How to switch phone carriers without paying

To answer how to switch phone carriers without paying, we have to say that you can’t do it for free. You’ll have to pay taxes and other fees when you switch. On the other hand, you’ll be offered discounts or payoff deals with these phone companies.

If you think that discounts or other deals are helping you cover some unavoidable costs, you can consider the switching process free of cost. You can even consider it profitable to switch carriers for certain deals. Here, we’ll discuss all possible switching deals from some of the most popular cell phone carriers.

Best switching deals from 8 carriers

The deals we’ve gathered here are equal to or more than the cost of your carrier-switching cost. In other words, you’re switching phone carriers without paying.

At the end of this section, we’ll see how to switch phone carriers without paying extra money due to our mistakes.

1. Switching Deals Offered by T-Mobile

There are two deals from T-Mobile when you switch so that you can skip some spending. The first deal involves a maximum cash credit of $650 or $350, and the other one involves iPhone discounts. So, you can say that t-mobile will easily cover your switching cost with the money you save on these deals.

How to get a cash discount from T-Mobile

When you switch to T-Mobile, you can trade in your old phone and get a maximum of $650, or you can keep it getting $350 to cover up your early termination fee or other charges from the previous carrier.

• Firstly, a port in your number to T-Mobile successfully, and you can add up to 5 lines with a maximum of $650 per line deal.
• Secondly, trade-in an eligible phone and get a qualifying service from T-Mobile.
• Thirdly, submit your bill from your last carrier, including the early termination fee, remaining device balance, or lease-purchase option.
• Finally, pay all taxes and other fees that you owe to T-Mobile and wait for 8 weeks to get the trade-in credit on the bill and a virtual prepaid MasterCard to pay your previous bills.

Without the trade-in, you’ll only get the Virtual MasterCard. Also, it would help if you were active in good standing for 30 days after the port-in. And you won’t be able to cash out from the MasterCard.

How to get a discount on the phone price from T-Mobile

There are various discount amounts on various smartphone models when you switch. On iPhone 11 and iPhone XR, you can get a maximum of $580 off. On Pixel 4 and Pixel 4XL, you can get a maximum of $800 off.

• You can get this offer when you port in, trade an eligible iPhone in good working condition, and activate a new line with a qualifying plan.
• Meet all those requirements, and purchase an iPhone 11 on a monthly payment plan. After that, you’ll start getting the amount in monthly bill credits. Also, don’t forget to pay all taxes and charges at the time of purchase.
• For a Pixel phone discount, you’ll have to trade in an eligible Pixel phone in good working condition. With an $800 discount, you can get Pixel 4 for free and get Pixel 4XL for only $99.99.

The limit for this deal is up to 4 qualifying voice lines for a single account or household. If you cancel the line within 24 monthly bill credits, you’ll have to pay the rest of the discounted amount. The down payment for those phones can vary depending on their credit performance.

2. Switching Deals Offered by AT&T

The only discount offers from AT&T when you switch include a discount on Pixel smartphones. There are other AT&T deals for existing customers that you can enjoy when you switch.

But those do not include any added advantage because of your switching. More details and get a huge discount on the total retail price of the latest Pixel smartphone.

How to get a discount on the phone price from AT&T

For port-in and eligible smartphone trade-in, you can get a maximum of $700 discount on Pixel 4 or Pixel 4XL. Also, you have the option to not port-in, and you can get a maximum $500 discount with eligible trade-in.

• To get the deal, you’ll need to port in your existing number, purchase a Pixel 4 or Pixel 4XL on a monthly installment plan, activate a new line with a minimum unlimited plan of $75 per month, and pay all other charges along with the required taxes.
• Port-in isn’t a must here. If you do it, you’ll get a higher discount. When your bills get approved, you’ll start getting the discounted amount in monthly bill credit for 30 months.
• To our surprise, AT&T has included another offer with this one. If you order online and port-in a new line, you can get a $300 discount on selected smartphones. After meeting all the requirements, you will get the reward card within 3 or 4 weeks from AT&T. You can only spend this amount on purchasing another phone and won’t get cash access from this reward card.

You can choose a maximum purchase amount of $1080 to apply the rebate. There is a list of eligible smartphones to trade in from the given link.

