yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] LoliSmith:
I had a wonderful experience with Target. They let me keep not only the $100 gift card for the trade in (which they had to) but also the $200 gift card for adding a new line. I returned the Note 7 for a full refund.

Those who didn't and exchanged for the replacement notes did even better - they kept the gift cards and freebies from the first Note 7, then got a second round of freebies for the replacement Note 7. Then returned that and got an S7E and got more freebies and a $100 bill credit from Verizon.

Best.Deal.Ever
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] oneandroidnut:
Anywhere you can buy from without tax?
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] 954wrecker:
Probably not if the state you live charges tax. When the unlocked one is released B&H doesn't charge tax outside its state.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] BarryH_GEG:
I was one of the first to receive a pre-order Note7 from AT&T. I was the one the first to exchange it during recall round 1. I was one of the first to get a S7e when Samsung threw in the towel. I was on the Note7 forum for a long time before and after all that. What I shared was capsulized from what I read there. I'm glad you had a good experience but there were plenty of people who bought through Target who had ended up disputing the charge on their credit card after getting stonewalled in-store only to have Target challenge the dispute. In most cases it worked out but what about all the time, hassle, and strife people went through? Chains like Walmart and Target are luck of the draw with

very

different experiences based on city and region. I'm in Southern Louisiana and I'd buy nothing more complicated than lettuce or toilet paper from either of them because if the before-sale experience is awful I can only imagine what after-sale would look like.

I'm buying a UK S8+ this time but if I were buying a carrier version the Note7 experience taught me the value of dealing with a company to whom I'm not a one-time sale (EG: Best Buy, Target, Walmart) vs. a carrier to who I pay $2K a year. From the Note7 debacle I got a 128GB storage card, Gear VR, $100 bill credit, $100 in waived Next payments, a S7e outright for the Next pay-off ($385) of my returned Note5, and a Gear S3 for $49. Not everyone had my experience with AT&T just like others didn't have yours at Target. But I can say without question Note7 owners dealing with a carrier vs. third party resellers (especially Samsung.com) faired far better. Where third parties rigorously enforce returns, exchanges, and service policies (and some even have their own separate ET clauses) carriers apply some subjectivity because of your overall worth to them.

It would be hard to imagine a repeat of the Note7 debacle so the above is admittedly extreme. But where you buy your phone still matters. ;)
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] FluxionFluff:
I heard about that debacle, but I didn't have a Note 7, so this didn't affect me at all. I was wondering though, for those who were affected, are they getting any discounts for an upcoming device? I heard that this was the case in South Korea, but I'm quite unsure about elsewhere as I honestly didn't look too much into it because I never owned a Note 7 myself.

If you buy it secondhand, like from Swappa, which is where I bought my S6. However, you will have to pay whatever amount the person wants for the device. Depending on the person, you might be able to negotiate, but don't bet on paying much less than what they're listing the device for.

Now, that's if you buy it from another person. If you buy it from a 3rd party reseller (not an individual person, but a company), you might have to pay tax, depending on where they're located and if you're located in the same location, or are on a list of states they charge sales tax in.

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Updated the list with all carrier information and specific offers that I'm aware of, at the moment.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] eyc:
Awesome thread. Thanks OP.

General question about the VZW promos that one of you may know:

This morning, I upgraded all devices on my family plan to the Unlimited Data Plan (3 phones and 3 tablets). But, later this evening, I learned about the S8 pre-order/upgrade/trade-in promo, where you can trade in an old phone for 50% off the S8, provided that you upgrade to UDP.

Will Verizon allow me to make use of this promo, even though I already upgraded to UDP earlier today? I'd like to trade in one mobile device (Galaxy S6) and get the 50% discount on the Galaxy S8.

Or will they fight me on this and tell me that I have to pre-order at the time of the upgrade?
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] FluxionFluff:
Thanks! :D I thought having everything consolidated would be helpful and nice to have it all in a single place.

Hm, as to your question, from what I can tell while I was doing research earlier, you shouldn't have an issue. As you already have the unlimited plan, you can simply jump to the step where you can trade in an eligible phone. Apparently, you can also trade in a phone after checking out too.

With the phone you trade in, it HAS to already be fully paid off and in good working condition. With the credits, they'll appear on your bill over 24 months and will start start within 1-2 cycles. They'll stop once either the phone's paid off OR the line is cancelled/transferred to an illegible plan.

