How do you activate a cell phone purchased from a thrift store?

Take it to a store operated by a carrier such as T-Mobile, Sprint, or AT&T. Show it to them and they will tell you if they support it. If they don't, ask them who does. If they don't know, keep nudging them until they look it up.

Hint: go during the daytime when the more experienced clerks are in the store.

You'll need to make sure you have a SIM card in it. This contains all the information your cell carrier needs in order to identify your phone on their network. Most phones made in the last 3 years can actually be used on any voice network, as long as you have the SIM card programmed correctly by the carrier. It's really the data networks that have a problem with the phone being "locked".

Try Radio Shack. The one near me has been helpful in many areas, including re-activating an old cell-phone I have.

First, see if you can determine which carrier it was used with. The phone will be "locked" to that carrier. So, it will have to be unlocked if you don't want to be with that carrier.

Before you unlock the phone test to see if it will accept a charge. Plug it in and see what happens. Sometimes it will take a few minutes before charging begins. If all is well, then unlock and use it.

You can go online and find a site that will sell you the unlock code for that phone and the instructions to perform the procedure.

Once it is unlocked, then go to the store of the carrier you prefer and apply for service with them. Or, you can use it to have pre-paid service.

Yah the first guy was right. Just go to the any phone store and see if they will make it operate again. If they won't just ask them who will. I hope this helped.