What is the Cheapest Off-Contract Windows Phone for Verizon?

[coip]

My friend's flip phone just broke and she wants a replacement phone, off-contract for Verizon, as cheap as possible. I saw this as an opportunity to convert her to Windows Phone but she can't sign a new contract, so are there any really cheap Windows Phone options for her? T-Mobile and AT&T have the Lumia 521/520, right? Is there nothing like that for Verizon? All I could find were the 822 and 928 which are still hundreds of dollars off-contract. Can phones from other networks work? For instance, I heard the 928 can work on T-Mobile, so couldn't the 521 work on Verizon?

There do seem to be some reasonably priced Nokia Lumia 822s on ebay (i.e. $80-100). Are those legit? She could buy them and have no problems going into a Verizon store and transferring them over to her number? She also doesn't have a data plan, but I figured she could use it for her voice and texting as she does now, and then use the other features on Wi-Fi for free, right?

If there are not any cheap Windows Phone options for her on Verizon (long story, but switching carriers is not an option for her), does anyone have recommendations on cheap flip phones she can get that are at least Windows Phone friendly (i.e. they don't profit Google in any way)?

 

[TaliZorah]

Just go to their website verizonwireless.com and search the phones. You can see the off contract price and sort by windows phones. The 822 or the Ativ S are the cheapest ($300ish)

 

[brenz566]

I recently went through the same process and ended up having to move from Verizon prepaid to AT&T to get a windows phone for a decent price. Any phone you want to use on Verizon prepaid must be no more than 3G. The only phone I found that would work was the HTC Trophy but it was only windows 7 and I wanted windows 8. Good luck!

 

[coip]

Just go to their website verizonwireless.com and search the phones. You can see the off contract price and sort by windows phones. The 822 or the Ativ S are the cheapest ($300ish)

She can't afford anything more than like $60-90. So, I was hoping she could buy a used/refurbished one on ebay and use it without a data plan (text and voice, plus Wi-Fi).

 

[iamtim]

By "off contract", do you mean a phone that has no contract subsidies on a regular Verizon plan? Or do you mean a pre-paid phone?

If the former, good luck. Craigslist/eBay is going to be your only hope. If the latter, you'll be much better off dropping Verizon and getting a 520/521 on AT&T/T-Mobile pre-paid.

 

[coip]

By "off contract", do you mean a phone that has no contract subsidies on a regular Verizon plan? Or do you mean a pre-paid phone?

If the former, good luck. Craigslist/eBay is going to be your only hope. If the latter, you'll be much better off dropping Verizon and getting a 520/521 on AT&T/T-Mobile pre-paid.

I meant the former. Right now she's on a family plan with a flip phone where she only pays $10 per month for call and texting. I'm hoping she can get a used Windows Phone (i.e. a smartphone) off of ebay/Craigslist for like $80-90, and continue paying Verizon $10 per month for call and texting only. But then, because it's a smart phone, she can connect to WiFi and access other services (apps, email, Skype, Internet Explorer, etc.). But my hunch is that Verizon will not allow this to happen.

 

[diego15nets]

Lumia 822 from ebay for $100, just read the descriptions thoroughly and the sellers rating. I've bought several of these for friends and family. Great pickup for the price.

 

[raccoon210]

I would definitely get the 822 from eBay!

 

[coip]

I just chatted with a Verizon sales rep and she said it's a requirement that all smartphones get a data plan, the cheapest of which is $30 per month. What bull****. I can't believe it's legal for them to dictate what can be done with a phone purchased off contract. Guess my friend will have to stick with a flip phone for now (she really can't afford the three-fold jump from $10 per month to $30 per month). What a pity.

 

[Kevin Rush]

Here is an idea. Admittedly not a perfect idea, but it does have some advantages:
1. Your friend goes to Verizon and gets their cheapest or free (with no contract) phone and then use it for phone calls on Verizon.
2. Purchase a Lumia 822 on Ebay. Research the seller. When she receives the phone, don't activate it on Verizon. Just use the device on WiFi. This will give her access to all the wonderful Windows Phone Goodness including email accounts, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, the great camera, the Nokia Apps (Here GPS apps and many more) and all the free and paid Apps from the store. She could download a messaging App instead of texting. Everything that a Windows Phone 8 does except phone calls, Verizon Texting, and of course, continuous data connection.

I have several non-activated Verizon Phones that I use as music/video players and get my email on through WiFi.

She could do this with any phone but the Lumia 822 has more built in memory than the 521 series and has the ability to add more memory with a microSD card. I have a 64GB card in mine for music, videos, podcasts, and photos.

Not a perfect solution. She also has the option to activate the phone sometime in the future.
Just an idea.

 

[iamtim]

I just chatted with a Verizon sales rep and she said it's a requirement that all smartphones get a data plan, the cheapest of which is $30 per month.

I was going to mention that but I couldn't remember if It was Verizon who had the requirement or not.

You should have her check out some of the contract-free plans at T-Mobile, AT&T, and their MVNOs.

 

[TaliZorah]

I just chatted with a Verizon sales rep and she said it's a requirement that all smartphones get a data plan, the cheapest of which is $30 per month. What bull****. I can't believe it's legal for them to dictate what can be done with a phone purchased off contract. Guess my friend will have to stick with a flip phone for now (she really can't afford the three-fold jump from $10 per month to $30 per month). What a pity.

$30 / mo is just for the plan. Add an extra $40 / mo for the smartphone.

I love verizons service but their plans are geared towards family and sharing. Its cheap if you do that but flying solo is expensive