Unlock and Reactivate Cell Phones

Many people choose to reactivate cell phones, especially in a tough or emergency situation. For instance, if you lose your current cell phone and need one to use while your new one arrives, you can reactivate an old cell phone for the time being. If you add another line to your cell phone account, you can reactivate another cell phone to use in addition to your main phone. Sometimes you have to unlock a cell phone before you reactivate a cell phone with a new service or account.

Get a Service Plan

Sign up for a service plan with a cell phone provider if you do not have one already to reactivate cell phones (Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, or AT&T). The cell phone has to communicate with one of their towers in order to place and receive calls. As an alternative, you can also purchase a prepaid calling card from a local convenience store, if the cell phone is compatible with prepaid services.

Does It Need to Be Unlocked?

Unlock the phone if required if you want to reactivate. Cell phones that take SIM cards (GSM models) commonly "lock" when you deactivate them so that no one else can use it, unless that new person signs up for an account with the same service as before. To unlock a cell phone and reactivate it with a new account you have to either enter a series of codes into the device or connect it to your computer with a special cable. If you're not familiar with the process, bring it into a cell phone repair store and let them do it for you--if you put in the wrong code you could disable the device for good.

To Reactivate Cell Phones You've Got to Contact the Provider

Reactivate the cell phone. You can either call the cell phone provider directly or dial into the service on the handset to complete the activation process. If you have a cell phone compatible with prepaid cards you must still activate the cell phone with a provider in most cases before using the card minutes. Keep in mind that you also need to purchase a new SIM card in order to reactivate cell phones that are compatible with GSM technology (service plan or prepaid).

Unlocking Cell Phones: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2069846,00.asp