[SIE-Support] Porting a Prepaid Mobile Number: Date of Birth Required Instead of Account Number - External
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Overview
When porting a mobile number from a prepaid service such as Telstra Prepaid, Optus Prepaid, or Boost Mobile, the account identifier required is the account holder's date of birth, not an account number. Prepaid services do not have a traditional account number. Submitting an account number for a prepaid port will result in a rejection.
How to Know If a Service is Prepaid
If your customer is on a prepaid plan (no monthly bill, top-up-based, bought from a supermarket or retail store), their port authority identifier is date of birth. Common prepaid services include:
- Telstra Prepaid
- Optus Prepaid
- Vodafone Prepaid
- Boost Mobile
- Aldi Mobile
If you are unsure whether the service is prepaid or postpaid, ask the customer whether they receive a monthly bill or if they top up their credit manually.
What to Submit for a Prepaid Port
| Field | Prepaid requirement |
|---|---|
| Account identifier | Date of birth (DD/MM/YYYY) |
| Account number | Leave blank or enter N/A |
| Name on account | Full name as registered with the carrier |
| Number to port | The mobile number in full |
What to Do If a Port is Rejected
- Check the rejection reason. If it says the account identifier is incorrect or invalid, confirm with your customer whether the service is prepaid.
- If the service is prepaid, resubmit using date of birth as the account identifier.
- Make sure the date of birth format matches what was registered with the losing carrier. Try both DD/MM/YYYY and YYYY-MM-DD if the first attempt fails.
- If the rejection continues after resubmitting with the correct date of birth, contact support with the rejection message and the MSISDN for further investigation.
Key Notes
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date of birth format | Use DD/MM/YYYY. If rejected, try YYYY-MM-DD as some carriers store it differently. |
| Postpaid services | Postpaid services use an account number. If your customer receives a monthly bill, they are postpaid and need an account number, not a date of birth. |
| Telstra prepaid | Telstra prepaid numbers also require date of birth, not an account number. |
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