Old number

[CraigBruce]

I’m looking to carry my old phone number over to a new device. 
my old device I was on a sim only deal on my mothers account. I have bought a new phone and new SIM card deal with my girlfriend but the new device obviously has a new number. Both accounts are with EE and I’ve transferred all my data between phones, (both iPhones). How do I go about retaining my old number, as most of my contacts are seeing my email address and a new number when I text.

[Northerner]

Hi @CraigBruce 

You need to PAC out your old number to another carrier, then once done port it back to your new account. 

Thanks

[CraigBruce]

But it’s the same provider. Isn’t a PAC number for switching providers?

[XRaySpeX]

Yes, that's the point! You can't use a PAC to move a no. from EE to EE. So @Northerner is suggesting you use PACs to move to another network & then back to EE.

[Captgeneralmark]

@CraigBruce Any reason you can’t just move the sim into your new phone?

[BrendonH]

Because you can't.

It's the same with every network.

[Captgeneralmark]

@BrendonH You’ll have to explain that. I often move sims between phones. One of my EE sims started in an android phone, got moved to a different android phone, then to an iphone (twice). The phone number is attached to the sim, not the physical phone. So why can’t the op swap the sims over if he wants to move the phone number to a new phone? 

[BrendonH]

@Captgeneralmark  the OP doesn't want to just swap the numbers between the phones they want to move the number from the old contract to the new one.

This is not possible and you need to port out to another network and then port back into the EE.

[bristolian]

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@Captgeneralmark wrote:

@CraigBruce Any reason you can’t just move the sim into your new phone?

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In mobile terminology, doing this is called an upgrade.

If you'd purchased your chosen new phone as an upgrade, then you'd have done exactly this.

You've bought your new phone as a new connection with a new number, therefore the method @Northerner has described is the "unofficial" but entirely legitimate alternative method.

The only other way will be to use your 14day statutory right of return on your new phone (assuming you bought it online), and then buy it again as an upgrade.