Whether you're joining Plusnet Mobile or leaving for another network, it's a straightforward process to keep your existing phone number.
If you're leaving Plusnet to join another network, or if you're leaving another network in order to join Plusnet, it's super easy to keep your current phone number.
All you'll need to do is to request a PAC Code. It's totally free and the entire process of transferring your phone number should normally take no longer than one working day.
For detailed instructions, please choose the option that best applies to you:
- I'm leaving Plusnet and joining another network
Transfer your Plusnet Mobile phone number onto a different mobile network. - I'm joining Plusnet from another network
Transfer your phone number from another mobile network to Plusnet Mobile. - I'm upgrading my Plusnet phone or SIM card
Transfer your phone number from one Plusnet account to another Plusnet account.
Leaving Plusnet For Another Network
If you're leaving Plusnet Mobile to join another mobile network, you can take your phone number with you using a PAC Code from Plusnet.
There are three ways to request a Plusnet PAC Code:
- Online: You can get a PAC Code from Plusnet by logging in to the Plusnet Mobile account website. Once you've logged in, go to Account Details > Transfer your mobile account > Thinking of leaving.
- By Text Message: You can get a Plusnet Mobile PAC Code sent to you via SMS text message. Text PAC to 65075 to receive a PAC Code from Plusnet.
- By Phone: You can get a PAC Code by calling Plusnet Mobile. To do this, call them on 500 using your Plusnet handset. Alternatively, dial 0800 079 1133 from any other phone. You'll need to call during Plusnet's opening hours (Monday-Friday 7.30am-8pm, Saturday 7.30am-8pm, Sunday 7.30am-4pm).
It's always free to get a PAC Code from Plusnet Mobile, and it's your legal entitlement to be able to recieve one. If any cancellation fees apply to your Plusnet Mobile contract, they should also tell you what this will be at the same time as sending you a PAC Code.
The PAC Code you recieve from Plusnet should begin with TSL and should be 9 digits long (e.g. TSL 123 456).
Once you have your Plusnet Mobile PAC Code, you'll need to provide it to your new mobile network operator. For detailed instructions, please select your new mobile network from the following dropdown menu:
Don’t want to keep your Plusnet phone number? You can request a STAC Code from Plusnet instead.
Plusnet STAC Code (Leave Plusnet Without Keeping Your Number)
If you’d like to leave Plusnet Mobile without keeping your current phone number, you’ll need to request a Plusnet STAC Code rather than a PAC Code. There are three ways to get a STAC Code from Plusnet:
- Online: You can get a STAC Code from Plusnet by logging in to the Plusnet Mobile account website. After logging in, go to Account Details > Transfer your mobile account > Thinking of leaving.
- By Text Message: You can get a Plusnet Mobile STAC Code sent to you via SMS text message. Text STAC to 75075 to receive a STAC Code from Plusnet.
- By Phone: You can get a STAC Code by calling Plusnet Mobile. Call them on 500 using your Plusnet handset. Alternatively, dial 0800 079 1133 from any other phone. You'll need to call during Plusnet's opening hours (Monday-Friday 7.30am-8pm, Saturday 7.30am-8pm, Sunday 7.30am-4pm).
Once you’ve gotten your STAC Code, the rest of the process for joining your new mobile network remains the same. You can choose your new provider from the dropdown menu above for instructions on how to use your Plusnet STAC Code.
Joining Plusnet From Another Network
If you're joining Plusnet Mobile from a different mobile network, you should ask your old mobile network to provide you with a PAC Code. The PAC Code will allow you to transfer your phone number to Plusnet Mobile.
After getting a PAC Code from your old network, you should order your new phone or SIM card directly from Plusnet's website. For more information, please select the type of tariff you're wanting to move to:
For a full list of the latest Plusnet deals, please see this page on Plusnet Mobile's website.
Get the Latest Deals from Plusnet Mobile →
When Your New Phone Arrives...
Once your new phone or SIM card arrives from Plusnet Mobile, switch it on and make sure everything's working correctly. If, for whatever reason, you need to return or change your handset or SIM card, it's best to do this before transferring your phone number.
Once you're happy to continue with the transfer, You can give the PAC Code to Plusnet Mobile by calling 500 on your Plusnet Mobile handset. You can also call 0800 079 1133 from any other phone.
Once you've provided your PAC code to Plusnet Mobile, your phone number transfer will normally be scheduled for the next working day (Monday to Friday only, excluding English bank holidays).
Sometimes, you’ll be given the option to provide a PAC Code at the same time as when you order your new phone or SIM card. We’d typically recommend against providing your PAC Code at this stage. Instead, waiting for the new phone or SIM card to arrive from Plusnet Mobile first will allow you to make sure it’s working correctly and will make the process of cancelling or returning much easier.
