Swapping numbers between pay monthly EE contracts

[SilverbackUK]

Hi,

I have created myself a challenge. I have 3 contracts with EE

Contract 1 (my son) - a pay monthly. about to expire 

Contract 2 (me) - a pay monthly with a year to run

Contract 3 (new) - a pay monthly I got through a 3rd party

My flawed plan was:-

As contract 1 expires, I decided there was an opportunity to get a new iPhone 12, with 5G, (tried calling EE but was waiting for over an hour and gave up) I found a good deal on a 3rd party site. Placed the ordered and the phone arrived (my old phone going to my other son who is just payg on Plusnet)

Next i was going to give the remainder of my contract (2) to my Son and use the new contract (3) for myself and contract (1) would close. To do this I need to transfer Contract (2) number to contract (3) and contract (1) to contract (2).

Unfortunatley I cannot see a way in which this is possible.

I cannot transfer out and back as that will cancel my contract which has term remaining.

The only option I see is to give my son the new phone as no point in having a iPhone 12 on a 4g plan (Contract 2).

Any help appreciated.

[Chris_B]

@SilverbackUK  You can not transfer numbers between different contracts without closing the account of the first number you move and then you’ll be required to pay off that contract.    Your only option is to give the sim to who ever but they’ll receive the tariff of that contract.   

[bristolian]

Hi @SilverbackUK 

@Chris_B has already advised the simple version, I'd just add a little by means of explanation:

Changing your phone while keeping your existing number - in pay-monthly accounts - is known as upgrading, and you need to have specifically bought a phone as an upgrade in order to do this.

Otherwise, the only method of achieving what you want, is to have an intermediate "third" line that you port out to, and then back from. However, the porting process does also serve to cancel the original line.

I suspect what you are trying to achieve, will be logistically difficult if not impossible.

[SilverbackUK]

Thanks for the comments. Sounds like it is not possible, as I want to move the number from contract 2 to contract 3 and from contract 1 to contract 2. As soon as I move 2 to 3 (going out of of the network and back) contract 2 is terminated with a charge and then I cannot move from 1 to 2. All very disappointing especially as it must be technically possible, it just stops existing customers from getting new customer deals. 

[Chris_B]

@SilverbackUK   It’s possible but you have to terminate the line that the number is coming from as you have to move it to a different network on PAYG to then port it back to the new contract, Your trying to move 3 numbers to different lines within the same account and this is what’s not possible as it will close the line the number is moving from.

you can not have a phone line without a number attached to it and moving it out closes that line and the already number on that line will be lost. 

[SilverbackUK]

thanks for the reply.

Looks like my only option is to move the new contract to my sons account (after I have moved his number to PAYG out and then back in). Shame as that is 5g data and my account 4g data, so I may as well make his Xmas and give him the iPhone12. 

Lesson learned, the hard way.

Thanks