How to switch carriers and keep your number — without losing service for a minute
Federal porting rules guarantee you can take your number to a new carrier — your old carrier can't hold it hostage. Almost every failed port comes down to order of operations, not eligibility. Do these steps in this order and the switch takes about 15 minutes with eSIM, with your phone working the whole time.
The order that works
- Check & unlock. Dial *#06# for your IMEI and run it through the new carrier's compatibility checker. Confirm your phone is unlocked — on iPhone, Settings → General → About → Carrier Lock should say "No SIM restrictions." If you still owe on the phone, the remaining balance will be billed when you leave; unlocking requires it to be paid off.
- Get your port-out info. You need your old account number plus a temporary transfer PIN (see locations below). This PIN is not your account passcode.
- Order the new plan and choose "transfer my number." Enter the account number and PIN exactly as they appear on your old account — the name and billing ZIP must match too.
- Activate, then test. Keep the old SIM/eSIM active until your phone shows the new carrier's name, then test with Wi-Fi off: a call, a text, a web page.
Where the transfer PIN lives
- Verizon: dial #PORT from the phone, or My Verizon → Number Transfer PIN (turn Number Lock off first; PIN valid 7 days). Full walkthrough in our Verizon switching guide.
- AT&T: dial *PORT (*7678), or myAT&T → Profile → Sign-in info → Get number transfer PIN (valid ~4 days). Full walkthrough in our AT&T switching guide.
- T-Mobile: T-Life app → Manage → gear icon → Permissions & controls → Transfer PIN (turn Port Out Protection off first; valid ~7 days). Full walkthrough in our T-Mobile switching guide.
- Prepaid carriers: the account number and PIN live in the carrier's app or your online account — for many prepaid brands the account number is not your phone number, so look it up rather than guessing.
If the port stalls
A wrong or expired transfer PIN is cause #1 — regenerate it in the old carrier's app and resubmit. Second is an information mismatch: name, account number or ZIP differing by even one character from the old account. Landline and VoIP numbers, and some Tracfone-family ports, can take up to 24 hours instead of the usual 10–30 minutes; you'll have service on one SIM or the other the whole time.
The one rule that protects your number
Never cancel your old line before the port completes. The port itself closes the old line automatically. Cancel first and the number is released — and usually unrecoverable. Ready to run your numbers? Open the plan finder →