Keeping Cell Phone Number When Switching Carriers – A quick guide to the dos and don’ts of number porting, including information on how to save your number when switching mobile phone providers.

When you sit down and think about all the things tied to your phone number, the idea of ​​losing it is terrifying…

Keeping Cell Phone Number When Switching Carriers

You’ll have to contact your bank, utilities, and doctors, and you’ll have to go through the hassle of setting up two-factor authentication on services.

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And that doesn’t include your family and friends, who will take months to remember that your number has changed…

Luckily, whether you’re switching carriers, consolidating accounts, or putting kids on their own accounts as they grow older, transferring numbers between providers is simple.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know. With these steps, you can have your old number back in service in a matter of hours!

Although the process of porting a number is simple, you may want to keep a few things in mind before you begin:

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If you follow the above rules, your service provider cannot port your number.

If your account is closed for non-payment, or if you close the account yourself before porting the number, you will lose it.

Porting your number is a manual process. Most of the time, once the process starts, everything will be behind the scenes.

If you’re not sure what you need or where to start, our carrier migration guide covers all the important topics and breaks things down into easy, actionable steps.

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Once you have your plan in mind, you’ll want to gather some information to help you port your number to a new carrier.

With the information from Step 2, you’re ready to call the new operator or stop by one of their stores. Sign up for your new plan and tell us that you want to bring your number with you with your plan.

Your new carrier will contact your old carrier and discuss porting your number. You may want to leave the existing SIM in your phone to make and receive calls while the process is complete.

However, pay attention to your service. If you find that you can’t place calls anymore, or you don’t have light in a place where you normally have light, these things may indicate that the switch is full.

Transfer Cell Phone Number

After the number has been ported, insert the new SIM into the phone and follow any activation instructions provided by the operator.

In most cases, activation is as simple as customer service. You can find customer service numbers for each carrier in our carrier summaries.

Place a few calls to make sure everything is working correctly. If possible, have a friend or family member call and text you to cover all the bases.

If you have advanced calling functions, such as call forwarding or voicemail, set up with your old provider. You may need to reconfigure it to make it work how you like it.

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Tip: If your carrier uses a CDMA network, you may not have a SIM card. In this case, you need to call to activate your phone on the new network using the IMEI/MEID number on your phone. Most of the time, you’ll find this on the back of the phone or next to the battery. If you can’t find it, calling the operator is an easy way to get an answer.

At this point, you may want to call your old provider and make sure everything has been taken care of with any outstanding bills or other concerns.

Most carriers have a small window at the beginning of a new service, during which you can return or cancel the contract if you don’t like the service.

Although the steps are straightforward, there are other things to consider outside of the porting process. We’ll cover the most important issues below.

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In most areas, you can port your number away from your existing carrier, even if you’re still under contract and your account is in arrears.

However, that doesn’t stop them from collecting your termination fees, late fees, or any debt you owe.

In fact, many carriers include a stipulation in their terms of service that when the account is closed, all payments will be made automatically from the billing method on file in your account.

The next time you check your bank or credit card balance, check the contract terms and conditions before submitting your number to avoid any surprises.

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In the early days of cell phones, all your contacts were stored on your SIM card. This made it easy to transfer contacts from one phone to another, as many people had limited memory.

Today, most smartphones use applications and services to keep track of contacts and other important information. However, if you’re moving devices when you move your number, you’ll want to back up important files after the move.

If you use Gmail and other Google apps for Android for communication, there’s a good chance that most of your contact information is safely stored in the cloud.

If you’re an Apple fan, make a backup using iTunes before you switch devices and restore when you’re done.

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You can port any local number to another service provider, phones do not always support the network. Moreso, if you bought it from a carrier, it has a locked feature.

If you’re thinking of porting your number and phone to a new provider, check our phone unlock guide before creating a key so you can use your favorite phone.

Although the number porting process usually only takes a day or two, you will not be able to place calls during the process.

If you’re waiting on critical calls, setting up a VoIP service like Google Voice or Skype can help you route calls before the process is complete.

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When your number is with a new provider, remove call forwarding or other settings to avoid confusion.

The easiest option is to keep your existing account if you don’t have any coverage issues in the new location.

However, if you need better coverage — or if you’re trying to take advantage of a better plan or savings elsewhere — you can transfer your number if you can provide identifying information linking you to an address in your location. .

If you haven’t moved, start your service with your new carrier, port your number using the steps in this guide, and move worry-free and update your billing address when you arrive at your new location.

Keep Existing Numbers

Of course, you’ll want to check coverage using official carrier maps and third-party sites like RootMetrics and OpenSignal to make sure you’ll have a strong signal in your new location.

If you come to this guide after you’ve moved, there’s still an option – but it’s a bit more complicated…

Essentially, you must be able to provide information that you live in the original region in order to port your number. Common examples might include an old (but not too old) utility bill or an active PO Box.

The best way to find out what information will work is to call the carrier you want to transfer to and the forms of identification accepted may vary.

How Can I Port My Mobile Number When Switching Providers?

Tip: If you can’t keep your number but want the same area code as your old number, you can use Skype or Google Voice to forward calls and texts from a virtual number to a new number, but that’s beyond the scope of this guide.

Warning: Many drivers use GPS triangulation and other advanced features to route calls to the appropriate response center or pinpoint your location. However, if they base your response center on your billing location and you use an address in a different region, it will be difficult to reach an emergency.

The exact regulations vary depending on the country you live in. If you are looking for the official number porting rules for the United States, refer to the FCC’s Guide to Wireless Local Number Porting.

With the competitive nature of today’s mobile markets, switching carriers is a popular way to save money and find the ideal plan for your needs.

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We hope this guide helps you get the most out of your mobile service.

P.S. If you’re still locked into a contract and don’t want to pay the fees to port your number to a new provider, our early termination guide can help. Here are some tips and tricks you can use to legally avoid co-pays and get rid of your existing service provider.

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