Unlocked AT&T Cell Phones
In 2006 the iPhone was introduced on AT&T’s network. It was a hit, instantly made AT&T one of the top providers again, something that had then been recently struggling to reach. The bad thing is, the iPhone was locked on AT&T’s network and couldn’t be used outside of it. This left many people, most notably customers on other networks, very upset that the newest, most innovative phone couldn’t be used by those on AT&T’s network.
Flash forward to now, Apple–as well as other carriers–are now manufacturing “world phones”, basically able to use on most networks available today as far as technology limits go. Only problem, it that most of them are locked to a network once a contract is signed with them. If you want to buy a unlocked cell phone and be able to use it as a “go-phone” or use on any carrier as you please, then you’ll have to pay a premium. Apple, starting in this month, has allowed people to purchase their iPhones completely unlocked from them–for $649 for the lowest GB model, the 32GB and 64GB cost a little (read: a lot) more. If you are one of the lucky ones on Sprint, they have been rumored to allow anyone with an account in good standing to request and receive a phone unlock to use with other carriers. As of now, they are the only one offering this service.
Unlocked AT&T Cell Phones
Although they don’t offer a service unlock like other networks, AT&T offers unlocked phones at full price, and you don’t even have to sign a contract. This way, you can pay for whatever service you please. Very convenient for those that travel overseas a lot or outside of AT&T’s service range. At the moment, it doesn’t look like any other carriers offers any way to get a phone unlocked under their carrier agreement as AT&T does.
A used AT&T cell phone can also be bought for much cheaper than the full price, which comes unlocked also. Amazon, eBay, and various other places have listings for older models phones that users no longer want and choose to sell instead. Using these as your “going abroad” phone is a smart idea, with it being unlocked you can buy minutes for it and save a ton from burning a hole in your pocket.
Cell Phone Sales
A lot of wireless phones can be sold through many of the more popular retailers, or sold through the major cell phone service providers. While usually at full price, this is most often the best way to get a newly released phone that is in high demand, such as the popular iPhone at every release.
Another option for unlocked AT&T cell phones is that many popular phones, such as the iPhone and Droid operating systems, have been hacked and offer “jailbreak” modifications. Often time, these allow the user to self-unlock their phone without paying the premium price. Beware though, those that go down this path can potentially brick their phone and basically make it useless. It’s risky, but sometimes saving hundreds is well worth the risk.