We had to buy a new TV a few months ago. I wasn't shopping for the cheapest, but 'budget'.
Check input capabilities to make sure it meets your needs. Input panels have been going downhill for a number of years, with fewer options for connectivity. A number of possible suspects got ruled out for us because of not having enough input connectors, and even up a couple of tiers from 'cheapest', I couldn't find one with the input options I wanted. (Still shopping for a 'black box' converter for component to hdmi....)
Lower to mid-tier TVs aren't staying in stock long, especially in the 45-60" size range.
Samsung has a great promotion for the Galaxy A71 locked to T-Mobile. With the coupon code SAMSUNG100GALAXY, you can buy an A71 for $275 cash + tax. However, you can also trade in any working non-cracked smartphone for another $75 off. If you have a relatively modern Google phone or an iPhone, you can get elevated trade-in values. For example, an iPhone 7 has a trade-in value of $210. A third aspect of this deal is that you can also use the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY50REV to bundle $50 off accessories bundled with the A71.
You can also used these same discount parameters to get the Verizon version of the A71 for about $25 more. However, you have to have an actual postpaid account and input your Verizon account information when ordering.
I've gone in on this deal twice already for 2 T-Mobile locked units. On the first order, I am paying $200 plus tax for phone, S-view case, and USB C - USB C cable with the expectation of trading in a Kyocera Rise locked to Virgin. On the second order, I am paying $65 plus tax for phone and two separate models of portable battery cases with the expectation of trading in the iPhone 7 I got essentially for free from from Metro in October.
I'm thinking of going in for a third one to trade in an iPhone 6s, which would be credited at $115. I'm holding off because I need to replace the screen on the 6s and need some better assurance that I'll be able to get the part I ordered in time to trade the phone in to Samsung.
The $39.99 Tracfone annual pre-loaded SIM deal is back again on Ebay. Your choice of carriers. As has been true lately, this appears to be a pre-loaded SIM, and does not include a separate refill card. Includes 1200 minutes, 1200 texts, 3gb of data, and service for a year.
It is possible to use this on a current line by transferring from your current device to this BYOD SIM card.
Thanks to Dennis Bournique for spotting this & sharing it on his prepaidcompare.net website.
(I think that link is the page with the first Tracfone rewards program referrals, but there are a few members listing codes in the next page or 2.)
Tracfone's rewards programs gives you points to use against add-ons or refills, and it appears pretty generous. You can join within 14 days of signing up a new account.
If you're adding a line to a pre-existing account, you can get 10,000 points instead of using someone's referral code.
Standard T-Mobile unlock policy is 40 days after you turn on the phone with a post-paid T-Mobile SIM inserted, and you can only request 2 unlocks per line per 12-month period. However, this limit may only apply to IOS devices in practice. I personally have been able to successfully have an unlock request processed for a Samsung Galaxy even though I already had two recent iPhone unlocks.
I have also found that you can activate a T-Mobile locked phone using a tablet SIM and T-Mobile will allow the unlock request.
On a few occasions, I have run into customer service reps who will ask for information on the phone's original purchase, which usually prevents me for the time being from having the request processed if the phone was purchased on eBay. What I do on those occasions is call during a different day to get a different rep who is not so insistent on this parameter.
T-Mobile prepaid may require you to have the phone on a prepaid plan for a year.
Tracfone has some special deals on their website for Cyber Monday. A number of phones are significantly marked down, but must be purchased with a plan.
Examples at the low end of the scale: The Alcatel flip is $5, Samsung Galaxy J2 or J3 are $10. The minimum plan is $15 for 30 days, 500/500/500.
Sorry, I didn't search long enough to find the relatively recent post from a member who was looking for a 'ready-to-go' backup option-- Tracfones with a refill card make a pretty good option for a 'standby' solution since the Sprint MVNO standby option will be going away soon. In my experience, the credit (pre-loaded on the SIM in the phone) should remain valid, unactivated, for 2 years or longer. (These don't come with a separate refill card anymore-- it's preloaded on the SIM that ships with the phone.)
(I think all the phones on special will come with Verizon network SIMs.)
Sweeten the deal with code THANKS30 that will take 30% off the cost of the phone itself. Sweeten it more by buying via Rakuten, which should yield another 8% back on the phone + plan cost. If you don't have a Rakuten account, grab a referral from the referral thread & take advantage of the temporary $40 referral bonus (after $40 in purchases via Rakuten.)
I bought a J2 with the $15 plan, and after the discount code it was around $23.50 out the door, including tax. (Shipping is free.) I should get $1.76 cashback from Rakuten.
yep, the big credit for accessories was only good yesterday. I ordered a third device just in time and am getting a free set of Galaxy Buds +, which I hope to sell and then use most of the proceeds for a new set of the PowerBeats3.
Also, my purchase late last night is being held up. I got a message from Samsung saying that they can only process two phone trade-ins at a time per household and so my most recent purchase yesterday won't be processed until one of my pending trade-ins is fully processed. This should be fine as I just got my shipping label for my first purchase and will be dropping off at FedEx today.
I found that the referral code only gets you 5% off the price of accessories, after applying the BLACKFRIDAY50REV coupon. So, if you are getting $60 worth of accessories and taking $50 off with the coupon, you only get a discount on 5% off $10, or $.50. The referral does not apply to the phone price.
