How to move my phone number to a different Microsoft Rewards account

Question

Today I tried moving a phone number on an older Microsoft Rewards account to a different one but it doesn't seem to be allowing me to? When I enter the code, it just tells me that "That code didn't work. Check the code and try again."

After doing a bit of research, a few older posts online say that once a phone number is deleted from an account it's permanently locked, while others say it's locked for a variable but undisclosed amount of time. Which of the two is it? And if it's only closed temporarily, what is the timeframe?

Answer 1

Hi,

Thank you for the update. Yes for now you can wait and let me know how it goes.

Feel free to reach us anytime

Best Regards,

Noel

Answer 2

Hi,

Thank you for sharing your question. I hear how frustrating it is to enter the SMS code and just get “That code didn’t work,” especially when you’re trying to keep your Rewards redemptions moving.

Here’s the short version of what Microsoft’s current guidance and recent Microsoft Learn threads indicate. When a phone number is removed from a Microsoft account or heavily reused across multiple Rewards accounts, it can be temporarily blocked by automated abuse protection, which leads to code failures or “not supported” style messages during verification.  Separately, if you removed or replaced your account’s security info, Microsoft places the account in a restricted state for a fixed 30‑day window before new phone or email info fully takes effect, and that waiting period cannot be expedited except by canceling the change.

To resolve this, first confirm you’re not in the 30‑day security‑info change window; if you recently removed or replaced security info, you’ll see the “security info change is still pending” notice, and the reliable fix is to wait for the 30 days to elapse or cancel the pending change if you initiated it by mistake.  Next, if the number was moved between Rewards accounts or has been used across multiple profiles, submit a ticket to Microsoft Rewards Support and clearly request a review to lift any automated block on that specific phone number.

A quick clarifier to help me tailor the next steps: did you recently remove or replace the phone under your Microsoft account security info, or was the only change that you unlinked the number from the older Rewards account and tried to add it to the new one the same day? 

 

Let me know how it goes.

 

Best Regards,

Noel

Answer 3

Hi,

Thank you for sharing your question. I hear how frustrating it is to enter the SMS code and just get “That code didn’t work,” especially when you’re trying to keep your Rewards redemptions moving.

Here’s the short version of what Microsoft’s current guidance and recent Microsoft Learn threads indicate. When a phone number is removed from a Microsoft account or heavily reused across multiple Rewards accounts, it can be temporarily blocked by automated abuse protection, which leads to code failures or “not supported” style messages during verification.  Separately, if you removed or replaced your account’s security info, Microsoft places the account in a restricted state for a fixed 30‑day window before new phone or email info fully takes effect, and that waiting period cannot be expedited except by canceling the change.

To resolve this, first confirm you’re not in the 30‑day security‑info change window; if you recently removed or replaced security info, you’ll see the “security info change is still pending” notice, and the reliable fix is to wait for the 30 days to elapse or cancel the pending change if you initiated it by mistake.  Next, if the number was moved between Rewards accounts or has been used across multiple profiles, submit a ticket to Microsoft Rewards Support and clearly request a review to lift any automated block on that specific phone number.

A quick clarifier to help me tailor the next steps: did you recently remove or replace the phone under your Microsoft account security info, or was the only change that you unlinked the number from the older Rewards account and tried to add it to the new one the same day? 

 

Let me know how it goes.

 

Best Regards,

Noel

Answer 4

A phone number used with Microsoft accounts (including for Microsoft Rewards) is not permanently locked after removal, but it can be temporarily unavailable before it can be moved or reused.

From the documented behavior:

1. If the phone number is already associated with another Microsoft account when trying to add it, Microsoft may show messages like:
   • "This phone number has already been taken"
   • "[phone number] is already a Microsoft account"
   • "We noticed [phone number] is already used to sign in to [another number]"
2. To move a number between accounts that are both owned:
   • First, sign in to the account that currently has the phone number and remove it there: go to the "how you sign in" / aliases page and select Remove next to that phone number.
   • Then sign in to the target account and add the phone number there using Add phone number.
   This is the supported transfer path when the number is free to be reassigned.
3. Temporary lockout period after recent use
   • If the number has been “recently used in another Microsoft account,” Microsoft may not immediately allow transfer. In that case, the UI will not show the transfer option and will instead require choosing a different number.
   • The guidance is to try again after 30 days; after that period, the Transfer number option can reappear and the number can be moved.

So, based on the available documentation:

• The number is not described as permanently locked after removal.
• There is a temporary restriction window when the number was recently used on another account; the documented timeframe to try again is after 30 days.

The error "That code didn't work. Check the code and try again." is a generic verification-code failure and can also be affected by:

• Too many verification attempts or unusual activity, which can cause temporary blocking of code delivery or acceptance.
• VOIP numbers, which are not allowed for sign-in or verification.

If the number was just removed from another account, the practical next step is:

1. Confirm the number is fully removed from the old account’s aliases/security info.
2. Wait up to 30 days, then attempt to add/transfer it again to the new account.
3. Ensure it is a mobile/landline number (not VOIP) and avoid repeated code requests to prevent temporary blocking.

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References:

• Help with "phone number is already used" in a Microsoft account
• I received a "This phone number has already been taken" message
• Learn about Microsoft Rewards
• Troubleshoot Microsoft verification code issues