iPhone purchase and Prepaid Verizon account

The day after I posted this I called Verizon and it worked! Once I got to a person it took about 5-10 minutes for them to go through all the steps including some power off power on cycles and it worked. Be sure you call Verizon from a phone that is NOT the phone that you want to transfer the number away from. I will say the hardest part of this was getting to a person. Getting to a person took multiple tries in the menu system. I don't recall everything I did but if you pick the menu options you get stuck with automated messages like "your account balance is $43.75 and then they hang up on you. I think what I did was pick "other" and kept saying "speak with a representative" and some combination of that got me to a person after about 20 minutes of trying.

This is what I found on Verizon's website. It is 11pm here and I can't speak with a rep yet to see if this works. The salesman at the Verizon store seems to have lied to me. He told me I can't transfer a phone number from a physical sim device (iphone7) to an e-sim device (our new iphone15) when I am on a prepaid plan. He tried to move me from a $25 a month prepaid plan to a $75 a month contract plan. What a rip off and a liar.

How to activate a SIM when you change devices on an existing Prepaid line depends on the type of SIM:

• If you’re changing to an eSIM-enabled device on an existing Verizon Prepaid line, you must speak to a Customer Service representative (don't use Chat).
• If you're activating a different physical SIM card on an existing Verizon Prepaid line:

1. 1. Sign in to My Verizon and follow the Change Device onscreen instructions.
2. To authorize the changes:
   1. Enter the Online Authorization Code sent to the mobile device active on your account or the email address registered to your account.
   2. Turn on your device to complete activation.

Here is the website: https://www.verizon.com/support/prepaid-plans-and-service-faqs/#item3

It may be because Apple doesn’t sell prepaid account iPhones (only post paid accounts with the carriers) so when you go through the process and it wants to verify your account to make sure you are eligible to purchase with no restrictions the post paid system is being accessed…hence why the message comes back saying it can’t find your account. It’s two different systems. You would need to purchase an iPhone using the “connect to any carrier later” option. But to be sure you can contact Verizon Prepaid CS (NOT the post paid CS. Most are not trained to recognize or know the correct info in relation to the prepaid division. It’s not something they work with at all).

The opposite is true for post paid customers. They can’t go buy a prepaid phone for use on a post paid account (prepaid rules require at least 6 months use on a prepaid account before asking Verizon to provision it for use on a post paid line. That’s what it used to be at least when I had my kids on prepaid phones to prove responsibility before adding them to the post paid account).

Also the person you mentioned they weren’t allowed to preorder for prepaid (assuming they were referring to a new launch) that too is true. Prepaid phones tend to be released later. Prepaid accounts don’t get the same benefits as post paid customers so yes, they wouldn’t get first access to new launches. The carriers directly rarely sell unlocked versions which is where going directly to Apple and buying their unlocked (although it’s now more of an unassigned device because they are all unlocked except for AT&T customers using installment plan financing). But that’s how they could get around it and still get one. Preorder with Apple for the one you choose the carrier later.

You can order the iPhone from Apple and have it shipped to you but you will have to choose the one that lets you add your carrier later. You would contact Verizon prepaid or go to the store and have them set it up for your account after you get it (unless you are easily able to add the device via your online account and have them activate an eSIM (depending on which iPhone you plan to get). Hope it all works out for you

I've had this problem also. The problem is that Apple insists on their website to validate the carrier and phone number. In the past, they let you buy an unlocked iPhone. The excuse is because it's no sim. They say they have to know what carrier you want to use. They also go on and on about how you can change it later and use it overseas. So it begs the question why they have this hurdle that a lot of people can't get past. I'll either go into an Apple Store or buy a phone off eBay. It sucks, and apple shoots themselves in the foot like this too often

I encountered a similar issue with my prepaid plan. When trying to purchase a new iPhone 15 Pro Plus, I kept receiving the same error message as Katt_77, and the finance option was unavailable. I initially financed the new iPhone, and the Apple salesman managed to bypass the phone unlocking using T-Mobile as the carrier. However, the eSIM transfer was a hassle since it couldn’t be activated independently and required a call to Verizon support. Additionally, my iMessage didn’t work, so I had to send messages using my email. I eventually returned the phone two weeks later and wanted to exchange it for an iPhone 15 Plus.

When I went to the Apple Store, the salesperson attempted the same bypass but was unsuccessful. He mentioned that their system had been updated and no longer allowed this workaround. Even online attempts were blocked. He indicated that to finance a new iPhone, I would need a personal line/plan with Verizon. This situation makes me feel compelled to switch from my low-cost prepaid plan to a more expensive plan just to get a new iPhone. It’s incredibly frustrating and unfair.