How can I avoid paying $200 for a dumbphone?

June 11, 2015 10:59 AM

My husband recently irreparably damaged his cheap Verizon phone and wants to get a new dumbphone to use on a Verizon contract. We don't have any upgrades available. Verizon is asking for ~$200(!!!), even though prepaid phones of the same type only cost $25. Is there any way we can avoid paying this extortionate amount?

My husband and I both are on a Verizon contract. I have an iPhone, but he had a pretty crappy smartphone. His work pays for a different smartphone so he doesn't really care about his phone, but likes maintaining a separate number for personal calls. Recently, his phone was water-damaged and no longer works. The absolute cheapest postpaid option (for a dumbphone) at Verizon is ~$200 which seems ridiculous. What are our options?

Should we suck it up and pay? Should we pay $175 and break the contract and get a prepaid contract some place else? Should we try to buy a new phone on eBay? This is not super urgent, since he has another phone to use. Also, he really doesn't care about the quality of the new phone at all, as long as he can make calls and text people and go long time between charges.

posted by peacheater to Technology (15 answers total)

Buy a used phone on Amazon (cheap) and take it into Verizon to activate (free).
posted by sninctown at 11:01 AM on June 11, 2015 [2 favorites]

Did they say they won't activate a prepaid phone as postpaid? They are literally the same devices.

Are you dealing with an official VZ store? If so, try a different one - or an affiliate which might be able to bend the rules a bit.
posted by scolbath at 11:14 AM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

I've bought used phones from eBay and been happy with them. I buy from reputable sellers like Gazelle or individuals selling their personal phone.
posted by FetaMilter at 11:20 AM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: To clarify, we tried to get a new phone from a Verizon store, only to be directed to Best Buy, saying that we'd get cheaper phones there.

At Best Buy, we were told that the prepaid phones they had there could not be activated on a postpaid plan and that we would need to buy a specific phone that could be activated on such a plan, due to "regulations". The cheapest such phone was on the order of ~$200.

I noticed advice to buy phones on Amazon or eBay in other places, but I will note that many of the most recent reviews on such phones on Amazon indicate that this no longer works and that a phone needs to have been active for at least 6 months on a prepaid line before it can be switched to prepaid. For example, see the reviews for this phone.

If someone has done such a thing recently, I'd love to hear about it, since it looks like many of the loopholes may have been tightened recently.
posted by peacheater at 11:26 AM on June 11, 2015

buy a used phone on ebay, just make sure it's got a clean ESN and is compatible with Verizon, then you can activate it at a Verizon store or (I think) over the phone with a Verizon rep.
posted by skewed at 11:37 AM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

I just, within the last couple of weeks, sold two Verizon smart phones (iPhone 4s and Motorola Razr M). No problems. It's possible that the pre-paid phones won't work (I have no idea, honestly), but buying a used phone will work fine.

I sold them for $90 and $80, IIRC, so not as cheap as pre-paid, but still well under $200.
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 11:37 AM on June 11, 2015

I bought an unlocked Motorola Moto G from Amazon, brand-new for $180. It works pretty well and has decent battery life.

Another option is the unlocked Moto E, which is even cheaper at around $100.

Both are smartphones, but I've been using the Moto G for a few months and it's decent enough so I can vouch for it.
posted by mlo at 11:49 AM on June 11, 2015

Since he's not in a hurry, check what's available on the Verizon website. It looks like at full retail price you can get one as low as $50, with several other choices under $100. You might also be able to extend your contract by two years to get a phone for $1.
posted by rakaidan at 12:01 PM on June 11, 2015

If he likes having a separate number for personal calls, and y'all want to save money, maybe he should consider getting a Google Voice number that can be routed through his work phone?
posted by Keter at 12:24 PM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

These folks have a bunch of cheaper unlocked phones.
posted by Klaxon Aoooogah at 12:47 PM on June 11, 2015

I did this recently (last few months) by buying a used, unlocked, dumbphone and getting Verizon to add it to my account, and it was a non-issue.

Note - I did not buy a phone and ask Verizon to unlock it - I bought an already-unlocked one.
posted by Metasyntactic at 1:13 PM on June 11, 2015

If it's just a separate phone that he's not using much, maybe prepaid is the way to go?
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:13 PM on June 11, 2015

Buy a cheap phone off SWAPPA.com Pick on that's Verizon compatible.

I've bought MANY phones on Swappa (iPhone 5c, iPad Mini, Moto X 2013...) and was satisfied every time. Never had problem activating one if needed.
posted by kschang at 12:55 AM on June 12, 2015

I got one off Craigslist (searched for "flip phone"). It could turn on, send and receive messages, make and receive calls, but the microphone was broken. Be aware of this sort of thing if you go that route.
posted by null14 at 1:41 AM on June 12, 2015

This happened to my wife, but on AT&T. We ended up switching to T-Mobile so she could get a new phone. T-Mobile paid the early termination fees. It's been over a year now and we've been very happy with the switch. Only real downside has been T-Mo's coverage in rural areas, which can be non-existent. But overall, it was the kick in the pants we needed to get off AT&T.
posted by Otis at 11:47 AM on June 12, 2015