Hello there, I'm from Indonesia. This summer holiday (Jun-Jul mid) I'll have a trip to the US for the first time and beside that I want to buy a new smart phone.
1. I'm 15 yo and I won't occupied by my parents when in the trip, but I'm given a additional visa credit card by my parent which is issued in my country. Question is, can I use that CC to buy the phone without any additional info needed or what do i need to have/give any additional info/sth like that?
2. What retail stores are recommended there? The price, the service, the easiness for me? As I know there are so many retail stores in US. I'll be in major cities though, like LA, LV, Boston, NYC
3. Any recommended Android phone to buy? Actually I'm aiming for the SGS2 but looks like it won't have come to US when I'm there.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Flyer888 said:
Hello there, I'm from Indonesia. This summer holiday (Jun-Jul mid) I'll have a trip to the US for the first time and beside that I want to buy a new smart phone.
1. I'm 15 yo and I won't occupied by my parents when in the trip, but I'm given a additional visa credit card by my parent which is issued in my country. Question is, can I use that CC to buy the phone without any additional info needed or what do i need to have/give any additional info/sth like that?
2. What retail stores are recommended there? The price, the service, the easiness for me? As I know there are so many retail stores in US. I'll be in major cities though, like LA, LV, Boston, NYC
3. Any recommended Android phone to buy? Actually I'm aiming for the SGS2 but looks like it won't have come to US when I'm there.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
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Here are some quick thoughts. In the USA, it is often cheaper to buy over the web. They will want to ship to the billing address of the cc to prevent fraud. This will prevent you from using your credit card with most mail order vendors. Is the CC in your parents name or yours? If it is in your name, you should have no problem buying at a retail store as long as you have your passport for identification. Will you be staying with relatives? Could they run the purchase through their CC (reimburse in cash via ATM)?
Most of the carriers in the USA use a different technology than the rest of the world. You need a GSM phone. AT&T and T-Mobile both use GSM but use different frequencies for voice and data than most/all of Asia. So you are looking for a quad band phone that supports the frequency used in Indonesia. 2100? If you bought a prepaid T-mobile phone they would unlock it after 60 days and $10 in your account. (Or pay someone on ebay for the unlock code $10) T-mobile has some good prices but they only have a few prepaid android phones. LG Optimus T/Optimus One ($120) and the Samsung Galaxy S ($350) https://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/prepaid.aspx
You can also buy an unlocked phone that has been imported into the USA. If you buy a quad band phone, you could use it in the usa and in Indonesia. One of the major problems is that the vendors are almost all mail-order firms. If you are dealing with family, you could have them order it before you arrived so that you could have it right away. The Samsung Galaxy S2 looks like it is available via mail order for around $700-$800 USD with NO Warranty.
Explore3 said:
Here are some quick thoughts. In the USA, it is often cheaper to buy over the web. They will want to ship to the billing address of the cc to prevent fraud. This will prevent you from using your credit card with most mail order vendors. Is the CC in your parents name or yours? If it is in your name, you should have no problem buying at a retail store as long as you have your passport for identification. Will you be staying with relatives? Could they run the purchase through their CC (reimburse in cash via ATM)?
Most of the carriers in the USA use a different technology than the rest of the world. You need a GSM phone. AT&T and T-Mobile both use GSM but use different frequencies for voice and data than most/all of Asia. So you are looking for a quad band phone that supports the frequency used in Indonesia. 2100? If you bought a prepaid T-mobile phone they would unlock it after 60 days and $10 in your account. (Or pay someone on ebay for the unlock code $10) T-mobile has some good prices but they only have a few prepaid android phones. LG Optimus T/Optimus One ($120) and the Samsung Galaxy S ($350)
You can also buy an unlocked phone that has been imported into the USA. If you buy a quad band phone, you could use it in the usa and in Indonesia. One of the major problems is that the vendors are almost all mail-order firms. If you are dealing with family, you could have them order it before you arrived so that you could have it right away. The Samsung Galaxy S2 looks like it is available via mail order for around $700-$800 USD with NO Warranty.
