topic Re: Is it possible to reactive my pay as you go sim? in Pay as you go

Is it possible to reactive my pay as you go sim?

aimike — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:47:07 GMT

I saw the response to this

https://community.ee.co.uk/t5/Pay-as-you-go/My-Pay-as-you-go-account-has-been-closed/m-p/1618285#M75085

It is possible I have not made a payment on the phone for a while (more than 6 months), but I may have.
I havent needed to use it very often (this is why I use pay as you go)

But I think the number is still mine, I just made a payment of £10 in it says I have something like £29 on the account which is strange

It seems like you are still accepting my money for my number, but is it possible you have sold my number to someone else

When I phone my self with my number its obviously engage, which I think implies it's still my number

I cant find a phone number to contact anyone on, all the numbers and emails on the ee site seem to relate to buying more credit or phones
I thought it was against the law in the uk to not give suitable phone numbers or ways to contact. This forum often seems to have many with auto responses, I do not think this a method of contact if the conversation isn't a 2 way process..

How can I contact someone about this, I would like to keep my number and I would like to be reimburse (I keep trying to pay, you keep taking my money for the phone number I provide, but I can not use the internet).

I am wondering, is it legal to take money for a service not provided, surely my payments should have been rejected?

Re: Is it possible to reactive my pay as you go sim?

XRaySpeX — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:01:24 GMT

Yes, it is possible if you haven't let your PAYG SIM be idle for more than 9 months.

Sounds like your PAYG SIM may have gone into hibernation due to non-use. If it has, topping-up now would be too late.

When did you previously make a chargeable action? EE PAYG SIMs are deactivated after 6 months of non-chargeable use. You then have a further 3 months period of grace to call EE to reactivate it before it is lost completely.

You needed to make a chargeable action like making a chargeable call or text, topping up or buying a Pack or Add-on, not just using your mins, texts or data from your pack.

A service was provided by EE to you for ages but you didn't avail yourself of it for a long time.

Try calling EE CS on the Freephone no.(Opt 2) in my sig. If it's not been too long & it can be taken out of hibernation, all your top-up credit will be put back.

Re: Is it possible to reactive my pay as you go sim?

aimike — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:04:00 GMT

The system is busy, please try again later... is +44 800 079 8586 open 9am until 5 / 6 pm ?
I'll try again tomorrow

Re: Is it possible to reactive my pay as you go sim?

XRaySpeX — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 18:17:19 GMT

Monday to Friday, 8am to 9pm, Saturday and Sunday, 8am to 8pm

Re: Is it possible to reactive my pay as you go sim?

aimike — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:19:14 GMT

Unfortunately, to the people that may see the comments above marked as helpful (they have not been marked helpful by me)

AND THAY HAVE NOT BEEN HELPFUL, regardless of intent

It is NOT possible to receive and answer on the number provide, let alone talk to somebody that would resole the situation. I have not just tried once but over 200 redial attempts through out the day. (Thus, the number is not a helpful solution if it CAN NOT be reached)

44 800 079 8586 IS ALWAYS TOO BUSY, it is NOT POSSIBLE for a HUMAN to get thought, the only people that are getting through are those that have an automated redial. This has not been a solution, is there some where I can contact, maybe an email address, or a postal address to resolve the situation of

1) my pay as you go account not being used for a while and potentially getting it reactivated
2) having taken money and not provided the service (there is money on my account by I can not use it)

Re: Is it possible to reactive my pay as you go sim?

XRaySpeX — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:37:42 GMT

I get a reply from 0800 079 8586 within the blink of an eyelid multiple times.

EE provide no eMail contact.

Re: Is it possible to reactive my pay as you go sim?

aimike — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:07:41 GMT

I ended up going to the EE shop, they too couldn't get through on
0800 079 8586 (over 200+ attempts, it literally says the number on my phone). There is no queue, you just have to keep trying and competing with the rest of the word and hope for a gap in order to connect to someone on that number. I don't think anyone has time for that

@XRaySpeX Well, clearly I must have been lying just to make you look bad ????
And those helpful thumbs up really did find that solution helpful, and are certainly not at all fake thumbs up from paid members of EE or other Forum Community staff... clearly

So, what I found is that for "Pay As You Go", your package gets deactivate after a certain period... even if you top up, it's not a new package (which means I have money on my account, but there is no obvious way of using it, this seems a bit unethical)

However, we did get through on >>>150 <<<. that actually worked and I feel a bit of a fool for not being able to get through myself.

