Switching phone carriers? Here’s the only guide you need

Sooner or later, we all want to switch phone carriers. This can be for many reasons, some of which we’ll speak about below. Whatever your reason for switching is though, one thing remains consistent: Switching phone carriers can be complicated, annoying, and even costly if you don’t know what to look out for.

So you want to switch, or maybe you’re just curious and haven’t decided yet? Then this guide will help you make your decision. We’ll talk about what to look out for when switching, how to keep your current number, how to switch without paying extra, and more.

Why switch phone carriers?

There are plenty of reasons to switch phone carriers. Maybe your current contract is too expensive and you can find a cheaper one somewhere else. Maybe your current carrier doesn’t have the coverage you need. Or you’re just fed up with their customer service. Or maybe you are moving to a different country and need to switch phone carriers accordingly.

What to look out for when switching phone carriers

Whatever your reasons are for why you want to switch phone carriers, what you need to look out for remains the same. We’ll discuss each of them in more detail, but they boil down to this. Compare different carriers, not just on costs, but on coverage as well. Understand your phone usage to see which plan is best for you. And check if your current phone works with the new carrier, or decide to buy a new phone.

• Compare phone carriers

The first thing to do, and also the most obvious, is to compare carriers and plans to see which one you want. When comparing plans, it makes sense to look at the price. But check the carrier as well. Look at how good their coverage is. And if you’ve never heard about the carrier before coming across them in your research, check their reputation on places like Trustpilot.

We have a comparison of the big three carriers where you are below, so if you’re looking for that scroll on down.

• Understand your phone usage

To know which carrier and plan are perfect for you, you first need to know and understand your phone usage. Do you call a lot, but barely use your data? Or is it precisely the other way around? Looking for a contract that has exactly what you need means you prevent yourself from spending too much on something you don’t need.

• Check phone compatibility

There is a good chance you want to keep using your current phone when you switch phone carriers. Sometimes your phone is no longer compatible with your new phone carrier. Most of the time you can check if your current phone is still compatible on the carrier’s website. In that case, you’re likely to be asked for its IMEI er EMID number.

How to change mobile network and keep the same number

So let’s say you did your research and you’re going to switch phone carriers. Now you want to keep your old number after you switch. How do you do that?

To keep your current number you need to ask for your PAC code from your current carrier. This is a specific code that makes it possible for your new phone carrier to give you your current number. You need to contact your new carrier and give them the PAC code when you switch phone carriers.

Switch phone carrier without paying

There are a couple of ways that you might end up paying too much when you switch phone carriers. Sometimes there are fees that carriers charge you when you switch. Check with your current carrier and the carrier you want to switch to if they have these kinds of fees. That way you’re not getting unexpected charges when you switch phone carriers.

There is another way that you can pay too much when you switch phone carriers. It is sometimes referred to as the number 1 mistake people make when switching phone carriers. Let’s say your current contract has a billing period that starts and ends on the 7th. That’s just when you first started the contract. Then your new contract starts on the 1st because you think that’s how you’re supposed to do it. But for the first month, you’re paying double as one contract hasn’t fully ended yet, but the other one has already started.

So look at the exact end date of your contract and plan your new contract to start on the same day.

Switch phone carrier and keep your phone

So you want to switch phone carriers but keep your current phone. You’ve checked your current phone’s compatibility with your new phone carrier and it’s all good. All you need to do then is select a SIM-only plan with the carrier you’re switching to. Luckily, most carriers have SIM-only plans and most of these plans are fairly cheap.

So if you’re looking to switch phone carriers to cut down on costs. Picking a SIM-only plan and keeping your current phone is a perfectly sensible choice.

What to look out for when switching from prepaid to contract (or vice versa)

Maybe you’re not just going to switch phone carriers, but switch from prepaid to postpaid (or the other way around) as well. For the most part, the things you need to look out for are the same. When switching from prepaid to postpaid, you just need to make sure you’ve spent all your prepaid credit before switching. Some carriers allow you to get your unspent credit back.

As said above, if you’re switching phone carriers to cut down on costs, a SIM-only plan is a good choice. Another great choice is ditching phone contracts all the way and going prepaid. With the ubiquity of Wi-Fi and the various methods of calling each other over the internet, it is no longer absolutely necessary to have an expensive phone contract. Switching to prepaid gives you the flexibility to spend your money on call credit and data when and where you need it.

If you’ve switched to prepaid, you can get call credit and data bundles right here on Recharge.com. So you can order all the prepaid bundles you want from us if you’ve switched to Three prepaid. The same is true if you switch to Vodafone prepaid. You can find all the prepaid carriers we have on offer here.

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