How To Change Your Verizon Wireless Phone And Keep Your Number (And Your Sanity)
I recently changed my Verizon Wireless phone, and figured I would share with you the exact steps necessary to do this (while my memory is still fresh). Considering Verizon Wireless has more than 63.7 million customers, I’m sure quite a few readers here either had this question, or will have a need for this within the next few months. Don’t worry, it really isn’t hard, although I wish their toll free line would do a better job of getting me a human instead of a machine for the first 10 minutes.
Steps:
1) Some phones can be activated right from your Verizon account online, while others can’t. Check if your phone can be activated by logging in to your account > My Account > My Phone > Activate Phone. (if this works, skip to step #3)
2) If they give you an error message, call 800-922-0204 and tell the machine that you want to change your phone. You’ll need to call from a different phone, since your old cell phone needs to be turned off to make the switch. Turn off your new phone also.
3) Take out the battery from your old phone and find the ESN number or the HEX number and be ready to enter the number or tell the customer service rep.
4) You’ll need to turn on your new phone, and dial *228 to activate and program your new phone to work. Press “1″ after you hear a voice prompt. You will hear music and then be asked to “commit OK”, which just means press “OK”.
5) Your phone should turn itself off, and then back on all by itself. Try calling your number from a different phone to make sure the phone is activated, and enjoy!
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December 28th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
I am receiving 8 to 12 calls aday from telemarketers Mostly they sound like thye are from out of country. Is there anyway I can stop this short of having my number changed?
Thank You
Dan Kelley
Pts 1st Medical of Wext Ga 3001
Dan,
I would recommend searching through Consumerist.com – they have some great tips for situations like that.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:41 am
I too have experienced a 10 to 15 minute delay in getting a human at Verizon. To bypass this problem, When you call, take option #4 then press Zero. This will take you directly to a Service Rep.
May 6th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Thanks for the steps!!
August 1st, 2008 at 1:20 am
does it cost
Jacob,
Changing your Verizon Phone Number is free.
August 17th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
i just cant seem to find those steps on vzw.com and when i call the number i cant find which step means change your phone. do you happen to know how to fix these problems?
August 19th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
hey when i go to >my phone at vzw.com the only options i get is like changing my contacts it says nothing about activating… where do i find that?
@lacey: If your phone isn’t equipped to change from the internet, you should call 800-922-0204 and go to the second step of the process.
September 10th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
when i go to my phone in my account, all it says is about changing my contacts and other stuff, nothing about activating a phone
Taylor,
Your phone may be a model that doesn’t allow this, so you should continue on step #2 in this post.
September 11th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
does this step really work?
and you you really need to acquire a verizon account?
November 21st, 2008 at 9:34 pm
hi i cant seem to find esn or hex number on my battery? does this work if i want to change my lg chocolate to a blackberry storm? i dont need to upgrade my plan right?
Angela,
The number isn’t on the battery – it’s on the phone (but is concealed by the battery, which is why you need to take it out of your phone).
This should work for your phone, and you don’t need to upgrade your plan (unless you need more features that aren’t on your current plan).
December 1st, 2008 at 8:17 pm
On my LG env vx9900, is the Mein number the same as an esn number?
Will, what is an Mein number, and where did you see that?
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:37 pm
i have a verizon phone…can this be done to switch to a black berry phone?
Julia,
If you are switching to a verizon blackberry, yes. You may still want to upgrade your plan to have all the blackberry features.
January 1st, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Thanks,
Calling Verizon is hopeless. Happy New Year.
C
January 13th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
does this only work with switching to an older phone? can i buy a verizon phone that just recently came out without a plan and then switch the number onto that?
Cathleen,
This should work just fine with your newer phone, and you can certainly buy a contract-free phone and switch the number on it.
January 30th, 2009 at 1:26 am
I have a current Verizon contract and I want to switch from a LG Voyager to a BlackBerry 8130 Pearl. Does my contract need to change because Im going to a BlackBerry? Also, will it transfer my contacts over? Or will I have to do this manually?
January 30th, 2009 at 1:47 am
And too add, Im not the account holder so I cant do it online.
February 2nd, 2009 at 5:40 pm
if any you are having trouble finding the ESN number on LG phones.
when u take off the battery there is a 14 character long MEID number on the back of the phone which is composed of both letters and digits. use this website to convert the MEID to ESN number
http://www.humpa.com/vzw/meid_to_esn.php
or see if it has MEID HEX number and use that, it has to 18 characters
March 8th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
thankss : ]
it really does workk :]
March 14th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Hello,
I have a BB and a flip phone I want to go back and forth with. Can I do this via the web? Or is it not going to work based on the BB data plan and the other phone…
You should be able to do this via the web.
