T-Mobile did not hand over the cash immediately. Buyers had to pay the active monthly financed cost for both phones on their bill for roughly 6 to 8 weeks before the rebate arrived.
While heavily marketed as getting a "free" phone, consumer watchdogs and mobile communities like Reddit's T-Mobile Community pointed out several financial realities of the promotion: t mobile buy one get one s8
Existing users would add a new line, buy the two devices, wait 8 weeks to get the $750 prepaid card, and then cancel the newly added line. They would then pay off the device balance with the card and sell the second Go to product viewer dialog for this item. to make a pure profit. T-Mobile did not hand over the cash immediately
Buyers discovered they could combine T-Mobile's corporate BOGO with external retailer gift card promos (such as activations done at big-box stores like Target), pulling in hundreds of extra dollars in secondary rebates. They would then pay off the device balance
The lines had to be activated on a premium unlimited high-speed data tier, such as the T-Mobile ONE Plan or Simple Choice Unlimited.
If a customer cancelled their phone plan or lines before receiving the card or completing the installment timeline, the remaining balance on both devices became due in full immediately. 🛠 Strategic Exploits by Consumers