Switching from Three to Vodafone? It's a straightforward process to keep your existing phone number.
Step 1: Get a PAC Code from Three
If you’d like to move your phone number from Three to Vodafone, the first step is getting your Porting Authorisation Code (or PAC Code) from Three.
There are three ways to get a PAC Code from Three:
- Online: You can get a PAC Code from Three by logging in to the My3 Account website.
- By Text Message: You can get a Three PAC Code sent to you via SMS text message. Text PAC followed by your date of birth in DDMMYY format to 65075 to receive a PAC Code from Three.
- By Phone: You can get a PAC Code by calling Three. To do this, call them on 333 using your Three handset. Alternatively, dial 0333 338 1001 from any other phone. You'll need to call during Three's opening hours (Monday-Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday 9am-6pm).
Here are some key things to know:
- The PAC Code from Three should consist of six numbers with HTG at the start (e.g. HTG 123 456).
- Your PAC Code is valid for 30 days. If you don't use it during this time, the PAC Code will expire and you'll need to request a new one.
- You shouldn't close your account at Three: it'll be closed automatically when your phone number is transferred to Vodafone.
Still in contract with Three? If so, you may need to pay an early exit fee on your bill from Three. To find out how much this would be, text INFO followed by your date of birth in DDMMYY format to 85075.
Don’t want to keep your Three phone number? You can switch to Vodafone without taking your phone number with you. If you'd like to do this, get a STAC Code from Three instead.
Three STAC Code (Leave Three Without Keeping Your Number)
If you’d like to leave Three without keeping your phone number, you’ll need to request a STAC Code rather than a PAC Code. There are three ways to get a STAC Code from Three:
- Online: You can get a STAC Code from Three by logging in to the My3 Account website.
- By Text Message: You can get a Three STAC Code sent to you via SMS text message. Text STAC followed by your date of birth in DDMMYY format to 75075 to receive a STAC Code from Three.
- By Phone: You can get a STAC Code by calling Three. Call them on 333 using your Three handset. Alternatively, dial 0333 338 1001 from any other phone. You'll need to call during Three's opening hours (Monday-Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday 9am-6pm).
Once you’ve gotten your STAC Code from Three, the rest of the process for joining Vodafone remains the same.
Step 2: Order your new phone or SIM card from Vodafone's website
You should now order your new phone or SIM card using the Vodafone website. Please select the type of tariff you're intending to move to:
If you're looking for a SIM card from Vodafone, the following deals from £7/month are currently most popular:
| Network | Data | Monthly Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6GB data | £7.00 per month 12 month contract Monthly cost will rise each April by £1 | See deal |
| 40GB data | £8.00 per month 12 month contract Monthly cost will rise each April by £1 | See deal |
| 60GB data | £10.00 per month 12 month contract Monthly cost will rise each April by £1 | See deal |
| Unlimited data 100Mbps max speed | £23.00 per month 24 month contract Monthly cost will rise each April by £1.80 | See deal |
For a full list of available tariffs and the latest Vodafone deals, please refer to this page on Vodafone's website.
Alternatively, if you're getting your Vodafone plan from a reseller, tap on their logo for more information:
Vodafone will assign you with a temporary phone number during the transition process. This will allow you to test out the service before you finally transfer your phone number to Vodafone.
Step 3: Give the PAC Code to Vodafone
Once your new phone or SIM card arrives from Vodafone, switch it on and make sure everything's working properly. If, for whatever reason, you need to return or change the handset or SIM card, it's best to do this before transferring your phone number.
Once you're happy to continue with the phone number transfer, contact Vodafone and provide them with your PAC Code from Three.
Your PAC Code should be entered on Vodafone's online form. Alternatively, you can give the PAC Code to Vodafone by calling 191 on your Vodafone handset. You can also call 03333 040 191 from any other phone.
If you have a STAC Code from Three rather than a PAC Code, this can be provided to Vodafone in the exact same way.
Remember:
- You must provide the PAC Code to Vodafone within 30 days of it being issued by Three. If the PAC Code has already expired, you'll need to return to step 1 and request a new PAC Code from Three.
- Three Pay As You Go customers: Try to use up your remaining credit as it can't be transferred to Vodafone.
Step 4: Phone Number Transferred (Next Working Day)
As long as you've submitted your PAC Code to Vodafone before 5pm, your phone number transfer will normally be scheduled for the next working day (Monday to Friday only, excluding English bank holidays). After 5pm, you'll need to wait one extra working day for your number to be transferred.
On the day of the transfer, you'll momentarily lose coverage on both mobile networks. When this happens, restart your handset on Vodafone. You should find that the Vodafone phone or SIM card will now associated with your original phone number.
- If you see an error message (e.g. "SIM card registration failed"), this means it's time to restart your phone.
- Once the phone number has been transferred to Vodafone, your account on Three will automatically be closed. You'll receive a final bill from Three for any outstanding charges.
Get the Latest Deals from Vodafone →
Any Other Questions?
In case of any problems during the transfer of your phone number, you should contact your new mobile network (Vodafone) with details of the problem.
If you have any other questions on using a PAC Code, please see my in-depth guide to transferring your phone number between networks. You can also read the comments below from other visitors to this website.