The down payment won’t be necessary if your credit history is excellent. The offer is for a limited time, and you need to act quickly for this massive discount offer.

3. Switching Deals Offered by Verizon

With all those attractive deals offered by the competitors, Verizon isn’t sitting idly. They offer even more than including a maximum of $750 discount on Android smartphones, $700 on iPhones, free Echo Dot, and free Amazon Smart Plug. All of these are switching deals, and you can be assured that the amounts are way more than your cost for switching.

How to get a discount on the phone price from Verizon

The total discount is not given at once. You’ll get $200 on a prepaid card, $550 on an eligible Android smartphone purchase, or $500 on an eligible iPhone purchase.

• For getting the cash discount, you need to switch to AT&T by porting in your existing number, activating a new line for the phone you’re about to purchase, trading in an eligible smartphone that’s in good working condition, and pay the taxes and other fees.
• After all that, you can purchase a selected Android phone or an iPhone on a monthly payment plan. After the approval from Verizon, you’ll get the $200 prepaid card within 8 weeks. You will pay the rest of the mentioned amount in monthly bill credit with 24 equal monthly installments.
• Moreover, you’ll get an Echo Dot and an Amazon Smart Plug for free after you meet all those requirements. You’ll get a unique link for those products that you can order from Amazon. Before the discount application, don’t forget to pay all previous dues, new line fees, and other taxes.

This offer limits your purchase amount to be a maximum of $1599.99, and you can’t cancel the service within the discount payment period, or you can say 24 months.

If the smartphone’s price is within your discounted amount, you’ll get it for free. This offer is valid till January 2021, and you need to act quickly because Verizon holds power to stop or modify this promotional offer anytime.

4. Switching Deals Offered by Sprint

Sprint is one step ahead of all other phone carriers if you consider the offers. They are offering 2 different types of deals so that you choose the one you need the most.

One is leasing a Galaxy phone for free, and another one is covering your switching fees. So, you can call the switching to Sprint is truly a free switching.

How to get the contract buyout offer from Sprint

We wanted to discuss the switching fees covering the offer. Sprint is calling this the Clean Slate offer, which is literally giving you the chance of a fresh start without paying the dues.

With this offer, you can save up to $650 on your switching cost. So, if you’re not satisfied with your current, don’t think twice about switching and switch immediately to Sprint as far as the signal strength is good in your area.

• The process is simple as you’ll only have to bring the number, which means a successful port-in and trade-in of the phone tied to your previous line. Then, submit a copy of a bill of installment fees and early termination fees from your previous carrier to Sprint.
• After approving your documents, you’ll get your eligible discount amount of not more than $650 with a good standing line from Sprint. They will give the amount in Prepaid MasterCard, which you can use only to pay off your previous debt and no cash access.

This is an awesome offer but doesn’t mistake that you will cover your taxes and some other charges in this offer. When you get the MasterCard, you’ll see that the amount has excluded your already traded-in smartphone.

How to get a phone for a $0 monthly lease from Sprint

The $0 lease program includes a Galaxy A6 smartphone for 18 months if you switch to Sprint. There are some other smartphone deals you can check out from the official store, but you won’t have to port in for those offers.

• All you need to do is port in your existing number, get a new line for the new phone, pay all your taxes and fees, and buy that smartphone on a monthly lease. After 2 monthly billing cycles, you’ll be able to enjoy this offer. After the lease period, you can return the phone or pay the full retail price to own it.

To be eligible for the offer, you’ve to have a minimum monthly credit of $16 per month. Also, canceling the service early will make the remaining balance due.

5. Switching Deals Offered by Metro by T-Mobile

Metro by T-Mobile is a top-rated carrier because of their plans and offered benefits for their customers. The T-mobile deals for existing customers and new customers who want to switch can enjoy great deals. Such a deal for carrier switching customers includes 1 free phone.

How to get an instant free smartphone from Metro by T-Mobile

This deal has made 2 smartphones eligible, and you can pick either one of them for free. Those 2 selected phones are LG Stylo 5 and Samsung Galaxy A20.

