AT&T Selling SIM Cards Minus Phone

Got an unlocked GSM phone? Now you can pick up a SIM card from AT&T without having to buy a cell phone with it, although you'll still have to sign a two-year contract for a post-paid plan.

So here's the deal: for $5 (that is, $10 minus a $5 online discount), you can get a 3G-capable AT&T SIM card that'll work in any unlocked GSM handset (click here if you don't know what I mean by "GSM"). You still go through the usual choices in terms of monthly minutes and data service plans, except you don't have to pick a phone to go with your service. If you want a post-paid service plan, however (versus a pre-paid account), you'll have to sign a two-year contract.

Of course, there's nothing all that revolutionary about AT&T's new deal—after all, the carrier has plenty of free phones in its lineup, and there's nothing stopping you from taking the SIM card from the free phone and plugging it into the handset of your choice. Here's the thing, though: while the final price of the "free" phones is zero, you're still obligated to pay cash (often $50 or more) for the phone and wait weeks for the mail-in rebate to arrive. Personally, I'd rather pay $5 on the barrelhead for a SIM card and be done with it.

Related:
AT&T Offers SIM Card Sans Phone [Phone Scoop]