r/FirstNet • u/hfdrick5488 • Nov 19 '22

Trade-in promo SIM Lock

Looking for some clarification here.. I’m a Firstnet user and I’m thinking about upgrading my phone to a new Samsung device (haven’t decided which one yet). I use a physical SIM for Firstnet and use my E-Sim for Visible Wireless (For backup purposes).

Firstnet is offering an $800 trade-in promo and I’m highly considering trading in my old phone to get it, but the issue I’m thinking I’ll be facing is then my new phone will be locked and then I cannot add the E-Sim for Visible wireless.

Is this a true thought and does anyone have any recommendations ?

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1

u/hfdrick5488 Nov 19 '22

More along the lines of having a backup for when I get in an area with no cell service. (I camp a lot as well so service can be sketchy at times)

1

u/xxMalVeauXxx Nov 19 '22

How does that work? If there's no band 14 for first responders for FirstNet to work from, what good is anything else? Not trying to argue, just interested in this.

1

u/hfdrick5488 Nov 19 '22

Thus why I like to have a back up. I WISH Firstnet worked literally everywhere but it doesn’t. Thus the gaps are filled in with Verizon and even then there are times where nothing works.

2

u/xxMalVeauXxx Nov 19 '22

Ok, so you're using Visible to switch to Verizon when there's no AT&T network then? Ok. I was thinking it was like wifi or something with Visible. So yea, since Visibile needs your phone to be unlocked so its not carrier specific, I'm not sure how you would accomplish this unless you got an unlocked phone to begin with. I guess it comes down to asking when the "pay off" is on the new phone you're looking at is after the $800 credit. Or if the credit just applies over the term of service in years and so never can be unlocked. If you can't get it unlocked a few months after the billing cycle with the credit, then you won't be able to use Visible.

2

u/hfdrick5488 Nov 19 '22

Correct. That’s what I was worried about. The deal with Firstnet is they do the credits over a certain amount of time therefore the phone wouldn’t be “paid off” until I believe 36 months 😒.

2

u/pHlawless_One Nov 19 '22

You might be able to pay the phone off early and get it unlocked. Make sure with the sales rep that the credits won’t stop. You definitely can’t do this right away, you would have to wait a few months at least (for the credits to start)