Both are smartphones with large displays, powerful processors, large batteries, and the latest Android. So, these free phones won’t be a problem to perform your daily tasks. This is a limited-time offer, and you should check it out now, even for stock availability.

• Bring your existing number to MetroPCS, get a new line, activate it, pay the taxes and fees, and buy either one of those phones without any monthly installment plan. After qualifying, you’ll get an instant $239.99 rebate at the time of purchase.

So, this deal will be beneficial for those who don’t have a phone to trade in or don’t want to wait for 24 or 30 months to own a smartphone.

Also, Metro has allowed buying a maximum of 2 phones for each household. As a result, this is a perfect deal for couples. Those phone numbers will not be eligible for this offer active in the Metro by T-Mobile’s network for the past 90 days.

6. Switching Deals Offered by Cricket Wireless

Cricket wireless isn’t offering aggressive deals or discounts like other cell phone carriers. You can get some discounts on selected Android and iOS smartphones.

But the amount is not that satisfactory. However, you should check those as you might’ve decided to switch and anything would help you with the costs of switching.

How to get discounts on Android phones from Cricket Wireless

There are 2 low-budget Android smartphones on this list that are free, and other high-end phones come with a discount.

The Galaxy J2 Pure and Moto e5 CRUISE are the two smartphones you can own without paying anything. Other smartphones like Nokia 3.1 C, Nokia 3.1 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S9, and Moto g7 SUPRA are offered at a discounted price if you switch to Cricket Wireless.

• The process and requirements are simple. You’ll only need to port in from eligible carriers, activate a new line with eligible data and voice plan, pay all the taxes and other fees in the beginning, and enjoy the phones at a lower price than other stores.

For the free phones, your new line will require a minimum monthly voice and data plan of $55, and for other discount offers, only a minimum voice plan of $30 per month is enough. Switching from AT&T will not be eligible for this offer. Finally, you’re prohibited from combining this offer with other certain deals, discounts, or credits from Cricket Wireless.

How to get discounts on iOS phones from Cricket Wireless

The selected models of iPhone with discounts on Cricket Wireless are iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 7, and 7 Plus. All those selected models are 32GB versions.

You can get discounts in the amounts of $250 for iPhone 6s, $300 for iPhone 6s Plus, $100 for iPhone 7, and $100 for iPhone 7 Plus if you bring your existing number to Cricket Wireless, excluding any AT&T number. These are a few old model iPhones, but you’ll still get the same performance with updated software.

• To get this deal, you just need to port in your current phone number, get a new line, activate it with a minimum voice plan of $30 per month, and get the phone with a lower price tag.

All sales taxes and other charges related to switching and activating the new line will have to be paid at the time of purchase. Also, your new phone may stay restricted during the first 6 months after you activate the new line. After that, you can use the phone without any more issues.

7. Switching Deals Offered by Republic Wireless

This deal is different from other carriers’ offers and deals. Republic Wireless is offering you to test the performance of their network by switching without paying for the first month.

How to get the first-month unlimited plan from Republic Wireless

Republic Wireless is renowned for its monthly voice and data plans that are super cheap. Also, you won’t need to buy more than what you consume per month.

Those flexible plans and network performance can now be rated by you for free when you switch after the first month of free service, which includes unlimited Talk, Text, and 1GB of 4G data, convenient for any user.

This is the easiest switching with only porting in the existing number and getting an activated new line. Then, go to their official website and buy the eligible monthly package, and you’ll see that it’s showing $0 when you check out. You can use the connection on your current smartphone, or you can buy one from their online store paying as low as $129.

After the free month of service, you can continue purchasing their $15 per month unlimited talk and text plan. Also, you can add data to your plan whenever you want with $5 per GB of data.

8. Switching Deals Offered by Boost Mobile

The most versatile offer for switching customers is from Boost Mobile. It has free phone offers, discounted monthly data plans for the whole family, buy one get one offer, and huge discounts on iPhones.

But remember that these offers are for a limited time and limited stock, and click our link to check availability before you act. Also, switching from Sprint won’t make you eligible for these offers.

How to get free phones from Boost Mobile

The switch to boost mobile and get a free phone offer includes two different smartphones. It includes Samsung Galaxy A20 and other selected smartphone models.

