Online Cell Phones

[furtaker]

If you purchase a phone online from eBay, Amazon, or wherever, can you just take it to the Verizon store and have them program it with your number and walk out?

I'm in need of a new phone and if you get one at the Verizon store they won't let you pay for it outright. You have to make payments on it for 36 months and they add it to your bill. I'm not going to be tied up with that bunch for three years over a $8 or $10 dollar payment on a cheap cell phone. They try to tie you down any way they can.

The last one I bought I just paid the full amount for it at the store and was done.

 

[furtaker]

Those are the finance-only rules of an Authorized Verizon Retailer store like we have here in Elberton and Hartwell.. not a Verizon Corporate Store like across Home Depot in Athens.

Short answer, yes the Authorized Verizon Retailer will install a new SIM card as to turn on a Verizon compatible cell phon for you.. but they will probably charge you a $35 activation fee and work hard to up-sale you on a screen protector, a case and spare charger.

Occasionally I'm in a hurry and don't have the time to drive to the Verizon Corporate store in Athens to pay cash, or waiting days for Fed Ex to ship me a phone.. then I will buy from the local Authorized Verizon Retail store, BUT I do pay 95% cash up front and only finance the balance so my monthly bill is basically not changed.

Be very mindful that if you purchase a used Verizon phone and if the previous owner did not fully pay his Verizon monthly bill, or if he too financed that phone but not fully paid it off.. then VERIZON will not allow you to activate that phone until the old owners' bill has been paid.

I didn't know the stores were different like that. Thanks for the info.

 

[dwhee87]

To your original question, yes, just make sure it's a phone specific to your cell company (Verizon, ATT, Sprint, etc.). For many, you can simply take your SIM card out of your existing phone and put it in the new phone and you're all set.

Good idea to download everything on your old phone before you make the change. Several free softwares out there to do that, by plugging your phone into your computer via USB.

 

[trial&error]

you can swap the sim unless it's 5g, then you have to type in the info. New android phones will ask if you want to sync from an old phone and copies most of your info to the new phone. It may copy it all, but if they no longer support an old app it won't copy that.

And even better you can use one of the available mvno's out there and save tons of money. I use red pocket, my wife has unlimited talk and txt 8 g of data for $240 a year. Mine is 5g for $180 a year. There are lots of other mvno's (straight talk, mint, boost, cricket, and many others) available providing service on each verizon, at&t, or t mobile, your choice.

 

[GeorgiaBob]

You can buy a phone on-line and DON'T have to go into the store to have it programmed! I bought an unlocked, remanufactured Samsung Flip from Backmarket and then bought service from Mint (the service was on sale for $30 a month plus 3 months free, so I paid $90 for unlimited data and cell for 6 months). When the phone and the sim card both arrived I called Mint and their service desk walked me through every step to get it set up, my number loaded, even helped me transfer numbers from my old phone.

You do not need to go into any store for help. Even Verizon has a telephone help desk.

 

[treemanjohn]

I only buy used phones from ebay. Call your provider and tell them you have a new phone. They'll get the numbers off the phone and make a transfer. If you has a sim card just plug it in

 

[Revived]

I've bought a couple of refurbished phones from Amazon and will never do that again. They had serious software glitches. I bought a new unlocked phone from Best Buy and took it to my carrier (Cricket wireless) and they activated it for me for a fee. Some carriers can block certain features if you don't buy the phone from them. For example, Cricket blocks the wifi calling feature on Android phones if you purchase from someone else.

 

[transfixer]

I have bought phones in the past off Ebay, from actual owners who had upgraded to a new phone and was selling their old one, but the newer models, ( anything in the last 5yrs or so ) usually have different SIM cards than phones older than that, my previous phone was a Samsung S5 with Verizon, and I went to a S10+, so I ended up going through Verizon on this one, they're changing the system so its difficult or just as expensive to buy outside of them when getting a newer phone.

Other carriers might be different, I tend to travel into the less populated areas of the southeast, so I don't trust other carriers to have the same coverage as I have with Verizon, if I was a homebody around Metro areas I would use one of the other services

 

[TomC]

Best way ever to save $$$$ on your cell phone plan is to buy an "unlocked" phone, and pay for it in full upfront. I like the Motorola phones because I don't need anything fancy. Buy them outright from Amazon and just make sure its "UNLOCKED" and compatible with Verizon network. Should not matter what type Verizon store you take the phone to.

I've never had them charge me anything (activation fee, etc) and they should give you the new sim card free. If they do try to charge you go to another store. I've been doing this for the past 10 years or so. This will save you A LOT of $ in the long run!

 

[hipster dufus]

Buy an apple phone. Buy once , cry once

 

[trial&error]

I should also mention I usually buy new unlocked phones on ebay. Usually an older model from the year before for around $200. I got in a bind this year and bought a used one in a hurry due to the AT&T 3g ending. I spent $80 and it's been ok for the last 8 months. No more issues than you'd expect dropping it as much as I do.

 

[7Mag Hunter]

If you purchase an unlocked cell phone you can take it to any carrier...We bought 2 phones from Amazon several years ago and have been on consumer cellular since then...CC uses 2 different carriers T mobile and AT&T..Wife has T mobile chip in her phone and i have AT&T in mine...I get slightly better better reception in rural areas...We are looking to do the same soon for 5G phones...

 

[greg_n_clayton]

I wouldn't go to Verizon to start with ! I am very very pleased with Straight Talk.

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

I bought my iPhone from Wal Mart online. Best deal and service out there. They have much more on line than any store. You have to watch out for scams on phones from eBay…….big time.