topic Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad in SIM cards & Porting

How to get a replacement sim when abroad

Diwedd — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 09:18:02 GMT

Hello,

I am currently abroad and my sim has stopped working. I am not longer receiving any text messages including one time pins from the UK. I know EE won't send sims abroad and will send a replacement sim to my UK address. I also know that the sim will need to be activated in the UK.

My question is, if the sim is sent to my home address and a family member inserts it into their phone to activate it, will it work in my phone when I get it (eventually)? The idea is that a family member will activate the sim and then post the sim card to me. However, I don't know if the sim can be transferred from one phone to another.

Many thanks.

Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad

Katie_B — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 11:22:07 GMT

Hello @Diwedd.

Thanks for coming here.

Is your SIM a pay as you go or pay monthly SIM?

If you send a replacement SIM to your home address and this is activated it should work OK once you receive it.

Katie

Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad

XRaySpeX — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 11:25:50 GMT

If it's a PAYG SIM, a call or text will need to be made while in UK.

Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad

bristolian — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 11:32:01 GMT

Are you able to receive voice calls?

Although it's part of EE's diagnostic process, I have some doubts that an inability to receive SMS is often caused by a faulty SIM.

Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad

Diwedd — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 12:37:28 GMT

Hello @Katie_B

Thank you for your reply. It is a monthly SIM. Good to hear it should work. I wonder if anyone can confirm whether it does work. I am unable to do any banking at the moment, so if the replacement SIM isn't going to work, then it is no good.

Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad

Diwedd — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 12:38:53 GMT

@XRaySpeX

It's a monthly SIM, but by the sound of it, it will have to be activated in the UK anyway.

Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad

Diwedd — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 12:40:29 GMT

@bristolian

I am unable to get calls and text messages, so I assume the SIM has stopped working. I inserted it into another phone and same thing - no calls, no messages. It is for this reason why I am concerned whether a new activated SIM will actually work when I get it.

Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad

bristolian — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 13:00:54 GMT

All replies on this forum are visible to everyone, there's no need to direct specific ones at individuals.

What seems to be missing from the descriptions thus far, is whether you have mobile network coverage where you are. If you don't have that, then lack of ability to call, text or use mobile data naturally flows.

SIM issues may be one potential cause if so, but there are others. Being clear on what the actual issue is, should be part of any diagnostic. So do you have network coverage but are unable to use it for a particular activity? Or do you not have network coverage?

And when you say you are "no longer" receiving texts, have you been able to do so abroad previously? In other words, has roaming (this is the term for using your phone abroad) worked for you previously - have you been able to connect to foreign networks in the past?

Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad

Diwedd — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 13:09:02 GMT

@bristolian

Thank you for your reply. Up until a week ago I could make and receive calls and send and receive texts without any problems. I move around a fair bit where I am and I regularly got automated texts from EE welcoming me to the country in which I am currently based. So, coverage has not been an issue at all.

I checked my roaming setting and it is active. I previously connected to foreign networks without any problems. This problem literally started out of the blue a week ago.

Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad

James_B — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 13:26:53 GMT

Hi @Diwedd,

Does your phone currently show it has a connection with a mobile network in the status bar at the top of your home screen?

James

Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad

Diwedd — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 13:40:28 GMT

@James_B

I have a dual SIM phone. At the moment it shows my phone is connected to the mobile network, but it could be because it is connecting via the local SIM.

As mentioned previously, I tried the SIM in another phone and it wasn't working.

Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad

bristolian — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 13:59:30 GMT

@Diwedd wrote:

I checked my roaming setting and it is active. I previously connected to foreign networks without any problems.

There is nowhere you can self-check your roaming setting - this is an account-level setting that only CS can currently view, a user's only check is via the ROAMING text before leaving the UK. You may be getting confused with "data roaming" or another similar option.

Having said that, by confirming you have previously used foreign networks - this confirms roaming is active. Try temporarily disabling your local SIM, if you want to be sure whether that is the current source of your connection.

Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad

Diwedd — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 15:28:19 GMT

An update of sorts. I followed @bristolian suggestion and disabled the local SIM. It hasn't made any difference.

What is perhaps of significance is the I inserted the SIM in a friends phone (again!), then activated my local SIM and phoned my UK mobile number. Unlike previous occasions, this time it rang an couple of times and then went to voicemail, saying I am not available. However, my friend's phone - now with my SIM card in it - didn't ring at all. So, I don't know what that means. Does it mean the SM card is still active, and if so, why I am not getting calls and texts from the UK.

Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad

Leanne_T — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 15:43:49 GMT

Hi @Diwedd

Does any signal show when the SIM is in your friends phone?

Can you make calls and send texts?

Leanne.

Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad

bristolian — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 15:47:14 GMT

Sounds like your SIM is not able to attach to foreign networks. Calls, texts & data ability all flows from that.

Re: How to get a replacement sim when abroad

Diwedd — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 16:32:56 GMT

@Leanne_T: I would have to repeat the experience to see. I can't remember.

@bristolian: In which case there is a problem with the SIM because it worked perfectly until a week ago.

So it seems my only option is to get a new SIM sent to my UK address, ask a family member to activate it, and ask them to post the SIM to me.