Has it changed, is there any fee to port a number before or after activation?

[savvy]

I was looking at moving over for quite a while, but I still have free service credits with another provider to use up. It's finally time to start the move process. I already have my SIM. Upon digging I did find the article: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Getting-Started/The-Guide-to-Headache-Free-PM-Signup/... which appears to show that you could port during activation or afterwards. I would like to follow this same process, but I was wondering are there any porting fees for doing the port request later? Has it changed in any way? Most providers don't charge for the activation porting, but charge for porting post-activation. Thanks in advance.

[savvy]

Yeah and if it's anything like it used to be 10 years ago when I was a phone tech dealing with ports, technically that temporary number is never actually gone... I don't remember the official names for them but your account would have looked something like this:

Alias/Displayed Number: 1-234-789-1234 (Ported Number)

Current number: 1-234-567-8901 (the internal "temporary" number never goes away)

whereas with no port it would look like...

Alias/Displayed Number: 1-234-567-8901 (Ported Number N/A)

Current number: 1-234-567-8901 (Same number, since no port necessary)

... It may be different now, but that was the way it was in the CDMA/GSM only days.

[ShawnC13]

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@will13am wrote:

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@savvy wrote:

@ShawnC13

That's probably why it has always worked for you! Most people don't have trouble porting, but for those who do >90% I'd wager are just from incorrect details on either provider's side or straight up user error (incorrect PIN etc)...and as long as you give the right account number, there's really not much that can go wrong unlike the other info.

@will13am

Well if the 5% is an outright catastrophy and causes huge headaches, a tiny bit of extra effort is totally worth it in my books.

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So we are in violent agreement the two step process.  I do agree that a lot of the failures maybe data entry related.  Because porting will always involve accurate entry of information, risk mitigation is all about limiting the impact of the failed port.

@ShawnC13, I have always been under the impression that if there is a temporary number in the account, a failed port doesn't really interfere with account usage except it is operating with a temporary number, whereas a failed port leave the data functioning properly only. 

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Oh ok I had thought once you hit the change number and start the process the temp number is gone.  That is good to know 

[will13am]

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@savvy wrote:

@ShawnC13

That's probably why it has always worked for you! Most people don't have trouble porting, but for those who do >90% I'd wager are just from incorrect details on either provider's side or straight up user error (incorrect PIN etc)...and as long as you give the right account number, there's really not much that can go wrong unlike the other info.

@will13am

Well if the 5% is an outright catastrophy and causes huge headaches, a tiny bit of extra effort is totally worth it in my books.

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So we are in violent agreement the two step process.  I do agree that a lot of the failures maybe data entry related.  Because porting will always involve accurate entry of information, risk mitigation is all about limiting the impact of the failed port.

@ShawnC13, I have always been under the impression that if there is a temporary number in the account, a failed port doesn't really interfere with account usage except it is operating with a temporary number, whereas a failed port leave the data functioning properly only. 

[savvy]

@ShawnC13

That's probably why it has always worked for you! Most people don't have trouble porting, but for those who do >90% I'd wager are just from incorrect details on either provider's side or straight up user error (incorrect PIN etc)...and as long as you give the right account number, there's really not much that can go wrong unlike the other info.

@will13am

Well if the 5% is an outright catastrophy and causes huge headaches, a tiny bit of extra effort is totally worth it in my books.

[ShawnC13]

@will13am, it was more of a question though if the new number does continue to work during a stuck port I would start to recommending that procedure.  I just am trying to figure out how it would work once you initaite the number change?

[will13am]

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@ShawnC13 wrote:

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@will13am wrote:

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@ShawnC13 wrote:

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@will13am wrote:

@savvy, I am in the camp that suggest getting a temporary number during activation and then doing a number port as a separate step.  I have done the single step approach also and have never had failure.  But it is a lot safer using the two steps and it doesn't take that much extra time.  When activating, don't forget to take advantage of this referral offer. 

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Announcements/Until-September-13-Get-a-25-Credit-for-...

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This is what I don't get how is it "safer" to get a new number and port later?  The port is dependent on the information YOU input.  You either put in the correct information or you make a mistake that can happen whenever you decide to port your number.

