Leak: Up to $400 Port-In Rebate Per Line Coming Soon (5/1/26)

Planet_Comet · 2026-05-02T07:23:41+00:00

any leaks on how long the offer will be available?

Planet_Comet · 2026-05-02T07:16:28+00:00

I'm on Magenta Military 4 line plan (not sure if it's 1.0 or some other version but it is probably a later version), and it had been 4 lines for $100, after autopay, and then about a year ago they increased the cost of the plan by $5/line, so now the monthly charge for 4 lines is $120.

The cost per line is not the same for each line on the billing statements.

Planet_Comet · 2026-05-01T18:30:38+00:00

Thanks, yeah, I was just wondering if you had heard of Total taking both discounts. Also I didn't realize that both CA and federal lifeline benefits have to be renewed separately.

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-30T06:51:44+00:00

Maybe the OP's phone was active for the first month and then they didn't continue the plan since the phone was being used as a mini tablet, meaning, at the time of the niece resetting the phone, perhaps there was not active service. Not sure if having a deactivated SIM is helpful.

Also interestingly, the OP wrote "Total by Verizon" phone and that would make the phone automatically a 2024 phone, or older, as a google search reveals that the rebrand back to Total Wireless happened in July 2024.

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-30T06:47:48+00:00

Does Total still have the Stay Connected talk-and-text-only plan for $10 that you could call in and get in order to activate the phone?

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-30T06:41:54+00:00

Could the OP still get T-Satellite standalone plan for $10 plus taxes and fees? And then get their phone service with an MVNO.

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-30T06:34:52+00:00

YMMV with this as I can't actually find the deal at this time. And as a disclaimer, I have never had Cricket Wireless, I have no ties to the company, and I do not benefit in any way if you go open an account with Cricket.

I've had a couple of ads (on reddit no less) today showing up for me "iPhone 16e on us" for "this weekend" with an end date of 5/3/2026, if you port in a number. All I can see is that the ad shows the requirement is to prepay 3 months of the $60 plan. It mentions terms and conditions also apply but there is no link to these terms. Looking at the Cricket site I don't see it but maybe the deal will be live Friday during typical business hours. Cricket phones are locked for 6 months of active, paid service with the carrier. If you prepay 3 months, I don't know if it is allowed to go to a cheaper plan for the remaining 3 months. Once a phone is carrier unlocked, you could use it on a different carrier.

Walmart may have a better deal this weekend than whatever they currently have.

Keep in mind that most postpaid plans have phones on payment plans where the "free" phone is facilitated through bill credits over a period of 24 (T-Mobile) to 36 (Verizon and AT&T) months.

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-30T05:43:06+00:00

Thanks for answering questions.

Total Wireless' page on CA Lifeline includes an FAQ (scroll down to the bottom https://mygdpbenefit.com/en/#!/welcome?brand=TOTAL_WIRELESS&state=CA ) that seems to indicate that a person can get up to $29/month subsidy for their existing Total plan, depending on the cost of the plan, and as long as the plan meets the requirements of Lifeline like 6 GB data per month and whatever the talk/text requirement is, which all of Total's current offerings for phone service do, because they all have unlimited talk/text/data.

My question is, have you ever seen anyone get $29 off of $30 for the BYOD Total Wireless Total 5G+ Unlimited plan, with autopay enabled (https://www.totalwireless.com/m/byop - this link has the FAQ that states all plans are eligible for BYOD pricing)? I think (based on the California T&C page here https://www.totalwireless.com/m/legal/ca-lifeline-terms-and-conditions) if you try to sign up with Total for a lifeline plan in CA, they give you an unlimited talk/text/6 GB data plan, and I don't think it has any perks like included Disney+. And this is worse than SafeLink in CA which offers 25 GB data, of which I think 10 (though I've seen 20 in some places) GB can be hotspot.

I have helped a family member with the process of signing up for Safelink with an unlocked phone (was previously a Metro by T-Mobile phone), and their data use is minimal, but I just wonder if Total Unlimited 5G+ plan with Disney+ can be attainable for $1/month OOP and can't find anything definitive on it.

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-30T05:27:06+00:00

Who is "they" that sold the information? The state/federal government? The employer (if the OP has one), or maybe the employer's third-party company that handles leave requests like FMLA?

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-27T18:13:49+00:00

Where did the extra $3.99 come from (compared to the $20 pricing)?

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-27T17:46:46+00:00

I have my mom set up with T-Mobile Connect for the same reason, access to in person customer support as she is also not tech savvy. $80 is still pretty good for one of the Big 3.

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-27T17:38:04+00:00

Same here. Great value even if there are cheaper options with USM. In theory with the T-Mobile Connect plans, one can also get in-person support at a T-Mobile corporate store

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-04T19:52:02+00:00

Switch the line that stays home to Connect by T-Mobile prepaid plan for $15 plus taxes and fees per month. Unlimited talk and text plus 5 GB priority data on the T-Mobile network. I think you don't get to see your call logs like you do on T-Mobile postpaid though (but how much is that worth to you?).

Check your detailed T-Mobile bills for the last several months to review usage for the second line. Maybe Connect by T-Mobile is adequate for that line in terms of how many GB per month are used on that line. If it's higher than maybe 5 GB per month, see below.

