{"id":17756,"date":"2023-09-06T12:58:38","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T12:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/?p=17756"},"modified":"2023-09-06T12:58:38","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T12:58:38","slug":"activate-today-vs-activate-later-best-buy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/activate-today-vs-activate-later-best-buy\/","title":{"rendered":"Activate Today vs Activate Later (Best Buy)?"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:56.40648011782%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-2::before{padding-top:71.063829787234%; }img#mv-trellis-img-2{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-3::before{padding-top:54.184397163121%; }img#mv-trellis-img-3{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-4::before{padding-top:50.070126227209%; }img#mv-trellis-img-4{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-5::before{padding-top:55.384615384615%; }img#mv-trellis-img-5{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-6::before{padding-top:52.924791086351%; }img#mv-trellis-img-6{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-7::before{padding-top:56.111111111111%; }img#mv-trellis-img-7{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-8::before{padding-top:58.055555555556%; }img#mv-trellis-img-8{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-9::before{padding-top:42.097902097902%; }img#mv-trellis-img-9{display:block;}<\/style>\n<p>When you buy an unlocked smartphone through Best Buy, you can choose to &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; or &ldquo;activate later&rdquo; . What is the difference?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Activate today&rdquo; means the phone comes with a service plan and a new SIM card from a supported carrier, with a discounted device price. &ldquo;Activate later&rdquo; means you can use a SIM from any carrier to activate the phone. You typically pay full price for the phone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"simpletoc-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#what-does-activate-today-and-activate-later-mean-in-best-buy\">What does &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; and &ldquo;activate later&rdquo; mean in Best Buy?<\/a>\n\n\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#how-much-does-it-cost-to-activate-a-phone-at-best-buy\">How much does it cost to activate a phone at Best Buy?<\/a>\n\n\n<\/li>\n\n<li><a href=\"#can-i-buy-an-iphone-without-a-carrier-at-best-buy\">Can I buy an iPhone without a carrier at Best Buy?<\/a>\n\n\n<\/li><li><a href=\"#what-does-the-option-unlocked-with-activation-today-mean\">What does the option &ldquo;unlocked (with activation today)&rdquo; mean?<\/a>\n\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#can-best-buy-activate-unlocked-phones\">Can Best Buy activate unlocked phones?<\/a>\n\n\n<\/li><li><a href=\"#will-best-buy-change-my-sim-card\">Will Best Buy change my SIM card?<\/a>\n\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#how-much-does-best-buy-charge-to-unlock-an-iphone\">How much does Best Buy charge to unlock an iPhone?<\/a>\n<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<p>See also: <a href=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/will-best-buy-help-transfer-data-to-a-new-phone\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"20535\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Will Best Buy Help Transfer Data To A New Phone?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-does-activate-today-and-activate-later-mean-in-best-buy\">What does &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; and &ldquo;activate later&rdquo; mean in Best Buy?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Let&rsquo;s compare in more detail the &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; and &ldquo;activate later&rdquo; options when you purchase an unlocked smartphone from Best Buy:<\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"activate-today\">Activate Today<\/h3>\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Activate today&rdquo; means the unlocked phone will be set up for the carrier before it ships to you. In other words, you create a new account and get a new SIM card from a carrier supported by Best Buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You activate the device with one of the supported carriers (i.e. Verizon, AT&amp;T, Sprint, and T-Mobile) at the Best Buy store or on the website when making the purchase of an unlocked phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you use the &ldquo;Activate today&rdquo; option, you get a discount from Best Buy. The goal is to drive more sales and entice customers to activate a device on the carrier&rsquo;s network at checkout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, you need to sign up for a plan with the carrier, which makes up for the discount you get on the phone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that your new phone will still be unlocked if you use the &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; option, that is, it will work with carriers other than the one you activated the phone with.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cac9a796d.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"679\" height=\"383\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20679%20383'%3E%3Crect%20width='679'%20height='383'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"\" width=\"679\" height=\"383\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-1\" data-src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cac9a796d.png.webp\" class=\"eager-load\" data-svg=\"1\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cacba46de.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"705\" height=\"501\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cacba46de.png.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"705\" height=\"501\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-2\" class=\" lazyload\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/figure>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"activate-later\">Activate Later<\/h3>\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;Activate Later&rdquo; means that you can activate the unlocked phone with any preferred carrier at a later time after buying the device.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For most carriers, this can be done by simply swapping the SIM card from your old phone into your new unlocked phone, and it&rsquo;s instantly ready for use on the new carrier network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In short, you can use any SIM card later to activate the unlocked phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don&rsquo;t have a SIM card, then you need to purchase a plan from the carrier of your choice on your own (not through Best Buy) and get a SIM card for the new plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When using the &ldquo;activate later&rdquo; option, you&rsquo;ll likely pay the full retail price of the unlocked device.