So, you want to buy a cell phone without purchasing a plan to go with it. Maybe you're in the middle of a plan and you want a better phone, or perhaps you threw yours out the window of a moving vehicle. These things happen. Regardless of the reason, you need or want a phone and don't want a two-year contract to go along with it.
It's going to be expensive, comparatively speaking, but it is possible to buy a cell phone without buying a plan. I would suggest that you first check with your wireless company and confirm that your warranty doesn't cover whatever happened to your old cell phone. Also, a lot of companies have free upgrades, or at least rebates, after a certain amount of time spent with them. If those tactics are fruitless, consider the following methods of getting a phone without the plan.
- Figure out what kind of phone you want. If you want a phone with no allegiance to a cellular company, you need to get a phone that is "unlocked." This means there is no SIM card (Subscriber Identification Module) in the phone that is associated with a particular company. It's a free agent, allowed to go on any compatible network. The company you choose will "lock" your previously "unlocked" phone by putting their software in the mobile phone. You don't need an unlocked phone, but it allows you flexibility in choosing companies at the start.
- Check your present wireless company's website or store. All the major phone companies will sell you phones without having you purchase a plan. Of course the bad news is that they cost about three times the regular amount. That being said, if you purchase a phone through a particular company, you can be assured that the phone works with their network.
When you go into a store and see the price tag, the price with a plan is typically the big bold number. Under that, in small print, will be the price of the phone with no attached plan....
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Author: Harry McCaul