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Unfortunately I don't have any relative there. The cc is in my name, so no problem right?
Because of that I'm looking for concrete stores maybe such as BestBuy, Walmart or anything else but I don't know which one of them gives me the best one?
Oh, so altough I buy in stores like I said before, instead of in the carrier's itself store am I still forced to buy the "post-paid system?"
As I know they're able to give it away off-contract but with higher price and locked, right?
I think most of the new smartphones are using quad band so that's not a problem... Because I have a friend here using a Captivate and it is fully functional after he unlocked it to be able to use the SIM cards issued here.
Thanks.
Flyer888 said:
I think most of the new smartphones are using quad band so that's not a problem... Because I have a friend here using a Captivate and it is fully functional after he unlocked it to be able to use the SIM cards issued here.
Thanks.
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I will agree that most of the new smartphones sold outside the USA are quadband. Probably most smartphones sold by T-mobile and AT&T or are unlocked will be quadband and most likely support 3g frequency in your country. If the phone is associated with ANY other carrier, 90% of the time it will not support GSM.
PS I never bought from them but if you are in Chicago you could check out http://welectronics.com/gsm/Samsung/SAMSUNG_I9100-GALAXY-S-II-16GB.HTML In NYC - http://www.jr.com/category/office/cellular-phones/n/4294528936-4294605649/sort-by-salePrice-1/ One of the few places that you might be able to haggle on the price (Source: web posting).
Hi. I know it is illegal to unlock phones in the United States now but it isn't in countries like India. I am planning to go to India soon so can I buy, lets say for example, a Samsung Galaxy S4 from Amazon for $200 with a AT&T contract and receive it at home and not activate the phone and then when I go to India and unlock it over there and then just use it as a phone to make calls over wifi? When you buy a phone online with a 2 year agreement attatched to it, do you have to fill out the contract details and everything while ordering it online or do you do that when activating the phone?
I posted a while ago in a thread I can't remember that I had talked with Verizon online and they told me that the free gear s2 was the 3g model. Yesterday I went into a Verizon store to play with the s7e and asked the rep the same question. He said it was the Bluetooth only model. Either way they both said that it comes directly from Samsung with no requirement to add it to my account which if it was the 3g model then it would cost $5/mo for data. I'm just going to flip it. Thanks for the $300 off big red!
When i pre-ordered my s7e they required the $5/month activation with $175 cancellation to acquire the watch. I have a hard time thinking the its just the bluetooth version due to my required fee but we will see. I figure its easier to not activate it and sell private party and eat the extra $5/month. ($5/24 = $120, cheaper than the $175 to cancel)
Edit: I looked over my receipt and see that its the $300 version gear s2, meaning that it is the Bluetooth model. Once I receive it, I will go into store, play dumb and cancel it saying that i thought i needed it for the watch.
Well jeez, I wish they would be consistent. I'm going to call them soon and get another opinion.
Edit: just got off the phone with them. Its the 3g model ($299 is the contract price). And It will cost $5/mo even if I never use it or give it away so I'm going with the vr headset. I have a moto 360 and don't consider the s2 an upgrade, and so I'm not willing to pay anything let alone $120 for it.
3 reps with three different stories. Really frustrated.
itsjusttim said:
When i pre-ordered my s7e they required the $5/month activation with $175 cancellation to acquire the watch. I have a hard time thinking the its just the bluetooth version due to my required fee but we will see. I figure its easier to not activate it and sell private party and eat the extra $5/month. ($5/24 = $120, cheaper than the $175 to cancel)
Edit: I looked over my receipt and see that its the $300 version gear s2, meaning that it is the Bluetooth model. Once I receive it, I will go into store, play dumb and cancel it saying that i thought i needed it for the watch.
