It works badly. If you want any kind of post-paid plan you typically are forced to purchase a phone with a carrier lock. Some pre-paid plans will let you purcha

It works badly. If you want any kind of post-paid plan you typically are forced to purchase a phone with a carrier lock. Some pre-paid plans will let you purchase SIMs and "bring your own phone" (Wal-Mart's "Straight Talk" being the largest that I'm aware of-- they're an AT&T MVNO). The average US cell phone user has no idea that phones and service aren't one-in-the-same.