Can't buy roaming pack from South Korea

[349009]

Hello,  I am currently in South Korea.
I need to receive an important call from the UK, so I inserted my EE SIM card that I've used in UK until last August into my iPhone and topped it up in the app. However, I did not receive a welcome message, and my phone does not seem to recognise the SIM so I cannot send any text to activate international roaming.

What should I do to activate roaming in South Korea?

[bristolian]

You could have one of two issues, or possibly both.

1: PAYG SIMs need to be first used in the UK before they will work abroad. Trying to activate roaming abroad, even on pay-monthly, cannot be done by text due to the catch-22 nature.

2: PAYG SIMs are subject to the hibernation policy, which requires chargeable usage at least once every 179days, with 3months grace before outright disconnection at 273 days.

If you've not used your PAYG SIM since August 2023, then it will have been hibernated around Feb 2024 and potentially disconnected sometime in May. It's possible to add credit to a hibernated line, but shouldn't be where a disconnected line is concerned.

You will need to call EE-CS to check your specifics. Either +44 7953 966150 from any working phone, or +44 800 9566000 from a web-calling app such as Skype.