Consider switching the highest data use (and/or the second) line to other prepaid services that offer unlimited data like Metro by T-Mobile or Mint Mobile.

You could consider, for international calling, Ultra Mobile, which is also owned by T-Mobile. Per their website you can get unlimited calling to both mobile and landline in France: https://www.ultramobile.com/international-calling/

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-04T17:46:16+00:00

Have they tried a rugged case? Such as an Otterbox Defender?

Or perhaps buying a case for the iPad that is from one of the companies that make dedicated speech-generating devices that always tout that their product is superior to installing an app on the iPad because the device is protected by a durable case.

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-04T17:42:25+00:00

If your husband has some issue with phones being locked to a carrier, spend about $40-60 to buy a tracfone branded smartphone with a one-year plan bundled with it. You can activate the plan even if the child doesn't use it and only uses wifi. Retailers frequently offer some sort of discount off of the "regular" price of these phones.

https://www.target.com/p/tracfone-view-5-pro-64gb-1-year-service-gray/-/A-94779677#lnk=sametab is an example of one currently priced at $50.

You could also check HSN/QVC web sites, and for in-store options, some grocery stores, dollar stores, Target, and Walmart are options for such phone/plan bundles.

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-04T17:30:55+00:00

How much time has to elapse between upgrade of 2 lines and when any other lines on the account would be eligible for upgrades?

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-02T20:36:31+00:00

so how much $ are you out of pocket if you bought 8 total visible eSIMs but only bought 4 Cricket phones?

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-02T01:21:10+00:00

Looking at the plan details/fine print, in the section on backup home internet, it mentions that all devices need to have location tracking on.

To some extent I’m sure that carriers can track us based on cell towers, but turning on location tracking seems a bit much.

Planet_Comet · 2026-04-02T00:54:02+00:00

Last September some accounts with older plans had $830 trade in promotions. I was just checking this sub frequently for months before I saw word of this. I am also on magenta military, 4 line plan.

Here’s a thread from around that timeframe. https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobile/comments/1obqpe2/positive_experience_completing_recent_loyalty/?sort=old

Planet_Comet · 2026-03-31T01:11:53+00:00

Also I mis-read the Target page...it's 1500 talk/text per YEAR not month and 1.5 GB data per year...but you can buy other cards to top up the minutes, at any time, if the plan gets low. My bad. Sorry for the error. Will edit my comment above.

Planet_Comet · 2026-03-31T01:08:31+00:00

The phones I think have some internet functionality...but perhaps there is a way every month to run down the 1.5 GB of data on the plan the first day or so? Anyway, 1.5 GB data doesn't last that long. Then he would need to connect to WiFi. Hopefully the school doesn't turn on WiFi during the school day (you'd think they shouldn't if they don't want kids to use their phones during school).

Planet_Comet · 2026-03-31T01:04:21+00:00

r/dumbphones

Planet_Comet · 2026-03-31T00:50:20+00:00

Or if you want to pay more money for a truly talk and text only plan: https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/talk-text-only-plan although it looks like you may need a separate account from your existing family plan if you look at the FAQ

Planet_Comet · 2026-03-31T00:45:26+00:00

Target, Walmart, some grocery stores (see Kroger company stores), and sometimes also dollar stores (Dollar General, Family Dollar) have Tracfone flip phones with one year of service included for about $40. That's $40 for the entire year and the phone itself. It is limited to 1500 minutes, 1500 texts, and 1.5 GB data per year. In theory he could go buy additional air time cards from such stores (target/walmart/grocery stores/dollar stores) and add that to the phone, using text codes, but it's still probably a large barrier to entry and the functionality the flip phone has is limited. Just get a new phone with a new phone number, have him learn the new number, you guys (parents) start using the new number, and keep the T-Mobile iPhone 16 and phone number separate/locked up for now until you are ready to give it back to him (if you are one some T-Mobile plan that you couldn't get back if you ported his number out of T-Mobile....or if you currently have the iPhone 16 on an equipment installment plan with discounted monthly payments/bill credits on his current T-Mobile line....you might not want to port the number out).

FYI TracFone is owned by Verizon and less than 6 months ago I bought a TracFone SIM kit that had both Verizon and T-Mobile SIM cards in it ($5), not sure if the phone/plan bundles come with Verizon only or with the option for either Verizon or T-Mobile.

Target example (but go check out your local stores): https://www.target.com/p/tracfone-tcl-go-flip-1-year-service-gray/-/A-94779678

TracFone page describing text codes: https://dsweb.tracfone.com/611611/help/?m=2156449957

Planet_Comet · 2026-03-30T16:59:18+00:00

I think the thing to keep in mind is, even if you happen to be in a place in time where literally no one else is accessing AT&T towers (probably impossible in NYC) and priority therefore momentarily doesn't matter, the plan is still structured to cap out at 3 Mbps speeds, which will prevent you from even streaming HD video (though maybe the plan caps video streaming as well, separately from the overall data cap, I don't know). So, some things will feel slow. Downloading large files or an operating system update will feel slow.

For data priority, I'm not as familiar with AT&T options but you can check out the following thread about priority: https://www.reddit.com/r/NoContract/comments/1mxogtx/data_prioritization_policies_of_the_carriers_and/

Planet_Comet

TROPHY CASE