Everything You Need to Know About AT&T Transfer PINs

Your AT&T transfer PIN lets you port your number to a new carrier. This is important when you’re ready to switch to a new carrier but want to keep your number. This article will talk about everything you need to know about AT&T transfer PINs and switching carriers from AT&T to another one. 

Before we begin, do not disconnect your AT&T service before completing the switch to a new provider. You need an active number with AT&T while your new carrier sets up your account. Also, if you are taking your AT&T phone to the new carrier, make sure it’s unlocked before you make the switch! More on that later. 

How to Get an AT&T Transfer PIN

When you are ready to switch to another carrier, there are a few ways to request an AT&T transfer PIN. As a quick note: only the primary account holder can request a number transfer PIN, even if it is for one of the other numbers on the account. 

There are three major ways to get an AT&T Transfer PIN, including,

• From your cell phone
• With the myAT&T app
• Online

How to get an AT&T transfer PIN from your cell phone

You can call *PORT and follow the prompts to get an AT&T transfer PIN sent to your cell phone number via text. You must have your account password on hand when calling this number. Once you have this number, you are good to proceed to the next steps in the process. 

With the myAT&T app

To get your AT&T transfer PIN from the app, you need to follow these steps: 

• Sign into your app
• Select “More,” and “Manage Profile”
• Select “People and Permissions”
• Find “Transfer Phone Number” and “Request a New PIN”

From there, you should see your AT&T transfer PIN appear on the screen. If you cannot find People and Permissions during your search, you may have to sign in from a computer to view the PIN. 

Online with myAT&T

This process is similar to finding your PIN on the app. You must follow these steps: 

• Find “People and Permissions” in your myAT&T profile
• Find “Transfer Phone Number” and “Request a New PIN.”

Getting your AT&T transfer PIN is straightforward, but it is only one step in switching to another carrier while keeping your number! Let’s break down the process to ensure your switch from AT&T is easy and doesn’t interfere with your new cell phone plan. 

How to Change Carriers and Keep Your Number

Fortunately, you are traveling well-worn roads when transferring your cell phone number to a new account. Almost every major carrier has plans to help your change progress without any major hiccups. 

Porting Your Phone Number

Even though the process to get an AT&T transfer PIN is easy, it is important to keep track of your account’s eligibility to transfer carriers. You may be tied down to AT&T’s service through a contracted phone plan or device. 

Check to see your status and current commitments. To do this, go to your account, select “My Wireless,” and select “Manage Device and Features.” Once there, you will find your service commitment end date at the bottom of the page. As long as the end date lines up with your timeline, you are all set to find a new carrier and purchase a new cell phone plan! If you have any questions during this process, the customer service agents of your new carrier will be happy to help! 

Have your current account information on hand when you purchase your new plan. If you are keeping your current phone, they may ask for the phone’s ESN/IMEI number, which is found in the settings under device info. After you iron out the details with your new provider, they should handle the rest. They will contact your current company and begin the process of changing your plan and keeping your phone number. 

You need an AT&T transfer PIN to start the process, which you will give to your new provider. This process takes between a few hours and a day or so while your two carriers dot their i’s and cross their t’s. After that, you’re all done! Just make sure your new SIM is loaded and activated, and you’ll be all set. If your port fails, you will still have access to your AT&T service, but you’ll have to start over. 

Unlocking Your Phone

One complication in this process is that sometimes carriers “lock” phones. When your phone is locked, you cannot transfer it to another carrier. It’s annoying, but phone companies do this in order to discourage people from “hopping” networks every month or every few months to keep abreast of new customer deals and, in short, be a thorn in the carrier’s side. If you haven’t paid off your phone, you might get hit with an early termination fee by your current provider. 

Different carriers have different specific requirements for unlocking your phone, and it’s all pretty secretive and happens behind the scenes. Your phone might be unlocked right now! Here’s how to check if your cell phone is unlocked: 

• or IOS devices, you’ll want to:some text
  • Open ‘Settings’
  • Open ‘General’
  • Select the ‘About’ tab
  • Scroll till you see ‘Carrier Lock’ and if you see “No SIM restrictions” then your device is not locked. If you see a carrier’s name then your phone is locked.

• For Android devices, you’ll want to:some text
  • Open ‘Settings’
  • Open ‘Network & Internet’ OR ‘Connections’
  • Select ‘Cellular Network’ OR ‘Mobile Network’
  • Select ‘Advanced’
  • Then select ‘Choose Network’ OR ‘Automatically Select Network’
  • If you see only one carrier then your phone is locked to that specific carrier. If you see multiple carriers listed then your phone is unlocked and able to accept service from multiple different networks.

If you don’t see that, then, unfortunately, your phone is probably locked. In this case, you can follow AT&T’s guidelines to unlock your device. To start an unlock request, you must meet these requirements: 

• Fully paid off your device
• Device hasn’t been reported lost, stolen, or involved with fraud
• Have had the device active for at least 60 days
• Is an AT&T phone and is not active on another AT&T account
• Does not have a past-due account balance
• If it is an AT&T Prepaid device with a prepaid SIM, it must have six months of service on the AT&T network

If you are not able to complete a request, you just have to figure out which requirements you need to meet. Device payment plans are a common block. If you can pay it off early, you can submit an unlock request faster. 

Do’s and Don’ts of Keeping Your Number

Here’s a quick summary of what we’ve discussed so far. We recommend taking all the time you need in order to make sure there are no errors made along the way.