Upgrading Your Plan On Plusnet
If you're simply upgrading to a newer handset or tariff, it's not necessary to get a Plusnet Mobile PAC Code. You can simply upgrade via Plusnet Mobile's website. For more information, please select the type of Plusnet price plan you're planning to move to:
More Information
For more information, please see the Plusnet Mobile website. You can also read our full guide to using a PAC Code. This answers a lot of frequently asked questions and provides some additional tips on transferring your phone number.
For discussion, please see the comments below on this page. They show other people's experiences using a Plusnet PAC Code or moving their phone number from another network to Plusnet Mobile.
SB said:
Hi,
I am currently on EE and my contract is coming to an end so I have decided to keep my phone and get myself into a sim only contract via plusnet.
My PAC code expires on 25th September.
I ordered my new SIM card yesterday via the Plusnet website and provided my PAC code. I have not received any further information about my order so I got in touch with their online chat help team. They said my order is “pending” and can’t tell me if I will have my SIM card by the deadline of 25th Sep.
I am trying to avoid being charged for a further month by EE, but now I don’t know what is going on. I thought Plusnet would manage to sort everything within a few days which is why I left it until yesterday to order my SIM card.
Do you know what might be going on?
SB transferred a phone number from EE to Plusnet Mobile.
Ken replied:
Hi SB,
Sadly, I don’t know what’s going on with the connection to Plusnet – this is something they’ll need to check on as it’s an account-specific issue. However, you shouldn’t need to worry about EE charging you for another full month (your final bill should be pro-rated based on the number of days you were connected to the EE network). Similarly, if your PAC Code expires on the 25th, you can request a new one from EE the same day.
Ken
Karl Burns said:
I’ve ordered a sim card from 1p mobile and paid, £10 via PayPal.
At the moment; I’m with plusnet mobile.
I’m in a 30 day rolling on contract and I’ve to give them notice to end my contract so do I have to activate 1p mobile straight away or can I wait until later after the 30 days cancellation time.
Karl Burns transferred a phone number from Plusnet Mobile to 1pMobile.
Ken replied:
Hi Karl,
Thanks for your comment. It should be absolutely fine to activate your 1pMobile SIM card in 30 days time. As an aside, however, 30 day notice periods have been banned from the 1st July 2019 when you use a PAC Code to move your phone number from one network to another. For this reason, it might not actually be necessary for you to wait another 30 days before moving to 1pMobile.
Ken
Ken replied:
Hi Karl,
Just a quick one on this. I can confirm that you have 120 days from purchase to activate your 1pMobile SIM card. See the 1pMobile FAQs for more information.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Andrea Palmer said:
Hi Ken I had a contract with EE when it ended I bought a new phone and got the Pac code from EE to pass to new SIM only provider plusnet. This worked fine without problems until 2 weeks ago when I was received a text from EE saying I had used all my data . I thought this was an error but a few hours later I was unable to use data. I rang plusnet and they still.don’t know why this has happened. EE can’t explain either. Tonight I requested my pac code from.plusnet to go to another provider but they said if I change now I still don’t be able to get data on a new SIM until this is resolved is this correct ?
Andrea Palmer transferred a phone number from EE to Plusnet Mobile.
Ken replied:
Hi Andrea,
I’m sorry to hear about the problems you’ve experienced with EE/Plusnet Mobile. This sounds like a fairly bizarre situation – if you were indeed connected & transferred over to Plusnet Mobile, then I would expect you to no longer receive anything from EE. One thing that might be worth noting is that EE & Plusnet are part of the same company (being two different brands within the BT Consumer group). Furthermore, up until a few years ago, Plusnet Mobile was actually part of EE (this was when they were called LIFE Mobile). It’s possible therefore that EE & Plusnet are sharing some of their backend systems, and something weird might be going on there (e.g. they’re treating you as an EE customer, even though you’re actually on Plusnet). This is something I haven’t heard of before, so you’ll probably need to chase up Plusnet Support directly on this for further investigation.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Maxine said:
Please can you advise me? My husband had a Vodaphone account for his and my phone. He has died and I want to cancel one phone but take the PAC number for mine to Plusnet. Despite asking to see my husband’s death certificate ( not nice in an open shop) Vodaphone say they will only give me the PAC number if I transfer the account into my name AND WAIT THREE MONTHS. Despite OFCOM advising me this isn’t correct Vodaphone won’t budge.We are out of contract time with V so this cannot be the issue.
