By 
Finding a cheap cell phone used to be a challenge. These days we have prepaid phones and unlimited calling and data plans available. Not only have rates come down, but the cost of older phones is surprisingly low.
If you need a cheap cell phone because yours broke, you want a weekend cell phone, or you want to sign up for a new account, there is no shortage of offers.
You can find cheap phones from Virgin Mobile (a prepaid provider), which regularly offers free airtime with cell phones, making the phones free. These promotions are usually ONLY for new lines. Virgin Mobile isn’t alone, Tracfone offers similar promotions.
If you want a cheap phone and aren’t tied to a carrier, prepaid is the way to go. Especially if you’re looking for something cheap for a new business or weekend phone. As mentioned above, you can usually get a free phone or a decent phone for under $20 from Boost or Virgin.
Now, if you’re tied to one carrier and your cell phone broke, your best bet is to call customer service and ask for a refurbished phone. They usually have unprecedented offers on discontinued phones or renewals. I once broke a T-Mobile phone and was able to buy a temporary disposable phone from them for $15. If they don’t have anything available, head over to eBay and buy an older model that someone is just trying to get rid of. If you’re not tied to a carrier, check out WireFly.com, where they offer up new blackberries for free with a contract.