March 29th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
verizon is changing my storm (my 2nd) for a 3rd one on tuesday but i dont want the storm i want a world edition- if i have a world edition phone but the BB storm is activated on my number can i just call and activate the world edition and then ill be rid of the storm?? or is there a limit to phone swaps etc
thanks!
Susan,
You should be able to use the process as many times as you want.
March 29th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
if my contract isn’t up yet will it still work for free
Max, yes it’s free.
March 29th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
i have the alias and i want the lg dare my my 2 year contract isnt up yet. can i still do this
Yes Crystal
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:10 pm
I need transfer my phone number to a different phone because the first is not working properly. I am not the account holder. I only want to change phones. Can I do this? I am pretty frustrated, not being able to resolve this. As I need the phone working asap.
Yes, if you can log into your account, you should be able to use the web interface to do that.
April 8th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
I want to buy a new Verizon phone but keep my same contract. Does it cost money?
April 9th, 2009 at 11:40 am
what if you do not have the phone with you that u wish to change it from? is there another way to find out my hex # or any other way to change phones for free?
April 19th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
i have my friends old phone and his is nicer than mine i want to switch them .. i am not the account holder can call and they wiill do? and this will not extend my moms plan or charge her correct?
Chris, this will not extend your plan, so you should be fine.
April 20th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
thanks is there a fee?
Chris, there is no fee.
April 24th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Pinny,
Can phone numbers be changed on the Verizon website? I cannot seem to find this option anywhere.
And did I read that you said there is no charge to change a phone number?
May 3rd, 2009 at 1:50 am
Pinny, off the top of your head do you know if you purchase a used verizon phone to switch with yours, does the prior owner have to deactivate it first?
May 3rd, 2009 at 9:29 pm
So, I lost my phone and my girlfriend gave me her old phone…if I switch to that phone will it do anything to my plan…It’s acctually my dad’s plan it won’t affect anyone’s but mine if it does right?
Sam,
It won’t affect their plans at all, no worries
.
May 8th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
i am wanting to order a lg voyager off of ebay.. it has a clean esn and is ready to be activated, never been opened. is it going to change my plan if i order this phone and change my number to it?
HB, you can change it without affecting your plan.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
I bought my new phone second hand use. its a blackberry. Would I still be able to follow these steps and place my verizon phone number on the blackberry?
Hey Frankie, it should work for you without a problem.
May 20th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
I have done this twice now and all I have done is called *228 on the new phone, press 3 for the extension, enter your old ten digit number, enter your account password, and it will say “Please wait while we program your account with the new equipment.” It takes about 30 seconds (during which it plays some lovely elevator music) and then you turn off and back on your new phone and your set!
May 20th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Hey! I currently have the alias and want the env2. My contract isnt up. Do I have to call verizon and tell them to disconnect my alias or should I keep it running and when i transfer my numbers, it will just turn off. So would there be 2 bills or will my alias disconnect???
May 20th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Also, what will happen to my new number before i activated my phone. Will it just disappear?
June 20th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Is there a fee involved with changing phones during a contract??
June 28th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Hi Pinny,
After I change to a new number on Verizon, what do I do to keep it truly–as much as possible– unlisted everywhere–including the new cellphone database, Acxiom, Intelius, etc.?
Stalkers are persistent…
July 7th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
hi! two weeks ago my cousin found a new verizon phone in the park, she gave it to me since she was going to move away from USA. I wanna change my actual verizon phone for the one she gave me, but my friend says that since it was lost the company won’t accept it…is that true?
Gabriela,
You can contact Verizon, they will give you a better answer than I on that matter.
July 8th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
thanks a lot
July 10th, 2009 at 11:34 am
My Nokia phone is broke and i’m getting the alias from my cousin today, do i have to have any account info when i try to make the switch over. the account is a family plan in my dads name. any help would be great.
August 19th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Thank you, thank you, and many times thank you. That didn’t suck as hard as I thought it would. AWESOME!!!!
September 7th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Worked like a charm. Upgraded to my friends old blackberry curve. Thanks for the info. I thought I was going to have to take it into the store. Not the worst thing in the world since the people that work where I live are pretty cool.
September 8th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Hey I gOT mY Phone changed about a week ago now i wanna change it back to my old phone What Do I D
Jaylyn,
You can go back to your old phone by following the instructions above just as easily.
September 10th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
where can i find my billingpassword?
September 12th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Does anyone know if this works switching to a Blackberry?