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It can be human error or system glitch.  I can control the former but not the latter.  It is just that if you port in one step and something goes wrong, you don't have a number assigned to the account.  That will affect talk and text.  Given the moderator team being so loaded down with work, you are looking at possibly a couple of days of down time.  If you do a port as a second step, at least you can do talk and text with the temporary number.  Why go through the risk when it takes just a minute to submit a port separately.  I will always council new customers to go the two step process. 

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Are you sure you will still be able to talk and text with the temporary number?  With the stuck ports people can usually make and send texts but not receive, so wouldn't this be the same doing the port as a second step?  Two phone numbers can't be assigned to the same sim so you will lose that Temp number as soon as the port begins anyway.  During a stuck port your old SIM seems to always still be active until the port is complete so not sure how getting a temp number helps in this situation.

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95% of the time, two steps is extra effort.  It is a matter of determining whether it is worthwhile to cover for the 5%.  There is no right or wrong answer.  Let's just agree to disagree and move on. 

[ShawnC13]

@

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@savvy wrote:

@ShawnC13You may find this ironic, but I have actually set up a lot of phones selling them working at a different company, lol. It actually may be safer specifically if you use the IMEI for verification, because if the IMEI was not entered correctly by the original provider you got the phone from, OR if you switched providers from one to another before moving to Public Mobile, your IMEI may not even be listed with the last service provider you were with. EX: you buy a phone from Fido and move it to Virgin Mobile as a Bring-Your-Own-Phone, and then move to Public Mobile, it may fail verification because Virgin has a dummy IMEI and never actually received your IMEI when you set that BYOP account up! Knowing this info, case in point I plan to use the most reliable information - the account number.

PS: Thanks for the info - happy to know there is no porting fee either way!

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I never use IMEI, account number and PIN is all I have ever used when porting

[srlawren]

@ShawnC13 occasionally there are provisioning (activation) gltiches that prevent the account from being actually usable.  Separating the activation and the porting gives you a buffer to test with the temporary number to make sure all your services are working properly, and then initiate the port request.  If there are activation issues, you still have your old provider SIM and account active and usable while the mods resolve the activation.  It's worse if you manage to get a successful port into an improperly provisioned account, clearly.  

In general, doing the activation and port together should be fine, but glitches do happen, and I'm also in the camp that suggests activating first.  There are exceptions to this advice, such as the promo plan last year that required a port in from a specific provider at activation time in order to get the plan, but thankfully recent history suggests PM is moving away from that particular approach.

[savvy]

@ShawnC13You may find this ironic, but I have actually set up a lot of phones selling them working at a different company, lol. It actually may be safer specifically if you use the IMEI for verification, because if the IMEI was not entered correctly by the original provider you got the phone from, OR if you switched providers from one to another before moving to Public Mobile, your IMEI may not even be listed with the last service provider you were with. EX: you buy a phone from Fido and move it to Virgin Mobile as a Bring-Your-Own-Phone, and then move to Public Mobile, it may fail verification because Virgin has a dummy IMEI and never actually received your IMEI when you set that BYOP account up! Knowing this info, case in point I plan to use the most reliable information - the account number.

PS: Thanks for the info - happy to know there is no porting fee either way!

[ShawnC13]

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@will13am wrote:

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@ShawnC13 wrote:

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@will13am wrote:

@savvy, I am in the camp that suggest getting a temporary number during activation and then doing a number port as a separate step.  I have done the single step approach also and have never had failure.  But it is a lot safer using the two steps and it doesn't take that much extra time.  When activating, don't forget to take advantage of this referral offer. 

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Announcements/Until-September-13-Get-a-25-Credit-for-...

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This is what I don't get how is it "safer" to get a new number and port later?  The port is dependent on the information YOU input.  You either put in the correct information or you make a mistake that can happen whenever you decide to port your number.

