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How to Properly Switch Cell Phone Carriers

By July 16, 2018July 27th, 2021No Comments
How to Properly Switch Cell Phone Carriers

Updated On July 15, 2021

When you’re looking for a new phone plan, you may find that your particular needs require you to switch carriers. While it sounds simple in theory, there are several steps to keep in mind that will help you avoid pitfalls and get the prices and service you want.

The best way to switch cell phone providers involves taking some time to prepare and nail down the right information. Let’s go over the process and some tips on covering all of your carrier-switching bases – including what you can do to trade your old phone for cash in record time!

Beginning Stages: How to Prepare for Switching Cell Phone Providers

Before you start comparing plans and prices, it’s essential to prepare your current phone for the switch and determine precisely what you’re looking for in your new coverage. Here are some ideas about where to get started:

Back up your data: There’s a chance you’ll need to get rid of your old phone to transfer to another carrier successfully. To make sure you don’t lose anything significant, use your cloud-based service of choice to back up the photos, contacts and other content on your current phone. Unfortunately, some items, such as stored voice mail messages, won’t transfer, so you’ll want to give important ones a listen before canceling the coverage on your current phone.

Own your phone: If you bought your cell phone on an installment plan and are still paying it off, you’ll likely need to pay what you owe before you’ll be able to make a switch. Check with your current provider if you’re unsure. You may be able to exchange the phone for reimbursement, and there’s always a chance your new carrier will offer some credit to help cover the cost as an incentive.

Learn the details of your needs: List all the things you’ll be glad you remembered when the time comes to select a new plan. Look at your usage information, and analyze how much data you use every month. If you’re replacing your phone, you may want to list the hardware features you enjoy the most. Doing so now will help you narrow down your options later.

Hold off on canceling your current plan: Despite having to deal with your frustrating service provider a little bit longer, you definitely don’t want to cancel your plan before making sure your new one is finished being set up. Canceling your service can leave you without a functioning phone until all the data is transferred, which may take longer than you anticipate.

Finally, you’ll want to start doing your research. The best time to learn everything you can about available phone plans is before you commit to one. You should consider a few different factors, including coverage, carrier compatibility, plan details and cost.

Measuring Performance: How to Change Your Wireless Carrier and Ensure Adequate Coverage

One of the predominant reasons anyone switches cell phone carriers is because they have difficulty getting service when they need it. Make a list of your most frequented locations, including your home, work, the houses of friends and family and where you spend your leisure time, among others. Then, refer to the list as you measure coverage in one or more of the following ways:

Check official coverage maps: The top carriers have ever-evolving maps that you can look at to see whether you’ll be able to have suitable 4G LTE in your region and compare speeds between provider options.

Test out someone else’s phone: Another strategy if you already have a new carrier in mind is to borrow the phone of a friend who uses that provider, and take it to the places you have listed to personally track both voice and data signals wherever you go.

Use crowdsourcing data: Various services out there provide information on the performance of top operators. Consider looking up your location on sites like OpenSignal, RootMetrics or Sensorly to see unbiased, real-world measurements.

Of course, there are many other ways to see if your signal strength will be reliable. Talk to local experts, visit electronics retailers or perform web searches to get second and third opinions. Once you feel like you’ve gathered sufficient information, take a look at how your phone will interact with the network you’re leaning toward.

Swapping Networks: How to Check Carrier Compatibility and Adapt to Get the Provider You Want

Switching your service provider is a bit more complicated than the push of a button. Unless you want to buy a new phone, you should look into how to transfer the phone you have to a new carrier. Certain phones will swap easily from one carrier to another, while other devices may only work with a particular network.

Understanding CDMA and GSM

The two radio networks that wireless carriers use to bring cell service and data to your smartphone are CDMA, which stands for Code Division Multiple Access, and GSM, which means Global System for Mobiles. On a global scale, GSM networks are more widely used.

CDMA carriers in the United States include Sprint and Verizon, while AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM carriers.

If you currently use one of these four service providers, WhistleOut offers a quick Phone Compatibility Tool that can help you check which network your phone will switch to. Historically, most phones supported either CDMA or GSM, but many newer phones, like the Samsung Galaxy S9, support both network types.

Unlocking Your Phone for Greater Flexibility

For a phone that will change smoothly from one carrier to another, you can either purchase a factory unlocked phone directly from the manufacturer – like a full-priced device from Google, Samsung or Apple – or unlock your current phone.

If you want to unlock your phone, the process will depend on the carrier you use. Contact your provider to learn their process. For the most part, they should be willing to help you unlock your phone, as long as you’ve paid for it in full, finished your contract with the provider or used your phone for at least one year on a prepaid service. Remember to make sure your unlocked phone is compatible with the provider’s network you’re switching to.

Weighing Your Options: How to Choose a Phone and Data Plan That Meets Your Needs

After you’ve confirmed that a particular carrier offers agreeable coverage in your area and that your phone will switch to them – that is, unless you decide to buy a new phone with your new service – it’s time to start weighing different plan options.

Plans come in all shapes and sizes. For one, you can either have a single-line plan or a family plan that will service multiple phones. While unlimited data plans are up and coming, you may decide to save some money by choosing a tiered plan if you know that your typical data usage is lower than around six GB a month.

Pay attention to the fine print as well. You may see that your “unlimited data” will slow down after you reach a particular amount, which might get in the way if you’re someone who’s on the road a lot, for example. Look at special offers and add-ons, and ask about any discounts you can get.

