Before you switch carriers for your iPhone, you will want to do some research first. For example, if saving money is important to you, then finding out how much it will cost to switch is one of the first things you would want to research. You might find that you will be charged an early termination fee if your contract isn’t up yet and if you wait until the contract has expired, you won’t have to pay in order to switch to a new carrier.

The next thing to check, especially if it is important for you to keep your current phone number is to find out if you will be able to use the same number with a different carrier. While many times you can keep your same phone number for your iPhone, that is not always the case. If your phone number won’t change over, then you will have to decide if it’s worth it to keep your carrier or get a new phone number.

Sometimes you can use the same iPhone and switch carriers by having your iPhone unlocked, and sometimes you can’t. So, checking to see if you have to buy a new iPhone or if you can use the iPhone you have all ready is worth taking the time to figure out. Also, if you do have to get a new iPhone, check the cost to see if you will have to pay full price for a new one or if the potential new carrier offers any type of special discounts for signing a contract with them.

Make sure to check out new rating plans thoroughly because you might notice that “unlimited texts” really aren’t completely unlimited with your new carrier. For example, Verizon considers 1,000 texts to be unlimited for any given month and if you go over that amount you have to pay extra. Reading all the fine print may save you from money from having to pay extra to get what you really want with your iPhone.

When you have done your research and found the new carrier you want to use for your iPhone, make sure to run a backup to iClouds so you won’t lose any important data during the switch. Also, do not cancel your old carrier’s service until the other service is activated or you will risk losing your phone number. When you take your time making the switch from one carrier to the other, you will find that you not only save money, but a lot of potential aggravation as well.