An unlocked cell phone means that it can be used with any carrier. It does not have to have a contract; however, it can have a phone line on it. (any phone line, not just at&t, Verizon, & sprint)
An unlocked phone can accept the SIM card from any cell phone provider. If you have an ATT SIM card, you can use it in an unlocked phone. A locked phone is created by the provider to force the use of its service; an unlocked phone can take any SIM card.
If you have been looking to purchase a new cell phone, then you might have been turned off by all the contracts that most companies want you to sign up for. Alternatively, maybe you have been denied service from the cell phone companies because you have bad credit. In either case, you don’t need to worry about going without a cell phone. You can still purchase no contract cell phones and enjoy all the same benefits of phone service that everyone else does. Let’s take a look at some of the ways you might be able to accomplish this. 1. Unlocked Phone One way to avoid signing a contract with a cell phone carrier is to buy an unlocked phone. The downside of this method is that you will usually need to pay more for the phone than if you buy it through a cell phone carrier. If a cell phone costs $200 unlocked, then you might be able to get it for free if you sign a contract. The cell phone company expects to make its money back over the course of the one or two year contract. Once you have your unlocked cell phone, you will have the right to choose any cell phone company you want without the limitations of a contract. You will be able to cancel at anytime and sign up with a competitor if they offer a better deal or provide a better service. 2. Pre-Paid Cell Phones The other option for getting no contract cell phones is to purchase a pre-paid cell phone. With these phones, you simply pay for the minutes you think you will need ahead of time. When you begin to run out of minutes, you simply use your credit card to buy some more or you can usually even purchase more minutes with cash in a store. When you run out of minutes, your service will simply stop working. When you want to cancel your service, you can just stop purchasing minutes. Overall, no contract cell phones can be a great way to get cell phone service without being committed to an inflexible contract. Although you may have to pay a bit more, you will never be locked in.
Any cell phone that is unlocked requires a SIM card to work. If you own a Sidekick cell phone that is unlocked you are able to use a carrier other than T-Mobile. For this reason, it will require a SIM card to work.
If you are in the market for a new cell phone, then you have probably felt a bit overwhelmed. There are many different considerations to make when you are thinking about this purchase. You will want to consider which brand of phone that you want. You will need to decide upon a carrier. You will also need to decide whether you want to go with a prepaid plan or a contract with your cell phone service. Even if you opt to sign a contract, then you will need to decide which cell phone plan you would like. With all these options, it is no wonder that people loathe the idea of buying a new cell phone or changing carriers. There is one particular option that can make your life much easier: purchasing an unlocked cell phone. There are many benefits to purchasing an unlocked cell phone. Let’s take a look at a few of them. The first major benefit is that you don’t need to worry about whether a particular service provider offers the particular phone that you want. Sometimes only one carrier offers a particular phone, but you don’t want to use that carrier’s service. In this case, you can simply buy an unlocked phone and then pick whichever cellular service provider that you want. The second major benefit to buying an unlocked phone is that you won’t be forced to sign a lengthy contract. Most cell phone companies will try to give you an incentive to purchase a cell phone at a cheaper price in exchange for signing an exclusive contract to use their service for a year or two. While this may sound like a great deal at first, it can often be more expensive in the long run. If you ever happen to decide that you would rather switch to a new carrier, then you will be forced to pay several hundred dollars in order to break the contract. The only downside to purchasing an unlocked cell phone is that it can cost a bit more than purchasing a subsidized cell phone through a cell phone company. However, you may find that the extra flexibility it provides you is well worth the extra cost.
There is a good guide on what you need to know here www.wisegeek.com/what-are-unlocked-cell-phones.htm
You do not need a contract with a Net10 phone. It is a pay as you go cell phone service. Most of the time all you have to do is buy a service card. . .
An unlocked cell phone is the kind that you need to purchase. This means that it will be compatible with any telephone provider and gives you more flexibility.
No it wont you need to get the Verizon cell phone unlocked for the T-mobile chip to work. Look on the Internet as to how to do this.
retail price but there are always phone stores that sell them for a decent price, or onlineI would not pay retail and buy a pre-owned phone to get you through your contract.You should be looking for an unlocked cell phone. With an unlocked phone, you can use the phone with any sim card in the world. A great site for unlocked phones is http://www.bigtimewireless.com
form_title= No Contract Cell Phones form_header= Don't waste money with a contract. What type of cell phone do you need?*= _ [50] What will you use the cell phone for most?*= () Texting () Data () Calling Do you want a data package?*= () Yes () No Do you want a texting package?*= () Yes () No
Here's a Verizon phone with no contract: http://www.buy.com/specialty_store_6/verizon-cell-phones-with-no-contracts/67266.html . You'll need to buy service separately,
you can have an iPhone unlocked provided it is not subject to a contract. You will need an unlocking code from the network if it was on a contract. it is best to have the phone unreleased by the network then you can upgrade the operating systems without problems when updates are available.