topic Re: Emigrating to Australia - wanting to keep UK number in SIM cards & Porting

Emigrating to Australia - wanting to keep UK number

AJ_90 — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 15:40:26 GMT

Hi all,

hoping someone can give some advice on possible options? I have a sim only package with EE at present in the UK. I am emigrating to Australia in a few weeks but don’t want to lose my UK number so need to keep it “live”. My plan was to go on a pay as you go and top it up £10 a month but I could really do with being able to take calls to my UK number too.

is there an option of swapping my current sim to an e sim so when I get to Australia I use the physical sim and have the UK number on my phone?

the only other option I could think about would be buying a new phone…

grateful for any advice

Antony

Re: Emigrating to Australia - wanting to keep UK number

XRaySpeX — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 16:12:16 GMT

How is swapping a physical SIM to an eSIM going to help you? Other the "physicality" of them there is no diff between them. You've still got to pay monthly for it & pay roaming charges in Oz.

Re: Emigrating to Australia - wanting to keep UK number

AJ_90 — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 17:24:48 GMT

So I could have an Australian sim plus the UK e-sim to take calls.

Re: Emigrating to Australia - wanting to keep UK number

Chris_B — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 18:24:45 GMT

@AJ_90 Esims are only for contract customers at present. No EE tariff is for long stays abroad.

Re: Emigrating to Australia - wanting to keep UK number

XRaySpeX — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 18:45:15 GMT

You can give 30-days notice to cancel your contract & ask for it to moved to PAYG but as @Chris_B points out it won't be on eSIM.

To save the SIM going into hibernation due to lack of use, just remember within every 179 days (~ 6 months) 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 any Pack or Add-on you might have.