My dad and sister both had been fine with their old dumb phones for more than a decade w/o a contract. Now they have to upgrade by July when TMobile drops 3G. Both only have their phones for occasional calls(they don't text ) and want to keep their old pay-as-you-go plan. They each only pay $10 yearly renewal and still managed to accumulate more than $100 in their accounts after all these years.

I guess that means they need to get unlocked phones. Neither one wants to spend much more than a $100 for one. What's a good source for a no frills(cheap) beginner's smart phone? Perhaps refurbed older models?

Does upgrading to 4g mean you have to get a smart phone? 3g vs 4g just means network compatibility. You should be able to use a 4g capable flip phone or other "dumb" phone without moving up to a smart phone.

There's no shortage of $60 basic non-smart phones on Amazon.

Try Woot. They have Iphone 8 for 139.00 refurb.

You can get a basic flip phone directly from T-mobile for $96.

ALCATEL GO FLIP™ 4

Phone repair stores can be good for unlocked, refurbished phones. They can also be good for getting opinions on best phones for reliability, battery life, etc.

Not sure why they would need an unlocked phone, unless they plan to swap carriers. 3G vs. 4G has nothing to do with whether the phone is carrier locked or not. Are they sure they can’t get a free phone from T-MOBILE? AT&T was offering free phones to people who had old 3G phones that were no longer going to work when they dropped 3G.

My mom is with AT&T pay-as-you-go. They offered her a free Radiant Max to replace her dumb phone. I told my dad to wait and see, but he has none of that patience. He wanted it done soon and wants a smart phone after my mom got hers.

They don't mind hand-me-downs, but I'm with AT&T. Refurb and used would be the most cost effective options.

Try Ting mobile, they have pay-as-you-go plans. I don't know the status of 3G coverage, but there are any number of cheap or pre-owned 4G phones available from a number of sources.

Tons of AT&T unlocked phones on Ebay. Even NIB. T Mobil has a good plan for seniors over 55 and 2 lines are cheap. I dunno about pay as you go unless you go WalMart phones.

Amazon Renew

https://www.amazon.com/s?i=mob...011&ref=sr_nr_p_36_3