topic EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data in Pay as you go

EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

yeongbin — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 15:11:32 GMT

Hi everyone,

I’m currently on an EE Pay Monthly contract.

I recently returned to the UK after spending approximately four months in South Korea. During that time, I made a £50 top-up to my EE account.

However, since returning to the UK, my EE SIM has not been working properly.

I cannot make or receive phone calls, send or receive SMS messages, or use mobile data.

I’m currently travelling in the Netherlands, and the problem is still ongoing.

I’ve tried restarting my phone, but nothing has changed.

I’ve also logged into the EE app to contact customer support, but the only option available is “Call us”. There is no live chat or messaging option.

Could this be due to my SIM being deactivated, a restriction on my account, or an issue with my EE contract?

Is there any way to get this resolved without making a phone call?

I’d really appreciate any help.

Thank you!

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

XRaySpeX — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:10:35 GMT

@yeongbin wrote:
During that time, I made a £50 top-up to my EE account.

How exactly did you go about doing that?

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

yeongbin — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:29:10 GMT

Hi, thank you for your reply.

While I was in South Korea for approximately four months, I topped up £50 to my EE number online. However, I wasn’t able to pay my monthly bills during that period.

I’ve recently returned to the UK, but my EE SIM is no longer working. I can’t make or receive phone calls, send or receive SMS messages, or use mobile data.

I’m currently travelling in the Netherlands, and the problem is still ongoing.

I managed to log into the EE app, but it only shows “Link your product”. When I try to link my mobile number, it sends a verification code via SMS, which I cannot receive because my SIM isn’t working.

I’ve also tried contacting EE through the app, but the only option available is “Call us”. I can’t find any live chat or messaging option.

Since I’m currently unable to make phone calls, I’d really like to speak to an EE customer service representative through live chat instead.

Could you please let me know if there’s any way to contact a representative via live chat without having to verify my number by SMS?

I’d also like to know whether my account has been suspended due to missed payments and how I can restore my service while keeping my existing phone number.

I’d really appreciate your help.

Thank you!

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

XRaySpeX — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:36:22 GMT

You are just repeating yourself but not addressing my Q.

@yeongbin wrote:
I topped up £50 to my EE number online. !

How exactly? Where online? Give the URL. Spell out the steps you went thro' to do this.

I'm pretty sure I can advise you but only if you just concentrate on addressing my Qs.

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

yeongbin — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 17:46:27 GMT

[Image Rejected - Contains some credit card details]

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

yeongbin — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:46:30 GMT

I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the exact steps I followed. As far as I can remember, I made the £50 payment through the official EE website while I was in South Korea.

Unfortunately, I can’t remember the exact page or URL I used.

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

XRaySpeX — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:51:17 GMT

Is that a bank statement/transaction you show?

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

XRaySpeX — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 17:03:38 GMT

Was it from Fast Top-up & looked like ? Or did it look like

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

yeongbin — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 17:03:41 GMT

Yes, that’s correct. It’s a transaction record from my Revolut bank account.

It shows that I paid £50 to EE on 1 August 2026 using my Revolut Visa card.

However, I’m not sure whether the payment was processed as a top-up or a bill payment.

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

yeongbin — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 17:08:16 GMT

Yes, that’s correct. It’s a transaction record from my Revolut bank account.

It shows that I paid £50 to EE on 1 August 2026 using my Revolut Visa card.However, I’m not sure whether the payment was processed as a top-up or a bill payment.

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

Peter_W — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 17:25:42 GMT

Thanks for explaining those details for us, @yeongbin

You mention that you were in South Korea for 4 months - were you still in the UK and using the SIM regularly prior to heading over there, or has it been longer since the SIM was last regularly used?

If a SIM is inactive for more than six months, it can be placed into Hibernation, but often the line can still be restored if you catch this in time.

I'd recommend checking out our guide here:

Understanding Pay As You Go Hibernation – and how to keep your number active - The EE Community

Peter

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

yeongbin — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 17:47:13 GMT

Yes, that’s correct. I was using my EE SIM regularly in the UK until 15 June 2026, and everything was working perfectly fine before I left for South Korea.

I normally paid my EE bills through text messages, but while I was in South Korea, I wasn’t receiving any SMS messages, so I couldn’t make payments using my usual method.

Because of this, I made a £50 top-up through the EE website on 1 August 2026, thinking this would keep my SIM active.

However, now that I’ve returned to Europe, my SIM is not working at all. I can’t make or receive calls, send or receive text messages, or use mobile data.

I’m not sure why this is happening, especially since I made the £50 payment in August.

Could you please help me understand what might have happened to my account and how I can get my SIM working again?

I’d really appreciate your help. Thank you!

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

Peter_W — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 17:55:43 GMT

Thanks, @yeongbin

When will you next be back in the UK?

Also were you back in the UK prior to heading to the Netherlands, or have you yet to return since being in South Korea?

Peter

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

yeongbin — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 18:01:45 GMT

Hi Peter,

Yes, I returned to the UK from South Korea before travelling to the Netherlands.

Unfortunately, my EE SIM was already not working when I arrived back in the UK. I couldn’t make or receive calls, send or receive SMS messages, or use mobile data.

I’m currently in the Netherlands for a one-week trip, and I’ll be returning to the UK next week.

The SIM is still not working here either.

Also, I wanted to ask if there’s any way I could speak to an EE customer service representative through a private one-to-one live chat.

I’ve tried using the EE app, but it only shows the “Call us” option, and I can’t find any live chat or messaging feature.

Since my SIM isn’t working, I’m unable to make phone calls, so I would really appreciate it if there were an alternative way to contact an EE representative directly.

Could you please let me know if this is possible?

Thank you very much for your help!

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

XRaySpeX — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 18:34:17 GMT

Yes, but which of those 2 images is closest?

Have a look at your bank a/c & search out the payments the EE. Are they mostly every month on the same day of the month?

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

yeongbin — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 18:57:59 GMT

No, the payments were not made on the same day each month.

The payment method I used was most similar to the first image you showed me.

I usually made payments manually whenever I needed to, rather than having them automatically deducted from my bank account.

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

XRaySpeX — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 19:05:31 GMT

@yeongbin : You're not on a contract but on PAYG.

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.

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

yeongbin — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 19:14:02 GMT

I was using my EE SIM regularly in the UK until 15 June 2026.

I also made a £50 payment to EE on 1 August 2026, which I believed was a top-up.

As far as I understand, topping up counts as a chargeable action, and it has been less than six months since both of those dates.

Could you please explain why my SIM might have entered hibernation despite the payment I made in August?

Is there any way to check whether my number is still active or can be reactivated?

I’d really like to keep my existing phone number.

Thank you for your help.

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

XRaySpeX — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 19:21:58 GMT

No, I can't explain it if you were making chargeable actions up to & including 15 June 2026. It's taken 16 posts to find out you were really on PAYG & not on contract.

Now the only way to check this is to phone CS to check if your PAYG SIM is in hibernation & if it is, to reactivate it.

Re: EE SIM Not Working No Calls, SMS or Mobile Data

yeongbin — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 20:00:44 GMT

Thank you for your explanation, and I’m sorry for the confusion regarding my plan type. Unfortunately, my EE SIM isn’t working, so I can’t make phone calls. Is there any alternative way to contact EE customer service, such as live chat, email or private messaging? I would really appreciate any help, as I need to reactivate my SIM and keep my existing phone number.