Can’t Use EE Pay As You Go While Roaming Abroad – Only Receiving

[martinkiry96]

Hi everyone,

I’m having an issue with my EE service while abroad and I’m hoping someone can help.

I used to live in the UK and was a monthly EE customer for a long time. Roaming always worked fine when I travelled. Recently I moved abroad for two years, so I cancelled my monthly plan and switched to Pay As You Go just to keep my number active.

I topped up £5 credit, and roaming is turned on in my phone settings. However, I can’t make any calls or send any texts. I can only receive messages. No outgoing services work at all.

Has anyone experienced this before or knows how to fix it?
Is there something extra I need to set up on Pay As You Go for roaming to work?

Any help or guidance would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

[bristolian]

All new PAYG SIMs need to be activated on EE's UK network, before roaming is auto-enabled for use abroad. This includes migrations from pay-monthly. After you requested a 30day notice cancellation, were you in the UK at the point where the pay-monthly line ceased and it became PAYG?

Assuming not... now that your SIM is a new PAYG one, it therefore needs usage in the UK before roaming is enabled. If you've not done this, it will not work abroad until it's first used on EE's UK network.

[martinkiry96]

Thank you so much but I cannot go back in the next 6 months due to circumstances. What other way to do it is there? Can as an exception this be done over the phone?

[bristolian]

Your alternative is to post your PAYG SIM to a trusted friend or relative, get them to activate it on EE's UK network and then return it to you by post as required.

You're not the first person to post on this board with this issue, and I doubt you'll be the last.