Crunching the Numbers: What to Evaluate When Facing New Phone Plan Costs

Although you’re leaving your current provider, chances are, you’ll continue to have to pay for their service through the end of your billing cycle. Additionally, you can expect some prorated charges from the new carrier.

If you aren’t 100-percent convinced that you need to drop your current company, you can contact them and ask about the cost of leaving, which may provoke them to scramble to make you a deal that encourages you to stay. At that point, it’s up to your judgment what provider and costs make the most sense for your situation.

When you’re looking at the cost of your plan, make sure you include minutes, messages and data and that you understand whether there will be charges for going over a certain amount in any of these areas. You also want to keep in mind the small activation fee that you’ll probably be required to pay upon switching to a new plan.

Avoiding Early Termination Fees

Networks no longer offer two-year contracts, but there may still be a chance that you have a commitment to your carrier that will result in Early Termination Fees if you decide to switch. Fortunately, you can work with your new carrier to see if they’ll reimburse you for those fees once you swap over. Without a contract, these are expenses you won’t have to worry about.

The only other reason you may owe your former provider before you can switch is if you haven’t paid off your phone yet. Make sure you pay the remaining balance in full before continuing.

Making the Switch: What the Process of Changing Wireless Carriers Looks Like

Once you know which plan you want, get in touch with your new carrier and provide your name, address, account number with your current service company and password. With that information, they can take care of the rest. Once your new account is set up and your data is transferred, your old account will be deactivated.

You have the option of switching carriers by creating an account online, but many people like having a customer service rep with them to walk them through the process. When you’re signing up for a plan in person, you can also use that opportunity to browse the latest smartphones and other hardware selections.

After your account starts processing, it’s just a matter of time. It may take from a few hours to one full business day to finish transferring your data, especially if you’re porting your cell phone number to the new provider.

Transferring Digits: How Can You Change Cell Phone Providers and Keep Your Number?

There’s a good chance you don’t want to have to memorize a new number just because you changed your carrier, so part of your transfer should include the option to port your number to the new provider. There are a few rules and restrictions involved in porting, but usually, the process consists of the following steps:

You give your new carrier your phone’s ESN/IMEI number if you’re going to continue using your original device on the plan you’re buying. Otherwise, they will activate whichever new phone you’ve chosen.

Your new company will contact your former provider to get the process going.

If you’re switching phones, once the process is underway, you’ll only be able to make outgoing calls on your old phone and receive incoming calls on your new one.

The Federal Communications Commission introduced a regulation in 2004 that protects your right to keep your old number. Thanks to the competition between carriers, your new provider will probably do it for free. However, you may want to ask to make sure.

Since the process can take a few hours and leave you without a reliable connection, you won’t want to switch networks if you’re expecting an important phone call.

Keeping in Touch: How to Transfer Phone Contacts from One Device to Another

If you’ve bought a new phone, it would be an inconvenience to manually transfer every phone number you have stored in your contacts. Fortunately, thanks to various technologies, there are a few different ways to transfer contacts to your new account, including:

Using the cloud: iCloud and Google Contacts have made it possible to store your contacts and other data in a way that lets you easily import from one device to another. Even transferring from one cloud-based storage system to another doesn’t have to be complicated. Essentially, you’ll either download a file from one and import it to another or sync your information between compatible accounts, like between Google and Android.

Using a SIM or memory card: Phones on a GSM network have SIM cards, which can simplify the data transfer process. Depending on your hardware brand, there are unique steps you need to follow. Usually, if you can store your information on the SIM card and insert it into your new phone, all of your data should transfer with it. Newer, smaller SIM cards often don’t store your information anymore, so you should ask your provider when setting up your new phone what their recommendations are for your specific device.

After you transfer your data, you’ll be set to use your new phone as usual while enjoying more agreeable signal thanks to your new carrier. But what are you to do with your old device? Making sure you get a good return on your old phone is precisely what The Whiz Cells is here to help you do.

Why Switch Your Phone to a Different Carrier?

Many, unfortunately, feel locked in with their cell phone carrier, seeing their rates rise as they continue monthly payments on a device. It’s common enough that users regularly ask: Can you switch your phone to a different carrier?

Now that we’ve explained how to do it, consider why this move benefits many.

Your phone number goes with you: It took a number of years, but after extensive consumer advocacy, the U.S. government was able to allow plan-holders to keep their number as they switched carriers. As a note, don’t cancel your service before activating your new plan. Otherwise, you may experience difficulties when transferring your digits over.

You have choices: Especially when you’re on one of the big four, you may see your rates go up over time without a significant change in service. You might be enticed by one of the “piggyback” mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) carriers out there, which often offer lower rates while offering access to the same high-quality networks. Switching phone carriers lets you bring your monthly payment down to something closer within your budget.

Some carriers offer incentives: Select carriers may pay you to switch, or help you pay back the outstanding balance you have on a device purchased through your previous carrier.

It’s now easier to do than ever: You might have heard some horror stories from the 2000s about getting locked into a phone plan and the charges forked over to terminate it – or having a device locked until the owner paid an outstanding bill. Today, as the older two-year contracts are less and less common, you have a smaller chance of being faced with a termination fee and can still hold onto your existing number.

Moving on: What to Do with Your Old Phone After Switching Cell Phone Carriers

One of the best ways for you to get money back after switching phone carriers is to sell your old smartphone online for cash. At the Whiz Cells, we take great pride in what we do to help sellers and buyers alike get good deals on used and refurbished smartphones while also doing our part to minimize electronic waste.

Our process is simple, and our service is top-notch. Check out the models we are currently buying, and once you follow a few simple steps to get your phone ready to sell, get in touch with us about getting our fast payment on its way to you today!