Can you use the Verizon Wireless Blackberry 8830 as prepaid?

I have had my Verizon Wireless 8830 for about a year now, and it recently got turned off because I haven't paid the bill. I purchased a Verizon Wireless prepaid phone and put minutes on it. I have a new number and everything, but I hate the cheap looking phone I have. I want to use my 8830 as my prepaid phone until I can can pay the bill off and turn my service back on. Verizon keeps telling me it isn't possible because the 8830 is too high tech for the prepaid service. Does anyone know how to get around that or unlock my phone so it will work on another network?

I'm pretty sure your phone wont work on another network... but, they are right, the BB is not designed to use prepaid.

Well I recently called a company that unlocks phones like the VZW 8830 and the guy said that once it is unlocked it would be able to work on any other network, but I'm wondering is that just for calls and text messaging. What about the browser and email service? Do you know anything about that?

Originally Posted by kjoyner87

Well I recently called a company that unlocks phones like the VZW 8830 and the guy said that once it is unlocked it would be able to work on any other network, but I'm wondering is that just for calls and text messaging. What about the browser and email service? Do you know anything about that?

The provider needs to be able to push the service books to your device to enable all of the features of the phone. Thus the only thing that you would probably be able to do with the phone as a prepaid device is to use the phone and text. Also most of your prepaid providers such as track fone and virgin mobile are on the GSM network where as verizon is on the CDMA network. That would limit you to verizon, sprint, and alltell as you prepaid choices. Unless you are overseas.

ya if anyone has figured out the answer to this please tell me cause im having the same problem and how it could be done if it can... thanks alot everyone

Page Plus cellular don't care what sort of phone it is, and they're prepaid reseller of Verizon service. data costs a bunch though, but if you go for the $40/m plan it comes with some -- 20MB. amazingly since it's on verizon's network, you can go to blackberry .com/go/vzw and sign up for that to get the service books fixed up and voila!

Originally Posted by kjoyner87

Well I recently called a company that unlocks phones like the VZW 8830 and the guy said that once it is unlocked it would be able to work on any other network, but I'm wondering is that just for calls and text messaging. What about the browser and email service? Do you know anything about that?

That guy clearly knows nothing about your phone.

One thing you can research is flashing the phone to MetroPCS. You CAN flash the 8830 to Metro and they DO provide BlackBerry services. I'm just not exactly sure if you'll be able to use BIS since your ESN is bad.

Actually, all of this means nothing because if the ESN is or has been on you account while it was unpaid it is locked out of the system, so if your are using a vzw prepaid service then your phone won't work on the prepaid line because it is still attached to your dilinquent account.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

You can activate all Verizon Crackberries that are not activated presently on any carrier on Page Plus prepaid which now has the unlimited talk & text plan with 20MB of data. There is a company that sells Verizon Blackberry phones and can activate it on this plan for you if you rather talk and text alot and just want to use a little data each month without a contract and still have a blacberry and it cost only 39.95 a month. The company I got it from is pageplusquickshop.com and they activated the phone for me on the unlimited plan and all I had to do was purchase the unlimited activation card with the phone and when I received it I was able to .1. Activate PP line with the Blackberry's ESN 2.Programmed the phone 3. Go to Verizon BIS site and create a new account and I was on the net. So, you can activate Blackberry's or any other Verizon phone on Page Plus but, make sure your phone is a deactivated phone and not still on attached to a bill or activated on any other service. Oh yeah, and Page Plus uses the Verizon inpulse map nationwide so, if your in the red areas on the nationwide map or close enough you don't have to worry about roaming and can talk and text unlimited with 20 MB of data.

Originally Posted by Luke22

You can activate all Verizon Crackberries that are not activated presently on any carrier on Page Plus prepaid which now has the unlimited talk & text plan with 20MB of data.

Sorry to dig up an old thread but this raises an interesting point. Let's say you have a Blackberry world phone. You're relocated out of the country for work, and you activate on the local GSM network with the SIM, while taking the ETF with Verizon or simply seeing out the end of the Verizon contract and then not renewing. But on visits back to the US you want to at least be able to use Verizon, if not to permanently maintain an account. Assuming your former Verizon account was closed in good standing, can you either:

1) use this formerly contracted Verizon phone on Page Plus? or
2) use the phone on Verizon's own pre-pay?

If u want prepaid with BIS. Metropcs is the way to go. Verizon recently blocked BIS on pageplus

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

thank you to everyone for thei insite, but my question is how does one activate the storm on verizon's prepaidplans or the alltel prepaid plans that were carried over in the buy out, I saw a guy activate a curve on an Alltel plan after the buy out so I know it's possible, just wondering how it's done

Does anyone know whether or not the storm will work with page plus cellular?

Originally Posted by neutronscott

Page Plus cellular don't care what sort of phone it is, and they're prepaid reseller of Verizon service. data costs a bunch though, but if you go for the $40/m plan it comes with some -- 20MB. amazingly since it's on verizon's network, you can go to blackberry .com/go/vzw and sign up for that to get the service books fixed up and voila!

I have been using my Moto Q9m on Pageplus for a while now. I got sick and tired of it moving so slow so I bought an unlocked Blackberry 8830 on eBay under the assumption that the statement "any Verizon phone can be activated" would go for the Blackberry also. Not so. The agent told me that they can not activate Blackberry's period. Not even Metro PCS can active it. Now, I'm stuck with a great phone and no way to use it! If anyone knows an alternative plan please share. Thanks.

I got my phone activated on MetroPCS and I have a BlackBerry 8830 World Edition.
But MetroPCS has very poor service and reception and I just recently switched to PagePlus.
However if you go on blackberry.com/go/vzw, it doesnt seem to be able to work. Could someone please tell me why?

Who can i use as a prepaid service provider (like Boost or Straight Talk) but use my current new Blackberry 9630. I need the capability of email. I want to tell Verizon to shove it with there $160 monthly plan and get full unlimited service for approx $50. I seen that you can unlock the phone on ebay for .99 cents. If anyone can advise, it would be most appreciated. thank you kindly