Can I transfer Verizon account to my own minutes?

[AC Question]

My old phone wouldn't charge so Verizon forced me to buy out the $250 remaining I owed and purchase a new phone. I would like to cancel my Verizon account and load my own purchased minutes and go without a contract on my new one. Can I do that?

 

[Rukbat]

That depends on the ESN of the phone. Some they'll accept as non-contract phones, some they won't. (Regardless of whether you use Verizon or an MVNO that uses Verizon's towers, it's still up to Verizon.)

If I were you, I'd contact Verizon corporate and complain that the associate gave me the wrong information, and cost me $250 needlessly - you had to buy a new phone, and you could still have kept your old account and minutes. (I'd ask for a refund check for $250.) Then I'd sell the new phone and find another carrier that covered the areas I needed covered and go with them. (Or cancel the whole thing if I were still within the free cancellation period.)

 

[srkmagnus]

My old phone wouldn't charge so Verizon forced me to buy out the $250 remaining I owed and purchase a new phone. I would like to cancel my Verizon account and load my own purchased minutes and go without a contract on my new one. Can I do that?

If you were on a post-paid Verizon account you can't just load minutes onto the device. It sounds like you'll be moving to a pre-paid account, which Verizon does offer. However, you'll need to check with them that the phone you plan on purchasing will work on their pre-paid network.

Otherwise, if you plan on moving away from Verizon, then whichever carrier you choose should be able to help you with activating a phone on their network. It's always best to check with the network first and choose among the phones that are supported. If you have questions let us know and we'll be happy to help.