Purchase Cell Phone without a new plan?

[tink_n_pooh]

I'm doing a little research for my boss here. Can you get a new cell phone without a new plan? He would like to buy a new cell phone but not renew the plan (it's an odd situation with our company plan) on that phone.

Does anyone know of anywhere that you can buy new phones? I'm not really looking for ebay, more like an actual store or online retailer.

 

[The Mayor]

I think you can buy the phones at any dealer but you will pay full list price if you don't get a plan.

 

[Brianne]

Yes, you can buy a new phone. I stayed with my same provider (T-mobile) but bought a new phone from one of their stores--they just transferred the SIM card from my old phone to the new one. I did have to pay full price for the phone though but am much happier with it than I was with the old one.

It shouldn't affect the plan at all? I wouldn't think so anyway.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I had to do this when my phone died before my plan ran out. Verizon, so helpful, wanted me to pay full price for a phone with 1/2 the features of my old one...or wait 2 months until I could get a deal with a new plan...but I'd still be paying for my phone! I ended up getting a phone on EBay with the features I wanted and much less expensive than the store. Plus, I've had it since April and have felt no need to get a new plan...in fact, when DD#1's plan expries, we may switch to nextel.
Robin M.

 

[Carl]

I'm not sure I know what you are asking, but I just got a new phone from T-Mobile and signed a new contract for 2 years. I had to pay $49 for the phone. I kept the same plan I have had for the last 5 years under no contract. So, what I'm saying is that you can renew your contract without changing your plan. I get 300 minutes a month for $29 a month.

 

[Keli]

Ebay really is the best place to get a new phone without signing another contract IMHO because otherwise you'll pay out the wazoo for a new one and no contract extention.
You do need to make sure you buy the right type of phone. To keep things simple I'd buy one that originally came from the company you use (ie., I'd buy a used cingular phone if I have a cingular one now) but I did buy a t-mobile phone once that had a code for unlocking it and used it with my cingular sims card.
Neither sprint nor Verizon phones have sims cards so you cannot use those phones with cingular or t-mobile. I am unsure whether you can use a Sprint phone for a Verizon number and vice versa.