Can you buy a 'pay as you go' mobile for a present for someone who wants to keep their number ?

[WHEELYbahhumBUG]

Can you just swap the sim card over ??

thanks

You can if they want to stay on the same network. Just switch sim cards.
If the phone is on a different network then they need to phone for a code from the first network to 'unlock' the number and transfer it.
I'll remember what the code is called in a minute!

thanks - same network is fine

Oh then should be easy, as long as the first phone is not too old.
Ask about number transferring when you buy the phone, they may give a leaflet with details.

Same network is easier. But you can get any phone unlocked anyway, so you can buy a PAYG phone for network A, while the person has a number and sim for network B - you go to a mobile phone shop and get the phone 'unlocked', and then you can use it for network B, too.

thanks. I knew you could do it for contract mobiles but wasn't sure about PAYG. Thats MIL sorted then (and DH and BIL might even be able to manage it between them !).