Taking your cell phone with you (buying, codes, design)

[country_guy01]

Hi.

I'm new to these forums. I have a question. I am very low on cash at the moment, and have a Verizon cell phone that I want to switch to Cricket. The contract with Verizon is up and Cricket is nice and cheap.

Verizon has been very difficult with programming codes etc. Would I be able to take my Verizon phone, that I paid for, and switch it over to Cricket service?

Thanks for taking the time and replying to this!

[tfox]

This tends to be difficult by design -- Verizon is unlikely to want to sell you a phone to make it easy for you to switch. Luckily, both Verizon and Cricket use CDMA; you'd be SOL if you had T-Mobile or Cingular. However, you would probably have to acquire a kit to re-flash the phone with new software -- perhaps you could stop in at a cricket dealer and ask. If you bought the phone indepedently of Verizon, for example, perhaps you have a high-end smartphone, you'd probably be better off.

I think a better option might be to look on ebay or craigslist for an already used cricket phone -- the market for low-end used handsets is next-to-nothing.

[BillRadio]

You can't use a Verizon phone on Cricket. That's Cricket's rule not Verizon's. If the original phone is not in their computer, they won't activate it. eBay is your best choice, but look for "free" phones from Cricket's web site and local Cricket re-sellers.

I advise you check for coverage in your new location before buying Cricket. The best way is to buy from a local retailer with the agreement to return it if you don't get signal at home. Cricket is the weakest carrier in Colorado.

[Nadine]

Originally Posted by BillRadio

You can't use a Verizon phone on Cricket. That's Cricket's rule not Verizon's. If the original phone is not in their computer, they won't activate it. eBay is your best choice, but look for "free" phones from Cricket's web site and local Cricket re-sellers.

I advise you check for coverage in your new location before buying Cricket. The best way is to buy from a local retailer with the agreement to return it if you don't get signal at home. Cricket is the weakest carrier in Colorado.

I was just going to say about the same thing. I would stay with Verizon. I believe with our mts and blank places, Verizon does the best. I have mentioned before that I, with Verizon can get service many times when my one friend with Sprint cannot. And she sure can when her friend with Cricket cannot. When they say you get what you pay for---it usually is true. I should mention that my phone does have analog. Makes a difference.