Before switching to any carrier, you may ask when is the best time to switch phone carriers? Most people don’t know about the factors of how and when to switch any new carriers. One of the critical factors before switching any carriers is considering the launching period of any flagship phone.
During the launching periods of any flagship phone, the cellular service providers combine to make contracts with the manufacturer, and they promote new switching deals for that device. If you plan to switch to any new careers at that moment, you can grab excellent discounted deals for plans and devices.
Switching to any new carriers can be tricky or challenging if you don’t have a clear concept of what you need to do next. Besides, most people don’t know how to switch cell phone carriers, and sometimes they get perplexed by the complexion of the switching procedure.
In this context, we’ll answer the question, “when is the best time to switch phone carriers, and other fundamental facts for switching phone carriers. Thus, without extending the gateway, let’s proceed.
Facts You Must Know Before Switching Any Phone Carriers
Switching from one carrier to another may seem like pretty much hassling, but it’s actually not. For instance, if you are looking to switch from Google Fi to Mint mobile or AT&T, it will approximately take less than an hour or 30 minutes.
In case you may have to wait for more than that in your coffee shop to receive a cup of coffee. However, when I was trying to switch from Google Fi to AT&T, it took me less than 2 hours, including porting my number and signing up for the Google Fi website.
If you want to switch from an MVNO to another MVNO, it will take less than that. Suppose you will switch from Mint Mobile to Google Fi, where both are MVNOs.
In that circumstances, you need to replace your SIM card for switching. After that, I just need to restart my cell phone again with the new SIM card.
Nevertheless, you need to comprehend some critical factors before switching your phone to a new carrier. Let’s begin the detailed discussions without any additional tidbits!
Picking A Suitable Phone You’ll Use
Before you go for a switch, you need to change your phone if you are leasing it from your current carrier. You should ensure that your current phone will work with the carrier that you are planning to switch phone carriers without paying.
However, if you have any phone manufactured before 2016, it may not work with all other carriers like AT&T, Sprint, or T-Mobile.
Because these manufactured phones used to work mainly with CDMA providers like Sprint and Verizon, they also used to work with GSM network carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. Both GSM and CDMA networks carry all other older cellular signals of the country.
However, in the past two years, the manufacturers have launched some high-end smartphones where this thing won’t be an issue at all.
You should check your phone’s IMEI number to see if it is compatible with the carrier you plan to switch. However, almost all MVNO will allow you to check your phone’s 15 digits unique IMEI number by dialing into the call pad *#06#. But you should remember that this technique will not work with the iPhone that was launched by Verizon.
In these circumstances, you should check your phone’s IMEI number by visiting the phone settings. If you are a user who used to switch Carriers frequently, you should check if your phone is unlocked before buying it.
Because if you go for a cell phone that is locked to any specific carrier, you have to undergo a hassling procedure for switching to any carrier.
Before the switch, you should contact your cell phone carrier to check if your current phone is unlocked or not. If it is locked, you should unlock it before making the switch.
Even If you buy a new phone, you should check if it is not attached with any specific cell phone providers. Because that will not allow you to shift from one carrier to another easily freely.
Select The Plan That Fits You
Before selecting a plan, most of us get perplexed to determine which one to choose. Since there are some factors that you require to contemplate before picking a particular plan. Some plans focus wholly on data and have a minimal touch of other features.
On the opposite side, some plans don’t focus on data. These plans have unlimited or limitless minutes or texting features while putting in fewer data.
Therefore, some plans also require contracts or credit checks, which is also a significant factor. We’ll find out how you can choose the appropriate plan for you below.
Data- The necessity of data access makes a huge difference in choosing any cell phone plan. As we are living in the third world, we need data access in every sector of our everyday lifestyle.
You need it in driving the car, watching movies, streaming, navigation, playing games, communicating, social media, browsing, and so on.
The more a plan contains data, the more expensive the total price stands. That’s why you should check the data consumption of your device based on apps and functions and try lowering them to minimize the data expenses.
Try restricting the social media or streaming applications to reduce monthly data usage, which may save you bulk in the long run.
Minutes & Texts- If you are a business service provider who needs to call or text frequently, you may choose unlimited plans on these features.
On the contrary, others who love streaming and social media surfing may require more data. Some users also need each of these features in more significant amounts for the whole month based on necessities.
