Understanding Pay As You Go Hibernation – and how to keep your number active

Peter_W — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 11:22:06 GMT

If you have a number on EE pay as you go that you haven't used for a chargeable activity recently, it may be placed into hibernation. Here are all the details you need to know about this process, and how to ensure you don’t lose your number.

When would my phone number go into hibernation?

There are a number or stages in our hibernation process, as we want to be sure customers have plenty of opportunities to retain their number. Here is a breakdown of what customers would experience:

After 60 days of inactivity - we’ll send you a text to check if you’re still using the SIM card, and if you’d like to keep the account active.

Between 160 and 167 days - We’ll send another reminder text advising you may lose your number and any available credit.

After 179 days - your account will go into hibernation; here your services will be stopped, and any credit will be removed. At this point it’s not too late to reinstate it, you’ll just need to get in touch with our Customer Care team.

My number has gone into hibernation; what can I do?

When your number is in hibernation, there is still a window where you can reactivate this and restore any credit. Only by the end of this window would the account permanently be closed and the number recycled.

After 269 days of inactivity - we’ll send you a final text to let you know the number will be fully disconnected within 24 hours.

After 273 days - The number will be recycled, and it won’t be possible to reinstate your account from here.

What counts as chargeable activity?

Making calls, sending text and picture messages, retrieving a voicemail, and using data that is not part of a plan or add-on.

Topping up your account.

Buying a plan or add-on.

Calls, texts and data usage made as part of a plan do not count towards a chargeable activity, but the action of purchasing the plan does.

Finally, any of these chargeable activities to keep your account active can be made both in the UK, and abroad too.

If you have any additional questions, just use the ‘Reply’ option below.

topic Understanding Pay As You Go Hibernation – and how to keep your number active in Pay as you go

Understanding Pay As You Go Hibernation – and how to keep your number active

When would my phone number go into hibernation?

My number has gone into hibernation; what can I do?

What counts as chargeable activity?