Paid Off Phone

I have a iPhone 13 that is fully paid off. I confirmed with an agent the phone was paid off in January. I requested that the line attached to the phone be canceled along with my watch around April. I have a iPhone 14 Pro Max and recently I had an hardship and now my account is on hold until I pay the balance, which I fully plan on doing. My issue is if my last bill only mentions my 14 why is it now that my iPhone 13 can not be unlocked? 
 

I checked the eligibility requirements but there are some issues that I am having with them. One being I was never told when I paid the phone off it would be unlocked but if I continued to use it on the T-Mobile service it would be automatically relocked (per a customer service rep). Two being it say "The device must have been active on the T-Mobile network for at least 40 days on the requesting line". Are you saying I must start service on that device in order for you all to unlock it? If that's a yes my issues is that's like charging a fee to unlock the device basically. Three being it say "If the device is associated with a canceled account, then the account balance must be zero". My issue is if the phone is paid off and no line is associated with the phone why is it now being held hostage by you all? 

I really wouldn’t mind if you all wasn’t preventing me from being able to get a job because I can not use the phone that is full paid off and not attached to a line in order to get in contact with jobs to pay you all back.