Whether you're joining Talkmobile or leaving for another network, it's a straightforward process to keep your existing phone number.
If you're leaving Talkmobile to join another network, or if you're leaving another network in order to join Talkmobile, 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 Talkmobile and joining another network
Transfer your Talkmobile phone number onto a different mobile network. - I'm joining Talkmobile from another network
Transfer your phone number from another mobile network to Talkmobile. - I'm upgrading my Talkmobile phone or SIM card
Transfer your phone number from one Talkmobile account to another Talkmobile account.
Leaving Talkmobile For Another Network
If you're leaving Talkmobile to join another mobile network, you can take your phone number with you using a PAC Code from Talkmobile.
There are three ways to request a Talkmobile PAC Code:
- Online: You can get a PAC Code from Talkmobile by logging in to the Talkmobile account website. Once you've logged in, go to My PAC/STAC.
- By Text Message: You can get a Talkmobile PAC Code sent to you via SMS text message. Text PAC to 65075 to receive a PAC Code from Talkmobile.
- By Phone: You can get a PAC Code by calling Talkmobile. To do this, call them on 5888 using your Talkmobile handset. Alternatively, dial 0333 304 8064 from any other phone. You'll need to call during Talkmobile's opening hours (Monday-Friday 8am-7pm, Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday 10am-5pm).
It's always free to get a PAC Code from Talkmobile, and it's your legal entitlement to be able to recieve one. If any cancellation fees apply to your Talkmobile contract, they should also tell you what this will be at the same time as sending you a PAC Code.
Once you have your Talkmobile 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 Talkmobile phone number? You can request a STAC Code from Talkmobile instead.
Talkmobile STAC Code (Leave Talkmobile Without Keeping Your Number)
If you’d like to leave Talkmobile without keeping your current phone number, you’ll need to request a Talkmobile STAC Code rather than a PAC Code. There are three ways to get a STAC Code from Talkmobile:
- Online: You can get a STAC Code from Talkmobile by logging in to the Talkmobile account website. After logging in, go to My PAC/STAC.
- By Text Message: You can get a Talkmobile STAC Code sent to you via SMS text message. Text STAC to 75075 to receive a STAC Code from Talkmobile.
- By Phone: You can get a STAC Code by calling Talkmobile. Call them on 5888 using your Talkmobile handset. Alternatively, dial 0333 304 8064 from any other phone. You'll need to call during Talkmobile's opening hours (Monday-Friday 8am-7pm, Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday 10am-5pm).
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 Talkmobile STAC Code.
Joining Talkmobile From Another Network
If you're joining Talkmobile 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 Talkmobile.
After getting a PAC Code from your old network, you should order your new phone or SIM card directly from Talkmobile's website. For more information, please select the type of tariff you're wanting to move to:
For a full list of the latest Talkmobile deals, please see this page on Talkmobile's website.
Get the Latest Deals from Talkmobile →
If you're buying your new Talkmobile plan through a reseller, tap on their logo for more information:
When Your New Phone Arrives...
Once your new phone or SIM card arrives from Talkmobile, 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, your PAC Code should be submitted through Talkmobile's online form. Alternatively, you can give the PAC Code to Talkmobile by calling 5888 on your Talkmobile handset. You can also call 0333 304 8064 from any other phone.
Once you've provided your PAC code to Talkmobile, 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 Talkmobile 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 Talkmobile
If you're simply upgrading to a newer handset or tariff, it's not necessary to get a Talkmobile PAC Code. You can simply upgrade via Talkmobile's website. For more information, please select the type of Talkmobile price plan you're planning to move to:
More Information
For more information, please see the Talkmobile 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 Talkmobile PAC Code or moving their phone number from another network to Talkmobile.
Nathen said:
I recently left Talkmobile for Three in order to gain access to LTE services, but the whole PAC number transfer/notice period still seems a little muddy to me, and customer service don’t seem to give me a straight answer either. Does anyone understand the process a little better than myself?
So I requested a PAC code and gave it to the new provider on the same day – does this mean I’ll be billed for at least another 30 days which I won’t actually use because of the notice period or will I perhaps receive a credit refund for unused credit?
My bill date on my old provider is the 4th of Each month so I’d already paid this month (November) in advance, requested the PAC on the 7th, and had the number transferred today, the 10th.
Thanks!
Ken replied:
Hi Nathen,
Thanks for your comment. The way it normally works is you need to give 30 days notice when cancelling a contract. Hence, if you gave notice to Talkmobile on the 7th November at the same time as requesting your PAC Code, they might ask you to continue paying the bill until the 6th December. Saying this, I haven’t actually checked the exact details of how this is done on Talkmobile, so it’s only a guess based on what happens on other mobile networks.