Before picking any plans, you may have searched here and there to determine the best one. So far, how many plans have you found with unlimited talk and texting features enabled?
That’s almost more than half, isn’t it? Yes, you are. You don’t need expensive plans for unlimited talk and text, as the majority are offering them at an affordable rate.
MVNO or Major Provide: This is one of the most crucial factors before picking any phone plans. The major ones have widespread coverage, but the plans are more pricey than the MVNOs.
The coverage factor is based on the area along with offerings and budget-friendliness; each one is an important aspect to consider.
However, you should also check if your preferred carrier allows keeping existing numbers and BYOP options. Most of the MVNO allows you to port your current SIM to their system, but there are also some exceptions. Also, look out for the introductory bonuses and offerings before making the final decision to switch.
As the MVNOs have monthly payment options, you can easily hop from one to another to fit your convenience. But, most major carriers don’t tend to allow you to switch to MVNOs easily, and they tend to tie you with contracts. Therefore, you should take the final action by considering these factors carefully.
Consider the Cost Of Switching
To make a switch, you may think you may have to waste a lot of money, but it is not always true. You may have been confused or perplexed about this fact. The truth is switching a cell phone carrier won’t require that much money. You may be overwhelmed to know that new carriers may pay you for switching!
For instance, if you switch to Verizon, they will allow you up to a 650 dollars discount based on particular installments. However, you may need to pay some charges for switching, but afterward, the benefits overpower the money that you have spent during the switch. Therefore you are gaining money by switching in the longer run.
Previous Service Cancellation
You may like to keep your existing number during your switch to a new cell phone provider, isn’t it? The majority of the cell phone carriers offer this port in benefits.
But what if you have canceled your running service too early? If you terminate your running service earlier, you can even lose your current cell phone number.
Here is a Pro tip from us: According to the Federal Communications Commission, you should not cancel your running services before initiating with the new cell phone service provider company. Instead, you can contact them, sign up, and notify them that you are eager to switch with your existing number.
In that circumstance, you may need to provide some additional data to your new provider for the purpose. Afterward, they will receive your data and contact your existing carrier to switch with incorporating. We recommend you sign up for a new career about one week before your current cell phone service expires.
Don’t Get Too Comfortable
If you shifted to a carrier years ago, and you’re also into this one and paying extras without bothering, you should think twice! Many things regarding cell phone services and their offerings have changed in the past years.
Your existing carrier may tell you to do this & that, and you’re doing it without any complaint; you need to switch the way you’re considering your current carrier.
There are many other carriers available that offer more comfortable and affordable plans than yours, and you didn’t even know about it for the lack of looking around.
Always try to look forward to what others are offering without sticking to one and paying for hidden fees. You don’t need to check out all providers like we do, but think for a change in at least one or two years.
Here is a Pro tip from us: Before making your next switch, you should research about half an hour to find out the switch cell phone carriers deal. After this short research, we assure you that you can get a better deal than your existing one.
And always feel confident to bail on your cellular service provider not pleased with their services. It is high time to free the shackles and look outside what other carriers offer.
When Is The Best Time To Switch Phone Carriers?
Your switching to a cell phone carrier will be pretty effortless if you have read the upper section with clear guidelines. But, a question still arises, “what is the best time to switch phone carriers?” The answer is not straightforward, as to determine the proper time, you may need to consider a few factors.
But nothing to stay concerned about, as we’ll discuss the ins and outs of how to determine the best time to switch phone carriers. We’ll look upon the phone launches, offer seasons, and other similar facts for determining. Are you looking for a comprehensive guideline? Let’s step forward!
1. The Time Of Phone Launch
At a particular time, various cell phone companies launched their newer cell phone models each year. At this stage, cell phone manufacturers have come close to the phone Carriers and incorporated their offers and deals for promotional purposes.
If you go for a cell phone, including switching to the newer carrier, you can grab more fabulous deals and discounts.
Suppose you have switched to MetroPCS from Boost Mobile or Cricket Wireless in a cell phone fiesta season. You can grab the latest cell phones from tech giants like Apple, Samsung, Motorola, or LG at significant discounts or even free of cost. They offer a free cell phone to users with a new line activation or switching.
Amongst their free phones when you switch, you can get the Samsung Galaxy A32 5G, OnePlus Nord N10, Nokia X100, Motorola Moto G Stylus, Motorola One Ace 5G for Free!
