Changing mobile contracts/providers.

[TPMB12]

Stupid wresting, but what is the timeline for changing mobile phone contract without losing your number? I think it's something like this...

Set up your new contract with new provider.
Receive new sim card with new number.
Get pac code from provider you're leaving
Give new provider the pac code
Cancel old contract.
Old number is ported over within 24 hours,  job done!

Now is that correct? What is the timeline for all this? Can you mess up and lose your old number by doing something wrong? Can you do them all one after the other? How long before old contract stops working? I'm on a rolling 1 month contract.  I assume I pay for existing month or next if too close to payment day. Will my old contract continue for the length left on the last payment period?

I can't really remember as I only changed contract with same provider in the last 10 years. Last time I changed providers the new one,  three, did it all for me / made it all easy.

Currently planning on leaving three to go to id- mobile getting it from curry's which is a virtual network running on three. Does that make it easier?

As I said,  stupid question but I prefer to hear it from a human not try to read it on several advice websites which then give a slightly different answer.

[fruitcake]

Yes. You can obtain a Port Authorisation Code (PAC) by sending a special SMS from the SIM whose number you want ported. IIRC that PAC lasts one month. If the PAC is not used within a month, nothing happens.

You enter the PAC at the website of the new provider once you have their SIM. The port takes a day or two to complete, at which point the new SIM is associated with your mobile number.

That's how it was for me six months ago anyway. I believe the procedure is the same for all mobile networks, but best to check the website of the network you are moving to.

[DuncanM]

The process defined by fruitcake is how we transferred a number from a PAYG sim to a contract sim (both on Three) recently.

[readingjohn]

Yes process is pretty much as described by fruitcake - there is legislation which prevents the providers from being difficult. A couple of other points, based on my experience* so may not be universal:

• you should get a refund from old provider if you pay more than required by your contract - e.g. if it's a "no minimum term contract" deal, and you've already paid for this month, you should get refunded from the day you cancel with them - refund will go back to whatever payment method you use
• once the SMS request for PAC didn't work - I got a response saying I had to phone the provider. I did, and they gave me a PAC without any hassle or pressure to stay with them

* For various reasons I swapped providers several times recently. At one point I had a no-contract deal for £0.24 per month including unlimited texts and UK calls, 3GB data/month and 100 minutes international calls per month (to selected countries, but including all Europe and US/Canada) - this was with Lebara

[Genosse Brymbo]

...

• once the SMS request for PAC didn't work - I got a response saying I had to phone the provider. I did, and they gave me a PAC without any hassle or pressure to stay with them

...

This happened to both my wife and myself when we left O2.  Although there was no direct hassle to stay, in both cases the call centre operative casually enquired why we we leaving and asked whether we couldn't find a better deal with O2.