I do wonder what would happen if you were to pay off the phone before 24 months ends, if you still have those credits... Because how I interpreted what I read from Verizon's site about the deal, they go poof, if you pay off the device beforehand.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] eyc:
Dumb question, but what does it mean when Samsung says "while supplies last"? Since you don't get the VR set immediately upon purchase, isn't it feasible that supplies run out before you redeem the offer? That couldn't possibly be the case, right?

Usually, when someone says "while supplies last," it means that the promo will terminate early if supplies run out. But, here, Samsung can't know if supplies run out until people start trying to redeem, after their purchase. So, can people be caught in the middle and not get anything even if they purchased while supplies were still in stock?
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] fcb1:
The fine print also says it's at the company who is doing the promotions discretion to instead give you 120$ credit if they run out
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] LoliSmith:
I have had tremendously good customer service with Best Buy and terrible customer service with Verizon corporate stores. Either way, after the 2 week return period is up, I deal with the manufacturer directly for warranty claims. I have back up phones so it is not a problem for me to send my phone off.

AT&T customer service is definitely worse than Verizon, I switched to Verizon from AT&T and noticed the difference right away.

---------- Post added at 03:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:14 AM ----------

I have never had a problem with Best Buy or Target. If I get the S8, I am pre-ordering it from Walmart for $150 off. With tax and upgrade fee it will come to $635 + freebies. Not sure if I will get it or not because for sure I am getting the Note 8. My Note 5 is getting long in the tooth and its battery is really showing its age.

I do have a Pixel that I haven't used yet, I guess I could use that and forego the S8. I am trying to control myself when it comes to buying phones but it is so hard to do when they are so shiny and pretty and new, lol!
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] BarryH_GEG:
Nope. Samsung's U.S. SVP said "they'd make it up to us" when the Note7 first got cancelled but nothing's been done outside the similar promos offered during the Note7's launch. Lots of market surveys were done about the damage to the Samsung brand over the Note7 and how customer loyalty was affected. For the most part the results were positive. I'm sure that played a hand in what Samsung decided about doing recompense wise for former Note7 owners. They could still do something on the backend like a free accessory or Samsung.com credit. They know who we are.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] FluxionFluff:
Like fb1 said, you'll get a credit if they run out before you can redeem it. I have no idea how many of these Gear VRs they even plan on giving out, so the sooner you get your device, the sooner you can redeem it, and you'll be more likely to receive it.

Considering it's gonna take a few weeks anyway to confirm and get the free gift, they could always make more in the meantime. That, and I assume they're basing their estimates on how many people pre-ordered the S7 and then adding some additional stock from there. There's no way to know the exact number of Gear VRs they put to the side, unless you actually work for Samsung. Even if you did, that information would be on the DL anyway...

Good to know fcb1! Will add that to the front, so people are aware of that lil note.

Ouch. :/ That sucks. Hope they do something about it. Maybe something for the upcoming Note 8 launch this fall, as I assume that people who had the Note 7, would want another Note, rather than an S phone. Who knows. It's all speculation until they actually do something.

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Feel free to let me know if I missed any offers, typos, clarify things I'm certain about. Will update the list as needed.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] knx2:
Anyone have experience with Samsclub? Will they let me do the payment option through Verizon or do I need to pay the full cost upfront?
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] FluxionFluff:
If it's anything like Costco, you have to do a payment plan, at least in-store when one of my friends asked them about buying phones outright. Could the same for online, but not sure.

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Speaking of which, can someone clarify Costco's pre-order situation with the S8 & S8+? I do have a membership, so I can go there later this week, if no one is sure. Based on their site, seems like you can only pre-order for Verizon in the warehouse. No pre-order info for any other the other 3 big US carriers.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] knx2:
Sounds good to me because Verizon racks up the charges with activation fees. Ill cancel them and stick with Samsclub for $180 in savings.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] FluxionFluff:
Ask them to be sure (or if someone else can clarify), as I only have experience with Costco. But, I don't see why Sam's Club would be different than Costco as they're both membership-based stores.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] eyc:
On a somewhat related note, the Costco near me was offering a few additional freebies with a pre-order, namely, a Level U Pro Headset and TYLT Power Essentials pack. The consensus is that these are pretty junky items. The headset is $39 on Amazon (with decent reviews) and the Tylt power pack is about $25. Someone also mentioned that Coscto will begin to offer in-store gift cards soon, like Sam's.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] i3uu:
I have a question:

I am on my brothers account and he mentioned he does not want any of us to do the monthly device payment option so the bill is clean and not a couple hundred a month. He told me to buy the phone outright and then add it to my account; however the pre-order bonuses seem to be a lot better for those who do device payments. I have the money to buy the phone up front but I'm not sure how I could do this to my benefit.

