Provider switching

[tj11111]

I have a question about buying a new 3g iPhone. I am a current verizon customer, still under contract. If I want to buy a new iPhone how will the process go for me if I want to keep my telephone number?

 

[tritonj]

you will probably have to pay the ETF to get out of your verizon contract, but after that you would just go to ATT and tell them you want an iPhone, and you have a verizon phone number you want transferred over, they take care of the rest

depending on how much time is left on your contract you may want to wait for it to end first. no point in paying an ETF if you have like 2 months to go

 

[tj11111]

so you're saying that i need to first cancel my contract, then go to AT&T? If I cancel my contract does that cancel my verizon service, and with it my verizon number?

 

[DenniZ]

so you're saying that i need to first cancel my contract, then go to AT&T? If I cancel my contract does that cancel my verizon service, and with it my verizon number?

Yes, but in the UK, you get a code to switch your phone number to another provider. I don't know what the process is in the US.

 

[tritonj]

so you're saying that i need to first cancel my contract, then go to AT&T? If I cancel my contract does that cancel my verizon service, and with it my verizon number?

what i would do is call up ATT tell them you want to move a Verizon number over, they will try to do it, and they will either be successful or unsuccessful depending on whether the number is locked. if it is locked they'll tell you to call Verizon to take care of it, then call them back.

if it turns out you're waiting out your Verizon contract cuz it is only a month till expiration but you really want your iPhone at launch and don't mind paying for both phones, you can tell ATT that you have a number that you would like to move from Verizon but it isn't available yet, and they can give you a temporary number. i've done this in the past for people at my company when they wanted to move their personal numbers to our business phones, and they just issued a temporary number that works until you get the permanent one.

keep in mind that if you are going to try this then you have to make sure they give you a temporary number otherwise you run into a who mess about cancelling service since service is attached to the number and when move a number and don't put it on another plan it is the same as cancelling service, has nothing to do with the phones themselves.