Everyone loves to complain about their cell phone carrier. Maybe they have terrible customer service, it costs too much, or they can’t get 4G. But rarely do we bother actually changing carriers because it always seems like a massive pain. Thankfully, the process of switching is a heck of lot easier (and cheaper) than it used to be.
Picking which carrier is best for you is a process in itself, but before you do, it’s worth going over a few details before you make the switch. We’re not going to tell you which carrier to pick here, but I recently (finally) switched away from AT&T, so I figured it was time to share how the experience went. Regardless of who you choose, you’ll always be able to bring over your old phone number at no additional fee (though you may run into hiccups if your new carrier doesn’t have service in your old area code).
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Some Cell Phone Carriers Will Buy You Out of Your Contract
If you want to change carriers but your current contract isn’t up, you have to pay an Early Termination Fee (ETF). Depending on where you’re at with your contract and how much of your phone you’ve paid off, this cost can range from a the price of a single bill to hundreds of dollars. (Obviously, if you’re contract is over, you can skip this section entirely.)
So first, figure out how much your ETF will be. The easiest way to do this is to call up your carrier and ask them. Be warned though, when you do, they’ll try to haggle with you to keep you around. Deflect their offers and get your estimated ETF, but don’t cancel your cell phone plan yet.
Next, see how much (if anything) your new carrier will reimburse you for that ETF. This varies from carrier to carrier and changes over time, but here’s what they’re each offering right now:
Keep in mind though, these deals change a lot, and where a carrier might offer to cover an ETF right now, they might not in the future (and vice versa), so check with your potential new carrier before you do anything. A lot of prepaid carriers, including Ting and Republic Wireless, also often offer similar plans, so if you’re going that route, it’s worth researching their current offers as well.
If your new carrier offers credits for trading in your old phone, it’s typically a pretty simple process. You trade in your old phone when you sign up for a new contract, and after you do, you’ll either get a credit on an upcoming bill or an electronic gift card.
If your new carrier pays off your ETF, the process is slightly more complicated:
- Sign up for a new contract with your new provider.
- They’ll port your phone number over, which will automatically initiate the cancellation process on your contract.
- Within a couple of weeks, you’ll get a copy of your final bill from your old carrier. Pay the bill, and make a copy of the statement. Then, submit the statement, with the ETF clearly marked, to your new carrier.
- Your new carrier will reimburse you the cost of the ETF, minus any extra taxes and fees.
When all is said and done, the reimbursement time can take a few months (it took almost three to get mine, but I didn’t have to deal with any of the phone repayment reimbursement stuff, so I’m not sure how long that tak), so make sure you have the cash to cover the ETF before you go through with it.
Finally, one more financial factor to consider before you switch: you typically pay an activation fee (usually around $15) on your new plan. It’s not a big amount, but it’s still an additional cost you should be prepared for. It’s also worth pointing out that while off-contract phone plans can be pretty awesome, you won’t get the benefit of a contract buy-out when you switch to one, so those plans are most useful to consider when your contract is already up.
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You Might Need to Switch Phones (So Back Everything Up)
If you want to bring your old phone along to your new carrier, you’ll need to check on a few things. First and foremost, you’ll need to own your phone. If you’re still paying it off, you’ll need to either pay the rest off in full before you make the switch, or trade it in to your old carrier for a credit or reimbursement.
You also need to make sure your phone will work on your new network. In the U.S., T-Mobile and AT&T are both on the GSM network. Verizon and Sprint are on the CDMA network. This means that AT&T phones will likely work on T-Mobile, but you can’t bring a Verizon phone to T-Mobile or AT&T, or vice versa. Likewise, CDMA often requires that the phone is compatible with their specific network, so even switching from Verizon to Sprint can be complicated.
All this is to say that it’s pretty likely you’ll need to get rid of your old phone. So, before you make the switch, back up your data. If you’re on Android, your Google account already backs up a lot, and this guide will help you with the rest, while iPhone users can either use iCloud or iTunes to create a backup.
Everything Else Is Easy and Automated
While everything above might sound a bit complicated, thankfully the actual process of switching over to a new carrier is easier than you’d expect if you’ve never done it before. Once you sign up for a new contract, your old number is ported over (assuming you want it), and your new cell phone will work immediately. I hadn’t done this since the early ‘00s, so I was pleasantly surprised that the experience was a little less janky than it was before, and didn’t require any effort on my part whatsoever. If you do want to keep your number, make sure you don’t cancel your old plan until you make the switch to your new carrier.
Beyond that, you’ll simply need to set up your new phone (we’ve got guides for both Android and iPhone, if you’re new to either), and you’ll be well on your way to forgetting that your old carrier even exists. While you’re setting all that up, make sure you check out some of the hidden bonuses that come with your new plan to make sure you get the most from your new carrier.
Illustration by Fruzsina Kuhári.
via Lifehacker
What to Expect When You Switch Cell Phone Carriers