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cacd34a70.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"705\" height=\"382\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cacd34a70.png.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"705\" height=\"382\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-3\" class=\" lazyload\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/figure>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"do-you-have-to-activate-your-phone-at-best-buy\">Do you have to activate your phone at Best Buy?<\/h3>\n\n\n<p>It&rsquo;s not always necessary to activate your unlocked phone if you purchased it from Best Buy. You can choose the &ldquo;activate later&rdquo; option to avoid immediate activation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can use the phone with any supported carrier; simply insert your SIM card and use your purchased plan on the device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Conversely, you can use Best Buy&rsquo;s &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; option if you want to select a Best Buy supported carrier and activate the purchased phone with that carrier.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-much-does-it-cost-to-activate-a-phone-at-best-buy\">How much does it cost to activate a phone at Best Buy?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>The following are the activation fees for a phone at Best Buy as per the supported carrier:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Best Buy Supported Carrier<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Activation Fee<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Verizon<\/td><td>$40<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>AT&amp;T<\/td><td>$30<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Sprint<\/td><td>$30<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>T-Mobile<\/td><td>None<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"does-best-buy-charge-an-activation-fee-for-verizonnbsp\">Does Best Buy charge an activation fee for Verizon? <\/h3>\n\n\n<p>Best Buy will charge $40 as an activation fee for Verizon if you use the &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; option when buying an unlocked phone or go with Verizon&rsquo;s version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So if you use the &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; option for an unlocked device and you get a $100 discount, you will have to pay $40 as Verizon activation charges. Thus, your total savings will be $60 on that unlocked phone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-do-i-avoid-verizon-upgrade-fee\">How do I avoid Verizon upgrade fee?<\/h3>\n\n\n<p>It&rsquo;s not possible to avoid the Verizon upgrade free at Best Buy as it&rsquo;s a one-time amount everyone needs to pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may certainly reduce the upgrade fee by as much as 50% by speaking to them through Verizon&rsquo;s official chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don&rsquo;t want to pay the upgrade fee, a better way is to purchase the unlocked phone and insert the SIM card from the old phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If Best Buy doesn&rsquo;t sell an unlocked version of your desired phone, then you can buy it directly from manufacturers like Apple or Samsung.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"can-i-buy-an-iphone-without-a-carrier-at-best-buy\">Can I buy an iPhone without a carrier at Best Buy?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>iPhone 12 and 13 versions can&rsquo;t be purchased unlocked (without any carrier plan) from Best Buy. To get an unlocked iPhone 12 or 13, you must buy directly from Apple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The latest iPhones bought from Best Buy are sold locked to the initial carrier they are activated on. It&rsquo;s not the Best Buy but the carrier that can unlock the phone once the device is paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cacf05542.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"713\" height=\"357\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cacf05542.png.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"713\" height=\"357\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-4\" class=\" lazyload\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, Best Buy sells pre-owned unlocked iPhones, mostly older models like iPhone 11, iPhone X, or iPhone SE (2020). These iPhone models are used but in a good condition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cad0b1449.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"715\" height=\"396\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cad0b1449.png.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"715\" height=\"396\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-5\" class=\" lazyload\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/figure>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"can-i-buy-an-iphone-and-activate-later\">Can I buy an iPhone and activate later?<\/h3>\n\n\n<p>You can purchase a pre-owned unlocked iPhone from Best Buy and activate it later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The iPhone will work with any carrier including those not directly supported by Best Buy. You can simply swap the SIM card from your old phone to your purchased iPhone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If it doesn&rsquo;t work, you&rsquo;ll need to contact the carrier&rsquo;s customer care or go to their webpage online for activation after receiving the device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, Best Buy doesn&rsquo;t sell unlocked variants of the recent models in the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. These only come with the &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; option and are locked to a carrier.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cad25b998.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"718\" height=\"380\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cad25b998.png.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"718\" height=\"380\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-6\" class=\" lazyload\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to unlock an iPhone for use with any carrier, check the unlocking policy of the carrier the device came locked with.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-does-the-option-unlocked-with-activation-today-mean\">What does the option &ldquo;unlocked (with activation today)&rdquo; mean?