Mobile phone number in the U.K.

[dramallamaforamama]

Hi all

I recently relocated to Hong Kong. I had about £500 left to lay out my phone contract but wanted to keep my number anyway so I've just been paying it down monthly. All fine.

Today I had to call Vodafone about an excess broadband change bill and mentioned that I'd moved abroad. The lady I spoke to said that if you don't use your mobile phone in the U.K. once in 3 months your number gets cut off and recycled. Apparently paying from the U.K. and keeping it registered to a U.K. address isn't enough as it is the lack of use on a U.K. mast that is the trigger.

I know lots of people who have moved abroad that have kept their numbers by just changing to a sim only simple contract. Does this sound right to you?

That sounds like a made-up rule but what purpose it serves is anyone’s guess. Why should you lose the number you’ve paid for just because you don’t use it? You don’t lose your car if you stop driving it but still pay your road tax and insurance. What about people in the army or who work on cruise ships? They are gone for more than 3 months at a time. Many retired people spend longer than 3 months out of the country during the winter. My mother is planning to spend 6 months here with us in the US when she retires.

I’ve never heard of this before.

Sounds like absolute bollocks.
I went to Australia for 7 months and didn't use my phone in the uk in that time... obviously... and it was never cut off!
This was 12 years ago mind. But does sound silly.
I know someone who works for emirates and has a uk phone that she still has, and she's often not home for more than 3 months at a time.

I went abroad for 2 years and forgot to cancel my Vodafone contract, I couldn't do it from abroad as the website didn't recognize it, went back to the uk and it was still connected. Went back to the uk in 2017 so not long ago.

I have currently been away 9 months on my EE contract. They said the same to me; I would be cut off after 90 days. It didn't happen and fingers crossed it will continue being fine...

I am on 3 PAYG and have been in Europe for more than 6 months at a time and had no problem

PAYG varies by carrier- I get a burner every summer and sometimes when I go back it's been fine and sometimes not. Never quite worked out what the exact rule is either.

I asked in EE yesterday and they said you'd be cut off after 2 months. Interesting to hear thats not always the case.
Can't decide if its worth renewing my contract

I was told this is the case. I have been overseas on 3 stints the last 15 years and this was always the situation. I just get on a cheap PAYG sim and put the sim in my phone every couple of months and send a text. This should keep the number in my name. I can then use my UK number when visiting too.

You need to use the number via text or call at least once every three months to keep it valid.

I am in Australia and have an EE PAYG SIM. I have to incur a chargeable event (Ie, make a call or send text) every 3(?) months otherwise the number gets cut off / terminated. I also had an Aus number on the UK, that I lost due to inactivity.

This happened to me, after the phone company had carefully swapped my phone to pay as you go. I was quite irritated.

That's rot. I have had a UK contract since 2013, and haven't used the phone since I moved back to belgium in 2014. O2 contacted me to see if I wanted to keep the number. I said I did as I was still paying my £12 per month for calls and text, and they have adjusted their records accordingly.

Maybe it’s because you’re on a contract and paying a monthly fee. Whereas the PAYG contracts are only paying for any calls/texts that are made.

Update: nearly 2 years on and I am still abroad and still on my EE contract. Even switched to a better deal.

Every two/three weeks I get a text saying "welcome to ((country)) whilst you're here...and reminds me that I can use data/calls etc.

What they're telling customers clearly isn't technically enforceable or they would have cut me off a long time ago.