My dad gave me his old one, I currently have the LG Dare.
Thanks.
September 13th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Kathleen. I switched to a black berry using this method. I think you have to upgrade to a data plan when you do if you don’t already have one. I’m posting this from my BB. Its freakin awesome.
September 21st, 2009 at 11:27 am
Im on a family plan with my mom. If i change my phone will it affect her? and will it change my number?
October 7th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
You only need to upgrade your data plan if it doesn’t support some features that you want on your new phone.
October 8th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
I have an Alias 2 from Verizon on a 2 year Contract and I got in Back in May.
I want to switch to the new blackberry tour.
Can i switch phones for free?
The plan i have is 700 mins/unlimited text. I would have to upgrade the plan, i’m not the owner of the plan either, on a shared plan. But if i want to upgrade to the blackberry Tour, Does it cost anything?
And How much would the Plan Cost to upgrade to unlimited text, unlimited internet, i dont care about minutes for calling.
November 1st, 2009 at 10:06 am
hi, when I press 1 it asks me for the 10 digit number and when I do that it asks me for the billing account passcode which I don’t know what it is.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Can i change my verizon number to a disconnected phone that is originally from AT&T with this process?
November 29th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
i have a samsung glyde verizon and i was wondering if i can switch to a moto q9c cuz i dont want to buy it and have it not work
December 13th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Hey Pinny I have a phone I want to activate but it has no Hex or Esn # What can I do to find one? What # can I put in?
December 17th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
hey ..i jus had a question regarding that if i buy a new phone without contract dats samsung i760, will i able to activate on my current callin plan which is verizon..as u told to call that toll free number..will this fone will b activated and the old one deactivated??.and do they charge?? or all stayz the same?
plz lemme knw..thankz…
December 26th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Heyy, i have a question the phone i have now is a virgin mobile prepaid phone but my brother just gave me his old envy phone but it was on plan and i wanna know how to activate the phone he gave me but keep my same number from my how old. can you help?
December 26th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Hey, i have a question, the phone i have now is a virgin mobile prepaid phone and my brother just game me his old envy phone but it was on a plan but i wanna set it as prepaid, can i do that? and i want to activate this phone and keep the same number from my old phone. can you help?
December 27th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
I have the Samsung Glyde, which gives me a headache. I’m not the account holder and I want to change my phone and transfer to the LG Dare, which my friend gave me when he upgraded. Will this work? Will there be any fees? Will this change show up on the bill or anything?
January 3rd, 2010 at 10:27 pm
if i just upgraded from an older phone to the htc droid eris and I don’t like the eris. When i switch back to my old phone will i be able to keep the eris?
January 5th, 2010 at 3:41 am
I just have a question, if anyone has an answer, about phones are are incompatible with my plan. I was looking for a new phone on ebay because my old phone is dying. I have an older plan that was grandfathered in and i would like to keep it since it serves all my needs for only $20 per month and lets me uses mobile web 2.0 for free it just uses my minutes. I was told phones like the Krave, Env touch, and Rogue as incompatible, but it has ALL the smart phones and Blackberry devices as being compatible. My question is…how is it that all the smart phones and blackberries are compatible, but the Krave, Envy touch are other “less advanced” phones are? Any way to get a list of phones that would allow me to keep my plan as mentioned above without losing out on $ by going on ebay and guessing which phone would work?
January 13th, 2010 at 7:29 pm
A verizon rep a year or 2 ago said the env 2 is the last phone number that would work on an old grandfathered plan, anyway to confirm this since i know any lg phone after this like the env touch and env 3 will not work according to the verizon website when i try to upgrade?
January 16th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Pinny Cohen: Your post was very helpful.
January 17th, 2010 at 10:36 am
I have been an ATT user for years and switch out my phone on an annual basis. It is so easy to do. I just recently got put onto the Verizon network for my work and trying to switch devices is a nightmare, Verizon makes this very difficult. They do not even have reference to this on their website.
I would never switch my personal phone to Verizon, thank you ATT for making everyhting user friendly and easy.
January 20th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Hello
I bought a 7130 Blackberry at a yard sale and it has verizon on it. May I convert this phone to my current carrier ATT? If so, how do I do it? If not, then how can I get any use out of it? Thanks
Phil
January 27th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
So I just changed my phone over, and didn’t even need to call the Verizon. Felt so stupid. LOL. called 18009220204 and talked to a Verizon Customemr Service rep. But all I had to do was dial from the phone I wanted it changed to, *228. And press, I think 3 for change phone. then it walked me through it. easy as pie.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:44 pm
I have an LG Dare with the data plan to get internet and everything. My friend is getting rid of her Env Touch and is giving it to me so I can activate it. When I do this, will my plan stay the same? Will I have the same data plan that allows me to access the internet? Because I pay extra a month for it.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:01 pm
Thank you so much! I was at work and still able to use this in like 5 mins. Thanks again!!!