Maxine transferred a phone number from Vodafone to Plusnet Mobile.
Ken replied:
Hi Maxine,
I’m so sorry to hear about this and about how Vodafone have dealt with this situation. To be honest, my recommendation would be make a formal complaint in writing here to Vodafone. This should help to get the issue escalated, and hopefully dealt with in a more sensitive and helpful manner.
My thoughts are with you and hope the situation with Vodafone can be solved very soon.
Ken
Maxine replied:
Hi Ken, thank you so much for your reply. Searching online I found that Vodaphone have a dedicated bereavement line but not one of the people I spoke with told me that. So…I rang it myself and spoke to someone who apologised and said I should never have been asked to take a death certificate into the shop.
The 30 day rule seems to be about needing to pay early exit from contracts etc but I explained this does not apply to me. I need, apparently, to speak to a supervisor who , they said, should be able to help me! I am phoning her tomorrow and will let you know how I get on!
Andy said:
I’m moving four numbers to Plus who have just entered the mobile business. I know they’re a subsiduary of BT who also own EE. We can only get reasonable reception at home with EE/Orange and Vodafone. Two of the numbers are currently with Orange who tell me that porting the numbers to Plus won’t be a problem, and I have PAC codes for them. The other two numbers I’m transferring are with EE who say that I won’t be able to port directly to Plus as a PAC code won’t work as it’s a transfer EE to EE. The went on to tell me that I would have to port them to another provider then to Plus. Does this sound right, and if so which intermediate provider would you suggest we move them to? Thanks for your help. Andy
Andy transferred a phone number from EE to Plusnet Mobile.
Ken replied:
Hi Andy,
I believe the team at EE are mistaken about this, and there shouldn’t be any problems transferring your phone number from EE to Plusnet Mobile. Therefore, I’d simply recommend submitting your EE PAC Code as normal to the guys at Plusnet Mobile.
Ken
Andy replied:
Many thanks Ken. I’ll give it a go.
Rich replied:
Andy, did you manage to port your EE number to Plusnet without any hassle? I’m looking at doing the same thing…
Andy replied:
Yes, the transfer went OK, although it was a little slow. I expected that given that Plusnet is a new mobile provider and comments on their forum suggested it would take a bit of time. My move was just before Christmas, so I’d allowed a bit of extra time for it to happen before the end of the notice period, so it wasn’t a problem. I’m just so glad to be away from Orange and EE with their absence of customer service, and every opportunity taken to get money off you.
Rich replied:
I was offered a good deal with Plusnet, then when I called EE to get the PAC code from my PAYG cell (I’ve been abroad so transferred to a PAYG to keep the number I’ve had for years). They offered me a better deal over the phone, so I took it. Their sim card arrived in 2 days and the transfer of the number took another day and a half. Very quick so I was pleased. Always a bit of a shame having to do that to get a better deal, but that’s commerce I guess! Plusnet took the first payment but they said they will reimburse it asap. Both parties were friendly and helpful.
Dawn said:
Hi, the opposite of what has happened to Sam has happened to me.
I have had my old number with orange for 14 years. I just changed to LIFE mobile. I was waiting for a text to confirm the transfer of number and THEN my orange sim card (with old number I want to transfer to LIFE mobile) to be cancelled.
Instead, my orange sim card and old number have been cancelled and I have only got access from the LIFE mobile sim card with their new number. It says it will take 2 business working days before I get my old number back..but it is important that it happens asap.
Dawn transferred a phone number from Orange to Plusnet Mobile.
Tim said:
Hi Ken,
I recently got a new phone/contract with EE. EE didn’t let me transfer my number internally, so I got a sim card from Life Mobile so I could transfer my old number out, and then back into EE onto my new phone. I have successfully transferred my number onto the Life sim card, however, Life have just said that they have to wait 30 days to generate a PAC. They said that I can only transfer my number once every 30 days. Can you confirm is this is correct? I thought they were obligated to send me a PAC within two days of my request.
Thanks,
Tim
Tim transferred a phone number from Plusnet Mobile to EE.
Ken replied:
Hi Tim,
Thanks for your comment. With LIFE Mobile, one complication is you’re on a 30-day contract. What this means is you need to give them 30 days notice when cancelling your contract & moving to another network. I think this is probably what they’re talking about here?
In general, I would normally recommend you transfer your phone number out to a Pay As You Go SIM card (that way, you don’t have the added complications of a 30-day contract).
Ken
John L replied:
Life Mobile is owned by EE & when I ported my number from TPO who also use the EE network the PAC process has to be done manually & can take a lot longer.
I suggest you contact the Life Mobile porting team & ask for their help.