I think it was options
2 (any other enquiry)
3(Technical support)
And then the option to speak to the advisor

The advisor on the other end kindly helped convert some of the credit (£10) in to a new package
... however the money will keep coming off of my account with a package until there is no more (then I'll get tones of text message from 150/EE telling me I need to add money to my account, hassling daily at all hours, and I will return to blocking 150 and all EE spam calls)

I believe one can cancel the package and renew it any time, but that's not easy to remember in terms of timing, and certainly not easy to find the options (possibly 150), its certainly not on the EE app as far as I could tell

So, You can cancel your package and renew it (That's not entirely what the concept of "Pay as you go" generally means to most people)

However, to those that have put money on your account and you find you have no internet, it is NOT JUST THE CASE that your account has been deactivated (as practically every answer on this forum suggests, with a self proclaimed helpful thumbs up),
IT IS ALSO PROBABLE (and not unlikely) you did not RENEW your "package" and EE cancels your package if not renewed after a certain period (I dont know what that grace period is)

Putting money on to your account which I have often done via: ee.co.uk/bills-payments/mobile/fast-payment
Will not help, it just means you've aded money to your account and it seems to just sit there (unless you have an active package)
You have to by a new package *150 can do this for you (they can use money on your account), EE store can do this for you, or simply buying a new pay as you go card from a shopping centre will do this

Canceling, then renewing packages is still some what obscured (its not clear), and I think that is intentionally so.
There's no money in Pay As You Go, they want to make it difficult for you, even if they have to provide this route legally

So the question remains
1) how to easily cancel the things they call a "Package" since many of us just want to ... well ... pay as you go
Is it a matter of timing? Should we wait, maybe an hour before 28 days has gotten to the end, and then call 150 to cancel the package, or is there an easier way?

2) It use to be the case that I could just use the link above and I could buy credit to use for internet access, I would like to just easily add pay-as-you-go money to my account online (or not should I choose), but now I also have to reactivate a package. I don't see a way of buying and cancelling packages via the app. That link above use to be the way I would put money on my account that I could then use for the internet. Do I now have to cancel a package, reactivate, cancel, reactive? and should that be via 150/shop/store card, or is there a more direct route?

It's clear that EE and most other networks, don't want us just to "pay as you go" but knowing how to cancel packages and reactivate them easily, should allow this legal route, but it needs to be clearer

Re: Is it possible to reactive my pay as you go sim?

XRaySpeX — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:29:21 GMT

You can do all you want to do quite easily.

To stop a pack auto renewing at its expiry, text STOP PLAN to 150 while it is still active. You can start it again at any time (before hibernation) by buying any pack by texting PLANnn to 150..
You may top-up at any time (before hibernation) @ https://myaccount.ee.co.uk/fast-payment-payg/ even when you have no active pack. After all you might want to buy some data from time-to-time or pay for calls & texts directly out of your credit.

Re: Is it possible to reactive my pay as you go sim?

aimike — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:41:49 GMT

This is reply is helpful, but it's missing one thing

What is the hibernation period (the number of days until the "package" goes into hibernation) on a pay as you go "package"

The question I am actually asking is, if I cancel my "package", it seems I can continue to use the fast payment as I have before (this I feel encapsulates the concept "pay as you go"), and my credit on my account does't get eaten when I am not using it. But if I understand correctly, if I do not make a payment the "package" goes into hibernation and I can no longer do this.

So how long does this take, If I cancel my "package", do I then have to make another payment via the fast-payment with 6 months or 1 month, or another unclear period ?

Re: Is it possible to reactive my pay as you go sim?

XRaySpeX — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:55:48 GMT

I did mention earlier that PAYG SIMs go into hibernation after 6 months of non-chargeable use. To be exact it is after 179 days of non-chargeable use. So any top-up or even a simple text to a mate will start the 179 days rolling again. You should receive a warning text after 160 days - see Why has my pay as you go credit disappeared?

Re: Is it possible to reactive my pay as you go sim?

aimike — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:14:52 GMT

Ah what wasn't clear to me is
PAYG SIMs vs PACKAGE

To me
* A Sim is a physical bit of hardware you put into your phone
* A PAYG SIM is version of this sim that is should be for the "pay as you go"
where as
* A "package" is marketing concept hoped to force you into something similar to a contract, yet keep it branded in as "pay as you go"

So when someone says
"your PAYG SIM may have gone... " that implies that one would have to buy a new SIM, get it unlocked somehow, or something else (the fear of losing your phone number is incited when SIM is mentioned as being possibly locked / hibernated) . Not that a marketing concept "package" needs buying / unlocking / renewing

But, it's usually just a mater of "buying a new package" and everything works again

Re: Is it possible to reactive my pay as you go sim?

XRaySpeX — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:01:21 GMT

I think you are confusing "package" with "pack" the old name for PAYG 30-day plans, now called by EE as "plans". It's not just marketing concept but something concrete & useful that you can buy. or not as you choose. A rose by any other name ...

A contract is a contract is a contract, usually with a 1 or 2 year commitment, unlike PAYG.