• Do check your eligibility to make sure the switch between carriers is possible
• Don’t call before you have your account information in order
• Do make sure your phone is unlocked and ready to transfer
• Do decide if you want to keep your old phone or get a new one
• Do find the carrier and the plan that works best for you
• Don’t cancel your old plan before you switch to your new one

Picking the Right Carrier

There are dozens of providers in the United States, all working to make a good impression and make you interested in their service. There are major wireless networks and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). There are three major wireless networks and lots of MVNOs in the United States. You have a lot of options when you want to switch from AT&T to a new carrier! What is it about AT&T’s service that makes you want to switch to a new carrier? Depending on what that is, we hope this section will help you decide whether you want to jump to a new major network or an MVNO. 

Switching to a Major Wireless Network

Major carriers own and operate their own cell phone towers. This means that you get the fastest service at all times and know exactly where your service is coming from. Major carriers are, well, big. They have a huge staff of customer service representatives and should be giving you fantastic service to ensure that you stick around. 

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Major wireless networks are best for people who use a lot of high-speed data. Major networks come with unlimited high-speed data and priority data, which means you evade congestion in all but the most dire circumstances. Let’s look at an example of a major wireless carrier, and their cell phone plan’s pros and cons. 

Verizon

Verizon offers three cell phone plans, keeping their offerings simple and efficient. The price of these cell phone plans varies tremendously based on how many lines are on your account. We recommend at least three lines when using major wireless providers to take advantage of their immense multi-line savings. These are Verizon’s cell phone plans: 

• Welcome Unlimited, priced at $65/55/40/30 a month per line
• Unlimited Plus, priced at $80/70/55/45 a month per line
• Unlimited Ultimate, priced at $90/80/65/55 a month per line

While all of these cell phone plans are expensive relative to one another, Unlimited Plus is always $15 more per line relative to Welcome Unlimited, and Unlimited Ultimate is always $25 more per line. 

The main differences between these three cell phone plans are premium high-speed data and hotspot data. Unlimited Ultimate, Verizon’s most expensive plan, doubles the hotspot data and opens up some new customer deals. This is an excellent choice for people who are willing to pay a premium for their cell phone service to get all the bells and whistles on their cell phone plan. 60 GBs of high-speed hotspot data is excellent for those who need to use data on laptops or tablets on the go. 

Premium data is handy in spaces with high data usage, but it is hard to gauge how much value you will get from premium data on any major wireless carrier. This comes into play when there is enough congestion on Verizon’s network that, even though all their MVNO customers are slowed down, there is still too much usage. In this instance, basic data customers get slowed down, so premium data users can still use their high-speed data. There are many areas around the country where Verizon’s network is strong enough to keep everyone using full-speed data, but large groups of people in metropolitan areas or congregating for conferences will cause a lot of congestion on the network. 

Premium data is most valuable for those in big cities. There is a lot of congestion in big cities, and Data is frequently slowed down in other areas, especially in big cities. We recommend starting on the less expensive plan and checking your data speeds for a month or two. If you notice slow data, we recommend switching to a more expensive plan if you have the budget for it. 

Verizon’s cell phone plans, while expensive, come with unlimited high-speed data and a fantastic suite of add-ons. These cell phone plans are for people who use their mobile devices a lot. 

The Case for an MVNO

Even though their name is a bit of a mouthful, mobile virtual network operators are able to offer much lower monthly plans because they are renting cell phone towers and have fewer expenses than major wireless companies. The major downside is that they don’t have priority service and often have cell phone plans with limited high-speed data. There are, however, some amazing MVNOs, like Visible and Cricket, that do offer unlimited high-speed data on some of their cell phone plans. This is a great way for high-data users to enjoy no limits on their mobile usage while saving big each month. Let’s take a look at Visible Wireless, an example of an MVNO. 

Visible

Visible has two plans, each with unlimited talk, text, and data. The two Visible Wireless phone plans are as follows:

• $25 per month for Unlimited
• $35 per month for Unlimited plus

So, what’s the difference between these two plans? The basic plan comes with unlimited talk, text, and data as well as an unlimited mobile hotspot and talk and text to Canada and Mexico. Those are the bones of the plan, the foundation for the unlimited plus plan as well. Their Visible+ plan costs an extra $10 a month, which is pretty pricey relative to the regular plan. For $10, users gain access to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network and additional international calling and texting. 

Both plans have unlimited 5 Mbps mobile hotspots, which is a huge boon for people who want to use their devices while out and about. This speed won’t let you stream video, for instance, but it’s perfect for browsing the web or catching up on email. These cell phone plans are amazing for people who want unlimited high-speed data but don’t need the high data priority from a major wireless network. 

AT&T Transfer PINs: Key Takeaways

There are three major ways to receive an AT&T transfer PIN, which is essential for switching wireless carriers and keeping your cell phone number. You can request it from your cell phone and through your AT&T account. Once you request, your PIN will only be active for four days. You must start from square one if it expires before you complete the switch. 

There are three major ways to get an AT&T Transfer PIN, including,

• From your cell phone
• With the my AT&T app
• Online

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a charge for a Number Transfer PIN or transferring my number?

Nope! There is no charge to request an AT&T transfer PIN, and you may request more than one. 

What are the fraud protection measures when requesting a transfer? 

AT&T will text users to confirm the PIN in order to prevent fraudulent activity on your account. 

Can I request another Number Transfer PIN?

Certainly. Previous PINs become invalid when you request a new one. If you requested a new transfer PIN after submitting a request to the new provider, you must update that request or start a new one with your new number. 

Do I need a Number Transfer PIN to transfer AT&T Prepaid or business numbers?

Nope! You can switch between any cell phone plans within AT&T without a transfer PIN

Do I need a Number Transfer PIN and account passcode to transfer a number to another service provider?

Do not give your account passcode to the new service provider. While they need your Number Transfer PIN, they do not need to access your AT&T account. As a reminder, AT&T will never reach out to you and ask about your account passcode or any other account details. 

How do I cancel a Number Transfer PIN request?

You can cancel a request through the same avenues you can begin a request.