I hope this is not a really dumb question, but no one I’ve asked seems to have an answer.
For several years, I’ve used T-Mobile pre-paid service. Since I carry the phone for security and convenience and seldom use it, this suits my needs just fine for about $8 a month. But lately I’ve gotten a yearning for a smaller phone with maybe a few bells and whistles.
I’ve seen phones I might like on ebay at much less than T-Mobile sells them, but it seems like T-Mobile is giving me the runaround when I check to see if these phones would work with my existing service. I’m been told that, no, I have to buy the phone only from them. Or that I need to buy a certain phone for pre-paid service. Or that any T-Mobile phone will work with pre-paid. Or that I need to start new service if I get a new phone. Or don’t I want to sign up for a new contract?
Ideally, I’d like to buy a new/used phone in the $75-$100 range and have it work with T-Mobile pre-paid and keep my existing number and my accrued minutes. How can this be done?
All you need to do is buy an unlocked phone (or one that’s locked to T-Mobile), take it into your nearest T-Mobile phone center, and have them activate the phone. You’ll probably have to swap SIM cards. I’m planning to do this with my Rogers service when I get a Razr to replace my v551. (Not that there’s anything wrong with the v551, but the Razr is just so damn sexy)
Hell, if it’s already on T-Mobile and your current phone runs on a SIM card (most do), then it’s super easy. Charge the battery on your new eBay phone. Then pop out the battery on your old phone, and then remove your SIM card (you may have to slide back a bracket holding it in place). Then pop out the new phone’s battery and install the SIM card. Put the battery back in the new phone - and turn on. All should be well.
Note: I’ve never done this on T-Mobile, only on Cingular - but I bought my phone off of eBay and I had no trouble.
Tess if it would help, I bought three phones just like this off Ebay last summer. Just change the SIMM card. The seller usually tells you which networks the phone will work with. I’ve had no problems since.
Just a note to say that mobile phones are one of the top items on which people are being scammed right now on eBay; make sure your seller has lots of feedback and make sure that the positive feedback he has recently received is for sales of items similar to the ones you want to buy (and that the feedback was left by ebay members in good standing, i.e. not appearing to be shills created by the seller for the express purpose of creating his feedback).
Unlocking your phone is fairly easy, but a bit dangerous (you only get three chances to get it right) and after that it is easy as pie to switch SIMs. I buy a new SIM when traveling overseas for local phone service.
Tess of the Derbyville, I have done exactly what you are asking about.
I am also on the T-Mobile prepaid plan. I hated the original phone that I bought (it would switch off when I opened it to answer calls!). I bought a $100 phone from Ebay, swapped the SIM card out of my old phone and everything worked just fine. You will not have to get anything activated.
You do need to make sure it is a GSM capable phone that is either unlocked or compatible with T-Mobile. You should find plenty of auctions that mention this explicitly.
This phone worked great, and I liked it a lot, so my Ebay buying experience was good. Of course, I recently put this phone through the washing machine so now I’m back to another phone I picked up at a T-Mobile counter (my old SIM card still works in this phone, despite the washing).
they may be sexy, but they are damned fragile… mrAru worked CS for verizon and mentioned that they are very prone to breaking - the case is not sturdy at all. If you are the type that wants to just stuff it in a pocket or hang it in a belt thingy, prepare to replace it. Just the normal banging around or a single drop from 3 feet/1 meter is enough to thrash it.
Before buying off eBay, you might want to call T-Mobile and see if your current phone is upgradable. This depends on your length of service, and I’m not sure exactly how it would work with pay as you go, but my SO just got a RAZR from T-Mobile for $50. It is a damn sexy phone, and I love the way it connects to the comuter with a regular old USB cable. My V300 needs a specific ‘data’ cable (sold separately) and as my luck has it, I bought a cable, it worked twice and gave up the ghost. Don’t buy cheap data cables from eBay, they’re not worth it.
For what it’s worth the original Motorola cables and cradles aren’t so hot either; my cradle needs some serious jiggling before it’ll make a proper connection, and it flatly refuses to pass through the charger current.
I’m pretty careful with my hardware. I constantly carry around my cell and a PDA, both in leather cases (hard cases transmit way too much impact inertia to the fragile contents within; leather absorbs most of the impact) and I’m pretty careful with how I use them. I tend to pay enough for the stuff I buy that I want it to last as long as it possibly can – both in the event that I use it 'til it dies or I get something better and want to preserve the original’s resale value.
