How to Cancel T-Mobile service

While T-Mobile has made a lot of changes for the better over the past decade, the carrier still might not be the right choice for everyone. And if you’re looking to switch from T-Mobile to another carrier, you’ll want to cancel your service. Like most carriers, T-Mobile does make it a bit difficult to cancel your service, which is actually a good thing. Let’s face it, you don’t really want anyone to be able to cancel your phone service and potentially lose your phone number.

There are two ways that you can cancel T-Mobile Service, and we’ll show you both ways in this article.

How to cancel T-Mobile service

Depending on what you want to do after leaving T-Mobile, you might want to call T-Mobile or visit a T-Mobile store to cancel your service, or you can move to a new carrier. If you’re planning on keeping your phone number, you can port your number over to another carrier, which is the easiest way to do it.

First off, before you cancel your service, it’s important to figure out how much you’ll owe for canceling it. If you have financed any phones, tablets, or other devices through T-Mobile, the amount that you still owe will be due once you cancel. That also means you will forfeit any and all bill credits you have. So if you traded in a phone and go 24 months of bill credits but want to cancel your service 12 months in, you’ll lose the other 12 bill credits.

The second thing you’ll want to do is decide if you want to cancel or pause your service. If you’re in the military and are deploying for the next several months, T-Mobile will allow you to pause your service until you return. Keep your account and phone number intact.

Canceling T-Mobile

Next, you’ll want to contact T-Mobile. You can call their customer service line at 1-877-453-1304, or you can stop by a T-Mobile store. It will need to be an actual T-Mobile store, and not an authorized retailer, as authorized retailers won’t be able to cancel your service. You’ll need to answer some security questions to be sure that you are who you say you are.

You can also port your phone number over to Verizon, AT&T, or any other carrier. Once the port is complete, your T-Mobile account will automatically be canceled. This is by far the easiest way to cancel your T-Mobile service since they will try to keep you on board if you call them. One thing to keep in mind here is that if you do have other lines like tablets or mobile hotspots, those lines won’t be canceled, and you’ll still be paying for them. Only the line with that number that was ported will be canceled.

After your service is canceled, you can expect to get a bill in the coming weeks with what you owe for the partial month of service as well as any equipment that you were paying for, such as phones, tablets, etc. And that’s it. You’re now free from T-Mobile.

Will I be charged a fee for canceling my T-Mobile service?

Unlike the olden days, T-Mobile does not charge you a fee for canceling. In fact, none of the big three carriers do. The only fees you will be paying are for service up until you cancel. For instance, if your billing cycle ends on the 12th and you cancel on the 24th, you’ll be paying a prorated amount for those 12 days of service.

Additionally, you will need to pay the amount owed on any equipment financed by T-Mobile. Once phones are paid off, you can unlock them and use them on other carriers – so you don’t need to buy a new phone after switching.

Will I be able to keep my phone number after I cancel my T-Mobile service?

No. To be clear, once you cancel your service, you no longer have access to that phone number and can’t port it. That is why it is important (and carriers tell you) to port your number before canceling your service. That way, if you want to keep your number, there’s going to be no issues with doing just that.

What if I change my mind after I cancel T-Mobile?

Generally, if you cancel your service, you can rejoin that carrier pretty quickly as long as it’s within a month. Some carriers do offer a longer period of time for retention. You will need to call T-Mobile at 844-222-1938 and let them know you want to come back to T-Mobile. They will then forward you to their retention department to get you set back up. Generally, you’ll get your same account back.