Moreover, they also have affordable cell phone plans with the selected free device. Except for these devices, they also offer Apple’s iPhone 13 series devices at a 200 to 300 dollars discounted rate for switching customers.
2. Holiday Or Offer Seasons
If you pick the best time to switch to Verizon in the holiday or offer seasons, you can get excellent cell phone services at reduced rates or even free of cost. At the end of each year, mainly in November or December, the tech companies run deals like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, etc.
In this season, if you switch, you can get excellent deals from the major or MVNO carriers, including great smartphones, without quality compromisation. A few days ago, Black Friday and Cyber Monday both passed, and we’ve seen many deals from carriers that users jumped on with.
The Black Friday deal from Mint Mobile was pretty impressive, which comes with almost three months of free services. Their 4 GB plan was also FREE for the first three months, and previously it was 15 dollars. Therefore, you can realize how important it is to switch in the Holiday or Offer seasons.
3. During Provider-Based Deals
Sometimes because of some special occasions, you may notice several carriers have launched some great deals. For instance, many carriers have offered special deals on Halloween, Christmas, Easter Sunday, etc.
You just need to keep your eyes open and look around all providers, which one has the best offerings on these occasions.
However, few carriers also provide bonus plans and cell phone deals on their anniversary or special days. You can also get a chance to enjoy extra privileges by switching at that moment.
It is just a matter of observing, which can save you hundreds of dollars on a yearly basis on your cellular bills, costs, and other related expenses.
Reasons To Switch Cell Phone Providers
There are several reasons to switch any cell phone carrier from your current carrier. Most people tend to switch to carriers from recurring ones because of their dissatisfaction.
Other reasons can be the price tag of the plans are pretty higher than the competitors, or the customer service is not well-furnished. Following, we will discuss the reasons behind switching to any new carriers.
4. Dissatisfaction With Plans & Coverages
One of the critical reasons behind switching cell phone carriers is the dissatisfaction with the plans and their coverages. You may have experienced that the coverage of your cellular plan is not great as you are expecting. Secondly, the plans of your provider my have unparalleled with your demands.
Suppose, You are paying 20 dollars per month for getting unlimited texts, minutes, and 5 GB of High-speed data from your carrier. They provide data at slower speeds even if you have the remaining data limits. Besides, the calling quality may not be as straightforward as you require.
Another fact is the overall coverage of your carrier, which can be a critical part of switching. The lack of quality cell phone network coverage means you may have to suffer a lot in busy hours. Cell phone providers tend to reduce network speed or data quality to prioritize the premium users during congestion hours.
4. Bad Customer Service
Most of the users have reported to us that their cellular provider is not well at offering customer service. When you are stuck with any unwanted problems with your cell upon services, you will contact the carrier customer support to solve the issue.
But what if you have a bad or unhelpful experience with the customer support representative? Sometimes, representatives don’t help us with the required info, which is inconvenient. This is where users tend to switch to a new carrier since they are not contented with customer service.
6. Expensive Plans
Have you ever suffered from budget-related issues with your cell phone service provider? If yes, there is a greater probability of having this issue for expensive price tags of the plans. Some major carriers come with plans which are somewhat expensive than the MVNO providers.
Suppose, with Verizon, you may have to pay up to 70 to 80 dollars per month for a two-line unlimited plan. But with Mint Mobile, you can get the same pack with unlimited features at under 50 dollars. We hope you’ve understood the facts why users tend to switch for budget-related issues.
FAQ About the Best Time To Switch Phone Carriers
What is the usual time required for switching?
There is no fixed time required for switching to any carriers. The actual time depends on the carrier you have picked and the procedure required for switching. However, on average, you may have to spend approximately 2 hours for switching from one to another.
When should I go for unlocking my phone from my carrier?
You can unlock your cell phone with your current provider, but you should pick the best time for it to perform a hassle-free unlocking. When your service expiry date comes near, you can go for unlocking your cell phone.
What is the ideal time to switch my current provider to a newer one?
Always try to look forward to what others are offering without sticking to one and paying for hidden fees. After a one or two years gap, you should change your current carrier and switch to a newer one that fits your preferences.
Final Verdict
Now you know all the split details of when is the best time to switch phone carriers. Before you switch, you should keep in mind what we have mentioned earlier in the upper sections.
Think twice, look around, and stay updated with the new offers and deals of the carriers to determine the optimal time for switching your provider.
