If you have owned a cell phone for a while, then a situation might arise where you’d like to change phone numbers. There are several potential scenarios where that makes the most sense for you. Luckily, doing so is not particularly difficult. In this article, we’ll detail some of the reasons that cellular phone owners might want to switch from one number to another, and we’ll tell you everything you need to do to make that wish a reality.
What are the Reasons to Change Cell Phone Numbers?
Several reasons might play into your decision to change your phone number. The first is that you are moving from one city to another, or even from one state to another. There is nothing to say that you can’t live in a state and have a cell phone number with an area code from another state or city. In fact, some people live for years with an area code from a previous place in which they once lived.
However, a time could come when you want to make a fresh start of things. Maybe the previous living situation holds negative memories for you, and you’d prefer to make wholesale changes in your life, all the way down to your area code. It might also be that you’re getting tired of having to explain to people the reason your area code is different when you give your number to them for the first time.
You might also keep receiving someone else’s phone calls by accident. If that’s happening, then you might be patient about it for a while, but eventually, it may become so frequent that you feel compelled to take action.
It might also be that someone in your life keeps hassling you. Maybe it’s a person with whom you were in a relationship that didn’t work out. You can always block them from contacting you via your phone and social media accounts. Perhaps they’re persistent, though, and they keep reaching out to you through other phone numbers. Nothing is more unpleasant than picking up the phone and hitting “talk” when there’s a number you don’t recognize and then hearing the voice of an individual with whom you would much rather never speak again.
A new phone number can be the answer to those sorts of unpleasant situations as well. There’s no reason that you ever need to keep dealing with that sort of annoyance, not when it’s so easy to switch numbers.
Changing Your Mobile Phone Number Varies According to What Provider You Have
As for the steps that you need to take to change your mobile number, that is going to depend on what provider you have. With most of them, the procedure is going to be rather similar. We’ll run through the steps for some of the common ones so that you have an idea of what you’ll need to do.
Changing Your Mobile Number with Verizon
With Verizon, you can change your number either through the My Verizon app, or else you can go through their website on your laptop, desktop, or tablet. You can select the new area code and the prefix if you like, and then the last four digits will be assigned to you at random.
There is no charge to change your mobile number with Verizon. If you have a prepaid account with them, then you do not need to select a date when the new number will go into effect. It will switch over automatically at the end of the last billing cycle for which you paid. If your account is not prepaid, then you will be prompted to select a date, and that is when the switch will occur. If you choose to change your number on that same day, then the change will go into effect immediately.
If someone calls your old number, they will get a message saying that it is no longer in service. The call will not be forwarded to your new number for privacy reasons. After all, maybe you were changing numbers to try and get away from one persistent individual. You won’t lose any contacts either since those are saved on your phone. The call logs from your previous number will also remain on your current device.
Changing Your Mobile Number with AT&T
With AT&T, you’ll have to go to their website and enter all of your account information. Next, you’ll go to Overview, followed by My Wireless. Then, you’ll scroll down and select the device for which you want the number changed. If there is only one phone on your account, then that won’t be necessary.
Hit Change Wireless Number and then Choose a New Number. Follow the prompts from there. As with Verizon, if someone calls the old number, there will be no forwarding message. You should notify all of your friends and relatives that your number is changing.
One significant difference between AT&T and Verizon is that if you have had your AT&T account for more than 30 days, then they’ll charge you to change the number. The charge is $36, and it will be added to your next monthly bill. If you want to change your number within the first 30 days of signing up with AT&T, you can do so for free.
Changing Your Mobile Number with T-Mobile
If you are a T-Mobile customer and you want to change your phone number, then you’ll be paying a $15 fee. The only exception is if you are on a Pay in the Advance plan. Changing your mobile number will delete all your voicemail messages, so be ready for that. You can set up a new voicemail box in the Voicemail section of the website associated with your account.
The phone number change, if you request it on the same day, can take up to four hours to complete. The call records for your old T-Mobile phone number will also no longer be available on your My T-Mobile page.
As far as the steps for changing over the number, you’ll need to go to their website on your laptop, desktop, or tablet. Go to Support and scroll down. You will see an option that says Change Your Phone Number and a link that says Contact Us. Once you tap it, you’ll see some different phone numbers to call. The one you want is General Customer Care and Technical Support.
Once you’ve called the number and given a customer service representative all of your account information, then they will talk you through the steps you have to take.
The Process is Similar for Most Wireless Providers
There are many other cellular service providers: Consumer Cellular, Sprint, Mint Mobile, US Mobile, Cricket, and dozens of others. Some of them are more regionally-based. Others are known mostly for one particular characteristic, like their low-cost limited plans, the perks they offer, etc. If you need to know how to change your number with any of those, you can head to their websites, and the instructions should be prominently featured. In almost all cases, though, the steps you take are going to be similar.
You always do have the option of changing your phone number with any of them, and the process probably won’t take more than a few minutes regardless of which one you use. Some cost money, while others are free, but even the ones that charge you will only hit you with a one-time fee that is not particularly unreasonable. If you feel strongly enough about changing your number that you’re ready to take this action, then you’ll probably be willing to pay it.
Once your number has changed, and the new one has gone into effect, you’ll likely feel liberated. Whatever your reasons, you’re getting a fresh start, and you can leave any baggage associated with that old number behind.
