Using SIM card in prepaid phone?

[Stargate199]

My problem, I have a Nokia 6010 cell phone that is on the verge of dying. It has had problems receiving calls and charging. The phone is with Cingular. Cingualr will not give me a new phone as the discount until the contract period is up. My question is can I go buy one of those $30 prepaid Cingualr phones and swap out the SIM cards. I have heard mixed results if I can do this or not. Is this possible? Thanks in advance!

[dorin]

i really dont see any reasons why not. even if the phone is locked on cingular network, by swaping the current sim with a prepaid (also from cingular) won't be absolutely any problem!

edit: sorry, now i realized you want to put the current sim into the prepaid phone...well, why don't you just do it in the store? you tell them if it works you buy it, for sure will let you try! at least it'd in switzerland

[Stargate199]

Unfortunately, that is not how it works in the States. The cell phone companies are very greedy, so I could not go into the Cingular store and do that. They would make me buy a new $300 phone. What I would do is buy it at Wal-mart and then swap the SIM cards. I am wondering if anyone has done this before I go and buy one.

[tomh009]

99% certain this should work. SIM locks are normally only to one mobile operator, not between prepaid and postpaid.

Does Walmart let you open the box?

[Stargate199]

Probably not in the store. Buying one of those prepaid phones will be cheaper than a new batter, or buying a new phone all together. The only thing I have heard is that the prepaid phones are locked to a prepaid sim card, but I don' think that was the case. I just wanted a second opinion. The SIM card actions are controlled by the cell phone service themselves, not the phone.

[lev]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_lock

[Stargate199]

Went out today and bought a prepaid phone. I put my SIM card in it and it works perfectly. I have discovered the reason for my old phone's malfunctions, water damage. One of those summer downpours got me drenched and must of damaged my phone in the process. Oh well, fixed that problem.