My Rogers pay as u go phone has bit the dust. I've been told that I can buy an unlocked phone and put in my sim card and it will work in the new phone with out doing anything else. Is this true? Any phone that takes an sim card will work?
Cell Phone Sim Card Question
- Thread starter goalie000
- Start date
You just need to check for compatability. I believe Rogers uses GSM technology, so make sure you buy a GSM phone. Also, depending on how long you have been a pay as you go customer, Rogers may want you to switch to a contract and may offer better than average deals, including free or almost free phones.
Make sure the phone supports a Rogers GSM frequency.
Get an unlocked quad-band GSM phone that you can use around the world.
http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml
Get an unlocked quad-band GSM phone that you can use around the world.
http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml
I switched my FIDO sim card to a Razr and it works fine. Granted, it's an old sim card so it doesn't have the memory that the new ones do. Something to keep in mind. Eventually you should upgrade your sim card.
On that point, do we have number portability yet? It's kind of a pain in the ass to have to change your number if you want to change your sim card...
On that point, do we have number portability yet? It's kind of a pain in the ass to have to change your number if you want to change your sim card...
I have an unlocked phone and have had no problem with the rogers pay as you go working in it. Sim card should work from phone to phone as I have tried others in my phone and it works. Forget about the "free" phones since you are locked into a contract that maybe three years long.
If you travel you can pick up a sim card from the country you are in locally and make local calls.
If you travel you can pick up a sim card from the country you are in locally and make local calls.
An unlocked GSM phone will work fine. However, unlocked phones are really expensive. The network provider like Rogers will discount the phone when it is locked to their network. When you buy an unlocked phone, you pay top dollar for it.
I know Rogers has a broken/lost/stolen policy. They will provide a replacement phone fairly cheap (locked to their network). I got a replacement when my Rogers phone died. I paid $100 for a basic but reliable phone. Then I paid $15 at Pacific mall to have it unlocked. I think that’s cheaper than buying an unlocked phone. My phone unlocked would’ve been at least $200.
I know Rogers has a broken/lost/stolen policy. They will provide a replacement phone fairly cheap (locked to their network). I got a replacement when my Rogers phone died. I paid $100 for a basic but reliable phone. Then I paid $15 at Pacific mall to have it unlocked. I think that’s cheaper than buying an unlocked phone. My phone unlocked would’ve been at least $200.
Check out www.tigerdirect.ca for exact prices of already unlocked phones. As you noted you did get an unlocked phone in the end but your method of unlocking it was different from just buying it that way. However if you cancel your contract early don't you have to pay full price for your phone rogers sold you?Cinema Face said:
Unlocked phones are not really expensive.Cinema Face said:
Compare some prices at Tigerdirect with those at Rogers or Fido and you will see they are very similar.
Of course they will give you a 'deal' on a phone if you sign a contract or they may give you a cheap refurb if you are under contract but get some quotes on brand new phones without any commitment to them and they are not cheap at all.
Even when they give you a 'free' phone it is hardly free.
Tiger direct has some cool phones but ouch! Cha-ching. There's a Moto phone that looks like the sliver that's reasonable but that's about it.
I'm positive that getting a hardware upgrade/replacement from Rogers and paying 15 bucks to unlock it will most certainly be cheaper than buying the same make and model of phone unlocked.
I'm positive that getting a hardware upgrade/replacement from Rogers and paying 15 bucks to unlock it will most certainly be cheaper than buying the same make and model of phone unlocked.
I bought my son an unlocked GSM cell phone for Christmas. I had to buy him something and that’s what he asked for. Having said that, I question the economics of unlocked cell phones in general.
If you buy an unlocked phone, you pay big bucks for the phone and you get no discount with the network. If you sign up a contract, they give you a free, or nearly free (locked) phone plus incentives for signing up. I got an MP3 player and 6 months unlimited local calling the last time I signed a contract.