← Full Article: "PAC Codes - How to transfer your mobile number when switching networks"
Seyed Yamani said:
Hi
I have been with “Three network” for more than two years, my contract has been over in January 2020 but you are still charging me like before. Now for personal reason, I want to switch from Three to Vodafone, I have spoken to “Three call centre” more than four times in the last 8 days, to asked for the PAC number and the guys very time told me you have got PAC number between 24 hours or 48 hours, but now after 8 days, I have got nothing that is not legal. The last person I was speaking to on 23/08/2020 Sunday afternoon his name is “SUHEB”. Unfortunately, I am still waiting for this number!!!! Three customer service is very disappointed and is not reliable.
Please Please..! give me the PAC number ASAP so that I can at least leave Three with a good memory.
Kind Regards,
Seyed Yamani
Ken replied:
Hi Seyed,
Thanks for your comment. This is a third-party website so I don’t represent Three and cannot answer on their behalf. However, is there a reason you’re unable to get your PAC Code via text message or through Three’s website/mobile application? You can get a PAC Code straight away without needing to talk to a person by texting PAC followed by your date of birth in DDMMYY format to 65075.
Ken
Micha said:
I just renewed, I sign new three contract but still in the 14 days period. Can I move to Vodafone without problem ?
Ken replied:
Hi Micha,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, it should be possible to cancel your contract as a 14-day cancellation. You’ll need to give Three’s customer services team a call on 333 to process this cancellation.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Eiralyn Alcantara said:
Hi, I am Eiralyn. I didn’t know that I my contract renewed because they (three network) didn’t give me any notice that it was nearly ending my contract so it was automatically renewed. Since that happened, I just continued using my phone and date without any knowing that new contract has started. No, I wanted to move to Vodafone but I think I have bill to pay for Three since my contract automatically renewed. What should I do?
Ken replied:
Hi Eiralyn,
Thanks for your comment. At the end of your 24-month contract, your existing price plan will normally continue but on a one-month rolling basis (i.e. it doesn’t automatically renew for a further 24 months). Therefore, you can just follow the normal process for moving from Three to Vodafone without any issues or early termination charges.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Gabriel Mihalea said:
Hi
Mi name is Gabriel and I’m an three network client. I want to switch to Vodafone network but I’m still on contract till 2 September 2020. I don’t know if is possible to switch or I have to wait until my contract expires.
Ken replied:
Hi Gabriel,
Thanks for your comment. You can move to Vodafone whenever you like, but it’s likely you’ll incur an early termination fee as there are still 11 months remaining on your contract. There’s more information here on what this charge is likely to come to (text INFO followed by your date of birth in DDMMYY format to 85075 to find out the exact amount you’d be charged).
Hope this helps,
Ken
jim said:
I’m transferring my number from Three to Vodafone and it’s almost a week since I requested the porting in. I’ve been promised two 3 separate days for the changed and it hasn’t happened. It’s very frustrating because I paying for and carry around two handsets.
Is there anything I can do to force the issue?
Ken replied:
Hi Jim,
Sorry to hear about the problem transferring your phone number from Three to Vodafone. It’s really frustrating when the phone number transfer doesn’t happen as planned, and I can definitely sympathise you in this situation. With regards to getting this moving ASAP, you’ll need to follow it up with Vodafone (the destination mobile network is responsible for actioning the transfer). In the first instance, you should call Vodafone Customer Services on 191 and ask them to check up on the status of the transfer. If you aren’t happy with how they deal with your request, you could then make an official complaint via this link. It can sometimes well be worth making a complaint – you should be given a person who’ll take charge of the issue and who’ll follow it up.
Best of luck,
Ken
Maria zapata said:
I have been waiting for a week to transfer my number to Vodafone from Three. Not only has my old sim card disconnected but also I am not getting incoming calls on the new one. Thanks to this, people can’t reach me and I’m losing revenue as a result.
Vodafone advertises the transfer as a straightforward service but it clearly isn’t when it comes to Vodafone. To make matters worse, getting through to customer service can take several hours… then they say it’s not something they’re able to resolve and to get in touch with the porting department.
The service provided by Vodafone is appalling: I wish I could cancel this contract and I do not recommend Vodafone to anyone.
Tobster said:
Hi. Transferring in UK from 3 (PAYG) to Vodafone (Monthly).
On Vodafone Website, it says the SIM Card needs to be in the UK for the Number to be ported over.
Why is this and will it cause any problems if the SIM isnt in the UK?
Paul said:
Hi I am coming to the end of my Three contract and I was wondering if I could transfer the three number to my Vodafone contract, problem is its 12months in?
Any advise would be really apprechiated!!
Dawn said:
Hi there, my number ported from 3 to Vodafone a few days ago and appeared to be working finely. However, it transpired that I wasn't receiving texts and calls from a friend who is on 3. I turned my old 3 phone on and sure enough I still appear to be connected to 3! At the same time as being connected to Vodafone on the same number! Thought this would be impossible! Any advice greatly appreciated.
Marta said:
Hi Im Marta. My 3 contract will end in 3 months, but Ive decided I will take another contract form vodafone because my 3 reception is terrible. I was just wondering if it is a big problem to transfer my number just after my contract finish lets say i will have 3 months vodafone number and then i will transfer my 3 number ? or can i do it while im also on 3 contract?? its all a bit confusing.