How to switch to Cape Cellular and keep your number
Moving a mobile number between US carriers is a standardised process, and most of it is the same whoever you are switching to. The parts worth getting right are what you gather beforehand and one mistake that is genuinely irreversible. Cape's own signup steps may differ in detail — confirm those with Cape — but everything below applies to any port.
Do not cancel your old service first
This is the one that actually costs people their number, so it goes first.
Porting a number out cancels the old line automatically as part of the transfer. If you cancel before the port completes, the number is released back into the pool and it is generally gone for good — your old carrier cannot retrieve it and your new one cannot claim it.
Leave the old account active and untouched until the new service is working. Only then worry about closing anything.
What to gather first
Ports fail on mismatched details far more often than anything else, and every detail has to match what your current carrier has on file — not what you would write today.
Your account number with the current carrier. This is not your phone number, and on many bills it is not displayed prominently.
A number transfer PIN. US carriers are required to provide one on request, and it is usually generated in your account settings or app. It is not your voicemail PIN, your device unlock code, or your account password.
The billing name and address exactly as the old carrier holds them. An old apartment number or a maiden name is enough to reject a port.
Your current phone number, and confirmation the line is active. You cannot port a number that has already been disconnected.
Check your phone is unlocked
A phone bought on a carrier payment plan is often locked to that carrier until it is paid off or an eligibility period passes. A locked handset will not accept another carrier's service, and this is easy to miss until the moment it matters.
Ask your current carrier to unlock it before you start. This is usually free once you qualify, but it can take a day or two to take effect, so it is worth doing early rather than mid-switch.
Also worth confirming with Cape that your specific handset is supported before committing, particularly for older devices or phones bought outside the US.
During signup: enter a referral code
Cape applies $20/mo off when you sign up with someone's referral code, and the same discount goes to whoever shared it. That brings the $70/mo early adopter rate to $50/mo.
Enter a code in whatever field Cape asks for a referral or promo code, and confirm the discount actually appears on your order before you finish. A code that silently fails to apply looks identical to one that worked until the first bill arrives.
Codes are free and there is no reason not to use one. This board keeps a current list.
How long it takes
Wireless-to-wireless ports frequently complete within an hour, sometimes within minutes. Allow up to a couple of business days, because anything needing manual review at the old carrier will take longer.
Service on the old line usually keeps working until the moment the port completes, then stops. There is often a brief window where calls or texts behave oddly as the switch lands.
Do not start a port on the day you most need your phone to work. A weekday morning is a better choice than a Friday evening, because if something needs a human at your old carrier, someone is there.
If the port is rejected
Almost always a mismatch. Compare the account number, transfer PIN, name and address against your old carrier's records character by character, correct whatever differs, and resubmit.
A transfer PIN can also simply expire. If yours is more than a few days old, generate a fresh one rather than assuming it is still valid.
A rejected port does not cost you your number. The line stays where it is until a port succeeds, which is exactly why the advice about not cancelling matters so much.
Once it completes
Place a call, send a text, and load something over mobile data with wifi turned off. Ask someone to call and text you as well — inbound and outbound can fail independently.
Check any service using your number for two-factor authentication still reaches you. This is the step people skip and regret, particularly for banking apps.
Finally, confirm the old account actually closed and that no further billing is running. Porting out normally closes it, but any device instalments or early termination charges you already owed do not disappear with it.