If I were to buy a cell phone with 2 yr contract to att can i pay the 175 cancellation fee and keep the phone?

of course you can.

I belive it says in the contract that you must return the phone if you dont stay with them for atleast 3 months before you can pay the cancellation fee. You can still pay the fee, but it must be longer than 3 months or else thay ask you to turn in the phone. But you can get the cheapest plan possible, and when they tell you that you have to keep the data plan because you have an iPhone, tell them that your using an unlocked phone, and deny that its an iPhone. Also, turn the phone off when your talking to them, and if your going to a store to do this, dont bring the phone with you, keep it off also.

yes, you can. being that it is a gsm phone they cant even lock the esn/imei. go ahead. but it might be put on your credit.

yes! & you can sell it on craigs list & make some cash out of it...that's what i did when i had mine...