Will be buying a BlackBerry in the U.S... Need Help!

Alright, I live in India right now and I use a BlackBerry Curve 8520 (I bought it in India without any contract). I'll be moving to the United States of America. Will my BlackBerry work there too? I mean, can I just get a SIM card from a service provider and use with my present BlackBerry (the Indian one). In case, I'll have to get rid of my BlackBerry after moving, I'm planning to buy a new BlackBerry in the U.S. A friend told me that in the U.S BlackBerrys are almost always sold with Contracts from the Carrier. However, I want to buy a BlackBerry without any kind of contract whatsoever, I want to be able to choose my service provider after buying the BlackBerry. How much will it cost that way? I have a budget of about $250. How much will a BlackBerry Curve 9920, or a Curve 9360 cost? Or, if I decide to buy one with a contract, then how much will it cost? And how long do contracts usually last and how much will I have to pay per month? I really, really, really need help.
Thanks in advance!

Spend a bit of time researching which carrier is best for coverage where you are going. If you are going to be there for two years, get a 9900 on contract for anywhere from $0-$150.

The prepaid plans are more expensive than the contracts and no contract monthly post paid plans cost the same as contracts, but you don't get the cheap phone.

Your 8520 should work on US GSM based networks - at least AT&T and T-Mobile - but it is a 2G only device so you won't get the performance boost from 3G. However this should keep you in touch for long enough to look around and see what is available when you are ready to replace the phone.

Your India sourced phone is likely to be unlocked, so you should be able to find a suitable package with BB support from a US network, load the new SIM and set it up.

As a good starting point I suggest you consider prepay as a short term plan on arrival - you will find this is quicker to setup (no delays for credit checks, etc) and it allows you to test the quality of network service in the areas you are likely to use the phone without any long term commitment to a specific network. The last thing you want is to commit to a contract then find your home is a black hole in the cellular signal. When you are satisfied you could look at a post-pay account and phone upgrade aoptions.

With verizon you have the following prices with a 2 year package. 9930-$230, 9330-$Free, 9370-$99, 9850-$180. Without a plan, full retail is 9930-$510, 9330-$299, 9370-$410, 9850-$460. Early termination fee of the contract is $350.

Good luck.

Plans from Verizon:
Voice
450 min $40
900 min $60
Unlim. $70

Talk & text
450. $60
900. $80
Unlim. $90

Data:
75MB no email $10
2GB. $30
4GB. $40
5GB. $40

Also, I don't know about your living arangements when here, but wi-fi is free and fast. So it does not come out of your plan data.

If you don't text much, I think individual texts are $.25. You can save some money there.

If you go with 450 talk/text and 2GB + fees/taxes it will probably be $100-$110 per month.

Welcome to the USA. I would suggest you get a pre-paid or month t0 month plan on AT&T or T-Mobile (assuming your phone is GSM) until the BB10 phones come out later this year. Then consider a contract or outright purchase of a BB10 phone.

Most people buy on contract here because the phone cost is spread over the years of the contract. That makes the upfront cost less. However, you can purchase any phone on a month to month contract, which is where you buy the phone at the best price you can find and pay the contract each month.

It is likely many-many BB7 phones will go on the used market when BB10 is released. If you are OK with the current generation BBs (which are very nice phones) and want to save a lot of money, you could go that route.

BBMessenger is going to be great for you. You can keep in touch with your friends/family/colleagues in India for free. That is substantial savings from international phone calls.