Take advantage of a more attractive mobile plan by changing mobile operator. It’s easy and you will be able to keep your current number thanks to the portability, and you will not have to take any steps to cancel the subscription with the old operator.
Change mobile operator to get a package at the best price? The most seasoned users are familiar with the technique and are increasingly indulging in this gymnastics to be sure of having a comfortable mobile plan at a low price.
In recent years, operators have multiplied promotional offers without commitment in order to attract new customers. But these offers, often of limited duration, generally for one year, increasingly push consumers to change operator according to promotions.
Unfortunately, many consumers still do not dare to take the plunge, for lack of knowing how to proceed or of having someone close to them who can support them in this process. Changing operator while keeping your mobile number is however much easier than it seems, and above all, completely free.
Here’s how to change your plan and keep your mobile line number.
1. Obtain your RIO and your commitment end date
To be able to change operator in order to take advantage of a more attractive mobile plan, you will first need to obtain your RIO. The Operator Identity Statement is a unique number, attached to your current contract, that you must communicate to your future operator when you subscribe.
Thanks to the RIO, you can therefore have your mobile number “ported” to the new operator who will take care of all the steps to cancel your current subscription. Portability only works from one operator to another. If you want to change plan while staying with the same operator (Orange to Sosh, or SFR to RED for example), you will need to contact your operator’s customer service directly.
To obtain it, from your mobile phone, call 3179. This voicemail box will give you two important information: the end date of your commitment (if your package includes a long-term commitment), as well as the RIO number.
Don’t panic if you don’t have time to write it down, a summary SMS will automatically be sent to you after hanging up.
Two scenarios can arise:
– Your subscription does not include a commitment, or the commitment date has passed. In this case, you can go to another operator without worrying about possible cancellation fees that you might be charged.
– Your subscription has a commitment end date (if you have committed for a period of 12 or 24 months). The RIO phone server should indicate the end date of your engagement. You can then choose to wait until the end of your contract to go to another operator free of charge, or to leave immediately by paying an early termination fee (Chatel Law).
These costs correspond, for a 12-month commitment, to all the remaining monthly payments. In other words, if you leave before the end of the twelve months, you are still indebted for the remaining months to your current carrier.
For a 24-month commitment, the early termination fees correspond to all of the remaining monthly payments in the first year and 25% of the amount of the remaining monthly payments in the second year.
For a package paid 10 euros per month over 24 months, a user who wishes to leave 6 months before the end of his engagement will not have to pay a quarter of the remaining total:
(6 x 10 €) / 4, or 15 euros
On the other hand, for the same package, if he wishes to leave 18 months before the end of his engagement, he will have to pay:
6 X10 € + (12 x10 €) / 4, or 90 euros
2. Subscribe to a new package with the new operator
Have you found an offer at an attractive price that meets your needs? Go to the subscription page of the offer to register. In principle, during your registration, the operator will offer you two options: Keep your current number or Obtain a new number.
Choose to keep your current mobile number. The offer subscription page should then ask you to enter two pieces of information: your mobile number (the one you want to keep), and the RIO associated with this number.
Enter these two pieces of information, and validate the subscription to your new subscription by following the steps indicated by the new operator. You will in principle be asked to send a copy of your identity document, an RIB to pay your monthly fee by direct debit, as well as an electronic signature (a click in a box confirming your agreement) to authorize the SEPA direct debit. . Some operators even allow you to choose the portability date of your number.
Depending on the offer chosen, you will also be asked to pay certain costs in cash: sending the SIM card, new phone if you decide to buy a new mobile, etc.
3. Activate your new SIM
What happens next? Once your registration is validated, your current operator should send you within hours or days, an SMS informing you that your line will be terminated and transferred to a new operator, with your ported number, as well as the date and the time at which it will take place.
A few days after your registration, the new operator will send your new SIM card to your home. Keep it in a safe place until the date of portability of your number.
Concretely, on the day of portability, at the time indicated by the SMS you received, your old SIM card and its associated plan should stop working. You may not realize it immediately. If you have run out of 4G, and you can no longer make a call or send or receive an SMS, your number has been ported to the other operator.
All you have to do is remove the old operator’s SIM card from your mobile, and insert the new operator’s SIM card. With this new SIM card, the new operator generally provides the procedure for activation.
You usually have to go to your online management interface to find an activation button. You will then only have to restart your smartphone with your new SIM card so that the latter starts working with your new plan, and the phone number you have chosen to keep.