# I bought an unlocked phone... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2018, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751 "2018-01-29T18:51:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SigMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751/1 "2018-01-29T18:51:53Z")
and it’s GSM compatible. Very nice phone, a Wuawei Honor 6X for $180 and loaded to the gills. Ok I took my SIM card out of my Galaxy on5 and put it in my new phone. I can go online and my calls goes straight to voice mail. I cannot make or receive calls. I have a Walmart Family Mobile account which is Tmobile. I found out that I have to get a “Bring Your Own Phone” SIM kit so I went to Walmart to get one and they want $55 for the kit. I took out my phone and got on Walmart dot com and they have the same kit for 99 cents. Yep, 99 cents and I showed it to the clerk who just shrugged and refused to price match. Ok, I went home and ordered it and the shipping was $6.50. Jeez, for a flat piece of card? When I received it and installed it I went to MyFamilyMobile dot com where my account is and activated it. After a while MFM dot com sent a text message saying welcome and I’m in. I saved $54 from my local Walmart. Walmart dot com told me that the stores have their own prices and will not price match other Walmart stores including dot com. All I had to do was wait a week for the shipment. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751/2 "2018-01-29T19:54:31Z")
> [@SigMan](#): > > … > I took out my phone and got on Walmart dot com and they have the same kit for 99 cents. > > Yep, 99 cents and I showed it to the clerk who just shrugged and refused to price match. > … > I saved $54 from my local Walmart. Walmart dot com told me that the stores have their own prices and will not price match other Walmart stores including dot com. > > All I had to do was wait a week for the shipment. That’s their policy. And it really frosts my cookies whenever a clerk says they won’t match the price of their own website. I take great pleasure in placing the online order from a competitor right there in the store. They want to have their cake and eat it too–they want to use their brand name on the website and store “we are one” but then say “never knew those guys” when you ask them to match their own prices. The same thing happens at Barnes & Noble. I cut them slack because physical book stores really are drying up, but if a book costs $50 in the store and $20 in their online website, that crossed over the line. That was exactly what happened to me a couple of years back, so I went home and ordered the books online…from Amazon. There is a camera store I go to in Pennsylvania that brings up the NY stores websites on their computer right in front of you and always matches their prices. That’s customer service. I keep going back for more. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751/3 "2018-01-29T21:08:47Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > There is a camera store I go to in Pennsylvania that brings up the NY stores websites on their computer right in front of you and always matches their prices. That’s customer service. I keep going back for more. NYC&V on Street Rd? Great OP user name / thread combo, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751/4 "2018-01-29T23:43:34Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > NYC&V on Street Rd? Never been there, good place? I’m talking about Allen’s Camera in Levittown. It’s a brief hop over the river from the Trenton area. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751/5 "2018-01-30T00:34:24Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > Never been there, good place? > I’m talking about Allen’s Camera in Levittown. It’s a brief hop over the river from the Trenton area. Yup, my goto for local stuff. US1-S to R onto PA132-W & it’s on the right 4-5 miles down. [Website](https://www.nycv.com/). I’ll need to check Allen’s out. Is it good? [hijack]We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.[/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751/6 "2018-01-30T00:58:40Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Yup, my goto for local stuff. US1-S to R onto PA132-W & it’s on the right 4-5 miles down. [Website](https://www.nycv.com/). I’ll need to check Allen’s out. Is it good? > > [hijack]We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.[/hijack] I apologize _profusely_ to **SigMan** for the hijack…but I gotta answer the question. [hijack] From the looks of things, they are similar shops with lots of good used equipment and great folks. On Google Maps they are just over 10 miles apart, which is surprising–two great shops so close. [Allen’s camera](http://allenscamera.com/about-us.html). [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![SigMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751/7 "2018-01-30T02:03:39Z")
Quite alright guys. When friends gather to talk we can’t stay on one subject. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751/8 "2018-01-30T03:47:31Z")
> [@SigMan](#): > > and it’s GSM compatible. Very nice phone, a Wuawei Honor 6X for $180 and loaded to the gills. > > Ok I took my SIM card out of my Galaxy on5 and put it in my new phone. I can go online and my calls goes straight to voice mail. I cannot make or receive calls. > > I have a Walmart Family Mobile account which is Tmobile. I found out that I have to get a “Bring Your Own Phone” SIM kit so I went to Walmart to get one and they want $55 for the kit. > > I took out my phone and got on Walmart dot com and they have the same kit for 99 cents. > > Yep, 99 cents and I showed it to the clerk who just shrugged and refused to price match. > > Ok, I went home and ordered it and the shipping was $6.50. Jeez, for a flat piece of card? > > When I received it and installed it I went to MyFamilyMobile dot com where my account is and activated it. After a while MFM dot com sent a text message saying welcome and I’m in. > > I saved $54 from my local Walmart. Walmart dot com told me that the stores have their own prices and will not price match other Walmart stores including dot com. > > All I had to do was wait a week for the shipment. I don’t know if it was available for your sim card (probably not, if it was only a buck), but Wal-Mart has free shipping to a store on many items. It still takes about three days, but shipping is free if you go pick it up. I’ve taken advantage of it a few times, since I do my grocery shopping there anyway. And actually, yeah, not Wal-Mart, but I bought a sim card online for Simple Mobile for $1 and had it sent to a local Best Buy, and shipping was free for that. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751/9 "2018-01-30T04:29:38Z")
Off the topic of matching prices to their website, but on the topic of the thread title, unlocked phones. I’m going to Europe later in the year. My phone provider doesn’t support any overseas service, also I don’t want to take my pretty expensive new Samsung phone over there to get lost or stolen, so I was considering buying an unlocked phone and buying a sim card over there (this is one of the ways Rick Steves recommends). I want it mainly for the maps/gps and possible transit help, and also for a camera for snapshots. $180 is a bit high for something I’m only going to use for 3 weeks, anyone have a suggestion for a decent but economical unlocked smart phone? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751/10 "2018-01-30T07:22:28Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > $180 is a bit high for something I’m only going to use for 3 weeks, anyone have a suggestion for a decent but economical unlocked smart phone? I’m interested also. I have Verizon, and getting a GSM phone before we go to Europe for a few weeks is in our plans. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751/11 "2018-01-30T13:45:45Z")
If someone wouldn’t mind backing up a bit for the slow kids, I just read the GSM page on Wikipedia and it seems like it’s some sort of phone communication standard that looks pretty standard by now. Or maybe in Europe but not here? Does one typically need to specify? ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751/12 "2018-01-30T16:40:39Z")
GSM is a global standard, also used in the US by all carriers except for Verizon, Sprint and US Cellular. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751/13 "2018-01-30T16:51:33Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > GSM is a global standard, also used in the US by all carriers except for Verizon, Sprint and US Cellular. And the practical difference is that GSM phones use SIM cards that can be swapped into a phone by the user, making it easy to hop onto a new network. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751/14 "2018-01-30T17:06:56Z")
Ah thanks; maybe that’s why my Verizon phone doesn’t have a removable SIM. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-an-unlocked-phone/807751/15 "2018-01-30T17:08:03Z")
Well I guess they don’t make it. I have an old Droid Maxx. But this is all good to know in case I want to travel.