Unlocked iPhones?

Forrest3 · ‎03-11-2010

For the past few years I've been dealing with Tracfones and generally have been happy. Having said that my latest LG just died. So I am considering getting an IPhone, however I can't stand the idea of paying $70+ a month with a contract. Does anyone out there have an unlocked phone and how does it work after you buy it? Do you have to get a SIM card from ,let's say Verizon and pay a monthly fee?

Forrest

glb613 · ‎03-09-2010

@Forrest3 wrote:
For the past few years I've been dealing with Tracfones and generally have been happy. Having said that my latest LG just died. So I am considering getting an IPhone, however I can't stand the idea of paying $70+ a month with a contract. Does anyone out there have an unlocked phone and how does it work after you buy it? Do you have to get a SIM card from ,let's say Verizon and pay a monthly fee?
Forrest

Part of the monthly fee is the price of the phone. iPhones run around $600 and higher. Cellular companies so longer give phones away for free. So, you can pay for it outright and have a lower monthly cost or have the price of the phone bundled.

Nuttmeg · ‎03-09-2010

@glb613 wrote:
@Forrest3 wrote:
For the past few years I've been dealing with Tracfones and generally have been happy. Having said that my latest LG just died. So I am considering getting an IPhone, however I can't stand the idea of paying $70+ a month with a contract. Does anyone out there have an unlocked phone and how does it work after you buy it? Do you have to get a SIM card from ,let's say Verizon and pay a monthly fee?
Forrest
Part of the monthly fee is the price of the phone. iPhones run around $600 and higher. Cellular companies so longer give phones away for free. So, you can pay for it outright and have a lower monthly cost or have the price of the phone bundled.

Apple has a new iPhone on the market the SE. You should got to Verizon site and take a look.

willdob3 · ‎11-01-2010

I use an unlocked iPhone with Straight Talk no-contract unlimited service for $45 a month. Works great.

With Straight Talk, you purchase a starter kit & it has the sim cards in it. I bought one & took it to the Apple Store the day I bought my iPhone & they set it up for me.

My first iPhone what purchased through AT&T & I had a contract. I broke the contract to try no-contract plans & set them up easily. You just need the right sim card installed.

I used a couple different no-contract plans before Straight Talk. ST suits my needs well.

mima · ‎03-14-2010

I also use Straight Talk and love it. I am currently using an unlocked Samsung Galaxy Note 3. I want to upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy 7S, but they don't sell unlocked versions unless it is an international model, but the international models do not have a Samsung warranty in the US. I don't know what to do really.

With Straight Talk $45 you get unlimited talk, text and you get 5 Gb data. For $55 you get unlimited talk, text and 10 GB data. That is a steal compared to ATT prices.

The drawback with ST is that you have to buy your phone outright, but the monthly charges are great for what you get.

Moonchilde · ‎05-23-2010

Assuming you're going to buy a current model iPhone, they truly are unlocked. But I learned the hard way that my 5S, despite Apple's claims of it being "unlocked", which you *assume* means able to be used on any carrier, is not.

I purchased the 5S when it was newly released, from the Apple store, and said I planned to use it with ATT. I reiterated at the time, But I can later switch to any carrier, right? and I was assured yes, I could.

Paid for the phone up front from Apple. Took it to ATT and they put an ATT sim card in. I had a PAYG plan for 2GB of data (it might be 3 GB now) that was $60, no tax.

I subsequently moved to an area where only Verizon has good tower coverage. Went to a Verizon store to exchange sims, only to be told that Apple mislead people. Yes the phone was "unlocked" but with the 5 and 5S models, the hardware involving the useage of the sim was different between ATT and Verizon, so my 5S was useless on Verizon. They started the universal compatibility with the iPhone 6.

So, I bought a new phone (this was an unexpected financial blow, so I partially paid/partially financed with Verizon). The PAYG price I pay is within $5 of what I paid with ATT including the phone payment.

So - yes you can buy a phone outright and go with any carrier, but only with phones 6 or 6S, not with a 5 or 5S. I don't know about the new 5E, but I assume it's universal - but for sure you should ask.

Life without Mexican food is no life at all

Nuttmeg · ‎03-09-2010

@mima wrote:
I also use Straight Talk and love it. I am currently using an unlocked Samsung Galaxy Note 3. I want to upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy 7S, but they don't sell unlocked versions unless it is an international model, but the international models do not have a Samsung warranty in the US. I don't know what to do really.

With Straight Talk $45 you get unlimited talk, text and you get 5 Gb data. For $55 you get unlimited talk, text and 10 GB data. That is a steal compared to ATT prices.

The drawback with ST is that you have to buy your phone outright, but the monthly charges are great for what you get.

AT&T will have a promo on this phone. Check the site everyday.

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

Last year my wife bought a Samsung S 5, not Unlocked, however. She has it through Sprint with no contract. She pays $35 a month for: Unlimited Text/Unlimited Talk and 1(maybe 2)Gb Data. She has yet to use over 175mb of Data so has no need for the higher priced Data Plan.

Like myself, she had Tracfone for years. Then came the addicting(for her anyways)Texting. Tracfone no longer worked for her Texting addiction. Now I am all by my lonesome with Tracfone. Texting? I don't even want to get started on that ¶^©¢¿π.

hckynut(john)