Unlocked Mobile Phones

Unlocking your mobile phone is quite easy if you know what to do and can be achieved through different methods, each at a different price point. Each method also has a degree of difficulty and risk to them. If you choose to go with a method besides contacting your mobile phone carrier, you could risk damaging your phone or rendering it inoperable. Also, when you go with other methods that use third party software or hardware, you also risk being scammed.

One of the easiest ways for unlocking a cell phone is by calling your carrier and asking them to unlock it for you. Assuming you are using a phone using GSM cell phone technology (ie it uses a SIM card), you can have it unlocked. Carriers like T-Mobile or AT&T will let you call them after a set period of time during your contract to request a phone unlock. Some carriers (T-Mobile) will let you do this for free after 90 days, and other carriers may charge you a nominal fee for the unlocking. All you have to do when having your phone unlocked in this manner is to call your carrier’s customer service and request it. If they ask you why you want to unlock your phone, tell them (no matter what the reason is), you need the phone unlocked because you’re going to be traveling overseas.  This excuse is completely legitimate and you’ll never have to worry about your cell phone company denying your request.

The second easiest (but also the most expensive) way for unlocking mobile phones is through going to a local business to have them unlock your phone for you.  While this method can be a little costly, you don’t have to worry about causing damage to your phone.  Professional people who unlock phones every day have the equipment and software necessary to get the task done.  Plus, if you’re dealing with a reputable company, they should have a risk-free policy where if you phone is damaged for their service they will replace it for you.

The final method for unlocking cell phones is buying the software or 3rd party hardware and doing it yourself.  You can buy the stuff you need to unlock your phone on quite a few websites as well as on auction sites like eBay.  How the software works that you can buy is it requests some of the identification codes found on the phone and then generates the unlock code based on those numbers.  Assuming you buy high quality software, you can get you mobile phone unlocked fast and easy.  While this method is cheaper than paying some else to unlock your mobile phone for you, the risk is much higher!  If you fail to follow instructions correctly or if you buy shoddy software or hardware, you can seriously break your phone.  So, unless you know somewhat what you’re doing, I’d try the first or second method listed first.

The iPhone has been at the center of attention in the cell phone world for quite some time.  While many other phones have come out to compete against the iPhone (some more successful than others), the iPhone has reigned supreme.  Featuring a state-of-the-art touch screen, tons and tons of user-made and professional apps, and of course a multimedia functions, the iPhone has stolen the hearts of techies around the world.

Getting an unlocked iPhone can prove to be a hard task however.  The new iPhone 3GS model has yet to be hacked through the means of software and so in order to unlock a preexisting iPhone you need to use 3rd part SIM cards or hardware.  Because of this set back, if you’re interested  in buying an unlocked iPhone, you have to result to websites selling them new in the box.

One of the most popular sites to buy an unlocked 3GS iPhone is eBay.  The prices of an unlocked iPhone are astronomically high and are almost twice as much as a one found obtained with a new contract.  Yes, people are paying over $800 for the unlocked 32 GB model.  The high demand and low availability of the unlocked version of the iPhone has a played a major role in the price.

If you don’t want to pay $800 for the unlocked model, you’ll have to consider other websites that sell 3rd party hardware that will unlock the phone for you.  These 3rd party devices either attach to existing SIM card in the phone or replaces the SIM card altogether and are able to unlock the iPhone.  As a disclaimer, some of these devices have been known to disable or damage the phone and so research should be done before using one these units.

Finally, if you don’t want to worry about damaging your iPhone or paying trumped up prices for a new unlocked iPhone, the best thing you can do is wait.  Within a few months, software hackers should come out with something that will allow you to unlock your phone.  While this isn’t the “best” way to unlock an iPhone, it will definitely lower the prices on eBay and other auction sites when it does happen.  So, even if you aren’t going to use the software yourself, you can at least buy a new one for hundreds of dollars less.

If you’re looking for a brand new unlocked cell phone there are tons of places to look to find the best deal including a plethora of online stores (like Amazon, eBay, and Pure Mobile) or even local stores like cell phone shops and sometimes rarely pawn shops.  But the best place that I would look for new unlocked mobile phone would be on the internet.  The internet will have the best prices and selection available.  So, unless you’re a in a huge hurry, I would find an online store that I trust and buy from them.

Buying from an auction site like eBay

Websites like eBay stand to give you the best deal possible on a new phone.  Sellers on their site often get their phones for very good deals and can pass those good deals to you.  Many times you can save a few dollars by choosing eBay over some of the other online retailers.  There is a catch to those great deals though, while eBay works hard to prevent this, there is always a chance you can end up purchasing a stolen or defective cellular phone.  While their site has set up ways to get your money back if you get a product like this, the inconvenience of having to wait a few more weeks for the problem to resolve may not be worth the hassle.

