Can I get a cell phone?

I'm in the same boat you are. I've been holding off until I can get approved with no deposit. Maybe others will offer what companies use what and what the score requirements are.

 

I too want a cell phone and am curious to find out if any of these companies are score driven. I have a decent score but my credit history is short , which is what usually stops me all the way around.....

 

Verizon and T-Mobile are probably your best bets. This is just speaking from personal experience. Both of these companies will give you a phone without a deposit, but you may have to purchase the phone. Go with T-Mobile, they have a better set of plans and offer no roaming or long distance charges.

 

No matter how bad your credit. sprint will only ask for $125 deposit.

 

I have had Sprint PCS for almost a year now. I didn't have to put a deposit down. They pulled Exp. & my score was/is 599.

 

IT TAKES 1/3 OF ONE SECOND TO TURN YOUR PHONE OFF...WHY WOULD THEY NEED A DEPOSIT???

ONE DAY LATE...IT CAN BE SHUT OFF...

 

Because they take a loss on the equipment.

 

one woman said verizon asked for a $500.00. I'll pay the phone I have no problem with that. Are you SURE Verizon won't ask for a deposit ?

 

Ah not true, up here they can ask for as much as $600 for a deposit.

Here's my question, if you have an old unpaid local phone bill from Bell Atlantic (who is now Verizon) can you get a Verizon cell phone? (the Bell atlantic has never been on the report)

 

Don't try Nextel. They have the strictest policies of any phone company, so I've heard. They wanted a girl mid 500's to put up 1k deposit, but they are the best! Charlie

 

I got my Nextel a few years ago and my scores were probably in the high 500s to low 600s with no deposit.

 

I work for cingular and I can tell you that they as well as verizon are tough on poor credit scores. I can also tell you that I got a sprint pcs phone with a score in the 550 range. Sprint is your best bet.

 

Cingular is who I'd like to get my phone thru - Do they look at mainly just your score ? My Equifax score is 720 currently but my credit history is only a year long. No derogs at all, but what do you think my chances of getting a phone without a deposit would be ? Thanks!

 

I got my cell phone back in 2000 from BellSouth Mobility (prior to becoming Cingular). I had called BellSouth regarding my local phone service and the CSR took the opportunity to tell me that I had been "pre-approved" for a cell phone and pager.

I went ahead and got the cell phone for my Mom. Although I was told I was pre-approved they still pulled a hard inquiry from EQ and back then I was definately in the low 600's. No deposit required.

 

Sprint only asks for a 125.00. Because that is used as your Spending limit. so if your plan is 50.00 a month, you have 75.00 to use it for long distance, web, etc. Once you get above the 125.00 spending limit they will shut off service untill you pay.

I believe others ask for more,since they don;t have a spending limit plan like sprint.

 

I work in the industry. When you buy a cell phone, while it may only cost you $0.99 to $300 (depending on the model you purchase), that is not the true cost of the phone to the company. They subsidize the cost of the telephone in order to increase penetration (the % of customers between the ages of 18 and 55), not to mention the other cost of customer acquisition and retention. When a customer leaves a cellular telephone company, that's called "churn" and "churn" to these companies is very bad. It is one of the leading economic indicators that has these companies' stock in the cellar at the moment. In fact, Sprint PCS LOST customers last quarter because they wrote of so many customers that left the stuck with a phone bill AND the cost of the subsidized phones. So while they CAN turn a phone off in an instant, the true cost they have to write off is much higher.

Do youreself a favor and work with a company like Sprint PCS, which I think has one of the most lenient credit policies in the business, and pay the deposit, contingent upon knowing up front when you can go free of the deposit. Once they've got you, they don't want to lose you because it affects their churn number to Wall Street. Call back in a year, sound pissed, and ask to speak to the "customer retention department." Explain all the problems you had with their phone and the fact that you have a deposit tied up with them and want to disconnect your phone. They'll bend their back backwards to keep you. In the mean time, your price will come down, your FICO score will go up and you'll get your deposit back.

Then again, someone who has a history of bad credit probably should not own a cell phone. It's another luxury that you should think twice before owning, right? After all, that's what go you into credit trouble in the first place.

Good luck,

Johnny Blood

 

Thanks for that info. Very interesting.

 

A score of 720 will get you a cingular phone easily. They arent near as picky as a credit card company. They just dont like alot of late payments or failure to pays. They dont require a lengthy credit history. My sister in law got a cingular phone with absolutely no credit. They are just avoiding people with "poor" credit.

 

I have sprint pcs and I actually only use sprint pcs in place of my landline. I think i have been with them for about three years now. i originally had to put up the 125.00 deposit, but I paid my bills on time and I paid so much for lots of service (my average cell phone bill is 125-160) that within six months sprint gave me back my 125.00 and said that they appreciated my business and were basically rewarding me for my positive relationship with them. My mother after an accident also purchased a sprint pcs phone and had to also put down 125.00 but she had to wait a year before they credited her back the 125.00. she was never late and always paid on time but her bills always ranged in the 35-45.00 range.