Porting # to pre-paid phone

[starry_solo]

I am thinking about getting a pre-paid phone through T-Mobile (getting the 1000 minutes, good for 1 year, for $100) with the basic phone ($10-20).

How do you port the # over to the pre-paid phone? Go to a T-Mobile store? Call them? Because it's not like I will have an account with them.

Thanks!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Once I got my T-Mobile prepaid phone I had to call them to have my number transferred from Sprint. It took less than a day.

One thing I really like from them is after I set up an account with them I was able to do all the data entry for my phone directory online. This allowed easy inclusion of home, office and cell phone numbers. Then just pressed a "synchronize" button while the cell phone was on and it transferred the entire directory. And if I add numbers on the cell phone and tell it to synchronize from the settings menu it will update the online database.

 

[Purseval]

We got our numbers transferred from T-Mobile to Virgin Mobile. When you buy your phone they will either do it for you or tell you how to do it. Like the PP it also took less than a day for us.

 

[Bungle]

My husband switched his from ATT to virgin and it took about 48 hours. I don't know about tmobile but virgin mobile has directions included in its phone/website on how to get your number ported. Some companies do charge $15 for the service though.

 

[starry_solo]

Charge for the service?! Wow?! Does T-Mobile do that, do you know?

I was thinking about getting the pre-paid phone from a local store (not online) but if it's free online, I might do that...

 

[Zerosinthecloset]

I ported my number from Verizon to Tracfone, then a few months later from Tracfone to Straight Talk, and in both cases it took less than an hour. No charge for either one.

 

[starry_solo]

Once I got my T-Mobile prepaid phone I had to call them to have my number transferred from Sprint. It took less than a day.

One thing I really like from them is after I set up an account with them I was able to do all the data entry for my phone directory online. This allowed easy inclusion of home, office and cell phone numbers. Then just pressed a "synchronize" button while the cell phone was on and it transferred the entire directory. And if I add numbers on the cell phone and tell it to synchronize from the settings menu it will update the online database.

That's exactly the carrier I want to switch it from. Did you do the month to month/no contract phone or the pre-paid one where you buy minutes each month or year? I'm wondering whether it's different if it's the prepaid vs. no contract phone (do they differentiate)?

 

[JB2K]

How do you port the # over to the pre-paid phone? Go to a T-Mobile store? Call them? Because it's not like I will have an account with them?

Usually, during the setup process of the pre-paid handset (online), it will give you the opportunity to port your number from another carrier.

I did mine froim Verizon (longtime contract) to Tracfone -- my new phone was "good to go" within a couple of hours.

 

[Anne34]

You can move them from regular to prepaid, but we were told by AT & T that we couldn't move my son's prepaid T=mobile number to AT&T. Don't know why, but they said they couldn't use the prepaid numbers. Not sure if the guy was telling us the truth, but both kids who switched from prepaid to our new family plan had to get new numbers. (They were done at different times at different stores).

 

[starry_solo]

Ok, then I guess that isn't an option in case I want to move the # back to a contract This # originally began as a Verizon #.

 

[zurgswife]

We transferred ours to go phone and then to Google voice. It took less then week for both and now our home phone runs about $20 per YEAR.

 

[momabbate]

You can move them from regular to prepaid, but we were told by AT & T that we couldn't move my son's prepaid T=mobile number to AT&T. Don't know why, but they said they couldn't use the prepaid numbers. Not sure if the guy was telling us the truth, but both kids who switched from prepaid to our new family plan had to get new numbers. (They were done at different times at different stores).

I work for ATT you can port the number. All you need to do is call att customer service and they will get you to my department witch is porting.