What You Should Know Before Buying an Unlocked Cell Phone

As we discussed last month, there are a lot of benefits to buying unlocked cell phones. However, if you plan on doing so, be smart about it. Follow the guidelines below, and you shouldn’t have any problems.

1. Buy from an authorized dealer, like Today’s Closeout. Buying an unlocked cell phone from Craigslist or eBay can be dicey — you never know who’s telling the truth and who isn’t (or who simply doesn’t know if they’re actually selling an unlocked phone), and you could easily end up with a phone that isn’t unlocked at all. If this happens, there will be no guarantee that you’ll be able to get your money back if you’ve been swindled.
2. Make sure that the phone is compatible with your carrier’s network. For example, iPhones are currently exclusively sold by AT&T, and use SIM cards. An unlocked iPhone would not be able to be used on networks that use CDMA cards, such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint.
3. Be sure to buy a cell phone that will be able to support the data plan you use. Different carriers have different features in their data plans, and there’s no point in paying for features that you won’t be able to use.