How Much Does It Cost to Change Your Phone Number?

Changing your phone number can cost anything from nothing to $36 at the three largest U.S. carriers. What you pay depends on your carrier and on whether you make the change yourself or have the carrier do it. Verizon and T-Mobile don’t charge when you change it yourself in the app or online. AT&T is the exception: it charges $36 once your line is more than 30 days old, even if you make the change online.

What carriers charge to change your number

Here’s what the three largest carriers charge as of November 2026:

• AT&T. The change is free within 30 days of activating your service, if you make it in store or by phone. After that, it costs $36, even if you do it online.
• Verizon. The change is free in the My Verizon app or online. There’s a $15 fee if you call customer service to make it.
• T-Mobile. You get two free number changes per year, but no more than one a month. You make them in the T-Life app or on T-Mobile.com.

If you’re with Verizon or T-Mobile, doing it yourself is the free option. With another carrier, check its support site or fee schedule for the current charge. Prepaid plans can have different rules.

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How to change your phone number

All three major carriers let you request a new number in their app or online account. You enter a city, ZIP, or area code and pick from a short list of available numbers. T-Mobile, for example, shows up to five.

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Switching carriers instead? If you move to a new carrier and don’t bring your old number, you’ll get a new one. You’ll usually need a new SIM or eSIM, and the new carrier may charge an activation fee.

Reasons you might need to change your number

Common reasons include:

• Unwanted calls for the previous owner of the number
• A fresh start after a harassing caller
• Privacy concerns after a number gets shared too much
• A local area code after a move

If you’re a survivor of domestic abuse, you may not need a new number at all. Under the federal Safe Connections Act, you can ask your carrier to move your line onto its own account, and the carrier can’t charge you a fee for it. The carrier will tell you when it plans to notify the account holder, so you can plan around that date.

What to update after changing your phone number

1. Bank and financial accounts. Give your bank and any lenders your new number so fraud alerts and login codes reach you.‍
2. Two-factor authentication. Switch your login codes to your new number before you change it. Your old number doesn’t disappear: Many carriers hold on to them for 30 to 90 days before giving them to someone else. If your codes still go there, you could get locked out, or a stranger could receive them.‍
3. Subscriptions and contacts. Update your number with subscription services and anyone in your life who might need to reach you. ‍
4. Your old carrier’s final bill. If you’re switching carriers, pay the last bill on your old account. Phone carriers usually don’t report on-time payments to the credit bureaus, but an unpaid balance can be sent to collections.

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Bottom line

Changing your number is free with Verizon and T-Mobile if you do it yourself, and $36 with AT&T once your line is past its first 30 days. Whichever carrier you use, your phone bill works one way on your credit: on-time payments usually go unreported, but an unpaid one can end up in collections.

Kikoff’s Bill Reporting reports the phone payments you already make to TransUnion. It’s included in Kikoff Premium at $20 a month.