However, the A20 is the most attractive deal considering its retail price and specifications. Moreover, you can get up to 4 A20s, where other phones are limited to one per account. The total retail price of those 4 smartphones is $919.96, and you won’t need to pay a penny of that amount.

With eligible port-in for new customers, activation on the new lines with a $50 or higher rate, and unlimited family plans, you can get this deal. This deal is ideal for families with 4 members.

You can’t switch from Sprint or Sprint-related carriers to Boost Mobile and claim the offer. You should visit the official website to choose other phones that are also free when you switch from an eligible carrier.

How to get cheap unlimited data plans from Boost Mobile

After getting the smartphone deal, you’ll need a good data plan. That’s why you can get this unlimited data, talk, and text plan for 4 lines when you switch. It’ll only cost you $100 per month for those 4 lines, which means $25 for each line.

You’re required to do at least one port-in for this offer. After successful port-in and meeting other requirements, you can get 4 lines for that price and add more lines with $30 for each per month.

In this unlimited data plan, you can enjoy 480p video streaming, 500 kbps music, and 2mbps gaming. You may face data deprioritization when the network is congested. Also, you’re allowed to share 1GB of data each month for mobile hotspot data sharing.

How to get a free LG Stylo 5 from Boost Mobile

The get one and gift one offer includes buying an LG Stylo 5 and getting another Stylo 5 for free.

• To get the deal, you’ll need to port in, get a new line, activate with a $50 or higher rate and unlimited family plans, and pay the taxes for 2 smartphones with necessary fees. At the time of purchase, you’ll get the other phone free.

The offer is limited to 1 device per account, and you can’t combine this offer with other deals, discounts, or credits.

How to get iPhone 6s for a low price from Boost Mobile

The last one includes the iPhone 6s with a discounted retail price available until the stock runs out. The discounted retail price offered by Boost Mobile is $24.99 without tax.

To get an iPhone 6s just for $24.99, you’ll need to port in from an eligible carrier, get a new line, activate with a $50 or higher rate and unlimited family plans, and pay full taxes as well as other switching fees.

The offer is limited to 1 device per account, and you need to act now before the stock runs out.

How to Switch Phone Companies?

Before we wrap it up, let’s see how to switch phone carriers with a general guideline for switching any phone company. The steps described below are more or less true for all carriers in the US.

• The first step involves a little bit of research. Switching carriers is easy but finding the reason behind it and choosing the best one according to your needs is tough. So, review your previous data usage history and what kind of plan suits you.
• Then, look for the most suitable carriers in your area that offer you sweet deals for your data required limit. Also, read their terms and conditions carefully so that you won’t feel cheated later.
• After that, contact the newly chosen carrier for a port-in to keep the number you’re using right now.

Pro Tip: Do the last step 3 or 4 days before your current contract ends. Switching right after starting your billing cycle may result in an early termination fee.

Next, contact your previous carrier once you’ve successfully done the port-in to terminate the contract. You must do it before the new billing cycle starts and pay all the dues, including taxes.

Pro Tip: Don’t cancel the service before you’ve done the port-in. Otherwise, you’ll lose your current number after you switch to the new carrier.

Finally, decide whether you want to keep your old phone or trade-in. Both can be beneficial depending on your needs. If you love your phone too much, keep it. Otherwise, look for trading-in and get some amazing deals.

Pro Tip: If you decide to trade-in, you should know the trade-in offers from your carrier and the phone manufacturer. This way, you’ll get the best deal for your old phone.

So, that’s all about how to switch phone carriers without paying extra money or losing the existing number. You must read those steps and remember the pro tips so that you won’t have to spend money where you’re not supposed to.

Final Verdict

Researching how to switch phone carriers without paying, we learned that no carrier directly offers a free transfer. Instead of doing that, they offer such deals, which indirectly translates into free switching.

There are different deals and offers for different carriers to benefit from a carrier with their requirements. So, we can’t really tell you that this deal is good or the other deal is bad.

But considering most of the switching cases, we think that the contract buyout deal from Sprint is beneficial. Also, Boost Mobile has more offers in quantity than others.

Our final recommendation for you is that you read all those offers, think whether you want a smartphone deal or a contract buyout deal, and act accordingly.