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The switching desk · U.S. mobile numbers

Switch carriers.
Keep your number.

What to get from your old carrier, what to give your new one, and where to check the transfer. A practical guide for Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.

Second Dial · Sources checked

Already started?

Check with the carrier you’re moving to.

These links track a number coming into that carrier. Moving from Verizon to AT&T? Use AT&T’s status page, not Verizon’s.

Moving to

AT&T

Have your transferring number and AT&T account ZIP code ready.

Check AT&T status
Moving to

T-Mobile

Sign in to the transfer dashboard. In T-Life, use Account → Check Number Transfer Status.

Check T-Mobile status
Moving to

Verizon

Use Verizon’s transfer-status page or the status link Verizon sends you.

Check Verizon status

Official carrier sites open when you select a link. Second Dial does not ask for or store your phone number, account number, transfer PIN, or password in this guide.

Choose your switch

Three common moves, one clear starting point.

These routes cover personal postpaid mobile accounts. Prepaid, business, and other-provider accounts need their own checks.

01 / Keep your number

Verizon → AT&T

  1. Turn off Number Lock for the line, then get your Verizon account number and Number Transfer PIN.
  2. Choose to keep your number with AT&T and submit the matching Verizon account details.
  3. Track the request with AT&T.
Verizon preparation ↓AT&T transfer instructions
02 / Keep your number

AT&T → T-Mobile

  1. Get your AT&T account number and Number Transfer PIN. Turn off Wireless Account Lock if enabled.
  2. Give T-Mobile the number, carrier, account details, billing address/ZIP, and transfer PIN.
  3. Track the request with T-Mobile.
AT&T preparation ↓T-Mobile transfer instructions
03 / Keep your number

Verizon → T-Mobile

  1. Turn off Number Lock for the line, then get your Verizon account number and Number Transfer PIN.
  2. Give T-Mobile the number, carrier, account details, billing address/ZIP, and transfer PIN.
  3. Track the request with T-Mobile.
Verizon preparation ↓T-Mobile transfer instructions

The reusable checklist

Get the right details before you switch.

  1. Check eligibility with the new carrier. Confirm it can accept your number. If keeping your phone, check the exact device’s network compatibility and unlock status separately.
  2. Open your current bill or account. Get the carrier account number, account holder’s name, and billing address/ZIP exactly as recorded. An account number is not necessarily your mobile number.
  3. Get the right transfer credential. Use the old carrier’s Number Transfer PIN or other credential specified for your account type. Generate it near the time you are ready to switch.
  4. Remove the transfer block. Check Number Lock, Wireless Account Lock, or port-out protection with the old carrier. Ask the account owner or authorized administrator if you cannot change it.
  5. Let the new carrier submit the port. Follow its SIM/eSIM activation instructions. Save its confirmation and check status there if something is missing.
  6. Test before you call it done. Check incoming and outgoing calls, texts, mobile data, and voicemail on the new service. Then review the old account for any other lines or services that remain.

Start with the AT&T transfer checklist, T-Mobile transfer guide, or Verizon transfer FAQ for your destination.

Three different things that sound like “unlock.”

Number Transfer PIN vs. account PIN
A transfer PIN authorizes a number move. Your regular account PIN/passcode may verify your identity to the old carrier, but it is not automatically the PIN the new carrier needs.
Number Lock / port-out protection
A security control that blocks moving the number to another carrier. Check it with the carrier you are leaving.
Device / carrier lock
A restriction on which network a handset can use. Moving your number does not unlock the phone. An unlocked phone still needs to be compatible with the new network. See T-Mobile’s bring-your-own-device guide.

From the carrier you’re leaving

Get the account details and PIN at the source.

Leaving Verizon

For standard monthly accounts, an Account Owner or Manager can generate a Number Transfer PIN in My Verizon, or start by dialing #PORT (#7678). It lasts 7 days. Provide it with the Verizon account number and disable Number Lock on the lines you are moving.

Verizon’s official port-out instructions

Leaving AT&T

For personal postpaid service, request a Number Transfer PIN through your AT&T account/app or dial *PORT. Calling *PORT uses the account passcode to authenticate you; give the transfer PIN to the new carrier. It lasts 4 days. A new PIN invalidates earlier PINs. Disable Wireless Account Lock if it is on.

AT&T’s official transfer-PIN instructions

Leaving T-Mobile on a future switch?

Use T-Mobile’s transfer-out instructions to get the required account details and Temporary Port Out PIN, and disable Port Out Protection if enabled. The primary account holder requests the PIN. A T-Mobile port-out PIN is for leaving T-Mobile. You do not generate one to bring your Verizon or AT&T number into T-Mobile.

T-Mobile’s official transfer-in and transfer-out guide

Prepaid, business, and other providers

  • AT&T Prepaid: AT&T says a Number Transfer PIN is not required. Confirm the correct prepaid account details and security credential with AT&T rather than following the postpaid steps above.
  • Verizon Prepaid: confirm the current prepaid transfer-PIN process. Verizon’s security guidance describes prepaid rules separately; do not assume a regular account PIN will work.
  • Business accounts: ask the authorized administrator. Verizon Business uses a separate PIN for each line. AT&T business PINs last 14 days and use a primary-user process. T-Mobile Business has Account Hub transfer/status instructions.
  • Other brands and landlines: use the provider that actually bills you, not just the network name on your phone. Do not assume these mobile postpaid steps or timing apply.

If the port is pending or rejected

Find the mismatch before starting over.

Begin with the new carrier’s status page or transfer team. Ask for the exact rejection reason and the specific detail that needs correcting. Check the account number, current transfer credential, billing details, and any transfer lock with the old carrier.

If you generate a replacement PIN, update the existing request with the new carrier. Keep the old line active and avoid repeatedly opening new requests without the carrier’s direction.

How long should it take?

There is no single completion time for every carrier and account type. Verizon quotes typical mobile transfers of 4–24 business hours; landline transfers can take 2–10 business days. These are Verizon’s estimates, not a promise for other carriers. Use the receiving carrier’s status and quoted window, and ask about a request that exceeds it. Verizon timing and transfer FAQ.

What happens to the old account?

Do not assume moving one number closes every line or service. Review device financing, promotional credits, connected-device lines, and the final bill with the old carrier. Porting does not remove payment obligations. The FCC also explains that an outstanding balance alone is not a reason to refuse a number port. FCC number-porting consumer guide (PDF).