Out of contract and want to suspend my service while out of UK for 5 months

[Markymark6]

Hi all,

I work as a wildlife ranger in a Zimbabwe National Park so I’m out of the UK for 4 or 5 months at a time, returning home for a few weeks and then returning again. I’m in the UK for less than three months a year.

I’m currently paying about £45pm and share the data between two devices (iPhone and iPad).

But as my contract expired in 2022, I’m not happy about still paying while I’m out of the country working.

I’d like to keep my number and get the occasional OTP to authorise apps etc, if possible.

EE make it very difficult if you’re abroad to get an answer (I can’t call from here as there’s no phone signal. Just a slow stream of data via satellite).

Can I freeze my account? Or perhaps reduce it to a minimum amount and increase it again when back (but not an option if that means me signing another minimum term contract of course!).

Advice would be greatly appreciated.

Mark

[XRaySpeX · Accepted solution]

EE don't do payment holidays. What you could do is cancel the contract & have it moved to PAYG in order to keep your no. You wouldn't be able to use it abroad until you return to UK within 5 months, as PAYG SIMs need 1st activating on EE's home UK network.

[Markymark6]

Thanks for your suggest XraySpex!

But I’d be really grateful if you could elaborate so that I’m clear on my options.

Forgive me, because it isn’t clear on this forum whether you’re paid by EE or just offering advice as a Good Samaritan (in which case, THANK YOU!). 

Assuming the former: you don’t mention what happens to my number (which I wish to protect) if I don’t return to the UK within 5 months (I might not)?  You don’t say whether PAYG contracts ALWAYS terminate after 5 months of non use in the UK (which will be a problem for me)? You don’t offer any alternative solution if I AM away for more than 5 months? And as I’m working in a remote national park with only internet access via satellite, so you don’t say how I might contact EE and set all this up? 

Many thanks, 

Mark

[bristolian]

EE staff identify on this forum as "EE Community Support Team" - anyone else is just a user like you & I

https://community.ee.co.uk/t5/EE-Community-info-News/Meet-our-Community-team/td-p/1145396 

https://community.ee.co.uk/t5/EE-Community-info-News/Meet-our-team-of-Community-Stars/td-p/1145368 

PAYG phones have no minimum spend or usage, but are subject to the hibernation policy which basically requires a chargeable action to be performed at least once every 179 days. If you transfer a pay-monthly line into PAYG and are subsequently unable to activate it - as you would be if abroad - then you would be unable to perform that chargeable action and your line would be hibernated after 6months.

You can contact EE CS on +44 7953 966150 from any working phone, +44 800 0798586 from a web-calling app such as Skype, or potentially via the myEE app over any WiFi internet connection.

[XRaySpeX]

I am the latter, a user like you, offering advice to other users.

Try calling CS on the Freephone no. in my sig. on Skype over WiFi. It should be free.

Thanks! You're welcome 🙂 ! Glad I could be of assistance & trust it is now sorted.