One number In arrears and the other a modern pay in advance

Thank you for reaching out @ArrearsIssues.

We're here to help!

To confirm, you are looking to move your advance line to your wife's account that is still being billed in arrears, correct?

Is your advance line currently on its own postpaid plan?

If this is the case, Is your wife able to perform a Transfer of billing responsibility? Since advance billing can't move to arrears, this would be the only way around this.

I doubt are really that many posts on the topic, as AT&T hasn't offered billing in arrears for years.

You didn't specify which account is post paid and which is paid in arrears. Have you tried combing the accounts both ways?

If so and it hasn't worked, it sounds like porting the arrears number to a cheap non-AT&T prepaid service and then back to AT&T might be the best bet. That should be really easy. You can try filing a BBB complaint to get contacted by someone at the top of the food chain, but that might be even more trouble. You could also just add a line to the post-paid account and then cancel the old number.

Also, keep in mind that if the account billed in arrears is added to the post-paid account, the first bill will be huge and it might take a couple bills to straighten things out.

Any updates on this topic? As I'm in a similiar boat. Trying to bring an advance account to an arrears account. Unfortunately, its the arrears account that has the Next promotions to cancel out phone payments. Ideas?

I am experiencing the same issue. I have been trying to transfer my wife's phone from her parents plan (billed in advance) to my plan (billed in arrears - even though I opened the plan in 2019). I spent a couple hours in the AT&T store only to be told they couldn't help me. I've tried calling customer support to change my billing method from arrears to advance (it makes no difference to me how I'm billed - I just need to get my wife's phone on my plan), but was again told no. When I asked to speak to a supervisor / manager, the rep transferred me to a different line for "ops support" which put me on hold for a few minutes before the call terminated without giving me the chance to actually talk to anyone. This is ridiculous and I am very frustrated. I cannot believe a company with the size and resources of AT&T does not have a solution for something as simple as this. @Arrearsissues

Are both accounts "postpaid?" In other words a bill is mailed/emailed each month

I'm going to make up some dates to make sure we're on the same page. On December 1st, parents account receive a bill for cycle December 1 through December 31. On December 1st, you receive a bill for November 1 through November 30. 

What might be easiest is for your wife to open an account in her name, and then you can transfer billing responsibility to her account after it's opened. 

How about read the solution comment from AT&T? 

I did read the comment and have already been through the transfer of billing responsibilty process to no avail (see my post).

I would rather not have to open a new account and transfer both my phone and my internet / TV. That seems like a significant work-around for what should be an insignficant issue. I also receive a corporate discount for my plan (although I would think I could still get this discount if the plan is in my wife's name).  I'm not sure this method would work either (I asked about this in the store and the rep told me it would not solve the issue). If I did go this route, would I run into the same issue of incongruent billing methods? Why am I not able to simply change my billing method from arrears to advance? 

In regards to MicCheck's comments - yes, I can't speak for her parents account, but my account is postpaid.

OMG, I'm in this VERY same boat.  Fortunately (or unfortunately) I'm not alone.

I'm the account with the "arrears" billing, I have the better discount, and I'm NOT allowed to bring my parents' number over to my account b/c they have "advanced" billing.  I seriously don't understand how hard it is to move numbers from one account to another - why should it matter?  The phone bill will be paid.

I was told that I can move my number to my parents OR I have to pick another plan (which are the new unlimited ones), risk losing my discount, THEN move my parents AND have to pay way more.  It's so ridiculous!  

I seriously don't understand how hard it is to move numbers from one account to another

It's probably not hard, it's just that AT&T doesn't want to do it. They don't do billing in arrears any longer, they don't like people on grandfathered plans, and you're getting a discount. You don't have much leverage here. 

One of the comments is that AT&T has not had plans that bill in arrears for a very long time. Like a decade. Most likely that old plan is not permitted to add lines at all.