Upgrading to smart phone

[Scousemouse199]

I only use my very old mobile for emergencies and when I need to verify my ID by text.  I’m on EE pay-as-you-go.  I’d like to upgrade to a smart phone (refurbished?) so I can use apps.  BUT I still want to stay on PAYG.

Can I keep the same phone number?

I don’t understand SIMs. What would I have to do to switch to the new phone?

Any advice on buying a new phone also appreciated.  I need NHS, Barclays apps and, most importantly, offline-GPS capability for hiking.

Thanks for reading, Lyn

[Chris_B · Accepted solution]

@Scousemouse199   Yes you can keep the sane number,  but depending on what size your SIM card is you might need a new sim.     As for offline GPS for hiking,  you’ll probably be better off getting a hiking device as you’ll probably drain the battery on a phone, that’s dependent on how long you are using that app for.      The vast majority of phones use the cellular connection for gps service. 

[bristolian]

EE CS can transfer your PAYG number to a pay-monthly plan, using your existing SIM. It could be done immediately during the call with all the necessary account changes done remotely. You've not said where you'd plan to purchase your chosen new phone from, but you would potentially just transfer your existing SIM (converted to PAYG by CS) over to your new phone.

GPS is a separate function within most smartphones which doesn't require any mobile network service. The mobile data connection would be required for any real-time or internet-based map updates, but if that function was stored offline then the device could be used in flight mode or areas of no mobile coverage, using the in-built GPS function.