I have what I thought would be a very simple situation, but it seems to be getting more complex the more I think about it. Here are the facts:
[ol]
[li]I have an Awesome Phone Number that I have had since 2001.[/li][li]Said Awesome Phone Number is now on a work-owned phone.[/li][li]I am leaving my current job in a couple weeks. Obviously, I will have to relinquish the phone when I leave.[/li][li]However, my current job is allowing me to take my number with me and they’ve already made it available for porting when I should decide to do so.[/li][li]My new job is inherently temporary (it’s a political job) in a new city. I do not intend to live in this city beyond the span of the job.[/li][li]The new job is giving me a Blackberry. I will not be able to put my Awesome Phone Number on it.[/li][li]The old job ends Dec. 28. The new job begins Jan. 2. But I will still need to be available those five days.[/li][/ol]
So my question is: What is the best/cheapest way to keep my old phone number and also not be without a phone between jobs?
After asking some friends, I’m thinking Google Voice might offer a solution. I can port the number to them for $20. However, I still need an actual phone to get me by until Jan. 2. Can I buy a “burner” to get me through that span and still have everything work smoothly?
I’m confused not only about exactly what I should do, but also the order in which I should do it. Any help is most appreciated!
I think the easiest thing is to pick up a cheap used Verizon phone from a friend or on eBay and put it on PagePlus at about $10 per month. They also sell pretty inexpensive phones. Port the number to that and put it in your pocket. Later, when you have the device issues all settled, you can port the number to the new device or to GV.
Port the awesome number to Google Voice. If you want the cheapest option, and since you’re going to have a work-supplied phone for a while, for the few days you’re without a cell phone just setup Google Voice to forward all calls to Google Chat where you can make and receive calls through your PC. Or, if you have a landline you can setup GV to forward all calls to that instead. You can also make calls through your landline via GV (so that your awesome# shows up in the callerID of the person you’re calling) by dialing your own awesome# and then press “2” and dial the number you’re calling. Or, if you have no landline, and aren’t near a PC, you can just let calls go to voicemail and return them whenever you do have access to a PC or another phone.
But if you simply must have a cell phone for those few days, I would still port the number to GV, and just get a new number on the cheap cell phone. Then you can just have GV forward all calls to that new, temporary phone number.
Once you get your work-supplied phone, just change GV to forward calls to that work#.
Prepaid cell phones are readily available at any Safeway, CVS, RiteAid, etc. Port your number to Google Voice, forward calls to that cell phone, and when you get your new blackberry, forward calls to that instead.
A prepaid phone ought to cost you less than a Verizon plan.
I’d recommend Net10, but there are many companies out there.
I think this is what I’ll have to do. The days between Dec. 28 and Jan. 2 will be spent traveling between two cities and staying out of hotels/friend’s couches. So I can’t even really count on reliable access to a PC.
As for why I can’t get my longtime number on my new work phone: This is a very large, complex organization I’m joining and I don’t think they cater to such personal requests. Besides, if I have to give up my cellphone on Dec. 28, I don’t want my number going unanswered between then and the start date at my new job - they’re not giving me a Blackberry anytime before Jan. 2.