How to Keep your Mobile Number AND get the Cheapest Deals
How to Keep your Mobile Number & Save
It’s no secret that the days of customer loyalty savings are long gone. 😤
It used to be that a quick call to your existing mobile provider at the end of your contract would result in a deal that would tempt you to stay with them.
This is unfortunately no longer the case, even when you threaten to leave and are put through to the ‘retentions department’ the deals are still more expensive than they offer to new customers! 🤬
So, how are savvy consumers keeping their mobile number and making maximum savings?
Keep your Number & Save
You can keep your existing mobile number in 3 ways:
Upgrade on your existing network
Keep and switch (Port) your number
‘Double Port’ out and back again …
⬆️ UPGRADE – Keep and Stay
A contract upgrade is the term used when you keep your mobile number and stay with your existing network.
If you have finished your contract and are ready to upgrade, we always recommend a quick call to your network first to get a starting price for upgrading to your chosen phone …
Please make sure you are sitting down! 😲
Then, you can head back to our website to compare the cheapest upgrade deals on your network from all of the retailers.
These are the filters you are looking for on our website:
Currently, EE, O2 and Vodafone allow the retailers to upgrade their customers, if you are with any of the other network then you’ll need to upgrade directly at their quoted prices.
You’ll notice that although the upgrade deals offered by the retailers are far cheaper than the price quoted directly by your network, they are still not as great value as the deals they offer to new customers …
This is why most people keep their number and switch networks every time their contract finishes (just like car insurance, broadband, gas etc) to take advantage of the cheapest new customer deals.
Ofcom recognised that people were paying far too much to stay with their existing network and made ‘porting’ your number really easy…
➡️ ‘PORT’ – Keep, Switch & Save!
Just like you switch your TV service, broadband & electricity supplier etc, you can simply keep and switch your mobile number to another network to make maximum savings.
The cheapest deals are offered to ‘new customers’, so why not be one? 👍
Choose from the best contract offers for your new phone on a different network and save a bundle!
These are the 3 easy steps to ‘porting’ your number …
1) Order your new phone on a different network and after next day delivery make sure you are happy with it.
2) Call your current network and ask for your PAC code (‘Port Authorisation Code’, Valid for 28 days)
(As of July 1st 2019, simply text ‘PAC’ to 65075 from the number you would like to port).
3) Give your PAC code to your new network who’ll transfer your number across to your new phone for you within 24 hours.
On the day of your ‘port’, your mobile number will transfer at around 11am and usually takes around 15 minutes (it can take up to 2 hours).
Once your mobile number has transferred across to your new phone and SIM card, your old contract will automatically be cancelled.
🔁 ‘Double PORT’ – I’m Back!
It’s a bit fiddly, but people do this if their network is the only one that works in their area and they do not want to pay the higher upgrade prices offered to existing customers.
Bag ‘new customer’ deals on your existing network!
They ‘port’ their number (using the ‘porting’ instructions above, twice!) to a Pay As You Go SIM card on a different network and then straight back again to their original network to take advantage of the cheapest ‘new customer’ deals! 😎
Read more about Double Porting here