Cancelling the phone plan feels like an obvious early task. Stop the monthly charge, close the account, move on. I almost did it in the first week.
Don't.
The problem nobody warns you about:
Nearly every financial account, email account, and online service now uses two-factor authentication — 2FA. When you try to log in, the site sends a verification code to a phone number on file. If that number has been cancelled and reassigned to someone else, that code goes to a stranger. You're locked out. Permanently, in many cases.
What's actually at stake:
Bank accounts. Brokerage accounts. Email inboxes that contain years of financial records. Retirement accounts. Life insurance portals. Social media accounts you may need to memorialize or close. All of them may be tied to that phone number — and you won't know which ones until you try to access them.
What to do instead:
Keep the plan active. Before you cancel it, work through every account methodically. Log in, update the 2FA number to one you control, confirm the change. Only once you've transferred or documented every account should you consider cancelling the line.
If the phone itself is locked and you can't get in, call the carrier. As next of kin or executor, you may be able to request a SIM transfer or account access with a death certificate. It's worth the call.
The $30–$50 monthly charge is worth paying for another 60–90 days. The cost of losing access to a financial account is far higher.