# Ig'nunt question about cell phones **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignunt-question-about-cell-phones/572819 "2011-02-27T18:04:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignunt-question-about-cell-phones/572819/1 "2011-02-27T18:04:27Z")
I went and finally done did it–lost my cell phone. Can I bring any old phone into Verizon and have them activate it or do I have to buy one from them or how does this work anyhow? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignunt-question-about-cell-phones/572819/2 "2011-02-27T18:36:41Z")
> [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](#): > > I went and finally done did it–lost my cell phone. Can I bring any old phone into Verizon and have them activate it or do I have to buy one from them or how does this work anyhow? Thanks. If you have an old phone laying about, they should be able to re-activate it. 18 months ago, I had to euthanize an annoying phone (LG Dare), and Verizon turned my old Chocolate back on. Funny thing about the Verizon insurance, I euthanized the Dare because it was a total piece of crap. Everyone at Verizon seemed to think getting me another Dare as a replacement probably was not a good idea, but the insurance required it. I managed to not euthanize the replacement, knowing it would be futile put me off the idea. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignunt-question-about-cell-phones/572819/3 "2011-02-27T20:28:18Z")
Thanks. Heyoka. Had an upgrade coming so got a new phone. Moderator, please be so kind as to close this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignunt-question-about-cell-phones/572819/4 "2011-02-27T20:52:58Z")
> [@Heyoka13](#): > > If you have an old phone laying about, they should be able to re-activate it. …as long as it’s a CDMA phone. And maybe a Verizon phone (I’m not sure whether they’d activate a non-Verizon CDMA phone).