your device, you can trade in your old phone. The trade-in values are as follows:

  • $450 off: iPhone: 12 Pro; 12 Pro Max; 11 Pro; Pro Max 64GB and 256GB only.
  • $360 off: iPhone: 12; 12 mini 64GB/128GB; 11, XR, XS, XS Max, X. Samsung Galaxy: S20; S20+; S20 Ultra; S20 Fan Edition; S21; S21+; Note10; Note10+; Note10 Lite; Note20; Note20 Ultra; Z Flip 5G; Z Fold2. Motorola: moto razr 5G. OnePlus: 8 5G; 8T+ 5G.
  • $180 off: iPhone 8, 8 plus, 7, 7 plus, SE2. Samsung Galaxy: A71, A71 5G, S9, S9+, S10e, S10, S10+, S10 5G, Note9. LG: V50 ThinQ, V60 ThinQ 5G, Wing. Google Pixel: 4a, 4a 5G, 4, 4 XL. OnePlus: 7 Pro 5G, 7T, 7T Pro 5G McLaren, 8 Pro. Asus Rog Phone2. LG: Velvet.
  • $90 off: iPhone: 6s, 6s Plus, 6, 6 Plus, SE (original), 5S, 5, 5c, 4S, 4, 3GS, 3G, Original iPhone) After trade-in, go to the gift card redemption website above and enter promo code COSTCO2021APPLETRADEP1 to receive up to a $450 gift card

If you are an existing user considering trade-in, the trade-in offer can be stacked with BYOD and promotion 2 in the phone purchase offer (the two $100 offers). The stackable offers are shown below:

Timeline

At the moment, only the $720 portion is available, and it can be claimed in one month.

$720 portion

A reader shared the timeline for receiving the $720 after buying an iPhone, as well as how to use the $720.

  • On September 30, 2021, the $720 claim form was submitted, an SMS was received, and a code for checking the status was provided. On October 30, the $720 redeem link was received.
  • After clicking the link, you confirm your information and phone number, and then you can choose how to receive the $720. My recommendation is not to choose a Master gift card, but to ACH the money directly to your bank account, which is the most convenient and safe option. ACH has no extra fee.
  • After you finish selecting, you can see the money being processed a few days later.
  • A few more days later, it will arrive in your bank account.

BYOD offer $300

The timeline for the $300 BYOD offer has also been confirmed: it takes a full two months from rebate submission. The reward is a Costco gift card, which will be mailed to your address. You can check whether it has been approved at the link below:

Summary

Buying phones at Costco is basically like getting them for free. If you have a Costco store nearby, do not miss this offer. In principle, once T-Mobile phones have been used for 40 days and there is no remaining balance, the device can be unlocked. If you cannot take part in this offer for now, you can wait for the Walmart/Sam's iPhone offer two months later. That is usually an iPhone purchase with a $400 gift card back. Combined with credit card offers and cashback from cashback sites (BYOD), you can also get a new iPhone at a low cost. We will also publish a buying guide then, so please stay tuned. If you have any good offers or tips, please leave a comment and discuss them with everyone.

Other carrier deals

Other carriers also have similar offers, but none of them are as good as Costco’s at the moment. If you are interested, you can also take a look:

  • AT&T and Verizon trade-in offers: you need to use a postpaid plan for 24-36 months to get up to $1,000 in statement credit, and the credit is returned monthly in equal installments. If you are not a long-term customer of these carriers, it is very easy to end up on the losing side.
  • Visible also has promotions, but the discounts are not especially generous. For example, with Visible, porting in and buying an iPhone 13 and keeping it for three months can get you a $200 MGC + HomePod mini. You can refer to our introduction to this promotion: Visible low-cost phone promotion
  • Buying an iPhone 13 in a MetroPCS store can get you a $200 discount. If you trade in a phone worth more than $50, you can get a $300 discount. The advantage of MetroPCS is that you only need to use it for 1 month before canceling the account, and then leave it in a drawer for 6 months to have it automatically unlocked.
  • Other carriers such as Xfinity and Mint also offer similar discounts, but they generally require you to stay for a full year before the phone can be unlocked.