Reply With QuoteDepends what you consider cheap. Right now the prices on t-mobile.com are similar to those at target, but at target you don't have to deal with rebates. Most phones are $30 - $100. Is that your range?
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Phone fan
How do I get a cheap T-mobile pre-paid phone? I was told to ask this in a new thread other than my excisting one because it would be a good idea. Any suggestions appreciated.
Radiation is good
Depends what you consider cheap. Right now the prices on t-mobile.com are similar to those at target, but at target you don't have to deal with rebates. Most phones are $30 - $100. Is that your range?
I've got more phones than fingers
Walmart has been having the 6010 for around $26.Originally Posted by Zorrioh
Personal Phone: iPhone 4 on AT&T
Work Phone: Blackberry Tour (9630) on Verizon
I've got more phones than fingers
We will presume you are dredging. Depending on where you get your phone, you may have to scare up a sim card. Buying sim card on ebay from seller with great feedback is fine. Watch the shipping cost! Delivered ought to be under $10 I think.
The cheapest I got was a 5190 and I found it at the Salvation Army store. $2. Recently though, it seems that neither hock shops nor thrift stores have phones. Pawn shop guy said, yes we had a problem with trying to sell phones that were attached to an account that was not paid for. Victim was in for a rude surprise. Seems like I got a 6190 off of ebay pretty cheap too. With new or refurb phones available in the 25-30 buck range, I would not consider these to be cool, just cheap.
Phone fan
sblive: Yes, that is my range. However, I want a decent phone.. like a flip-top and possibly camera. I dont want those $30 phones that are black screen and old looking.. lol. On T-Mobile's website, the cheapest one that have for thier "To Go" plan is $70, excluding one that is not something I would want.
carrolldf: I looked at Walmart.com and I couldnt find the phone you are talking about. Walmart only had one T-Mobile phone.. and it was a lot more than $26.
Basicly, I am trying to find a better deal on a phone that is good (like I keep hearing Nokia is). Meaning, a better deal then what's on T-Mobile's website. They have a Nokia 6101 with camera and such.. and it's $99. And thats with a $50 discount. I am trying to find the same type of phone, but for cheaper. It may not be possible, but I am just trying to search all my options before I go buy something.
Phone fan
Sorry for double posting, Just saw your post tszefr. I see what your saying.. but I am always a little worried when buying one used or from ebay because I never know what I am going to get.
Radiation is good
Zorrioh, the walmart and target websites for some reason never list all the phones they have. You'll have to go store for the best deals. Once I saw the samsung x495 blue flip phone for $60 at target but it happens not to frequently. The Nokia 6101 has been $99 at target for awhile and some people even found it for $90 once. Not an awesome deal, but one that is reasonable. The nice thing about target is that you have 90 days to return the phone if you don't like it or if it didn't work correctly (and a lot of these phones are defective even when brand new). Most other stores only give you 30 days.
I would recommend avoiding the ebay thing. Good luck with your search.
Phone fan
Ok, thank you. I will make sure to look at Target. If I were to buy a phone at target, does it come with the T-Mobile To Go program, or what? I mean.. does it already give a phone number the the phone or how does that work?
I've got more phones than fingers
well, dealking givs $30 off rebate in addition to t-mobile when u order thru their link
6010(color bar) $59.99-30(mail in tmo)-$30(DK)= -$0.01
x495 $39 ADKR(after dealking rebate)
6101 $69 adkr
I dont know but there is a free $25 card also when i got my 6010 last week making it -$25.01
Why yes, that is a bag phone
Call around. Walmart and Target in my part of Oregon have tmobile phones, but not always in stock. The 6010 is on sale right now for $35.
When you buy from a store they will come with a SIM card that holds your account info. You can put this in any other "tmobile" branded or unlocked phone and the TMO account will work with that phone. The tmobile phones sold in stores will come with starter minutes, usually $15 worth. They come unactivated, when you activate it you will be assigned a local number.
