My stepdaughter’s cell phone is crapping out. I guess this happens, but the thing is barely a year old.
Now I want to get her a new phone. Except all prices seem to be extremely high if you don’t get a phone in conjunction with an account renewal.
So is there a way to get a reasonably priced phone (<$100) without renewal?
PS I plan on renewing when my current contract expires or a better plan is offered; I find it unreasonable to renew just to get a phone.
Sure. Virgin Wireless sold me a phone as a stopgap measure when my company phone died. The phone was on sale for $79 USD, and the talk time is: 25 cents a minute for the first four minutes each day (ouch, I know) plus ten cents a minute thereafter – no annual plan, pay-as-you-go. Aha, I just checked and they have a phone as low as $49:
Verizon Wireless has similarly-cheap phones – they are even sold in drugstores and convenience stores, almost as throways. The key is to look for the prepaid wireless plan (you charge it up either with a credit card or with phone cards you can buy at the store).
Okay, got lazy with the hyperlink and it screwed up. Here is the proper Virgin Mobile link.
Thanks but I must not have stated my complaint clearly. My stepdaughter is in my family plan which will not expire until 3/07. I don’t want to renew yet but I want to replace her phone (and still keep it in plan). And not pay $200 for it.
I don’t think you are going to have much luck. Phones in the US are heavily subsidised by the carriers to make the initial cost of getting service low.
How about you buy a used GSM phone, then use it with a plan from a GSM carrier?
Why the hell should they cost so much? I can buy a MP3 player that’s more sophisticated than a cell phone for ~$100. It can’t be supply and demand - I’ve never heard fo a shortage of phones - nor have I ever been told that a particular phone was unavailable (when I was shopping for a phone contract).
Ultilately I might have to renew early but the concept galls me.
Sheesh - ultimately! :smack:
This may sound like a silly question, but have you looked for one on eBay?
No you can’t buy an mp3 player that is more sophisticated than a cell phone for $100. A phone has everything that a $100 mp3 player has. Plus it also has a radio transmitted and a radio receiver.
I believe you should be able to get an uber cheap used phone that can then be setup with your service - you just need to make sure that it came from the same service that you are using ,as they aren’t interchangeable. I bet if you mentioned the service someone here would be willing to send you their old phone for the cost of postage…
Check with your service provider for a used phone that they can set up on your account. We did this when my daughter lost her cell phone (twice!) and she ended up with a really nice used phone for not too much money.
Be careful if you get one from EBay. We tried that and ended up with a phone we couldn’t use, despite thier advertising to the contrary. We weren’t out much money, but I guess you get what you pay for.
Have you called your carrier and told them your problem? I have a co-worker that just had the same problem with Cingular and they sent her a new (bottom of the line) phone for free. I’ve also found that with my carrier, Sprint, after a bit of time they’ll give you a discount on a new phone, it might be worth checking out.
I second this suggestion. It is what I did when I couldn’t stand my T-Mobile Prepaid phone anymore. Make sure it isn’t blocked to a specific network and you can get a new phone for a pretty reasonable price.
If it is less than a year old, it may still be covered under the manufacturer’s warranty. Verizon, Cingular and T-Mobile are pretty good about replacing phones that are still under warranty for no cost (or plan extension). Just bring it in to your nearest store and see what they have to say.
And what is your cell phone provider?
I’ve purchased a cell phone twice off ebay. The first time, the phone was reported stolen so AT&T wouldn’t start service on it. Luckily, the seller was nice enough to give me a full refund. He said he had no idea how it could have been stolen merchandise.
The second time, I emailed the seller for the serial number, called T-Mobile to make sure I could activate the phone up to my account, and then I was able to purchase it for really cheap with no problems switching it to my account.
So moral of the story is: Check the serial number and call in advance.
They’ll give you up to 150 bucks towards the purchase of a new phone, provided you’ve had continuous service for the preceeding 18 months. But they also require you to extend your contract.