I would like to:

1) Pre-order the galaxy s8 on verizon

2) Trade in my galaxy s6 for ~$360 credit

3) Get the pre-order bonuses of Sams club (or anyone who can do better)

4) Pay off the full price of the phone either on the day of or within the first month of receiving the device.

So ultimately I would like to get the $720 price ($30/month) to $360 ($15/month) plus the $150 cash card, no activation fee, and gear VR+controller bundle. (Sams club promotion)

Does anyone with more knowledge on this think this is possible?
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] eyc:
I asked a Verizon rep if I could just pay for the S8 outright, and he said "no, you have to be on a device payment plan in order to get the promotional discount on your trade-in." Doesn't make any sense to me -- wouldn't it benefit Verizon to have the money up front?
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] FluxionFluff:
I knew about those items, but I just have no idea if you can pre-order in store, if you're on the other 3 big US carriers. I actually was able to go to Costco today and... he said that they're ONLY doing pre-orders with Verizon.

The other 3 carriers will have to wait until launch to purchase the phone, which the inventory each store will get could vary. All 3 options should be online though. Also, with the gift cards, that's only gonna happen after launch. You're not getting one with pre-order. So... it's sounding more likely that I'm gonna keep my current pre-order at Best Buy. :/

Haven't gotten a phone from Costco since my S3, so I can't comment on the quality of the items in there (items back then were alright, nothing amazing), minus the battery pack and headphones.

You would think, but I guess they wanna keep you paying as long as possible? I've heard that you can go on the payment plan, then pay it off the next month or so. But, not sure how that affects the promotional discount for trade-ins, though.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] fcb1:
So I dug it up again, it's actually 129$ reward e-certificate. And it it says no more than 350,000 bundle gifts and no more than 50,000 box gifts. It on the promotion website when you press terms and conditions. And it takes 6-8 weeks to receive apparently. Lastly, if they run out, they can either increase the amount of gifts they're giving out, or just give the 129$, but it's at their discretion.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] FluxionFluff:
Okie dokes, I'll update the notes with the pre-order promos. Thanks! :D

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List Updates~

Clarified number of promos that Samsung plans on giving out for pre-orders.

Added info with Costco, which if you saw my reply to eyc... you can't even pre-order there UNLESS you're on Verizon. -___- Also added info I found out when I went there, which with gift cards, you're outta luck UNTIL launch and no promises your carrier will do them.

Added an updated note with Sam's Club.

As always, let me know of any typos, updates, changes that need to be made! :) Wanna make sure that the list is as accurate as possible. Thanks to everyone who's helped out thus far. It's greatly appreciated!
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] JoshDuganPA:
That is what I was trying to do as well. I don't understand why I can't just give them my money and walk away with the phone.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] FluxionFluff:
I do wonder if you can go on the payment plan, THEN pay the rest off later with trade-in. That could technically work, I think. But, guess it's not, as they want the most money possible. That's my best guess anyway, at least with relating to the trade-in deal.

I have noticed a trend with deals with carriers and retailers alike as I've been researching all the places you can pre-order the S8 & S8+, is that if you want to save money on your device, you HAVE to go on a payment plan. Otherwise, you pay full retail price. I'm just not sure what happens with the promos if you start on a payment plan, then pay it off fully at a later date.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] JoshDuganPA:
I just don't like payment plans. I'm able to pay you the full amount- please let me pay you so I don't rack up interest or whatever. I don't get why that's not a thing.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] FluxionFluff:
Hm, I thought there wasn't interest with the payment plans. Haven't heard of it with the 4 main carriers in the US, but if I'm mistaken, let me know. I definitely know there's NO interest with AT&T since I'm most familiar with them. Could be different elsewhere, but thought in other parts of the world, you have to buy it upfront.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] JoshDuganPA:
I was just assuming there's interest. Otherwise, there would be no reason not to allow an upfront payment.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] FluxionFluff:
I see your point, but as all the carriers have moved away from the traditional 2-year contracts, they have to have some sort of incentive to entice customers to upgrade. Not everyone has the cash on-hand to throw $600+ for a phone in a single go, so the payment plans allow more people to get the latest and greatest, without breaking the bank.

It's WAYYY easier to convince someone to pay for a $600+ phone over the course of 18-30 months (depending on carrier), compared to asking them to pay for the device in full. It's in the carriers' best interest to have the payment plans. It's more business for them and at the end of the day, it's all about the money flow~
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] eyc:
True, but money today is always better than money tomorrow (from Verizon's perspective). Assuming there is no interest on financing the phone, then Verizon can either have $720 today or $720 twenty-four months down the line. By taking money today, they (1) avoid the risk that the customer becomes insolvent (and the cost of collection efforts); and (2) can use the money up-front to invest back into the business or other money-producing venture (or even just building interest). As to this latter point, if 25% of people bought the S8 outright, Verizon would have millions of dollars to invest into something else that would make them money.