February 3rd, 2010 at 11:47 pm
I’ve got a V325 and wanted to change to an env3 and Verizon now wants an add’l $9.99/mo for a data plan and I want to stay with the pay-per text/dnload plan. They basically told me ‘tough $hit’. I can get an env3 cheap and didn’t know if it would just let me switch. Anyone try it yet?
February 20th, 2010 at 11:06 pm
i just got a samsung glyde and had the lg env2 as a prepaid i want to transfer my account to the samsung glyde will there be any problems because its a touch screen phone
April 3rd, 2010 at 9:35 pm
Hello, I was just wondering.. I recently put my new phone through the wash and need to switch back to my old. Not quite sure if it will work the same? I see there are no SIM cards or anything, and was wondering if it would be the same? Thanks for the help, Nikki
April 12th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
I bought a phone from a person, which is working fine but He is calling for the ESN number of the phone I bought for him to keep his number.. is that possible?
April 25th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
Thank you so much for posting this. I have had so much frustration in the past trying to figure it out on my own. This was super quick and easy!
May 15th, 2010 at 1:00 am
I just got a phone from my aunt i followed the instructions but the esn number wont work and calling verizon is a nightmare i’d rather not face what do i do?
May 15th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
thank you very much. It worked and I changed to my old phone in less than 3 min.
July 13th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
does it cost to switch cuz my phone shuts off when i drop it or shut 2 hard and i want 2 switch 2 my moms old choclate
July 20th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
im trying to switch my en2 to my friends blackberry. will i have to change my plan or can i leave it and just not use the features blackberry has, such as internet?
July 21st, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Hey Pinny can I switch numbers from a verizon prepaid phone to a verizon plan phone?
July 24th, 2010 at 10:46 am
i called the number, tried various extensions. found the place to change a phone, they never asked for the ESN number. they just said to dial *228 send on the new phone. course that didn’t work. suggestions please.
July 27th, 2010 at 2:53 am
I have a samsung intensity and i just bought a samsung reality which requires a $10 data plan when you sign-up for a contract and purchase the phone when i use vzw.com or *228 it wont switch phones what do i do? is it because i dont have the $10 data plan?
July 28th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
verizon wireless has done away with the need for the user to input the ESN. all that is required is to dial *228. the follow the prompts required to change phones. If you dial *228 and nothing happens, that means you do not have a compatible phone. there are two types of systems CDMA & GSM.
July 28th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
verizon wireless has done away with the need for the user to input the ESN. all that is required is to dial *228. the follow the prompts required to change phones. If you dial *228 and nothing happens, that means you do not have a compatible phone. there are two types of systems CDMA & GSM. Verizon wireless uses CDMA. The GSM type is for those companies that use SIM cards.
July 30th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
I bought a new phone today from a friend. i am not the account holder by any means and i would like to change it before my dad gets out of work. how do i go about doing that or cant i do it at all?
August 2nd, 2010 at 6:25 pm
If i have a Samsung Rogue and i activate a droid on the Verizon website will i have to upgrade to the droids data plan or can i keep my 9.99 data plan
August 6th, 2010 at 11:12 am
I want to try the number to switch my phone to my new one, but my family is afraid that it is a scam. Does it really work??
August 19th, 2010 at 8:59 am
there are no place for a sim card to put ? where to put?
August 30th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
When i call the number it asks for a billing account password and i am not the account holder. what should i do??
October 20th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Hi.I have a simple verizon phone but want to buy a new and unused verizon blackberry from my friend. I’m not eligible for an upgrade at the moment. All i want to do is keep my same number and plan, but switch everything onto the new blackberry. Does this mean i’ll have to pay an early termination fee? I’m not trying to change anything, or get a new data plan. I’ve tried calling customer service but haven’t been able to speak with an actual representative or get an answer to my question. I want to avoid termination, upgrade or activation fees. I’m pretty sure it should be free, but don’t want to buy the blackberry and then find out its going to be expensive or a hassle to switch my number. Thanks.
October 24th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
Hey, my old phone recently had problems charging and hasn’t been working properly. I borrowed another verizon phone from my friend that was just an extra. If I call and switch her extra phone to my number, there won’t be any charges charged to my friends account, right?
Kathryn,
You can go right ahead and switch the Verizon phone – she will not get charged (it will be under your account as soon as you call and switch the phone).