Ken
Nathen replied:
OK thanks for your reply. I’ll try to remember to post back with details of the process when I find out. Even if I end up missing out on a month’s worth of contract, it’s only £7pm so not such a big deal, but I can see why it would be a bigger deal for people on far more expensive contracts!
Thanks,
Nathen
Robert said:
Hi Ken
Excellent website, well done. Here my situation. I have to 2 phones both on pay monthly contacts.
Phone 1 is on Talk Mobile (Phone number 1)
Phone 2 is on Vodafone (Phone number 2)
I want to switch them so that:
Phone 2 is on Talk Mobile (Phone number 2)
Phone 1 is on Vodafone (Phone number 1)
I don’t need to make any changes to billing at all. I should add both phone are not network locked and use the same micro SIM type.
What do I need to do to make this happen. Any pitfalls to consider e.g. downtime/cost etc.
Cheers
Robert
Ken replied:
Hi Robert,
Thanks for your comment about switching the phone number between two networks/contracts. Unfortunately, I don’t believe it’s possible to do this. Instead, the PAC Code system is designed for more simple requests: switching from one network to another, moving the phone number and closing the account at the old network. Outside of the PAC Code system, there also isn’t any way to achieve what you’re asking for.
Sorry I wasn’t able to be more helpful with your request! 🙁
Ken
Robert replied:
Hi Ken
I’ve been thinking about this. Think I made it sound over complicated.
All I want to do is switch numbers between 2 phones on different networks in essence… Surely this must be possible…
Can’t they just both issue me with a PAC code to exchange. Literally all want to do is to swap the numbers.
Regards
Robert
Ken replied:
Hi Robert,
Unfortunately, using a PAC Code will automatically close the account on your old network. Hence, if you were to transfer a phone number from Talkmobile to Vodafone, the account on Talkmobile will be closed automatically (the same vice versa from Vodafone to Talkmobile).
Ken
alan collins said:
I gave my pac number 5 days ago and it still hasn’t been transferred over. I order new phone and tariff network from Tesco Mobile to Talkmobile and have tried ringing Carphone Warehouse and also TalkMobile but am not getting anywhere. Any ideas?
Ken replied:
Hi Alan,
Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, I’m not able to answer any specific requests pertaining to your account. It sounds to me as if your number transfer hasn’t been processed correctly (i.e. they probably haven’t entered your details into the system). You should contact Talkmobile Customer Services on 5888 to check on the status of your phone number transfer.
Ken
June Forrester said:
Your advice and step by step instructions appear to be very simple and straightforward. However I failed miserably this morning to transfer the Pac code to Talkmobile. I took out a monthly contract on 27 Feb. I contacted EE on the 1 March and received a Pac code within a couple of hours. This morning I contacted Talkmobile. They took my mobile number. It took a while for them to realise that I was transferring from EE to Talkmobile. I informed them clearly that I had the Pac code; they didn’t ask me for this but did say that I should have been given another number to enable me to go through this process. Carphone Warehouse provided me with no other number and lead me to believe that I needed a Pac code only then to pass it on to Talkmobile. I’m really not sure what else to do other than visit the store at some point in the week to ask them for help.
Darah said:
Hi ken
I have read your article and its very helpful. But I have one question , what happens if I’m on pay monthly of talk mobile and want to go to EE on pay monthly as well. Would I have to cancel my current contract or what.
Ken replied:
Hi Darah,
Thanks for your comment. You can follow the instructions provided on this page to move your number from Talkmobile to EE. To answer your question: yes, the contract on Talkmobile will be cancelled automatically when you transfer your number over to EE.
Ken
Giulia said:
Hi Ken,
I have got a quick question for you. I am changing network from a pay as you go Talkmobile sim to a pay as you go EE sim. I have received the EE sim and I was going to try it in my phone and then to let them know the PAC code so they can transfer my old number.
I have read in your very useful article that on the day of transfer there might be some disruption of the service. I would like to know if I can keep the old Talkmobile sim in my phone until it is deactivated and that means that the transfer has happened to the EE sim, or once I have tried the EE sim in my Iphone it is better not to take it out anymore and wait until the old number is re-confirmed.
Basically I’d like to be able to use my Talkmobile sim till the very end so I don’t have to use a different number for just 24 hours, but does the transfer happen if the EE is not active in my phone?
Ken replied:
Hi Giulia,
Thanks for your comment and for your very good question! You can indeed put the Talkmobile SIM card back into your handset (in fact, I normally recommend people to do this). You’ll continue to receive incoming calls & text messages on the Talkmobile SIM card until the day of the transfer where you’ll lose signal on your Talkmobile SIM card (you could lose the signal any time on the transfer day). Once the signal has disappeared on your Talkmobile SIM card, you can change the SIM card for the one from EE. You should find that incoming calls and text messages then appear on the EE SIM card.
N.B. If you bought a new SIM-free iPhone from the Carphone Warehouse or another third-party retailer, please read the article here first as it could cause complications for your setup.