Cell phones are useless without a network provider. To use one you must be with a provider. In terms of service and price, the providers seem to be competitive for the most part. Most people tend to stay with the same provider for at least a couple of years. Why not just sign a contract and get a free phone out of the deal? If you need an unlocked GSM phone then sign up with Rogers or Fido and then unlock your free phone? It’s so cheap.
I know a lot of people buy these unlocked GSM phones. I hope someone can explain why. Maybe there’s something I’ve missed from the whole picture. I know that some people might be in a state of transition and may not know where they’ll be in 3 years and don’t want to commit to a 3 year contract. I know that others might not be credit worthy and can’t get a contract. I think that these are probably a small percentage of the cell phone buying population.
Are people really so contract adverse that they’ll pay 300 bucks for a phone (that would be otherwise free) just to avoid a contract?
If you buy an unlocked phone, you pay big bucks for the phone and you get no discount with the network. If you sign up a contract, they give you a free, or nearly free (locked) phone plus incentives for signing up. I got an MP3 player and 6 months unlimited local calling the last time I signed a contract.
Cell phones are useless without a network provider. To use one you must be with a provider. In terms of service and price, the providers seem to be competitive for the most part. Most people tend to stay with the same provider for at least a couple of years. Why not just sign a contract and get a free phone out of the deal? If you need an unlocked GSM phone then sign up with Rogers or Fido and then unlock your free phone? It’s so cheap.
I know a lot of people buy these unlocked GSM phones. I hope someone can explain why. Maybe there’s something I’ve missed from the whole picture. I know that some people might be in a state of transition and may not know where they’ll be in 3 years and don’t want to commit to a 3 year contract. I know that others might not be credit worthy and can’t get a contract. I think that these are probably a small percentage of the cell phone buying population.
Are people really so contract adverse that they’ll pay 300 bucks for a phone (that would be otherwise free) just to avoid a contract?
For me, I didn't like the limited selection of phones I was offered for 'free' or at a discount so I bought another phone and gave the 'free' one away.
I bought one for my mom because she hardly uses it so the plan I got for her does not qualify for a phone.
Some people have company plans and just need their own for vacations.
In any case, if you are going to compare apples to apples, find out how much a new replacement phone would cost before you are due for another 'free' upgrade and you will see that they are not cheap at all.
Tigerdirect has several very cheap unlocked GSM phones of comparable quality to the 'free' ones the carriers so generously give away.
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/category/category_slc.asp?Recs=10&Nav=|c:1809|&Sort=4
I bought one for my mom because she hardly uses it so the plan I got for her does not qualify for a phone.
Some people have company plans and just need their own for vacations.
In any case, if you are going to compare apples to apples, find out how much a new replacement phone would cost before you are due for another 'free' upgrade and you will see that they are not cheap at all.
Tigerdirect has several very cheap unlocked GSM phones of comparable quality to the 'free' ones the carriers so generously give away.
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/category/category_slc.asp?Recs=10&Nav=|c:1809|&Sort=4
I understand if there is a specific phone or feature that you just can’t get from a network carrier then you gotta get it elsewhere. For example, I saw a GSM phone that took 2 sim cards. I thought that was a pretty cool feature and I haven’t seen that on a carrier’s list.
Maybe it depends on one’s concept of expensive. I look at these $300 to $400 phones and think that’s expensive, especially when if you sign a contract with a carrier you get it for free or almost free. You need a carrier anyway for the life of the phone.
When my phone died, I got a new, basic but reliable phone for $100 from Rogers. I did some shopping for my son and I found it difficult to find a comparable unlocked phone for that money.
I presume that Goalie with his pay as you go phone probably wants a cheap, replacement phone as well.
Maybe it depends on one’s concept of expensive. I look at these $300 to $400 phones and think that’s expensive, especially when if you sign a contract with a carrier you get it for free or almost free. You need a carrier anyway for the life of the phone.
When my phone died, I got a new, basic but reliable phone for $100 from Rogers. I did some shopping for my son and I found it difficult to find a comparable unlocked phone for that money.
I presume that Goalie with his pay as you go phone probably wants a cheap, replacement phone as well.
