Looking for a cheap used android phone
 

We have some sort of business plan (my parents pay for it) and my dad asked me to check into cheap SMALL android phones that can be used on Verizon. We can get some kind of data plan for $25 a month if we provide the phone. We currently pay $20 per month for a dumb phone so a $5 upgrade seems like a good deal to me. I currently use one of those sliding type phones with a keyboard and like its small size. I would not be happy with something the size of an I-Phone 6 (or whatever the new one is). I'm looking for suggestions on a used phone that I can buy on Ebay and add to my Verizon account. So, what should I buy...

This is what I currently have (anything is an upgrade):
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1431916264

LG G2 is dirt cheap these days and respectably fast.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 that needs a screen replacement i'd sell for stupid cheap.

Don't use ebay , use swappa, I've had great luck with them.

I have no personal experience with BLU, but I have seen quite a few landscapers , electricians, etc. at the 7-11 that use BLU phones. They seem to be cheap and highly reviewed/rated.

From your link:
Unlocked cell phones will not work with CDMA Carriers like Sprint, Verizon, Boost or Virgin.

Still looking....

The thing that is working against you is Verizon has a proprietary network for the most part. You have to buy a phone, take it to them and have it activated, and you could take it to the store and find out then its stolen, or belonged to a customer that walked out on a contract and they wont activate it. It also means there will be a fraction of the phones that are available for a GSM network.

What is cheap for you? $10 $50? $300?

This is probably the best bang for the buck right now. Samsungs 4 year old flagship phone, Buy Samsung Galaxy S III (Verizon) in US > Swappa

Yeah, I've done that before (bought a phone off Ebay and was told it would not work). I'm a cheap ass and $150 seems pretty expensive to me. I do see that some of the S III phones are around $100 but I don't know enough about Swappa to know if there are a lot of fees on top of that. I could probably swing $100 and not feel too bad about the purchase. If oil hadn't dropped like a bitch yesterday (I lost about $15K on paper) I'd jump on one today.

I haven't called Verizon yet. When you use something like Swappa, do you just show up at verizon with your new phone and they hook it up for you? Do they charge $50 or something crazy for hooking up a phone you didn't buy from them? Just wondering...

I do believe you have to go to a Verizon store. They might charge an activation fee, you'd just have to call. With GSM, you would just have to call your provider to turn on a data plan and pop in your SIM.

If you want super cheap, have you looked at FreedomPop? they have limited plans starting at well, free. Its just that customer service is, well, go F*ck yourself.

you wont to ANY better than this

Motorola Moto G 4.5" Verizon Prepaid No-Contract Smartphone - Slickdeals.net

EDIT - fine print says it wont work on an existing contract - but you may want to call verizon and find out

If you have an active Verizon SIM card and you put it in valid Verizon 4G/LTE smartphone, it will automatically activate.

So, when you are going to place the upgrade order for your line (to add data), select the option (or tell the rep) that you need a new SIM card shipped directly to you. They will ship you the SIM card, you pop it into the phone, it will hit the network and activate automatically. If it doesn't, make sure the old phone is off, reboot the new phone, and let it try again.

Looks great for a bunch of projects, including ip cam or dos dog.

I have the exact same phone as OP, I've been looking into the Zenfone2:
The ASUS Zenfone 2 Review

I got the deal of the century. I did the ship to store option, they gave me the LTE MOTO E model instead for the same price. I gave it to a hacker buddy of mine who had it working on T-mobile in 10 minutes. The hardware supports GSM too. This phone sells for $200 direct from Motorola. My cost $21. They were on sale for $68 I think. With SD card I think its better than the $500 Moto X - and I'm a fan of that phone.

I went back and bought one more and they gave me the right one this time. It replaced my 3 year old's lost iPod touch and I'm teaching him how to take pics with it. I also play pandora on it to put him to sleep at night. I'll never activate it, but money well spent.

Almost got one more to run shadowdash, but I've got too many gadgets already.

<p>for what it's worth, cheap, small USB drives are plentiful now. :)</p>

Yep. And with this cable, you can use your USB stick and charge at the same time. I used it once with a mouse and keyboard on my N7 just for giggles. I could probably get real work done on it if I wanted.