Old phone 4G Sim card to New Phone 5G Sim Card
nysurf1
Enthusiast - Level 3

Can I use my old phone 4G sim card in my New Samsung S21 5G Ultra phone ??

Or should I upgrade to the 5G Sim some how ??

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23 Replies
nysurf1
Enthusiast - Level 3

Ok now i am getting conflicting information from the community chat as well as verizon online tutorials.

I see chat talk about just take old phone sim card and put it into the new phone and it will work fine.

I also see if you do this you will not get full function or benefits of the new 5G service.

Online Verizon tutorials say do not remove the sim card when activating a new phone.

Additionally i upgraded my plan and phone thru a verizon authorized retailer and they are telling me that i need to go to a verizon corporate store to have the sim card upgraded from the old to new phone. The sim card is the same type nano sim card in both phones the only difference is old one is from a 4G phone.

Appreciate any advice at this time.

Thanks

 

 

Doggo
Contributor - Level 3

Only swap your sim card if you bought an unlocked phone. If you upgraded from Verizon, the phone is set to activate with the included sim card.

9 times out of 10, all you do is make sure both phones are off then only turn on the new one to activate.

As far as the indirect rep is concerned, they s u c k. Telling any customer to activate a phone elsewhere is a sorry lazy employee.

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Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

@Doggo wrote:

Only swap your sim card if you bought an unlocked phone. If you upgraded from Verizon, the phone is set to activate with the included sim card.

9 times out of 10, all you do is make sure both phones are off then only turn on the new one to activate.

As far as the indirect rep is concerned, they s u c k. Telling any customer to activate a phone elsewhere is a sorry lazy employee.


Are you telling me the 4G nano SIM card that I originally activated in an iPhone 5s and has since been used in a Lumia Icon Windows phone and six different Android phones since shouldn't be activated and the SIM cards that came with those various phones (now gathering dust in a box somewhere in my home) should have been activated instead? 

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

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Doggo
Contributor - Level 3

@Ann154 wrote:

@Doggo wrote:

Only swap your sim card if you bought an unlocked phone. If you upgraded from Verizon, the phone is set to activate with the included sim card.

9 times out of 10, all you do is make sure both phones are off then only turn on the new one to activate.

As far as the indirect rep is concerned, they s u c k. Telling any customer to activate a phone elsewhere is a sorry lazy employee.


Are you telling me the 4G nano SIM card that I originally activated in an iPhone 5s and has since been used in a Lumia Icon Windows phone and six different Android phones since shouldn't be activated and the SIM cards that came with those various phones (now gathering dust in a box somewhere in my home) should have been activated instead? 


I've lost track of failed activation calls I've had over past half decade related to sim card swapping.

In an ideal world, you pop in an existing sim and everything works. I've done this myself without issue. Advising a customer to swap their sim card instead of letting the one their phone shipped with would be poor advice for when things don't go as planned.

If the new phone doesn't come with a sim card, by all means swap an existing in if it's compatible. If it's an upgrade from Verizon, just let the included sim activate. Can potentially save an unnecessary call to support.

Not saying not to swap sim cards, just saying potential downsides. That's all. ๐Ÿ’€

Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

Swapping the SIM card has been easier for me. The only hiccup was verifying the iPhone Visual voicemail feature was removed from the line after switching to another phone that wasn't an Apple product. 

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

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Leekeller1
Enthusiast - Level 1

I probably use 4 SIM cards on My TCL 30 v because 5g not available in this area 

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Leekeller1
Enthusiast - Level 1

Are you allowed to use 4g SIM card in 5g phone 

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RoperGrover
Newbie

Yes. The S10 5G I currently use is operating with an old 4G sim card.

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vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

You are in the right place for help with your SIM card questions, Leekeller1. The great thing about using the most current SIM card for your device is that it will automatically switch between 5G and 4G depending on which signal is stronger. It is not recommended to put a 4G SIM card into a 5G device. 

-George

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Boniface_viii
Newbie

But, if I don't use my old sim card, how do I get my phone number switched to the new 5g phone?

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vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

We can definitely assist you with getting your phone number switched to the correct device.  Please reach out to us anytime for further assistance.

-Sean

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vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

We understand the importance of having clear details about 5G device activation. As mentioned from VZW support previously, you would want to insert a new 5G Sim card to receive 5G service. If you use a 4G Sim card the device may not function properly and you will not connect to the 5G network when you're in the coverage areas. I hope this answered your question. 

Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

@vzw_customer_support wrote:

We understand the importance of having clear details about 5G device activation. As mentioned from VZW support previously, you would want to insert a new 5G Sim card to receive 5G service. If you use a 4G Sim card the device may not function properly and you will not connect to the 5G network when you're in the coverage areas. I hope this answered your question. 


Considering as some places don't have a robust 5G network yet, I can understand why some people would prefer to limit their phone to only the 4G LTE network for the time being. 

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

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vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

nysurf1, we want to congratulate you on your new device. We would recommend that you have a 5G SIM Card for your new Samsung Galaxy S21 5G. This will allow your device to function properly and work on our 5G Network. A new SIM  Card can be picked up for free at your nearby Verizon Corporate store location. Here is a helpful link to locate your nearby store https://vz.to/2m0xCTh

Panderegg
Enthusiast - Level 2

My 4G SIM I have been using for years and years for every phone since my first HTC 4G LTE phone in 2011, was just put into my new S21 and 5G service seems to work just fine. What issues should I be on the lookout for?

vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Thank you for sharing that info. We certainly want to ensure that the SIM Card works for you. Please keep in mind that the 5G devices should use compatible 5G SIM Cards for optimum service in order to take advantage of the benefits of being able to access our 5G network.

 

If needed, Verizon will provide a free, compatible SIM Card for your device (e.g., 5G or 4G) by visiting any of our corporate store locations.  To find the closest Verizon corporate store near you, please visit our Store Locator website at http://spr.ly/6604JI91A.

 

I hope this helps. -Robert C.

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Will-C
Newbie
  • Right with you. Same sim card since my droid razr. S21 also gets 5g no prob. Am curious as well, maybe more will reply
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Tom-S
Newbie

I went to a local verizon store, and after waiting for about a hr for them to get the sim registered with the device, I was charged $15 for a 5g sim card upgrade. So clearly this is not a free sim card upgrade. 

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Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

@Tom-S wrote:

I went to a local verizon store, and after waiting for about a hr for them to get the sim registered with the device, I was charged $15 for a 5g sim card upgrade. So clearly this is not a free sim card upgrade. 


Was it a corporate store or a third party retailer? 

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

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vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Tom-S, we are sorry to hear that you were charged for a new SIM card. Verizon does not charge for SIM cards at all, so the location you visited must have been a Private Seller of our devices and services. 

 

In the future if you visit a Corporate Store location, there is no cost at all to get a new SIM card for your number. When you visit our Corporate locations we will even install, activate and test the SIM card for you all at no cost at all http://vz.to/1NI4DWL

-Steven

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