can i use any phone with cingular pick ur plan?

Question

i'm looking into getting a cingular gophone using pick ur plan...the only thing is the choices in the phones are not very good. so, i'm wondering if i could buy any cingular phone (ex. the slvr) and use it. and if so do i have to buy it elsewhere or will cingular actually sell me any phone?

Answer 1

Ah so Cingular doesn't have the SLVR for GoPhone. Well, Cingular will sell you the phone outright for $350. You could get them down to about $250 but that's about it. If you bring in a phone, you'll have to buy a GoPhone starter kit which comes with a SIM card. This will cost you about $25 I believe. You're better off buying one of their phones for $20 and you can eBay off that one or keep it as a spare. You might be able to snag a SIM or a starter kit on eBay for cheaper than what they go for in the stores as well.

Keep in mind when you buy the SLVR, if you don't get it from Cingular or someone who has had it on Cingular before, it will have to be unlocked. GSM carriers lock their phones to a certain carrier which will prevent you from using other carriers SIM cards in your phone. There are various methods to unlock the phone which can cost money. Unlocked phones also typically carry a heftier price tag on eBay because of their increased usefulness. Good luck!

Answer 2

Welcome to the wide world of cell phone retail! If you're looking for a SLVR that has a warranty and phone insurance (i.e. a new one) then the biggest discount I've seen for one without a Cingular two year contract is $50 online. However, as long as it's a Cingular phone, or ahem, unlocked phone (see above), then you can activate it with any Cingular plan of your choosing (i.e. Pick Your Plan's or Pay As You Go's). They don't discrimi-hate, as you long you buy one of their phones :)