Cell Phone Plans At Walmart
Mary asks…
buy new cell phone family plan?
ok, if i order a cell phone from walmart on the web with AT&T and the phones are free and i dont have to pay for any thing for them, will they still do a credit check??? will it or will it not affect me from getting the phones??
please answer
thank you
Thomas answers:
Yes, they will do a credit check. The credit check is always more for the service than for the phone. For instance, if you wanted a plan and already had a phone, the carrier would still do a credit check. If you don’t pass the credit check, you will have to pay a security deposit. Since you’re getting a family plan, you would have to pay a security deposit for each line.
Susan asks…
What would happen if I bought a cell phone from Walmart? (I’m with Verizon)?
I want the Samsung Fascinate, and if I bought it from Verizon, with a 2 year contract
renewal, AND a $100.00 rebate, The phone would end up being $200.00.
BUT, yesterday I was walking through walmart and I passed by their cell phones,
and noticed that they had the Samsung Fascinate as well. However, it was for
only $48.00. Wtf???? I asked someone who worked there if there was a difference
in the cell phones, and she said no. But, I find it really strange that there’s a $150.00
difference in the same phone.
So, My questions are,
Will the cell phones be the same? Or are the ones sold at walmart any different than
the ones sold at Verizon? (Maybe made out of different material? Maybe different
programs..Etc)
Second question is, if I buy my cell phone at Walmart, will I have to pay anything extra
with Verizon since I didn’t buy it there, and to get it hooked up to my new number?
(I already know that I will have to buy a data plan with Verizon.)
And my third question is, if I buy it from Walmart, can I still get insurance on my cell
phone through Verizon?
Thanks!
Thomas answers:
Wal-mart buys their products in bulk and they bully companies into giving them discounts, therefore they can sell the products much cheaper.
1, The cell phones are the same. Wal-Mart is a reseller, not a manufacturer.
2. No, Wal-mart isn’t a cell phone serivce provider…they are simply a reseller…So you are buying a Verizon provided phone with verizons service through Wal-Mart, just as if you bought a TV from them or a huge ass box of Corn dogs…Wal_mart doesn’t make the TVs or corn dogs, only resell them. So no you don’t pay extra..as for your number if you have a verizon phone already you can transfer it to the new phone.
3. Again, Wal-Mart is simply a reseller of Verizon’s serivce and phones, so yes, you get insurance through Verizon, not wal-mart.
You know, you could easily have all these questions answered by simply asking the sales associate at Wal-Mart.
Carol asks…
Cell phone contract (credit check)?
I recently went to walmart.com to get a cell phone… I am doing a contract 2 year with At&t… my credit kind of sucks…
anyway, I went through the whole process and now they will make a decision and email me…
my question is… how heafty do they weigh credit for cell phone plans.. I mean it’s not like I’m buying a house right?
thanks!
Thomas answers:
It can actually be difficult. You’ll either be charged a deposit if you have a certain amount of late pays, or outstanding balances at that time, or you’ll only qualify for one line of service. Deposits can be as high as $400.
Basically, if you’re under 635, you may have to pay a deposit.
Michael asks…
What is a good cell phone and plan for me?
I want to dump my land line phone and just use a cell phone. I looked at various providers plans and I thought Sprint was great as far as price but horrible for coverage areas / signal.
Sprint: Poor coverage, free anytime to mobile or land line after 7pm. 70 bucks gets you unlimited data, text and 450 minutes talk time. Free after 6pm and weekends.
Verizon: Seems pricey but best coverage area and most people use their network. ONLY free after 9pm and weekends. 39.99 for 450 talk, 59.99 for 450 talk / unlimited text (data plans anywhere from 10 to 25 dollars.)
AT&T: Great coverage map like verizon, 39.99 for 450 talk, same prices as verizon (above) but with one additional feature.. an extra 9 dollars a month starts your freetime at 6pm.
Also where should I buy my phone?? From walmart or radio shack? or from one of the actual phone company stores?
I want to use magic jack during the day when I am home and use my cell phone during weekends and evenings or during important stuff during the day. I am not a huge text message guy and can probably live without it, I could just use yahoo messenger for that. Also I am not worried about things like GPS and alerts for movies or facebook updates. I can always do that from my PC at home.
Any advice would be helpful.
Ok I tried a sprint phone today and returned it. It was an HTC droid system? the phone actually got hot to the touch and burned my ear once. Also the signal was a little sub par. I got the phone at radio shack, they took it back and sprint cancelled me no charge.
Ugh.. cell phone shopping is a total nightmare.
Thomas answers:
You should definitely go with Sprint. Their coverage isn’t as great as Verizon but the money you save will make up for the difference. Sprints best plan is $69.99 for unlimited Talk Text and Web so basically unlimited everything.
Helen asks…
how to add services on a cell phone.?
im thinking of buying a phone at walmart or target, so i looked at the online store, and i relized that you can’t get all the services that you are able to get, so i was wondering if you can buy a phone and plan at walmart and then go to the phone company and ask for a service added on your phone. so i can get the phone at a great deal,instead of paying alot more when getting it at the phone company.
Thomas answers:
Nope. If you buy a cell phone you have to choose a carrier that will use that phone, and it has to be that specific carrier. You could have a cell phone and if you have a landline, you can have the calls forwarded to that cell phone, but a phone company can’t add features to a cell phone you have from a wireless company. Try doing some research with the different wireless companies that offer packages to your liking and see if the the phone you want to buy will be supported by that company.
