Cell Phones Without a Plan

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Looking for a Cell Phone but Don't Want a Plan?

In many instances you can get a free cell phone when you sign up for a plan. But sometimes, a two year committment isn't what you want. You'll generally pay quite a bit more for the phone itself, but it's possible to use a cell phone without making such a committment.

Learn about your options for getting a cell phone without a plan, and find the phones you want here.

Contents at a Glance

How to Get Cell Phones with No Contract: The Options
Buying An Unlocked Cell Phone Online
Prepaid Phones

Shop for Unlocked Cell Phones
Shop for Prepaid Cell Phones
Net 10 Cell Phones

How to Get Cell Phones with No Contract: The Options

There are two primary ways of getting a cell phone without a plan.

Buy an unlocked cell phone. These phones are GSM phones and will work on any GSM network.

Buy a prepaid phone. These phones come with prepaid minutes but require no contract. The per minute cost of calling is generally higher than with a contract so these phones are best for those who don't have heavy usage. For such individuals, these phones can even save money.

Learn a bit more about these options below.

Buying An Unlocked Cell Phone Online

If you're shopping for a cell phone without a plan, one of the options is to buy an unlocked cell phone online. After purchasing such a phone the buyer can then get a SIM card from the company of their choice (must be on a compatible GSM network such as AT&T or T-Mobile) to activate service.

Amazon and e-Bay are sites that carry a number of unlocked phones. You will find a number of these phones lower on this page.

Prepaid Phones

Prepaid phones are another option for getting a cell phone without a plan. Prepaid phones allow you to buy the phone and a set number of minutes to use. When the minutes run out you can decide to purchase more minutes. There is no credit check and no committment to a plan.

Prepaid phones are available in local retail stores from companies such as Tracfone and Virgin Mobile as well as from more traditional cellular providers. Net10 Wireless offers phones as low as $19.99 and calling for $.10/minute and texting at $.05 per message without a contract.

Traditional cellular providers have also begun offering prepaid plans as well. For instance, T-Mobile has their Even More Plus plans available without a contract. Some of have a cap on minutes and start as low as $29.99/month, but there are also unlimited plans starting as low as $49.99/month for voice calling only up to $139.99 for unlimited voice/text/web on a family plan with two lines. Of course, Verizon Wireless offers month to month no contract plans and Sprint offers their's through their Boost Mobile division. Traditional carriers will typically charge more for phones when you opt for a no contract plan to offset their costs/risk.

T-Mobile offers To Go, AT&T has the GoPhone, and Verizon Wireless has INpulse. For more information on these prepaid options, visit our Emergency Only Cell Phones page which discusses them in greater detail.

Walmart has also entered the no contract fray with their $29 StraightTalk phones. Consumers can choose a $30/month plan for 1,000 minutes and text messages or a $45/month plan for unlimited texting/calling/data.

Consumer Cellular has been around awhile too. They allow users to get their cellular service without a contract as well. They have several plans including (but not limited to) an Anywhere Casual plan for those who have limited calling needs which lets users call for $.25/minute, an Anywhere 1000 plan that allows users 1000 minutes for $40 with additional calling at $.25/minute, and an Anywere 2000 plan giving users 2000 minutes for $60 and additional calls at $.10/minute. They offer phones that are priced from free to $50. AARP discounts are available.

You will find a number of prepaid phones lower on this page.

Shop for Unlocked Cell Phones

Blackberry: Unlocked Cell Phone

Blackberry Gemini 8520 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi--International Version with No Warranty (Black)

Amazon Price: $334.54 (as of 01/02/2010)

Blackberry 8320 Unlocked Phone , GPRS, EDGE, and 2 MP Camera--International with No Warranty (Titanium)

Amazon Price: $255.00 (as of 01/02/2010)

BlackBerry Curve 8900 Javelin Unlocked Phone with 3.2 MP Camera, GPS, Stereo Bluetooth, Media Player, and MicroSD Slot--International Version with No Warranty (Titanium)

Amazon Price: $414.00 (as of 01/02/2010)

Blackberry Storm 9500 Unlocked Phone with 3.15 Mega pixel Camera (Black)

Amazon Price: $395.50 (as of 01/02/2010)

Brand New Unlocked Blackberry Storm 2 9550 GSM Touchscreen Phone No Warranty(verizon, tmobile, at&t)

Amazon Price: $532.98 (as of 01/02/2010)