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It can be human error or system glitch.  I can control the former but not the latter.  It is just that if you port in one step and something goes wrong, you don't have a number assigned to the account.  That will affect talk and text.  Given the moderator team being so loaded down with work, you are looking at possibly a couple of days of down time.  If you do a port as a second step, at least you can do talk and text with the temporary number.  Why go through the risk when it takes just a minute to submit a port separately.  I will always council new customers to go the two step process. 

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Are you sure you will still be able to talk and text with the temporary number?  With the stuck ports people can usually make and send texts but not receive, so wouldn't this be the same doing the port as a second step?  Two phone numbers can't be assigned to the same sim so you will lose that Temp number as soon as the port begins anyway.  During a stuck port your old SIM seems to always still be active until the port is complete so not sure how getting a temp number helps in this situation.

[stonechucker]

@ShawnC13, I agree, it doesn't make sense, but for whatever reason, separating the activities at the time, made more sense.

There were a lot of folks having issues with both activation and porting issues.  So holding back on the port until the services were confirmed working, allowing for confidence in not losing service during the port.  

There are still some folks who have their port fail at activation, and the number has been released by the previous carrier so their old SIM doesn't work.  Separating the two covers this.

[will13am]

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@ShawnC13 wrote:

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@will13am wrote:

@savvy, I am in the camp that suggest getting a temporary number during activation and then doing a number port as a separate step.  I have done the single step approach also and have never had failure.  But it is a lot safer using the two steps and it doesn't take that much extra time.  When activating, don't forget to take advantage of this referral offer. 

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Announcements/Until-September-13-Get-a-25-Credit-for-...

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This is what I don't get how is it "safer" to get a new number and port later?  The port is dependent on the information YOU input.  You either put in the correct information or you make a mistake that can happen whenever you decide to port your number.

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It can be human error or system glitch.  I can control the former but not the latter.  It is just that if you port in one step and something goes wrong, you don't have a number assigned to the account.  That will affect talk and text.  Given the moderator team being so loaded down with work, you are looking at possibly a couple of days of down time.  If you do a port as a second step, at least you can do talk and text with the temporary number.  Why go through the risk when it takes just a minute to submit a port separately.  I will always council new customers to go the two step process. 

[ShawnC13]

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@will13am wrote:

@savvy, I am in the camp that suggest getting a temporary number during activation and then doing a number port as a separate step.  I have done the single step approach also and have never had failure.  But it is a lot safer using the two steps and it doesn't take that much extra time.  When activating, don't forget to take advantage of this referral offer. 

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Announcements/Until-September-13-Get-a-25-Credit-for-...

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This is what I don't get how is it "safer" to get a new number and port later?  The port is dependent on the information YOU input.  You either put in the correct information or you make a mistake that can happen whenever you decide to port your number.

[will13am]

@savvy, I am in the camp that suggest getting a temporary number during activation and then doing a number port as a separate step.  I have done the single step approach also and have never had failure.  But it is a lot safer using the two steps and it doesn't take that much extra time.  When activating, don't forget to take advantage of this referral offer. 

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Announcements/Until-September-13-Get-a-25-Credit-for-...

[stonechucker]

I've only signed myself up, and I chose to do the 'get a new number' option when setting up, as my research told me that was the best way to do it.  I then ported in afterwards.  No extra cost just wanted to ensure I had service working fully before bringing my number over.

[RobertQc]

There is no fee 🙂

There are also some amazing promotions happening right now. Hopefully see you around!

[ShawnC13 · Accepted solution]

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@savvy wrote:

I was looking at moving over for quite a while, but I still have free service credits with another provider to use up. It's finally time to start the move process. I already have my SIM. Upon digging I did find the article: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Getting-Started/The-Guide-to-Headache-Free-PM-Signup/... which appears to show that you could port during activation or afterwards. I would like to follow this same process, but I was wondering are there any porting fees for doing the port request later? Has it changed in any way? Most providers don't charge for the activation porting, but charge for porting post-activation. Thanks in advance.

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There is no fee for porting over a number.  Some people prefer to do it after activating an account with a new number.  I have setup 8 lines and have always ported over when I am doing the activation and have never had any issue and the longest port has taken 30 minutes.  Do what you are comfortable with and enjoy PM!!