Here is how to get your US Cellular account number and transfer PIN, and what to do with them when you move your number to another carrier.
Account Number
Sign in at uscellular.com. Look at the top left of the account page. The account number sits above or beside the account name. It is printed at the top of every bill, paper or PDF. Call 1-888-944-9400 from any phone and ask for the account number on file. The account number is not your phone number, and it is not the IMEI.
Transfer PIN
Call 1-888-944-9400 and ask for a transfer PIN, sometimes called a port-out PIN or number transfer PIN. It is generated on request and is 4 to 6 digits. US Cellular publishes its own transfer PIN instructions as well. Two things trip people up here:
What US Cellular requires to release your number
| Required | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Account number | Top left of your My Account page, or the top of your paper or PDF bill |
| Transfer PIN | Call 1-888-944-9400 and ask for a transfer PIN. It is 4 to 6 digits. |
| Name on the account | Must match exactly, including middle initial if one is on file |
| Billing address and ZIP | The address US Cellular has on file, not your new address |
| Active service | The line must still be active on the day the port runs |
Your new carrier submits all of it. You never contact them to start the port, only to get the PIN.
How to find your US Cellular account number
- Sign in at uscellular.com.
- Look at the top left of the account page. The account number sits above or beside the account name.
- No online access? It is printed at the top of every bill, paper or PDF.
- Still stuck? Call 1-888-944-9400 from any phone and ask for the account number on file.
The account number is not your phone number, and it is not the IMEI. If what you are holding is ten digits and looks like a phone number, it is the wrong number.
How to get your US Cellular transfer PIN
Call 1-888-944-9400 and ask for a transfer PIN, sometimes called a port-out PIN or number transfer PIN. It is generated on request and is 4 to 6 digits. US Cellular publishes its own transfer PIN instructions as well.
Two things trip people up here:
- A transfer PIN is not your account PIN or voicemail password. Handing your new carrier the wrong one is the single most common reason a port fails.
- Transfer PINs expire. Get the PIN the same day you start the switch, not a week ahead.
Some accounts default the transfer PIN to the last four digits of the phone number. Try it if you cannot reach support, but confirm it by phone before you rely on it.
Is US Cellular still a carrier in 2026?
Partly, and this is where most instructions on the internet are now out of date.
T-Mobile completed its acquisition of substantially all of US Cellular wireless operations on August 1, 2025, in a deal valued at roughly $4.3 billion, announced by T-Mobile on the closing date. That included the customer base, most retail stores, and a portion of the spectrum. The US Cellular brand is being retired in phases over roughly two years, so through 2026 some customers still bill as US Cellular while others have already been moved to T-Mobile.
The remaining company, renamed Array Digital Infrastructure, kept the towers and a large spectrum position. It is a tower and spectrum business. It does not sell you phone service.
What that means for your port:
- Still billed by US Cellular? Use the process on this page. It works.
- Already migrated to T-Mobile? US Cellular support cannot release the number. You need a T-Mobile account number and a T-Mobile transfer PIN instead. See our T-Mobile port-out guide.
Check your most recent bill. Whichever name is on it is the carrier that has to release your number.
Five mistakes that kill a port
- Cancelling service first. A cancelled number is released back to the carrier and is usually gone for good. Port first. The old line closes automatically when the port completes.
- Using the account PIN instead of the transfer PIN. Different codes, different purposes.
- A name mismatch. If the account reads “Robert” and you submit “Bob,” the port rejects.
- The wrong address. Ports validate against the billing address US Cellular has on file, not where you live now.
- An unpaid device balance. It will not block the port, but the full remaining balance comes due immediately once the line closes. Know the number before you start.
How long the port takes
A single consumer line usually completes within a few hours and almost always inside one business day. Business accounts and multi-line ports take two to five business days. Your US Cellular line keeps working the entire time. Service cuts over only when the port finishes.
If a port sits longer than 24 hours, the holdup is almost always a mismatch in the five fields above. Your new carrier can tell you which one rejected.
US Cellular contact numbers
| Purpose | Number |
|---|---|
| Customer service and transfer PIN | 1-888-944-9400 |
| Sales | 1-888-289-8722 |
| From your US Cellular phone | 611 |
About the network
US Cellular styles its own name as one word, “UScellular,” after its 2020 rebrand. Both spellings refer to the same carrier and the same porting process.
US Cellular ran its own LTE and 5G network across parts of the Midwest, New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Pacific Northwest, with roaming elsewhere. Its CDMA network was retired years ago, along with the rest of the industry. Any guide still telling you US Cellular runs on CDMA or on the old Sprint network was written before 2022 and should not be trusted for anything else on the page either.
Because the customer base now sits on T-Mobile, an unlocked phone that worked on US Cellular will generally work on T-Mobile and on T-Mobile-based providers. Confirm band support before you buy anything.
Frequently asked questions
Can I port out of US Cellular without calling them?
You can find the account number online, but the transfer PIN has to be requested. Plan on one call.
Does US Cellular charge a fee to port out?
No. Federal rules prohibit a carrier from charging you to take your number elsewhere. Any final month of service and any remaining device balance are still owed.
Can I keep my number if my account is past due?
Yes. A balance does not block a port. It is a debt, not a hold on the number.
What if my number already moved to T-Mobile?
Then T-Mobile is your carrier of record and issues the account number and transfer PIN. US Cellular cannot release a number it no longer holds.
Can I port a US Cellular number to a prepaid carrier?
Yes. Number portability applies in both directions, postpaid to prepaid included.
Next step
Have the account number and transfer PIN in hand before you sign up anywhere. Our step-by-step guide to switching carriers walks the rest of it, and the carrier database has the same account number and PIN instructions for every other US carrier.
Sources
Check coverage before you port
US Cellular customers now run on the T-Mobile network. T-Mobile completed its acquisition of US Cellular’s wireless operations on August 1, 2025 and reports that the networks have been integrated, so a phone that worked on US Cellular will generally work on T-Mobile. Check the T-Mobile coverage map at your address before you port. Source: T-Mobile.
Your right to keep the number is federal, not a carrier policy. The rule is the FCC’s: Portability: Keeping Your Phone Number When Changing Service Providers.
Working a counter? The US Cellular transfer PIN lookup puts these steps on one screen and texts them to the customer.
Where US Cellular customers usually go next
US Cellular customers run on T-Mobile, so a phone that worked on US Cellular will generally work on T-Mobile. Check your IMEI against the new carrier’s compatible device list before you switch. Dial *#06# to get it.
T-MobileSame network, no compatibility risk
VerizonCheck your IMEI first
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Some links above are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you switch through them, at no cost to you. We recommend by network compatibility first, not by what pays most.
Questions about US Cellular
Can I keep my phone number when I leave US Cellular?
Yes. Federal number portability rules let you take a working number to a new carrier. US Cellular cannot refuse the transfer or charge you to release the number.
Should I cancel US Cellular before I port my number out?
No. Cancel first and the number is released, which ends your right to move it. Keep the US Cellular line active until the new carrier confirms the port completed.
How long does a port out from US Cellular take?
A simple wireless transfer usually completes within one business day once the new carrier submits the correct US Cellular account number and transfer PIN.
Does US Cellular run on its own towers?
No. US Cellular is a reseller riding on the T-Mobile network.
Check US Cellular before you switch
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