Originally Posted by
jgoodm
If you have a ATT or T-Mobile phone in the US and have had your account in good standing for several months, you should be able to get your carrier to unlock your phone. Check out howardforums for details.
But make sure that the phone has the correct GSM bands to use at your destination before bothering to unlock it. The US and many countries in the Americas use 850 and/or 1900, while the rest of the GSM world uses 900 and/or 1800. Not all GSM phones sold in the US have all four GSM bands.