How to Switch Mobile Phone Plans

Select Your New Mobile Carrier

Shop around for the new phone plan! Don’t go with a little-known carrier – you could face a lack of tech support and receive spotty service. As you are researching, see if carriers are offering promotions. View the terms and conditions carefully so you know all the details to make an informed decision. Note that some service providers may sneak in additional fees at the time of purchasing a plan so do watch out for these hidden costs and measure whether the tradeoff is worth it.

Explore the Possibility of an Existing Customer Discount

Another option is to talk to your current carrier to see if there’s an existing customer discount to stay with them. They have an incentive to keep you as a customer; it’s good for business after all! From my recent experience, I learned that these discounts can be provided through calling a specific department’s phone number particularly one dedicated to retaining customers. Other departments and online chat options are staffed by different support teams that operate within their own set parameters and either may not be able to or are unaware of discounts that they can provide.

Transfer an Existing Phone Number to New Carrier

From your current phone plan, log into your account and look for an option to transfer out your phone number. You will need to give your account number and transfer PIN to the new service provider. At this point, do not cancel your existing service. You want to have a successful port over and cancelling your service could make it next to impossible to retrieve your number back.

Buy the new plan from the new provider and go through their enrollment process. You will have options for a physical SIM or eSIM and they will ask if you want to bring your number over. At this point, provide your account number and transfer PIN. Monitor the progress of the port and make sure that all functions calling, texting, sending photos, etc. work on the new plan.

After transferring out your number, your old carrier could automatically stop your service. You can verify this through the account you have with them. Otherwise, you will need to call them or tell them through chat to cancel your current service.