Yesterday I transferred my cell phone plan to a coworker to avoid paying early termination fees for breaking my contract. That saved me anywhere from $20 -$175! Verizon Wireless has a $175 early termination fee, but you can avoid paying early termination fees by transferring your service to another person.

My new cell phone plan: Last week I signed up for the SERO offer from Sprint, even though I hadn’t yet completed my contract with Verizon. The SERO offer runs $30 per month for 500 anytime minutes, free nights and weekends (7pm - 7am), unlimited text messages, and an unlimited data plan!

The unlimited data was the deal clincher for me! I can now access my Gmail account anywhere I go, as well as on-line apps like Google Maps and other websites. Now I don’t need a GPS system!

For a great review of the SERO plan and more details, read the Sprint SERO plan review by Five Cent Nickel. This is the guide I used, and everything worked as advertised. Thanks, Nickel!

Transferring my cell phone without paying early termination fees

Sometimes it can be difficult to cancel or transfer your cell phone without paying any fees. However, if you can find someone willing to take over your contract, you can transfer your phone and 100% liability with an Assumption of Liability transfer. This assumption of liability transfer legally transfers the terms of the contract to another person’s name. The entire process takes about 20 minutes.

My friend needed a new cell phone carrier, so luckily I had someone who could take the contract over for me. If you need help finding someone to take you contract over, there are two companies willing to help you out for a $20 fee - Cell Swapper and Cell Trade USA. Trade My Cellular also provides this service free of charge.

The deal was great for both of us - I needed out of a contract, and he needed a new carrier. Ironically, he had Sprint, but got awful reception in his apartment. He also wanted a new cell provider becuse his girlfriend has service with Verizon and they were not able to take advantage of free mobile to mobile minutes. As a result, it was costing both of them more money every month because they were charged the regular rate for their calls. (I assume they talk a lot!)

My coworker was able to assume my contract, which had roughly a year left and I gave him my Motorolla Razr free. His old contract with Sprint had just ended so he did not have to pay an early termination fee to cancel his old service. He was also able to port his old number over with no problems. Even though I tried my best, I was not able to transfer my old number without canceling my old service and paying the early termination fees, so I will have a lot of phone calls this week to update everyone! (Yes, I could send e-mails or text messages, but that removes the human element doesn’t it?)

In the end, this was a win-win deal for both of us. He gets better cell phone reception, free mobile to mobile minutes with his girlfriend, a free phone, and he doesn’t have to lock himself into a long term contract. He even got some free ring tones! As for me, I saved a lot of time and money trying to get out of my cell phone contract. I will also save a few dollars per month on my cell phone bill and get a better package, including unlimited data usage! Can you tell I am excited!?! If you are wondering, I got the Moto Q 9c, which has Windows Mobile 6 and a full Qwerty keyboard. The size is also not too bad for a PDA. Overall, I am very impressed with it!

Here are some more was you can cancel a cell phone contract without paying fees. Alright, I’m off to go play with my new phone.

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