So, why not entice customers with comfortable 24-month financing, but allow people to buy outright if they want to. My guess is that, once you buy outright, you have a greater sense of mobility and feel that you aren't tied down to Verizon, potentially meaning that you would switch carriers. That said, my understanding is that you have to lock into a 2-year contract in order to get these deals, so my point doesn't really make sense.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] suzook:
I just preordered on best buy, VZW service. I noticed it's a discount on monthly payment. If I want to pay the balance after a month, do I lose the credit? Or it's the discounted price??
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] LoliSmith:
The Sam's Club deal is only for carrier financed DPP.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] FluxionFluff:
That's my thought too. If you're in a payment plan, you're less likely to switch carriers. When you pay upfront, whether is from the carrier itself, retailer, or buying it secondhand from someone else, you have that flexibility to switch carriers whenever you want. If I recall, the Google Pixel phones were only sold at Verizon (if you wanted to go the carrier route), but you could buy one upfront, then use it on one of the other carriers.

It's the discounted price, since the $50 (S8) or $100 (S8+) gets divided between 24 months. You wouldn't get any additional discounts after you pay it off, because, well, it's paid off. That's at least how I thought the offer worked. I'd ask them, just to be sure.

Good to know! I'll update the Sam's club section. Thanks! Do you happen to know if the Sam's Club gift card works at Walmart as well (heard of this being the case, but wasn't sure)?

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List Updates~

Updated Sam's Club, that you can only do payment plans.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] LoliSmith:
No, Verizon doesn't make any money off of selling these phones, the manufacturers do. Verizon makes money off of cellular service. Many people who don't have $800 to plunk down on a phone do have the ability to pay $30/mo for a financed phone. And they stay with Verizon because if they were to leave and had to pay off their DPPs in full, they would have to plunk down a large chunk of cash.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] diosjeremy:
How log does it take for a carrier like tmobile unlock your phone?
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] FluxionFluff:
It shouldn't take long at all. I unlocked my S3 before I sold it. With AT&T, there's a page (here) where you can put in your info in, then after you submit it, you get a code to put into your phone (gives you the step by step) and wha-la! Took less than 10 minutes, and oh, didn't cost a thing to do.

T-Mobile has to have something similar to that, my best guess anyway, since I dunno if you can unlock devices in store. I think I tried to do that AT&T, and they told me to do it online. Otherwise, if you can't do it online, then you have to contact customer service.
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] LoliSmith:
Walmart rep said it is a $150 gift card. How is that saving $150? The only way it would be saving $150 is if they let you apply it as a downpayment.

Has anyone gotten a different answer from Walmart?
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] FluxionFluff:
That's weird... O.o Yeah, that's definitely not saving money. Just a bonus to preorder there. This is exactly why I was unsure if Walmart was offering a gift card or not, because all it says in the ad is that you can save $150 when pre-ordering the S8 or S8+ on Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint with an installment plan. I assume it's like Best Buy's offer, but I have no clue. :/

Below is a screenshot of the banner ad on Walmart's site:
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] FluxionFluff:
List Updates:

I still have some things that I'm uncertain about, so if anyone can clarify them, that would be awesome~ :D

Walmart:

Is the $150 savings a gift card or a discount? Based on what LoliSmith heard from a Walmart rep, it's a gift card, BUT that's not what the ad says, so... uh... WTF? (see my post above for the banner ad pic)

Target:

For their $100 gift card, you do HAVE to buy the phone on a payment plan OR can you get the phone outright?

Sam's Club:

With the $150 gift card, I heard you can use it at Walmart too, but is that true or is it ONLY at Sam's Club?

Has anyone had luck pre-ordering in-store or is it online ONLY as I saw on the form?

T-Mobile:

If you pre-order in-store, do you still have to purchase the SIM starter kit?

What about those that already have a nano SIM in their current phone?

US Cellular:

Can you buy the phone outright if you're a current customer? Was a lil confused when I looked on their site...

For Pre-paid carriers, not including MetroPCS (Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile USA, Cricket):

Can you still get the Gear VR deal at launch with these companies, or is this only available for the carriers that you can do pre-orders for?
[Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions and Answers] oneandroidnut:
well i ended up ordering from Samsung!!! Hurry 4/20!