How To Buy a Cell Phone Without Purchasing a Plan

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.

1. 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.
2. 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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3. Scope the internet. Amazon.com and Ebay.com have a plethora of unlocked phones up for auction and for sale. "Unlocked" once again means that the phone is unaffiliated with any phone company. These phones will cost you a good amount of money, too, but seem to be a bit cheaper than what's offered in stores.

   Trademyphone.com is another great place for unlocked phones. They have pictures and a list of features for each of them, too. For a brand new phone, plan to spend something roughly in the low $200's. You could also check out your local Craigslist.org ads; you can find phones that are cheaper than anywhere else, but you also run the risk of buying a stolen phone or a phone that doesn't work properly. "Buyer beware" if you go this route, but it is the least expensive.

   Search on Google or Yahoo for "unlocked phones." You may feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of sites to explore, but you might be able to find a nice deal in there somewhere.

4. Lastly, there is always the pre-pay option. These phones usually are affordable and come with no plan. You simply buy minutes from a service provider as you need them. Such phones function normally and enjoy all the capabilities of other phones. The minutes will cost you, but there is no contract and the phones are reasonable.

Never forget, it's not going to be cheap. The phone companies want you to use their services so they offer you deep discounts on phones. No one offers deeply discounted phones by themselves. Good luck!