Buying from Amazon

Amazon is probably my most trusted site when it comes to finding good deals on electronics like cell phones.  Finding a new GSM unlocked cell phones can be easy and safe with Amazon.  Amazon actively tests and reviews its products (unlike eBay) to assure quality for their customers which I’ve noticed each and every time I order from them.  One complaint about Amazon, however, is that they’re not always the cheapest compared to some of the other guys.  But besides that complaint, I would never have an issue recommending Amazon.

Other Unlocked Cell Phone Sellers

In this group of sellers you’ll find many websites selling unlocked mobile phones.  This websites usually have extremely large inventories and fairly competitive prices.  These websites are typically very reputable and would include Pure Mobile and Cell Hut.  If you like to deal with websites who exclusively sell cell phones and have customer service knowledgeable about their products, purchasing from these sites would be my recommendation.  As with the complaint with Amazon, the only problem with buying from these “big” cell phone websites is their prices aren’t always the cheapest compared to eBay.  However, if you’re not just worried about  getting a cheap unlocked cell phone but would also like good customer service and convenient return policies, I would stick with Amazon or these other websites.

When looking for ways to buy or unlock a mobile phone, you need to be careful not get scammed.  There are tons of websites and people out there who are only interested in taking your money and running away in the night.  Before dealing anyone, whether online or locally, investigate them and make sure they’re someone you want to deal with.  When dealing with people who want scam you, go with your gut feeling.  If you think they’re trying to scam you, they most likely are.

What are some of the scams revolving around unlocked cell phones?

One of the most popular scams when buying an unlocked phone is dealing with stolen merchandise.  Oftentimes, stolen mobile phones can end up on websites (like eBay) or in pawn shops that are sold as “unlocked phones”.  These stolen phones cannot be used AT ALL and are completely useless.  If you fall victim of this type of scam, attempt to get your money back right away and return the phone.  If you bought online and paid through a service like PayPal, you can register a complaint to the merchant and demand a refund.  Most times PayPal will honor these requests and you can get your cash back.

Another scam is one that involves websites offering software to obtain the unlocking code for mobile phones.  While some of these websites do provide legitimate services, some provide a bait-and-switch operation that involves you paying money for software or information that is freeware and can be obtained for free from a simple Google search.  These websites will scam you out of your money and ignore any emails or requests for your money back.  The only way to avoid these types of scams is to choose a website that accepts payments through PayPal or similar, reputable merchant service sites.  As talked about above, PayPal will refund your money if you aren’t satisfied with the website’s product.

How do I avoid being scammed?

The best way to avoid an unlock mobile phone scam is to only deal with reputable businesses and websites.  Follow your gut when it comes to “too good to be true” products or services.  When you feel like something is a scam or too good to be true, run away and don’t look back. Finally, the best way to NOT get scammed is to only deal with your cell phone carrier for getting your mobile phone unlocked.  When dealing with your carrier’s customer service, you never have to worry about paying for service that won’t deliver.

If you’re a T-Mobile customer and need to get phone unlocked there are many ways to do it (both safe and unsafe).  Depending on your situation and how long you’ve had your contract, sometimes the easiest way to get your T-Mobile phone unlocked is by calling their customer service.  Their customer service number can be reached by dialing 611 (if you’re calling from a T-Mobile phone) or by calling 1-877-453-1304.   You can reach their live customer service representatives from 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. PT every day.

Under T-Mobile’s terms of service, you can have your phone unlocked after having your account open for 90 days.  Once having a phone unlocked during this period, you have to wait another 90 days until you can have another phone unlocked.  T-Mobile also will only give unlock codes to original T-Mobile phones.

If you have had your T-Mobile plan for 90 days, you can call them to request an unlock.  When you call their customer service number, tell them you need to have your phone unlocked.  If they ask you why, tell them you need it unlocked because you’re going overseas (don’t tell them you’re unlocking the phone to use with AT&T or another carrier).  While they probably won’t do anything because you told them you were switching carriers, there’s always a chance a “hidden fee” may pop up so avoid it with the overseas excuse.

The T-Mobile representative should happily give you the information you need to unlock your phone (assuming you said and are doing the right things).  Hopefully this will be as far as you need to for getting your phone unlocked.

If, for whatever reason, you aren’t able to get T-Mobile’s customer service to take care of you, there are other ways to get your phone unlocked.  One way is using a website or business to unlock your phone for you.  Many websites sell or provide software that decipher the codes from your phone and generate the secret unlock code.   Each unlock code is unique to the phone so you have to be careful what you type in.  Local businesses or cell phone stores sometimes provide T-Mobile unlocking services too.  They often charge around $15 to $30 to unlock your phone but often can do it without you having to worry about having your cell phone damaged.  So, besides using T-Mobile’s customer service, my most recommended option is to use a local business to unlock your mobile phone.