There are several sources where you can get a phone without a contract, which allows you to change services anytime your current provider isn't working out. First of all, look to the internet. Sites like Amazon and overstock.com sell mobile phones that can be used with any carrier. They may not be totally free, but you can get a pretty decent phone for between $50 and $100, and when you consider most companies are going to make you pay something for a phone, even with a contract, that isn't too bad. And remember, if you do decide to go to another provider, an unlocked phone is probably going to be worth more because someone might want to buy it to use without a contract just like you did.

That is where the second place to look comes in. Check sites like Craigslist and Ebay that sell used mobile phones. Someone may have just stopped service, or upgraded to a new phone, and now has a perfectly good used one they could sell you for just a few bucks. I have seen Blackberries and PDA phones for under $100 on these sites, and basic phones for a lot less. The only downside you have to be aware of is these phones will not be under warranty, so see my article on how to tell if a cell phone is good and check for water damage as well.

I would also look at stores selling used cell phones. They will probably be quite a bit more than an average seller, but they may give you a 90 day or so warranty, so that is a little piece of mind. These stores, which are often in malls, often also have the most popular phones, and may be able to show you how they work before you get one. Most of the time though, I see the phones in these stores are very overpriced, unless you are looking for and IPhone or the like, and you know you are going to pay anyway. For regular phones though, I would probably look and maybe make an offer, but if they don't give you a good price, look elsewhere.

Another great place to look in a pinch is at prepaid phones. No, I don't mean to use with prepaid service, I mean most prepaid phones can be used with a regular rate plan. For instance, many ATT and TMobile prepaid phones sold at Wal-Mart and the like can be activated with non-prepaid service. They won't tell you this unless you ask, so ask first and you may get a good deal. I have seen prepaid phones for $10 on sale brand new because they make so much money on the minutes, but there is nothing preventing you from using it as a regular cell phone. Just check with the carrier to see which models will and won't work.

Now, if you just have to have an IPhone or a Google PDA phone, you are a lot more limited. Phones like these are often not unlocked by carriers, and aren't usually sold on third party sites. You still can get lucky if you don't mind one that is a couple years old like an IPhone 3G because usually by then someone has figured out how to unlock them and they are sold used on the sites I mentioned. Another trick is you can see what it would cost to break the contract on one of these phones. Some phones like the IPhone may have a retail price of 5 or 6 hundred dollars, but with a contract you can get one for only a couple hundred. Even if you break the contract and pay the penalty, you still may be better off than paying for the full cost upfront. And you might not even pay a penalty if you read my article about how to get out of your contract!

Remember though, most of the high tech phones are more than the average bear needs. People get roped into contracts for 2 years with internet service mandatory just so they can have a cool looking phone. Studies have shown that the majority of people who have these phones rarely use the majority of the capabilities that they have. And considering even the most basic phones now have cameras and organizers built in, why pay the extra?

So, for a normal user that is only going to call and text a bit, I would recommend looking for a used phone on Craigslist or EBay and only if I can't find one super cheap I would then look at the mall or for a prepaid phone and then a new one on Amazon or the like. If I just had to have the coolest phone out there, I would just get the contract and worry about canceling later if you ever get to that point. People interested in these phones don't really have money savings as a top priority anyway. There is no reason you should have a contract if you don't want one. Try a few of tricks, and get out of contract prison.