How to keep your cell phone number without paying a cell phone bill

While it may sound wild, you can get on just fine without paying a cell phone bill. But, why would someone not have a cell phone in the first place?

Well, here are some ideas...

• ...maybe you're moving to another country and only want to keep your US or Canadian local number, not the service.
• ...maybe it's a second phone number you no longer want to pay for but you want to keep the phone itself.
• ...maybe your teen wants to try out a phone for the first time and you only want them to use WiFi on the device.

Whatever the reason, you have options that start at $2/month.

So, how does this actually work? 

• Make sure the smartphone you're using is WiFi-enabled. This is crucial.

• You can then transfer your number from your cell phone provider to NumberBarn and use the Park plan. Feel free to also check out our other plans offered through NumberBarn and NumberGarage. This takes about 3 to 10 business days. There's a handy guide on how to do this here.

• Once your number transfers, you can cancel your cell phone service. Yes, you'll need to contact them to do that.

• On your WiFi-enabled smartphone, download a messaging app to make and receive calls and messages via WiFi using your US or Canadian local number. Some options that other NumberBarn customers use are WhatsApp and Google Duo.

• Bonus: You may also have luck with Amazon Alexa or another smart device. Please read the Amazon Alexa FAQs to learn more.

Let's keep this real:

We cannot guarantee that your number will work with a third-party app. 99.9% of the numbers will work. If your number is already working with another app, it will continue to work with the same third-party app if you transfer it to us. If your number is not supported, you will receive an error message when trying to configure the app. We cannot provide technical support for any issues when using a third-party mobile app. Contact the support of that company for help.

How to get started?

The best guidance and info on pricing happens on our Step by Step Guide.