question about cell phones

Perhaps a dumb question but... I'm not happy with my current phone. I have the LG Shine and the thing eats batteries like crazy. I literally have to charge it every day. I even bought a new battery it's no better. Can I buy an unlocked phone and just put in my sim card and continue using it on my existing plan? I'm not eligible for an upgrade phone on my current plan until December and I'm really tired of this phone.

I have lost phones i nthe past and bouhgt a used one on Ebay. The carrier (Verizon) just deactived my old one and activeted the new one.

Actually a couple months ago I lost my Chocalte (sp) phone and replaced it with a clam shell phone, Verixon did it no problem. Then last weekend we almost get in an accident and the wife slams on the brakes and out flys my Chocalote phone from under the front seat. I just re-activeted yesterday and I have a spare in the clam shell when the Choc gets lost again.

Matty, the short answer is yes. You can buy an unlocked phone, plop your SIM card in and use it. The longer answer depends on your carrier, and if there is anything on their end you have to do in order to activate the phone.

Verizon doesn't have SIM cards, but uses an ESN system. Bigger pain when trying to transfer to a new/used phone, however with MyAssistant, I can sync the phone up pretty quickly with all my contacts. I'm due in December, and I'm thinking WinMo platform for my next phone, so I can keep tabs on work without having to log into a computer.

You shouldn't have a problem since it's SIM card