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You guys are confusing me. I thought you need the phone first so that you can register it with your imei number? Then you pick either the Gear VR or the S2 and it ships from Samsung in 4 to 6 weeks (basically confirming that you still have the phone after the return period).
You guys are buying the watch directly from Verizon; not getting it free from Samsung! The S2 even shows up in Samsungs rules section 4. It's a Verizon S2 promo but through Samsung.
3/4 the page will go live. You have to give the receipt, Mac Address, and ECID/IMEI. Then you can pick which part of Verizon promo you want. This is a Verizon promo which is run through Samsung. You will get the 3G model, and there is no contract required for it(Just like with all promos if a contract is required it will say it in the promotion rules).
Thank you for confirming Tidbits! But even if the page goes live on 3/4 us Verizon users are basically stuck in a holding pattern until we receive the phone right? We won't have access to the MAC or IMEI until we have the phones in hand next week (unless Verizon delivers before 3/11).
Correct.
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Correct you need the phone for the Mac Address. Also the reason why you wait 4 weeks is to lock you in so you can't refund. 30 days(California). Just food for thought.
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Tidbits said:
3/4 the page will go live. You have to give the receipt, Mac Address, and ECID/IMEI. Then you can pick which part of Verizon promo you want. This is a Verizon promo which is run through Samsung. You will get the 3G model, and there is no contract required for it(Just like with all promos if a contract is required it will say it in the promotion rules).
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Where in the promotion rules does it say that it's the 3g model? I can't find it. I just don't know which rep to believe, I'll probably call again when I have the phone in hand. Thanks for your opinion though.
Do you think Verizon would not give you the 3G model when they can probably convince at least 1/3 of them to get a plan for it? Samsung is selling both models for the same price right now. you know how Verizon loves money.
As if you look at the promotional details when Verizon advertises it. It says retails for $349.99 which Verizon sells the 3G model for that much. They sell the bluetooth model for $299.99
http://www.verizonwireless.com/landingpages/samsung/?tab=why-verizon
Galaxy S7 and S7 edge requires a new device payment activation. *Gear VR MSRP is $100, 6-game bundle is estimated at $50 value, Gear S2 MSRP is $349.99. Free Gear VR or S2 takes 4-6 wks to deliver. Visit SamsungPromotions.com/VerizonOffer to redeem the free offer.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/connected-devices/samsung-gear-s2/
Yeah, at this point I'm hoping Samsung gives out more information on the 4th. Even if I get a VZW rep to corroborate your opinion, I'm going to have a hard time believing them when three reps have said three different things already. Hopefully Samsung has the details.
just look at the pricing.
Retail value 349.99. There is only one Gear S2 that cost that much and that's the 3G version which I listed. If the retail value was $299.99 then it would be the bluetooth model.
I already got my free s2...bad news is when I called in to pre-order they messed up. They weren't supposed to discount one, I was supposed to wait. But they did and I got a free s2 with 3g from verizon. I can still get the offer from samsung as well.
---------- Post added at 07:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:24 AM ----------
Verizon has both versions of the s2 listed fur $299.99 on their website.
The 3G version $299.99 price is with Contract. Without which is retail $349.99
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Ah well anyway, I got mine free. Just need to decide if I want another or a vr lol
---------- Post added at 07:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:35 AM ----------
Still sucks that verizon is waiting until the 11th to ship the phones out though
Naemion said:
Ah well anyway, I got mine free. Just need to decide if I want another or a vr lol
---------- Post added at 07:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:35 AM ----------
Still sucks that verizon is waiting until the 11th to ship the phones out though
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The number of gifts are limited and you already received a gift. The moral and ethical choice would be to inform Verizon of their mistake or not claim a gift.
Verizon already know that the reps messed up but caught if early enough that they didn't lose to much.
squallz506 said:
Well jeez, I wish they would be consistent. I'm going to call them soon and get another opinion.
