How to Keep Your AT&T Wireless Number When Moving Abroad

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I screwed this up the first time I moved abroad, but learned my lessons and want to share them with anyone who cares to listen.

The Problem: You are moving abroad, perhaps for a year, maybe two, and currently have an AT&T wireless phone.  You do not want to lose your phone number, which all of your friends have saved.  You also want to be able to use your phone when home for the holidays.

The Solution: In a nutshell, convert your post-paid plan (i.e. your monthly contract plan) into a pre-paid one from AT&T “Go Phone“, load it with $100 worth of credit every 365 days, and rest assured your phone number will be waiting for you when you return home.

The Details:

  • You must be out of contract, or you will most likely incur penalties for breaking it
  • Call AT&T, and ask to switch to a “Pay as You Go” plan (NOT a “Pick Your Plan” pre-pay account)
  • Ask to add $100 worth of credit to your account, using your credit card.  When you add $100 or more in credits, these credits don’t expire for 365 days (instead of one month, otherwise)
  • Use your phone while home on holiday, etc. so that you use up those $100 of credits.  If you are nearing the 365 day mark since you last added credits, you can add another $100 and extend the life of ALL credits another year.
  • You cannot (at this time) get mobile data or blackberry services on Go Phone.  When you move back to the country you will have to upgrade to a regular monthly plan to get these.
  • When you move back home to the US, any unused pay as you go credits can be converted to a credit on your new monthly plan once you upgrade.

Not with AT&T?: While I cannot say with certainty, I believe this approach would work for T-Mobile customers and other GSM phone subscribers as well.  You would first need to port your number over to AT&T Go Phone, but otherwise all of the steps above should work.

July 30, 2008 · Filed Under Living Abroad

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  • Welcome to The Intrepid Mr. Fox

    Welcome to the personal weblog of Mitchell W. Fox, a management strategy consultant in Sydney, Australia.

    The Intrepid Mr. Fox is about my personal life and adventures. It focuses on three main topics: The Good Life (things I enjoy in my leisure time), Travel, and my thoughts and ideas about the world around us.