LG: Unlocked Cell Phone

LG CT810 Unlocked GSM Mobile Phone

Amazon Price: $149.99 (as of 01/03/2010)

LG KP500 Cookie Black Unlocked

Amazon Price: $157.74 (as of 01/03/2010)

LG KS360 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, Bluetooh Stereo and MP3, Video Player--International Version with No Warranty (Pink)

Amazon Price: $142.94 (as of 01/03/2010)

LG LX 160 Prepaid Phone, Blue (Kajeet)

Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 01/03/2010)

LG Vu CU920 Touch Screen 3G Unlocked phone

Amazon Price: (as of 01/03/2010)

Motorola: Unlocked Cell Phone

Motorola RAZR V3 Unlocked Phone with Camera, and Video Player--International Version with No Warranty (Black)

Amazon Price: $79.99 (as of 01/02/2010)

Motorola RAZR V3 Unlocked Phone with Camera, Video Player--International Version with No Warranty (Satin Pink)

Amazon Price: $79.99 (as of 01/02/2010)

Samsung Blackjack i607 Unlocked GSM Phone with 1.3MP Camera, QWERTY Keyboard and Memory Card Slot--U.S. Version without Warranty (Black)

Amazon Price: $99.99 (as of 01/02/2010)

Samsung Jet S8000 Unlocked Phone with 3G, Quad-Band GSM, 5 MP Camera, and 2 GB Memory--International Version No Warranty (Black)

Amazon Price: $448.29 (as of 01/02/2010)

Sony Ericsson W350 Unlocked GSM Phone with 1.3MP Camera, Stereo Bluetooth and Memory Card Slot--U.S. Version with Warranty (Blue)

Amazon Price: $68.99 (as of 01/02/2010)

Nokia: Unlocked Cell Phone

Nokia 3555 Unlocked Cellular Phone with VGA Camera, GSM Technology, USA Version, Blue

Samsung: Unlocked Cell Phone

Samsung M310 Unlocked Phone with Quad-Band GSM, and Bluetooth Headset--International Version with Warranty (Mocha Brown)

Amazon Price: $94.99 (as of 01/02/2010)

Samsung Jet S8000 Unlocked Phone with 3G, Quad-Band GSM, 5 MP Camera, and 2 GB Memory--International Version No Warranty (Black)

Amazon Price: $448.29 (as of 01/02/2010)

Samsung S5600 Unlocked CellPhone with Camera--International Version NoU.S. Warranty (Black and Charcoal Grey)

Amazon Price: $219.95 (as of 01/02/2010)

Samsung T429 Unlocked GSM Camera Phone

Amazon Price: (as of 01/02/2010)

Samsung Blackjack i607 Unlocked GSM Phone with 1.3MP Camera, QWERTY Keyboard and Memory Card Slot--U.S. Version without Warranty (Black)

Amazon Price: $99.99 (as of 01/02/2010)

Sony Ericsson: Unlocked Cell Phone

Sony Ericsson W350 Unlocked GSM Phone with 1.3MP Camera, Stereo Bluetooth and Memory Card Slot--U.S. Version with Warranty (Blue)

Amazon Price: $68.99 (as of 01/02/2010)

Sony Ericsson W350A Unlocked Walkman Cellular Phone with 1.3 Megapixel Camera, GSM Technology, Blue

Shop for Prepaid Cell Phones

Another option for an inexpensive cell phone without a plan.

AT&T GoPhone

Nokia 2610 Prepaid GoPhone, Silver (AT&T) with $15 Airtime Credit

Net 10 Cell Phones

Net10 Motorola Pre-Paid Cell Phone - Black (EM326)

T-Mobile To Go Prepaid Phone

Motorola Renew W233 Prepaid Phone, Green (T-Mobile) with $25 Airtime Credit

Tracfone: Prepaid Cell Phone

TracFone LG 410 Prepaid Cell Phone - Black/Silver

Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 01/02/2010)

TracFone is the prepaid leader in the U.S. The carrier has multiple brands under its umbrella: TracFone, Net10, SafeLink and Straight Talk. The company is a master at creating different prepaid bra...

by: Current Analysis Inc.

Amazon Price: $495.00 (as of 01/02/2010)

TracFone LG410 Prepaid Cell Phone - Bundle with Double Minutes & Accessories

Verizon INpulse

Verizon Wireless -Samsung-(sch-u430) Inpulse Pay As You Go Camera Phone with Account Balance Display

Virgin Mobile: Prepaid Cell Phone