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Phones purchased through Best Buy with the option &ldquo;unlocked (with activation today)&rdquo; mean that these come with a service plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This means that even though the phone is unlocked (can be used with any carrier), you get a new SIM card with it from a specific carrier among the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Verizon<\/li><li>T-Mobile<\/li><li>AT&amp;T<\/li><li>Sprint<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The option activates a new line for the unlocked phone. Phones with the &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; label are generally sold at a discounted cost if you purchase a new line or trade in an old phone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, &ldquo;unlocked with activation today&rdquo; does not lock the phone&nbsp; to a specific carrier, and you can still change carriers by inserting an existing SIM card into the purchased device.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"can-best-buy-activate-unlocked-phones\">Can Best Buy activate unlocked phones?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>If you use the &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; option when buying an unlocked phone from Best Buy, the retailer will activate the phone and leave it unlocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By choosing the &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; option, you can do an upgrade with the carrier, add a line, or create a new account through the carrier using the Best Buy online system. However, the phone will not get locked to that carrier.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you receive the device, it will accept and work with a SIM card from any carrier &ndash; provided the SIM has the right size (e.g. nano-SIM card).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, if you choose the &ldquo;activate later&rdquo; option when purchasing an unlocked phone, Best Buy will not activate it for you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In most cases, the phone can be activated by inserting a SIM card from a supported carrier that you already have into the new phone by yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Refer to the first section &ldquo;What does &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; and &ldquo;activate later&rdquo; mean in Best Buy&rdquo; to find out more details about the options of the retailer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"can-best-buy-activate-a-sprint-phone\">Can Best Buy activate a Sprint phone?<\/h3>\n\n\n<p>If you&rsquo;re buying a smartphone that is locked to the carrier Sprint, Best Buy does offer an &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; option.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just select this when buying a Sprint phone and follow the on-screen instructions after adding it to the cart on the Best Buy website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cad42c150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"404\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cad42c150.png.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"404\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-7\" class=\" lazyload\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cad61d227.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"418\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cad61d227.png.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"418\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-8\" class=\" lazyload\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This allows you to pay the full price of the phone in advance and activate it with Sprint the same day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Best Buy also offers an option to pay monthly installments for the locked phone for 24 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that such a phone is not unlocked and there is no &ldquo;activate later&rdquo; option here. If you want to be able to use the phone with any carrier, look for an unlocked device instead.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"will-best-buy-change-my-sim-card\">Will Best Buy change my SIM card?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>If you buy a carrier-locked phone or use the &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; option when buying an unlocked phone, Best Buy provides you with a new SIM card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a Best Buy Store, the mobile associate will physically insert the SIM card into your new device and activate the device for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are ordering through the Best Buy website, the phone will ship with a new SIM card. Instructions will be provided on how to install the SIM card and activate the device on the carrier&rsquo;s network.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-much-does-best-buy-charge-to-unlock-an-iphone\">How much does Best Buy charge to unlock an iPhone?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Typically Best Buy will charge $39 for the service to unlock an iPhone and reset it (if required). However, the current price for the &ldquo;Unlocked Phone Service Fee&rdquo; is around $25 on the Best Buy website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cad7f0131.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"715\" height=\"301\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/img_62a0cad7f0131.png.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"715\" height=\"301\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-9\" class=\" lazyload\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This service is done by Geek Squad which is a subsidiary of Best Buy; its purpose is to repair all consumer electronics including cell phones.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Geek Squad sections can be found in almost all of the Best Buy stores in the US and you can schedule a service with them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you buy an unlocked smartphone through Best Buy, you can choose to &ldquo;activate today&rdquo; or &ldquo;activate later&rdquo; . What is the difference? &ldquo;Activate today&rdquo; means the phone comes with a service plan and a new SIM card from a supported carrier, with a discounted device price. &ldquo;Activate later&rdquo; means you can use a SIM &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22789,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","disable-in-feed":false,"article-schema-type":"","disable-critical-css":false},"categories":[1403],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17756"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17756"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22917,"href":"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17756\/revisions\/22917"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mobilepains.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}