But you can get a Tmobile SIM off ebay for as little as $6. Once you get it you can call tmobile and have them reassign a local number for you. I have done this and it worked great. The nice part about this is that you can pick your phone. You can get any "tmobile" branded or unlocked GSM phone and put your SIM into it and it will work great. You can buy a phone for a very reasonable price off ebay. You should be able to find a flip camera for under $100 easy. Don't be shy about ebay, they work great. I have used them many times for phones, SIMs and phone stuff, and have never been burned. Just buy from someone with lots of positive feedback.
FYI. When you search for ebay you can narrow your search to phones only and based on service provider compatability. I would go with a phone with both GSM 850/1900 frequencies because you never know when 850 roaming may work. Plus the phone would be more valuable to you because you could always use it with another GSM service if you ever decide to switch providers or sell the phone. If you get an unlocked phone then you can configure it for Tzones and Picture Messaging (also called MMS) in case you decide to get a camera phone. You can configure for free from tmobiles website. One other tidbit with tmobile picture messaging, you must send an MMS before you can receive an MMS, in order to activate it on the account.
One other place to look for phones is cingular.com. They have gophones (prepaid) for a very reasonable price. Many are refurbed, and still qualify for the Dealking rebate. You would need to unlock and configure these phones for tmobile (easy).
Last edited by qwerty11; 07-25-2006 at 11:37 PM.
Phone fan
Hmm.. I am not always so smart when it comes to ebay, is there anyway you can give me a type of example explination, like say what you would do and search for if you were in my position? Also, lets say I have a phone and am signed up with T-Mobile To Go and I need to refill my minutes. Can I buy a SIM card on ebay to refill?
Thank you for the constant flow of help, I really do appreciate it.
I've got more phones than fingers
No sim card needed for a refill. You need a refill card or pin. There are many places to get those including local c-stores for example. Cheapphonecards.com is a favorite around here, and phoneshark has been known to offer some outstanding deals on rare occasion.
Sim card is for starting your account. If you buy a boxed T-mobile 2go phone, you need not buy a sim card because one will be included. If you just go scrounge up any old 1900 mHZ GSM phone (T-mobile, Voicestream, or unlocked) then buying a sim card is one way to get an account. Search for "T-mobile sim" should get you there. You are looking for pre-activated, with minutes, good feedback, and watch the shipping cost!
Phone Collector
Well, you are a little confused, which is O.K., because I am not too far ahead of you. HA HA.
I'll try to explain how I understand it. You can go to a store (target, walmart, even a company-owned T-mobile store) or to ebay and buy a T-Mobile to Go starter kit.
That will include a T-mobile phone, a sim card and $15 worth of talk time.
Think of the sim card as a key. It allows you to open the door to the T-mobile network.
You can also buy an unlocked phone that is not part of a starter kit. Then you need to buy a T-mobile sim card, the sim card is inserted into the phone and stays there. It is the key that allows you access to the T-mobile network.
Buying refill minutes is just that, buying minutes. A sim card has nothing to do with minutes, it is just the key that lets you access the network. But, if you have no minutes, despite having a T-mobile sim card, you will not be able to use your phone.
So, you need a phone, a sim card and you need to buy minutes (three things altogether).
Finally you have to activate the phone with T-mobile. If you buy at a T-mobile store, they'll do all this for you. If you buy a "starter kit" at Walmart or Target, you'll have to activate it yourself, but it is easy, basically all you do is call T-mobile customer service. The instructions are in the box.
If you buy an unlocked phone, you have to buy a T-mobile sim card, install the card, activate the phone and buy minutes. Sounds tougher than it is....pretty easy really. Of course, you have to assure that any phone you buy is compatible with the T-mobile network.
Hope this helps
Why yes, that is a bag phone
Go to ebay and type in a search for "tmobile phone" or "tmobile camera phone". You will have option buttons on the left to narrow down to "phone only".
If you are searching on ebay for a SIM type in a search for "tmobile SIM".
From there you can further organize the items by price, etc.
You can refill by buying a refill card at any store. You can refill by a credit card from the phone or online on tmobiles website. You can refill by getting a PIN at a discount from an online reseller.
Phone fan
Ok guys, I think I am finally getting it. Thank you ALL for the huge amount of help you have given me. I think I can take it from here, finally. lol. Thanks again, and wish me luck
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