October 26th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
I just upgraded my wife and my phone (2 phones). Verizon told me the way I ordered them they had to place my number on my wifes phone and her number on my phone. They told me before I activate them I need to switch the 2 numbers back the way they should be. Any chance you can walk me through this process. Thanks
November 1st, 2010 at 3:22 pm
I just tried to activate a 2nd hand Dare that I purchased. I had a friend do this just a couple weeks ago. I tried alloptions of *228, then the website activation menu and it wouldn’t process. So I called the 800 customer service line, and essentially the technical rep said I had to have a data plan in order to activate the Dare. I’m currently on an America’s Choice 500 min plan with 3 lines. I was thinking I could just access the mobile web service when I traveled. On my old LG phone it always gave me the warning that I’d be charged $1.99 for 24 hours of accesss. That’s fine for me when I travel out of town- I don’t typically need a data plan. Do you have any insights as to whether their policies have changed? A friend of mine just activated a Dare 2 weeks ago and he didn’t have a data plan.
November 2nd, 2010 at 2:38 pm
i tried activating my phone samsung glyde from verizon wireless and i dnt no how to how does it work? what number do i dial ? please help me asap soon as you read thiss thankss.
November 7th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
When you do this does it keep our number? Like keep it the same? My dogs got ahold of my phone and I have a used phoe my cousin gave me to make the switch. I want the same number and they r both verizon so it should work. But does it keep your number the same still?
November 28th, 2010 at 11:24 am
how do i change the name card on my verizon phone. I want to change my phone.
December 17th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
if i do this will it show up on the bill?
December 20th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
I bought a lg ally on ebay and the esn is locked so how do i go about unlocking it?
March 5th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
I recently was given a used blackberry storm and I am currently using my lg envy touch (both on Verizon Wireless). Will this process work to enable the bb storm, and disable the envy touch? And will it cost anything to do so? Thank you!
April 11th, 2011 at 10:43 pm
i have a phone that has internet access but the limited version (10$ a month) and it recently broke, my roommate has the motorola droid he said he will give me, but does that require me to upgrade to the 30$ a month plan?
April 13th, 2011 at 12:17 am
When i call *228 it says that they are unable to do this?? How do i fix this?
May 3rd, 2011 at 10:10 pm
Hi my dad just recently upgraded my contract and got me the Droid Incredible 2 but I’d like an iPhone 4. I heard that the iPhone 5 comes out this summer and my dad can upgrade his contract and get a new phone by then. If he gets the iPhone 4 or 5 and we trade phones will we be able to keep our original phone numbers???
June 27th, 2011 at 2:02 pm
I’m fixing to buy a a Blackberry 8230 pearl flip on Ebay.My plan is on Verizon and I already have an LG chocolate touch but I was wanting to switch to the Blackberry flip and i have two questions;
1.does it cost to activate the Ebay bought Blackberry.
2.is the blackberry a type of phone that you have to have internet connection to work.
PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!! ASAP
July 21st, 2011 at 9:20 pm
hi, I have a 2-year contract and it is not up until next year. But I want to change my phone,plan, and sign a new contract ( I aslo want to keep my old number), but i dont want to cancel my old contract either, which i want my sister to use: can i do that, or is it impossible???
July 30th, 2011 at 11:52 am
i do not like my current cell phone, are these the steps to switching your cell phone device, even if you are not eligible for your upgrade, and keeping the same number
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:53 pm
Hi, i currently have a blackberry with verizon with a 2 yr contract. My boyfriend has a extra deactivated iphone 4, is there any way that i could activate the iphone and transfer all my contacts etc to it and use it instead of my blackberry without being charged for anything?
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:54 pm
Also would i have to go to a verizon store for any of this or could i do it myself?
August 4th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
I recently lost my phone and had to purchase another. I want to move my old number to the new phone but i don’t have the old phone. Can i go on my verizon account and put my new phone ien under my old phone and it do the same thing? Switch the numbers so my new phone has my old phone number?
September 16th, 2011 at 5:46 pm
hey pinny, I’m not sure if you still follow this, but I recently had my phone fall destroyed and I need a replacement. I am under contract in the family plan. They told me at verizon I could either buy a refurbished phone for $200… Or, this other person told me I could add a line for $10 and get a free phone then that leaves me with a $175 cancelation fee on original..
I am wondering, could I purchase a used verizon-android phone and have my number moved to the other phone? Also, do you know what type of fee they might charge for this? Thanks!!!
3nriched, you should be able to just buy a used verizon cell phone off of ebay and move your phone number over (without any fees).