How to switch mobile phone providers (and keep your number)

So you’ve hit a wall with your current mobile phone plan and it’s time for something cheaper or different. You’re ready to put yourself out there again. Basically, you’re on the market to see what’s on the market in the telco space. Good news! There are dozens of telco choices across a few key networks, and there are plenty of options to meet your current needs.

To help prove how easy it is to move on, here’s how to break up with your current telco.

It doesn’t really matter why you want to go because it’s not up to you to explain to your soon-to-be-ex-telco why you’re ready to move on. They may ask and they may tempt you to stay with one form of attractive deal or another, but you don’t even have to talk to them.

In fact, the most important first step is to not cancel your existing mobile plan. Speaking from ancient experience, cancelling your existing plan definitely makes things trickier. Why? If you cancel your current mobile plan, it makes it trickier to port/transfer your existing mobile number.

Switching mobile providers is so incredibly easy, it can be summed up in a few short steps:

Here's how it works:

1. Compare mobile plans and pick the one your need
2. Visit the provider's website and place an order for a new SIM card. During this order process you will be asked if you wish to port your number and you specify which number to move.
3. Wait for the SIM to arrive in the post.
4. Activate your SIM card either online or over the phone. This usually takes about 5 mins.
5. Make a cuppa and wait for the number port to occur.

It usually takes up to an hour before your service switches over, although we've seen it happen in as fast as 5 minutes. What you should notice is that your signal bars on your phone display will disappear and indicate no network connection. At this point you can restart your phone to connect to your new network provider. Job done.

Don’t want to keep your old number? Then you will have to have a chat with your current provider, either via phone, online chat or visiting a store to cancel your old number. But if you’re like the average person shifting telcos, you’ll want to keep your number when switching telcos. In terms of timing, we’d advise planning your plan switch with a couple of business days of breathing space before the current recharge/month ends.

The next step is the fun part: find a new plan.

For most people we speak with, this is the final piece of the puzzle before they are committed to finding the best phone plan. If you own a phone and are looking to save some money, you should check out our guide to the best SIM Only plans. If you'd prefer to run a search to find a plan, start by selecting what you need in the box below.

If you’re in the market for a replacement or new Prepaid plan, we’ve got you covered. Even if you’re currently on a SIM Only or Postpaid plan, there are plenty of reasons to consider a Prepaid plan. You may want greater control over your spending, and if you want to find serious value, consider a long-expiry Prepaid plan.

SIM Only mobile plans are popular for a reason, likely because they have a great mix of perks and dollar-to-data value. If you already have a handset you’re happy with, there are plenty of fantastic SIM Only plans to choose from. For instance, check out the daily updating list of popular picks from our database below:
There are a range of Prepaid plans to choose from, and you can see the daily updating popular picks from our comparison engine below (covering Prepaid starter packs, recharges and subscriptions):

Maybe it’s not enough to just break up with your current telco, and you want to make the kind of shifting-telco statement that includes a shiny new handset. Buying a Postpaid plan with 12-month, 24-month or 36-month handset repayment terms helps you dodge the potential sting of an upfront handset cost, while tapping into all of the plan inclusions of a SIM Only offering.

For inspiration, below is a daily updating list of popular handsets that you can pair with a plan from a range of providers, including Optus, Telstra, Vodafone, Southern Phone and Woolworths Mobile:

Unless you’ve signed up with a new telco in-store or purchased a SIM card from a retailer, you’re going to have to wait for your new SIM Card to arrive. If you’ve got an eSIM, activation is a lot faster. Once the SIM card arrives, swap it out with the old one and follow the activation steps from your new telco.

Once you’re activated with your existing mobile number, your old service will be cancelled, so there’s no need to reach out to your ex-telco to tell them to do anything. The trend these days is for month-to-month no-contract mobile plans, but it’s worth checking to ensure you’re not on a contract so you can avoid exit fees.

For SIM Only plans, expect a final end-of-month bill. Also note that if you leave a Postpaid plan before the handset repayment period is done, you’ll have to pay the remainder of the handset cost.