Buying unlocked phone (TMobile, towers, coverage, AT&T)

[nassau2suffolk]

Sorry if this has been answered ad nauseam, but if I purchase a used AT&T cell phone, can I just put my present AT&T sim card into it and use it like nothing ever was changed? Thanks in advance.

[dj0077]

Answer is yes , voice will usually work out the box, but if per say an unlocked att used on tmobile then some tweaking will be needed, usually for text and web......Nothing you couldn't find in a few minutes by googling

[DowntownHarrisburg]

It *should*. However, you'll want to ensure that the used phone isn't "bricked" in any way. It may have been reported stolen or have been associated with a fraudulent / unpaid account.

The safest way around this is to simply ask the seller. If you're buying on eBay, you'll also have some degree of protection through your credit card company (you'll be able to file a chargeback if the phone is defective and the seller won't refund your money). I know Sprint used to allow you to verify the ESN ahead of time, don't know about AT&T.

You should also be aware of the different frequencies used by AT&T. A circa-2004 GSM handset may not work as well as a modern handset. GSM was originally launched in the US at 1900MHz, but has since expanded into the 850MHz band. If your area is served primarily by 850MHz towers and you get a 1900-only handset, your coverage is going to suffer badly -- or vice versa.

There's at least one AT&T employee in the forum, and he may be able to provide some more specific information.

[nassau2suffolk]

Thank you.