Hope this helps!
Ken
samim said:
how can i change my old talk mobile number to new pay as you go talk mobile number
old one is contract number. its means how can i replace my oldcontarct number to my choice able talkmobile number because i dont like my old number plz give me good solution
Ken replied:
Hi Samim,
I presume you’re trying to move a Talkmobile Pay Monthly number over to Talkmobile Pay As You Go? If so, I recommend calling Talkmobile Customer Services on 5888 – explain your situation and they should hopefully help you out.
Best wishes,
Ken
Inigo Moore said:
I found this article very useful and didn’t know there was anything like a PAC code out there.
just for confirmation, i am 14 months into a 24-month contract (with talk-mobile), my mum also has a 24-month contract (with orange (now EE i think)) but that has come to an end as of a few weeks ago.
What i would like to do is for my mum to have my phone and use that, she terminates her contract and then i get to have a new phone and a new contract on a different network, she has agreed to this only if she gets to keep her current number.
Would it work if i were to get a PAC code from orange, redeem it on my phone with talk-mobile and then that’s it?!
would that auto-terminate my mums contact?
would that be allowed 14 months into my contract?
would my current tariff be exactly the same but with my mums number when i give it to her (provided this works)?
apologies for asking several questions i just cant help but doubt a seemingly easy solution to my problem. Thank you
Ken replied:
Hi Inigo,
Thanks for your comment. Normally, most networks will allow you to use a PAC Code any time during your contract. In this case, your mum would simply request a PAC Code from Orange and would transfer her Orange phone number onto your existing contract (albeit, you’ll lose the phone number currently on that contract and the contract would still be in your name). Unfortunately, for reasons I’m not totally clear on, Talkmobile only allows you to transfer an incoming phone number at the start of the contract. Hence, it unfortunately wouldn’t be possible to do what you’ve described on Talkmobile. It is probably worth giving them a call on 5888 to see whether they can be a bit more flexible (but unfortunately, no guarantees). Do accept my apologies – I really wish I could have been more helpful!
Ken
Trefor said:
Hi Ken
I have a 30 day contract with Talkmobile which I gave notice to quit on 10th Nov ’13. I had an acknowledgement that the contract will end on 10th Dec ’13 which was fine. I asked for a PAC yesterday 1st Dec so I can xfer to Giff Gaff SIM only and they said they can only do one or the other i.e. PAC code or cancel contract and implied that the contract will have to run for a further 30 days from issuing the PAC code. Surely this can’t be right? If I use the PAC code on the 9th Dec and Giff Gaff xfer it over the next day, surely the contract will end then? If not, how can I use up another months contract allowance without a phone number?
Thanks
Trefor
Ken replied:
Hi Trefor,
Your Talkmobile SIM is 30-day rolling contract (so you need to give 30 days notice when leaving the network). At present, your account is scheduled to close on Tuesday 10th December. If, at this point, your phone number is still on Talkmobile then you will lose your phone number forever (there’ll be no way of recovering it and having it sent overt to giffgaff). Hence, you’ll need to make sure your phone number has been transferred before the 10th December.
In theory, you could decide to wait until the 9th to use your PAC. However, I’d recommend porting your phone number as soon as would be possible. Bear in mind, things could go wrong or the transfer could be delayed. Also, number ports won’t happen over the weekend (so there are no ports happening on Sat 7th or Sun 8th). If you contact giffgaff on Friday 6th, then your port should be completed on Monday 9th.
Hope this helps!
Ken
Becca said:
Hi Ken,
If you use your temporary number before attempting to switch, does that mean that you can’t switch your number over?
I recently got a new phone and used the number provided to make calls and send texts, intending to switch my number over to my old phone number at a later date.
I got a PAC code from Virgin (my provider for my old pay as you go number) and phoned my new provider for my new contract, TalkMobile.
They said that ‘a PAC code can only be used at the point of sale not once you’ve started using it, so it can’t be done.’
Is this true? I have used a PAC code in the past to transfer an old number over to a new phone about a week after I bought the new phone, so I don’t see how it can be.
Thanks in advance for your help 🙂
Ken replied:
Hi Becca,
Thanks for getting in touch! I’ve just taken a look at the Talkmobile website and it seems like they have a really bizarre policy on number porting. When moving to Talkmobile PAYG, you can call up and provide your PAC code at any time. However, when moving to Talkmobile Pay Monthly, you need to provide your PAC code at the point of sale. As far as I’m aware, no other network enforces this requirement (you can normally port in your number at any time, even after using the temporary phone number). Sorry that this is not more helpful – you could perhaps discuss things with Talkmobile Customer Services and see whether they might be able to process the request for you. There is no technical limitation in the number porting system – the only limitation is from Talkmobile’s side.
Ken