Its easy, simple and fast.  The first section explains the steps to switch your contract service to the phone you just purchased.  The second part is if you are using your phone for prepaid use.  If you find this guide helpful, please click "Yes" in the blue title bar below the guide. 

Two Steps Before You Call To Activate:
 
   1. Get the ESN Number of the Phone.  Take the battery off of the phone and look for the ESN number on the label the battery was covering.  Models vary, but all of them either show the ESN as an 11 digit number in Decimal format (sometimes abbreviated DEC) or in Hexadecimal format which is a combination of letters and numbers that is 8 digits in length.  Verizon can work with either one.   It is not the serial number which is usually designated “S/N” or the FCC ID number. 

 ESN Number is always below the battery

 ESN Number is on a label

    Verizon can use either the ESN, HEX, or DEC Number

   2.  Make sure the phone is fully charged.  You don't want the phone to die when it starts programming because the battery dies.  Also, fully charging the battery helps to prolong and enhance the battery’s performance (repeated, short and incomplete charging of your battery will diminish its capacity).  

Part I.  Transferring your existing contract service to the phone you just bought.

  1.  Call 888-294-6804 and at the prompt enter your 10 digit phone number.  When the Customer Service person answers the phone, tell him/her that you would like to activate your phone number on another cell phone.  You will be asked some security questions, and then they will ask for the ESN number of the phone that you want to switch your service to.   

  2.  It takes about 30 seconds and then they will ask you to turn your phone off and back on and dial *228 and press send.  Your phone will be programmed over the air in about 60 seconds.

Please Read: We do not recommend taking the phone into any Verizon Wireless Store, the people do not get paid to switch your phone number to a new phone and sometimes they see it as a big bother.  They tend to tell you a wide variety of things designed to either (1) get you to buy a phone from them, or (2) get you to leave the store without activating your phone.  Also, the average representative is only trained on the few models that the store sells and sometimes that are just not familiar enough with the phone to do the activation.  The best trained people are found when you call in at the above number. 

Part II.  You Want to Use Your Phone for a Prepaid Plan:

Call the Prepaid Customer Service Line at 1-800-326-2578 and follow the prompts to prepaid.  You will need a Credit/Debit or Check Card to activate or buy prepaid cards. They will ask you for some general information and the ESN number of the phone.   

To buy more minutes over the phone call 800-201-0521 or 611 from your cell phone, the 611 call is free.   You can also buy the calling cards at a wide variety of convenience stores and gas stations.

Part III.  You can activate your phone through the Verizon Web Site. 

Verizon is encouraging their customers to use their web site to switch phone service from one cell phone to another one.  There is never a  fee to switch your service to your new phone over Verizon's web site.  You have to register on the site which takes about five minutes.  Once registered, there is a link that takes you to a page that you can enter the ESN number of your new phone to activate it.  

Quick Dial Codes 

       #BAL (#225):   Check Your Balance

       #MIN (#646):    Minutes Used

       #PMT (#768):    Make a Payment

       #DATA (#3282): Check Number of TXT Messages and kilobyte usage

       *611: Customer Service