Question of transferring voice messages when changing providers

[seyton manning]

Hi,
I'm not sure I'm posting this in the right section, if not sorry about that. I currently have Verizon and am contemplating making a switch to AT&T. My question is this: Will the voice messages I have saved be transferred over when I make the switch, or will I lose them? If they are lost during the switch does anyone have a suggestion on what to do to retain them other than staying with my carrier?
These are messages from a close friend who died last year and I'm just not ready to give them up.
Any help would be great.
Thanks so much, Lisa.

[jetgirl]

Switching providers would cause you to lose all of the messages on the phone, forever.

If you have a visual voicemail phone, you can use Visual Voicemail and then download the messages from there to your phone...so as long as you have your Verizon phone (even without service) the messages are still there. Other than that...no way to save them.