T-Mobile Prepaid Phone + 1 year To Go Service (1000 minutes) for $52 after Bing cashback

[cyberia]

T-Mobile offers a choice of 2 Nokia prepaid phones (1208 and 1661) for $20 after instant discount. Each one comes with a $25 prepaid card. Bing search offers 35% off on T-Mobile purchases.

1) Search Bing for 't-mobile' and click on the cashback link.
2) Buy a $20 phone.
3) Repeat 4 times.
4) Receive the four phones with one $25 card each.
5) Refill ONE phone with the FOUR $25 refill cards ($100 total) and get 1000 minutes good for 1 year.

Optional:
6) Sell the three extra phones on Craigslist.

7) Receive four $7 cashbacks from Bing.

The math:

$20 x 4 = $80 out of pocket (plus tax, perhaps).
$80 x 35% = $28 cashback
$80 - $28 = $52 total cost

 

[SunnyD]

Sounds like far too much effort.

 

[kalrith]

I'm pretty sure that T-Mobile only allows you to purchase two phones with free refill cards every 6 months per address. If someone does what's referred to in the OP, they'll get the four phones but will most likely only get refill cards with two of the phones.

 

[Athena]

As we've discussed here in the past, the discounted pay as you go phone with a $25 refill card is a good deal on its own.

The wheeling and dealing you described is too convoluted and probably not going to work. Not only are you limited to 2 free cards per months, but 4 $25 cards will not get you 1000 minutes. The $100 card is an exception to the policy that you go gold with the 101st dollar.

If someone needs a prepaid service, the best way to start is to buy a phone with card from T-mobile and a $100 refill from Calingmart.com for a maximum of $93. Use the 100 refill first to get your 1000 minutes then apply the $25 card to get the gold premium.

 

[dodger2020]

Am I the only one that thinks the 35% on its own is hot? If I wasn't holding out for the mythical G2, I would use that to get $52.15 off the cost of a G1.

 

[yusux]

lol wth..

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: Athena
As we've discussed here in the past, the discounted pay as you go phone with a $25 refill card is a good deal on its own.

The wheeling and dealing you described is too convoluted and probably not going to work. Not only are you limited to 2 free cards per months, but 4 $25 cards will not get you 1000 minutes. The $100 card is an exception to the policy that you go gold with the 101st dollar.

If someone needs a prepaid service, the best way to start is to buy a phone with card from T-mobile and a $100 refill from Calingmart.com for a maximum of $93. Use the 100 refill first to get your 1000 minutes then apply the $25 card to get the gold premium.

After cashback rebate this is just about the same dollar/minute cost as buying the $100 refill.

 

[Athena]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
After cashback rebate this is just about the same dollar/minute cost as buying the $100 refill.

How are you calculating that? The card is "free", you are just saving on the phone. Essentially, you get 130 free minutes that are good for 90 days. With Cashback, you save 35% on the phone but that doesn't change the cost per minute for bundled card.

If you are looking at it as getting phone free, you can only get 2 phones every six months. Suppose you bought 2 of the cheapest phone. You would pay 2 X $20 - 35% = $26 for 260 minutes or 10¢/minute and the minutes would expire in 90 days (150 days if you wait 60 days to activate the second card). A $100 refill at CallingMart.com costs $93 (less with a coupon) or 9.3¢/minute and the minutes are good for one year.

Bottom line, the wheeling and dealing outlined by the OP only makes sense if you have a very short usage horizon and don't have the cash for an initial $100 refill.

 

[soccerballtux]

K trying to buy 2 of them and it's not letting me. Says unable to process order, please go to store to buy.
Deal sucks, grr was getting excited about free new phone
My guess- their system doesn't know how to do it?

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: Athena

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
After cashback rebate this is just about the same dollar/minute cost as buying the $100 refill.

How are you calculating that? The card is "free", you are just saving on the phone. Essentially, you get 130 free minutes that are good for 90 days. With Cashback, you save 35% on the phone but that doesn't change the cost per minute for bundled card.

If you are looking at it as getting phone free, you can only get 2 phones every six months. Suppose you bought 2 of the cheapest phone. You would pay 2 X $20 - 35% = $26 for 260 minutes or 10¢/minute and the minutes would expire in 90 days (150 days if you wait 60 days to activate the second card). A $100 refill at CallingMart.com costs $93 (less with a coupon) or 9.3¢/minute and the minutes are good for one year.

Bottom line, the wheeling and dealing outlined by the OP only makes sense if you have a very short usage horizon and don't have the cash for an initial $100 refill.

You add them one card at a time, they're good 3 months from activating the card. I get 15% extra minutes because I already buy $100 packages of minutes from T-mobile prepaid.

 

[Athena]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
You add them one card at a time, they're good 3 months from activating the card. I get 15% extra minutes because I already buy $100 packages of minutes from T-mobile prepaid.

1. You can't buy more than 2 every six months
2. You must activate a refill card within 60 days of purchase
3. If you have already gone gold you can activate the two cards at once but you get fewer minutes than if you did a $50 card.

 

[soccerballtux]

Ok, still getting 2 free phones out of it, I'll activate both cards at once because you said yourself in the other thread that once you do the $100 thing all other minute activations are good for a year.
Seems like you're just arguing for the sake of arguing here, 2 phones free, for the price of the minutes I would be paying for anyways, is definitely better than saving $7 on 1000 minutes.

 

[mikeford]

If you add $25 cards one at a time you get 130 minutes per $25, two cards at once gets you I think 400 minutes per $50.

 

[kaborka]

The $25 card is now only on the 1208. Also AFAIK, you get Gold at any refill of $100, even by combining multiple cards. Correct me if I'm wrong.