Privacy stalwart Nicholas Merrill spent a decade fighting an FBI surveillance order. Now he wants to sell you phone service—without knowing almost anything about you.
It’s not possible in any corporate stores purely for the fact that they use facial recognition extensively. Doesn’t matter if you can technically get away with paying cash and using a fake name. You’re being tracked the moment their cameras can see you and they have extensive profiles on people even if you’ve never used a debit card, given them an email, or given them a phone number.
Also, the ones I’ve seen in stores lately hare only the trial offers that are only good for a couple days and have to be “replenished” with an online account to stay functional for more than a couple days. Mint wouldn’t even activate initially with an email alias. I called support and they said “we can’t activate it with that email, we need your real email.” I then told them no worries, I’d just return it to best buy. Then they “found a way” to activate it, but I would have needed to give a credit card if I wanted it to stay active more than the 3 days. Best buy didn’t carry any longer duration prepaid card in the stores.
Its still possible some places, but a lot of stores have cracked down on it
It’s not possible in any corporate stores purely for the fact that they use facial recognition extensively. Doesn’t matter if you can technically get away with paying cash and using a fake name. You’re being tracked the moment their cameras can see you and they have extensive profiles on people even if you’ve never used a debit card, given them an email, or given them a phone number.
Also, the ones I’ve seen in stores lately hare only the trial offers that are only good for a couple days and have to be “replenished” with an online account to stay functional for more than a couple days. Mint wouldn’t even activate initially with an email alias. I called support and they said “we can’t activate it with that email, we need your real email.” I then told them no worries, I’d just return it to best buy. Then they “found a way” to activate it, but I would have needed to give a credit card if I wanted it to stay active more than the 3 days. Best buy didn’t carry any longer duration prepaid card in the stores.
Pay some guy to go in and buy them.
Or have them mailed to someone you know
Or use prepaid esim, paid with prepaid debit card