If I Switch Phone Carriers Can I Keep My Number? Solved!
Switching phone carriers can save you money and give you better features, but can you keep your number if you switch phone carriers? Though it might seem like a hassle to transfer your existing phone number to another phone carrier, it can be helpful for staying connected to your contacts. Your contacts won’t have to update your contact information.
Table of Contents
- Will I lose my phone number if I switch phone carriers?
- Why You Should Keep Your Number When Switching Phone Carriers
- When You Can Switch Phone Companies And Keep Your Number
- How To Switch Phone Carriers And Keep Your Number
- Additional Resouces
Will I lose my phone number if I switch phone carriers?
Many phone carriers let you keep your number from a different carrier. You will need to follow the verification steps required by both phone carriers to transfer your number. You may have to pay service-related fees at each carrier, but there are generally little to no charges for moving a phone number.
Major phone carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile won’t charge a fee to port (or transfer) your phone number in from another carrier. You will typically have to pay for phone service at the new carrier and termination fees at the old carrier.
Each phone carrier may have different requirements and procedures for transferring phone numbers in and out of the service, so be sure to check with each provider before starting any transfers. Read on if you’re looking to switch phone carriers and keep your number.
Why You Should Keep Your Number When Switching Phone Carriers
Changing your phone number can make it difficult for your friends, family, and other contacts to keep in touch with you.
It can be bothersome to send everyone an email or text message letting them know about your new number.
Most major phone carriers will fortunately let you keep your existing phone number when signing up for a new phone service plan.
You will generally not be charged anything to keep your number, but you should check with your actual phone carriers to make sure.
Some standard phone carriers and internet phone services might charge a fee to port your number, but the fee amount is usually quite low compared to the phone services prices.
Even if you have to pay a high fee, it can be worth it for business marketing purposes to keep your phone number.
Business clients and leads will be able to contact you easier if you are reachable at your existing number.
When You Can Switch Phone Companies And Keep Your Number
1. Your Phone is Compatible With Your New Carrier’s Network
Before you can start thinking about whether it’s possible to switch your old phone number to your new carrier’s network, you’ll need to make sure it is even compatible.
This is probably the biggest hurdle.
The transferring of a phone number to another carrier is called, “porting.”
Though in most instances now phone numbers can be transferred, in some rare situations they won’t be able to be. Certain geographical locations might be out of the same range as your old carrier and porting an existing number to a new carrier may be problematic.
Another problem could arise if the network you are leaving is on a different wireless service that is different from your original one.
Some rural areas are still functioning on different bandwidths and this may make it impossible to port your number. You will have to talk to your new service provider about this, since it is unlikely your old provider will know the details of the new company’s situation.
Before you cancel your old service, make sure you discuss porting your phone number with your new one. They will be able to quickly set your mind at ease that the porting is going to be possible.
2. Your Phone is Unlocked
In order to change your phone number over to a new carrier will also be contingent on whether or not you want to keep your current phone when you move to the new cell phone plan and if it’s compatible with your new cell phone service’s ability to recognize it.
Some cell phone companies have made it so you can’t take one of their cell phones with you if you move to another company.
You are basically renting their phone, and you don’t have any sort of proprietary rights to it.
Other companies sell you their phone outright and it is yours from the beginning of your contract.
To be able to keep your same phone number when you switch to a new cell phone company, you’ll need to make sure your current phone is unlocked, meaning that it isn’t owned by your previous cell service provider.
If it is, you may need to surrender that phone and get another one with your new carrier. If this is the case, you will then be able to move your phone number with your new phone.
3. You Are Not Currently Under Contract with a New Carrier
The last thing you want to make sure of before you move your phone number to a new service provider is that you no longer have a contract with your old one.
Many cell phone carriers require a contract of some sort. Most are for 3 years, but this can vary, depending on the company with whom you have your contract.
Breaking that contract might mean they won’t work well with your new provider in helping you move and set up your already existing phone number.
