Keep Your Phone Number While You Serve
A simple way for missionaries to preserve their phone number for 18 to 24 months, and return home with the same number they left with.
Preparing for a mission involves dozens of important decisions.
What to pack. What to bring. What to leave behind.
One decision that many missionaries overlook until the last minute is what to do with their phone number.
Most missionaries serve for 18 to 24 months. During that time, many cancel their cellular service because they won’t be using their existing phone plan.
Unfortunately, many don’t realize that giving up a phone number can create unnecessary complications when they return home.
Return With Your Number was created to solve that problem. We help missionaries preserve their phone number while they serve, so they can return home with the same number they left with.
What Happens If I Cancel My Phone Service?
When a number is disconnected, carriers may eventually return it to their available inventory. If enough time passes, that number can potentially be assigned to another customer.
While some missionaries are able to recover their old number after returning home, there is no guarantee.
Once a number has been reassigned, it may be impossible to get it back.
There’s no process to reclaim a number that’s already gone to someone else.
Why Keep Your Phone Number?
Today’s phone numbers are connected to far more than phone calls. Your number may be tied to:
For many missionaries, their phone number has been part of their identity for years. Changing that number after returning home can create unnecessary inconvenience
Instead of paying for an expensive phone plan while you're away, or risking the loss of your number entirely, many missionaries choose to preserve their number. Return With Your Number was designed specifically for this purpose.
Our Process Is Simple
This allows you to maintain ownership of the number without paying for a traditional phone plan.
Why Missionary Families Choose Us
Choosing how to protect a phone number is a small decision compared to everything else involved in preparing for a mission, but it’s one that shapes how easy the return home will be. Missionary families choose Return With Your Number because it was built around their specific situation, not adapted from a general phone plan or carrier offer. Here’s what that means in practice.
- Designed Specifically for Missionaries
- Affordable Alternative
- Protect Your Digital Identity
- Simplify Your Return Home
- Peace of Mind
Who Uses Return With Your Number?
Our service was built specifically for missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, it can also be useful for:
Before you decide.
If something here is not covered, call us. A person answers.
Yes. That is the entire service. The number they leave with is the number that gets transferred back to them when they are home.
All major domestic carriers and some international ones. During signup we verify compatibility with your specific carrier before anything else happens.
$51 for 18 months, $67 for 24 months, or $62 and $79 with text forwarding. Paid once, before departure. No monthly charges and no fees on the way out.
About ten minutes on your end. The transfer itself varies by carrier, which is why we recommend starting a few weeks before departure rather than the night before.
Yes, and most do. Parents complete the setup before departure in the majority of cases.
The phone number, the carrier, and some account details so we can authorise the transfer. We will tell you exactly what to pull together.
Often not. It depends on the carrier and how long they have been gone. Send us the details and we will tell you straight. If we cannot help, you pay nothing.
No problem! Your missionary can get their phone number back at any time, regardless of when they return home. Simply contact us, and we’ll provide you with the necessary information to transfer (port) the number back to your preferred carrier. Whether your missionary serves their full mission or returns home early, their number will be ready whenever they need it.
Text forwarding allows you to receive messages sent to your reserved phone number on another designated phone number. This is especially helpful for receiving verification codes from banks, schools, social media platforms, and other important accounts.
Each plan with text forwarding includes 100 forwarded messages for the entire 18- or 24-month service term.
Additional forwarding credits are available in packages of 100 messages for $5. Simply contact our team to purchase more credits.
No. We do not automatically charge for additional forwarded messages. You choose whether to purchase additional credits.
Once your available message credits are used, text forwarding may be paused until additional credits are purchased and forwarding is reactivated. Your phone number will continue to be held as normal.
Yes. All successfully forwarded messages count toward your allowance, including promotional and automated messages. We recommend unsubscribing from unwanted text notifications when possible.
Our optional text forwarding feature can help you receive verification codes from many banks, websites, and other services. However, delivery depends on the sending service and carrier, so individual verification codes cannot be guaranteed.