Porting your mobile number in 3 easy steps
Keeping your current mobile number is easy, with the entire process taking as little as 2 hours.
Key takeaways
- Porting your mobile number simply means you are transferring your existing number to a new phone provider.
- It can take up to 2 business days for your number to be ported. In many cases, mobile number ports are completed within around 3 hours.
- Do not cancel your current mobile plan before your number has been transferred to your new plan.
How do I keep my mobile number?
Before we dive into the steps, there are 2 important things to remember when you're looking to port your number to a new provider.
- Do not cancel your existing mobile plan before your number has been ported and you've received confirmation. If you do, you could lose your number.
- Make sure the number is under your name. If it's not, you will need to request a change of ownership first.
To transfer your mobile number to a new plan:
1. Confirm the number is under your name
You won't be able to port your number unless you have ownership of it. If it is, you're good to go.
2. Buy your new SIM
Simply buy your new SIM either online or in-store to begin the activation process.
During sign-up, you'll receive a request to 'keep my existing number' or wording similar to this. Select this option and your new provider will handle the rest.
3. Wait for porting to complete
Number porting usually occurs during business hours: 8am-8pm Monday to Friday and 10am-6pm on Saturdays.
You can request a port on Sunday, but it will likely take at least one business day to complete.
You can request a port on Sunday during supported porting hours, and it may be completed the same day.
Don't forget to settle any final bills.
Is there a fee to port your mobile number?
Most telcos in Australia will let you port your number to another provider for free, however, there are a couple of exceptions.
Porting is often free, but some telcos may charge a fee to port your number out.
When you're choosing a plan, check its Critical Information Summary (CIS) document, available online, so you're not surprised by any extra fees on your final bill.
Can I use my old SIM while porting?
You should be able to use your old SIM until your number is ported.
There are a few things you should keep in mind:
- Make sure you've activated your new SIM once your number has been ported. Otherwise, you won't be able to make calls and texts.
- Once you've received confirmation that your number's been ported, pay off any pending bills with your old provider.
- Oftentimes, your last bill will be finalised after a few days but you won't be charged extra. That's because your old plan gets automatically cancelled once porting is complete.
If you run into any issues activating your new SIM, you can still browse, stream, and use WhatsApp over Wi-Fi.
Finder survey: How difficult do people find it to switch mobile plans?
| Response | |
|---|---|
| Easy | 52.97% |
| Somewhat difficult | 38.2% |
| Very difficult | 7.66% |
| I don't have a mobile phone/mobile phone plan | 1.17% |
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1110 Australians, December 2023
Is it free to keep your mobile number?
Generally, it's free to keep your mobile number when switching providers in Australia.
However, some providers may charge a small fee for porting, so be sure to check with your new provider for any potential costs.
Compare mobile plans for a better deal
Haven't decided which plan you're going to transfer your number to? You can check out the latest mobile deals in our comparison table below.
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My husband and I are with Telstra paying $70 a month each for our mobiles
Husband very rarely uses Mobile can you advise a cheaper alternative
Sure! Our cheap mobile plan guide has all the information you need. You can use the check boxes on the left to filter by price, network, data inclusions and more.
If you just want the cheapest plan for sending texts and making calls, go with Cmobile’s Red plan which runs on Vodafone’s 4G network. It costs just $12.90 per month and comes with unlimited standard calls and texts in Australia, plus 1GB of data to use each month. There’s no lock-in contract so your husband can cancel at any time.
I am winding up my business, I am looking for a plan that will include;
1. Home NBN
2. Two mobile phones
3. Two tablets
4. Retain same phone numbers
Currently with Telstra
Hi Gerry, number porting (i.e. the ability to keep the same numbers that you currently have) is supported by all providers. You’ll receive prompts asking you whether you want to keep your number when you first sign up. It’ll be tricky to find a plan that bundles data SIMs for your tablet, mobile plans and home NBN, all in the one package unless you specifically call up providers such as Optus and Vodafone to help you with that as a special request. It’s easier to bundle NBN and mobile plans and get a discount from the likes of Tangerine, More, TPG, amaysim etc: https://www.finder.com.au/broadband-plans/nbn-and-mobile-bundles This guide will give you a full list. You can then sign up for a data plan for your tablets separately either with the same provider you’re bundling internet and mobile with or a different one: https://www.finder.com.au/broadband-plans/mobile-broadband/data-only-sim-plans. Hope this helps!
It would be good to know if there is any ‘prep’ work one needs to do before porting number, eg do you have to somehow save the contacts that are saved to the old sim card, would those contacts be lost after you port your number, and would you would lose all the SMS text messages received through your old network?
Most modern smartphones store contacts within the phone, not the SIM. If you are using an older feature phone that stores contacts on the SIM, you would need to transfer these onto the phone or reenter them. It’s not a common scenario though. SMS messages from your old network might disappear, though this depends on how your phone is configured.
I already have a mobile phone, with no service and I am finding it difficult to get the right plan for me. 1).I can pay up to $50 per month. 2) need unlimited national calls. 3) Have access to internet.
Hi Fay,
Thank you for leaving a question.
You can use our mobile phone plans comparison table to help you find the plan that suits you. The page can also be filtered further by company, cost, usage type, and others for your convenience. Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Reggie
An important consideration in selecting a provider is if international roaming is available, and in what countries. I go overseas each year.
Hi Den Den,
Thanks for your question.
Global roaming service varies widely among the service providers in Australia. We have listed some of the roaming prepaid providers on our website. Open that link and on the same page, you will find the rates they charge for a specific destination/country.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
May