It’s best to wait and leave one cell phone provider until your contract has run out. This will ensure that your service won’t be interrupted and your phone number can be carried forward into your new contract.
How To Switch Phone Carriers And Keep Your Number
We’ll now go over steps involved with porting your phone number to a new phone carrier.
You should note that certain steps may be updated at any time by your actual phone carriers, so be sure to check with their support team for the latest steps.
We will go through common steps needed to transfer your phone number from a standard phone carrier to another standard phone carrier.
We will also discuss common steps involved with using your existing phone number with VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), which is basically an internet-based phone service.
Transfer Your Existing Phone Number To A Different Phone Carrier
Verizon is one of the most popular phone carriers in the United States, so we will use them to outline the general procedure for porting a phone number.
Following the steps needed to transfer your existing phone number to Verizon should be similar to steps needed at other phone carriers.
To make sure the entire number porting and service sign up process goes through with any problems, you should always check with your actual phone carriers to make sure all the correct steps are completed.
Even when it comes to transferring your number to Verizon, you should make sure to read and understand their latest policies and procedures before signing up with them.
Here are steps you should follow to transfer your number to Verizon:
- Check with your current phone carrier to ensure your existing phone number is not locked for transfer.
- If your phone number is locked, contact your current phone carrier to have your number unlocked.
- Prepare information you may need such as your most recent phone bill and a phone number transfer PIN or password, if your current phone carrier issues it.
- You should also have another phone number available for you to be reached during the porting process, which can take up to 24 hours for a mobile number and 10 business days for a landline number.
- To make sure your phone number is eligible to be used with Verizon, check your number on the Switch to Verizon page on the Verizon website.
- Do not cancel your existing phone service before your Verizon account is completely set up.
- After verifying your existing phone number can be used, go in person to a Verizon store or online to the Switch to Verizon page to start the phone number transfer process.
- If you are signing up for new service at a Verizon store, a sales associate should be able to guide you through the rest of the process.
- If you are signing up through the Verizon website, follow the steps outlined in the Switch to Verizon page.
Transfer Your Existing Phone Number To An Internet Phone Service
A popular alternative to standard phone carriers is internet phone services like Google Voice and RingCentral.
Internet phone services often have lower overall fees than many standard phone carriers.
It can often be cheaper and easier to use your internet phone service when traveling abroad.
When you use a phone with a SIM card for calls while abroad, you may incur hefty roaming charges and other fees.
Your phone connection also depends on the availability of phone networks, which may be slower and harder to come by than standard internet connections.
Many users will be able to go anywhere in the world and have easy access to a solid internet connection.
People with an internet phone service can simply log into their service through an app or browser-based portal and make their calls.
Since Google Voice is one of the most popular internet phone services on the market, we will go over how to transfer your existing phone number to Google Voice.
Google Voice currently charges a $20 fee to port a phone number to their service.
Here are steps you should follow to transfer your number to Google Voice:
- Check with your current phone carrier to ensure your existing phone number is not locked for transfer.
- If your phone number is locked, contact your current phone carrier to have your number unlocked.
- Prepare information you may need such as your most recent phone bill and a phone number transfer PIN or password, if your current phone carrier issues it.
- You should also have another phone number available for you to be reached during the porting process, which can take up to 48 hours.
- Do not cancel your existing phone service before your Google Voice account is completely set up.
- Open a web browser on your computer and go to the Google Voice website.
- Set up a Google Voice account and choose a new number (your ported phone number will replace the initial Google Voice phone number).
- Select Settings.
- Go to the section called Account.
- Go to where it says Port a number to Google Voice.
- Select Port a number.
- Select Get Started.
- Enter the phone number to be ported to Google Voice.
- Wait for the text message or call with a 6-digit code.
- Enter the 6-digit code.
- If your phone number is eligible for porting to Google Voice, you will be asked to enter your phone carrier account information.
- Review the information shown and proceed to Google Pay to make a payment and start the porting process.
Additional Resouces
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