How to Find Free Cell Phones That Don't Require a Credit Card

1. Acquire an old cell phone that a friend or relative no longer needs or wants. (Ask a teenager. Teen tend to update their cell phones frequently and generally don't have anything to do with the old one.)
2. Buy a SIM card to activate the phone. Independent cell phone dealers and cell phone carriers' stores sell SIM cards that a customer may purchase with cash. Ask the dealer to assist in matching the cell phone with a SIM card. Some carriers' SIM cards will operate other carriers' cell phones (such as Cingular and the 'new' AT&T) while others will not work together (T-Mobile and AT&T). Cell phone users may also purchase a SIM card through an Internet site such as ebay.com. SIM card costs average $20.
3. Slide the SIM card into the back of the cell phone. Ask the cell phone dealer for assistance if needed since SIM card insertions can vary among various types of cell phones. Wait until the cell phone dealer activates the SIM card before leaving the store.
4. Buy pre-paid phone cards at cell phone dealers as needed. The cell phone dealer can electronically insert the number of purchased calling minutes into the cell phone and the user can make calls up to that number of minutes. The user may receive calls even without having purchased a prepaid phone card. Costs of pre-paid phone cards vary, depending on the number of minutes purchased--cell phone users may purchase pre-paid cell phone cards for anywhere from 10 cents per minute to 25 cents per minute, depending on the carrier and the number of minutes purchased. (When a customer purchases a pre-paid cell phone card with a higher number of calling minutes on it, he pays less per minute for the card than if he had purchased a prepaid cell phone card with fewer minutes.) The pre-paid cell phone card must match the SIM card's cell phone provider. Voice mail and texting services become available when the user purchases a pre-paid cell phone card, and the pre-paid card's minutes pay for those services.
5. Research the pros and cons of obtaining a free cell phone and using it without a credit card. Cell phone customers debate this issue frequently. Signing onto a plan with a cell phone carrier through a credit card reduces the cost per minute of calling with the cell phone, but often locks the user into an agreement with a cell phone provider. Avoiding use of a credit card when using the cell phone with a SIM card and a pre-paid phone card gives the user freedom to reduce his calls and, therefore, reduce his cell phone expenses, but the calls that he does make will cost more money.