Edit: just got off the phone with them. Its the 3g model ($299 is the contract price). And It will cost $5/mo even if I never use it or give it away so I'm going with the vr headset. I have a moto 360 and don't consider the s2 an upgrade, and so I'm not willing to pay anything let alone $120 for it.
3 reps with three different stories. Really frustrated.
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I ordered mine over the phone and with my emailed receipt it shows that my free watch will be coming with my phone on 3/11. I will screenshot the receipt.
cdmoore74 said:
You guys are confusing me. I thought you need the phone first so that you can register it with your imei number? Then you pick either the Gear VR or the S2 and it ships from Samsung in 4 to 6 weeks (basically confirming that you still have the phone after the return period).
You guys are buying the watch directly from Verizon; not getting it free from Samsung! The S2 even shows up in Samsungs rules section 4. It's a Verizon S2 promo but through Samsung.
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It is the 3g model which is $300 with contract and $350 without. I called to check my order and they confirmed for me.
Tidbits said:
Correct you need the phone for the Mac Address. Also the reason why you wait 4 weeks is to lock you in so you can't refund. 30 days(California). Just food for thought.
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Maybe to get the watch from Samsung sure, but Verizon is shipping mine to me on 3/11, with my s7e
You sure it's the watch and not a "voucher" to get a watch. T-Mobile receipt has some that appears like you are getting the gear but as you can see in all those unboxing videos none of them have gotten their gears.
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Tidbits said:
You sure it's the watch and not a "voucher" to get a watch. T-Mobile receipt has some that appears like you are getting the gear but as you can see in all those unboxing videos none of them have gotten their gears.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
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On my order it along side my s7e which logically means i should be receiving them at the same time (3/11), I guess i just have to wait to see. only 10 more days. I do remember the person on the phone saying that both items will be shipped at the same time, but we all know how reps are.
Got my s7 today on Sprint and I seen Samsung's running a promotion if you sign up for Samsung pay they give you a voucher for a free wieless charger. But when I go to download the app that tells me in the App Store that my device is not compatible anybody have any info on this?
I think the Samsung Pay app is pre-loaded on the phone. I think there was an update through the Play Store recently to support gift cards though.
I have the Verizon version and I have the same problem. Pay is not preloaded on the phone and when I go to the Store to get it, it tells me that Samsung Pay is compatible with my S6 but not the S7. WTF Samsung? I am hoping that this is just because the Play Store hasn't caught up with the release of the phone. I was worried that it was just Verizon being Verizon again.
Don't bother with the free charger promo. Even though the promo was supposed to be good through 3-10-2016, the app is reporting that they have "sold out" of the wireless charging pads and to check back soon for other promotions. I can also confirm that the Samsung pay app is pre loaded onto the AT&T S7, but I think I read somewhere that Verizon is only supporting Android Pay at this time and not Samsung pay. Maybe I am wrong about that?
Samsung pay is live in Google play now for Verizon phones.
38 new banks and credit unions are now supported
How is the situation in Germany?I have not seen any information about samsung pay in Germany.
Hey guys,
I see a lot of people asking here where to get the devices. I guess is usefull we share here where and how we got our S8/S8+. This thread can help a lot to answer doubts and save some money.
Canada Bell says the earliest will be April 18th, and I was told mine was first s8+ pre-order in the city.
Clover UK. Importing it to the US to use on cricket wireless. Been using the exynos variant of Samsung phones since the s6
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shopDOTsamsungDOTcom
samsung.nl
I canceled my order from t-mobile and ordered from samsung directly., mainly because they'll ship out the VR together with the s8+.
Price is Dubai is 2799 for S8 & 3099 for S8 plus
Pre orders from 1st to 14th
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OhE4F0tqX0
Oh haiiii another thread with the same video! When did XDA become a spam haven?
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I will get from Clove.co.uk. The best price till now.
Clover UK as well, will be using in canada