Upgrading to a new handset or SIM card on Vodafone? You won't need a PAC Code to keep your current phone number.
Step 1: Order your new phone or SIM card from Vodafone's website
As you're staying on Vodafone, it's not necessary to obtain a PAC Code. Instead, you can process your phone number transfer internally inside of Vodafone.
Start by ordering 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 |
| 200GB data | £28.00 per month 24 month contract Monthly cost will rise each April by £1.80 | See deal |
| Unlimited data 10Mbps max speed | £30.00 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.
Alternatively, if you're upgrading your Vodafone plan through a reseller, tap on their logo for more information:
Step 2: Contact Vodafone To Transfer Your Phone Number
After receiving your new phone or SIM card, please contact Vodafone to transfer your phone number to the new plan. You can do this by calling 191 from your Vodafone handset. Alternatively, dial 03333 040 191 from any other phone.
You can contact Vodafone at any time during their opening hours:
| Monday - Friday | 8am - 9pm |
|---|---|
| Saturday | 8am - 9pm |
| Sunday | 8am - 9pm |
View 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"
Anthea Williams said:
Hi Ken I hope you can advise me. I have bought a new phone through Mobiles.co.uk. I am leaving Vodaphone and have been given PAC number. The network for the new phone is again Vodaphone. Could you explain to me the procedure for keeping my number using the PAC code as seems convoluted. Many thanks
Ken replied:
Hi Anthea,
Thanks for your comment. Technically speaking, you would have signed up again as a new Vodafone customer via Mobiles.co.uk, as opposed to an upgrading as an existing Vodafone customer. Therefore, you may need to transfer out to another network, before moving your phone number from that network back to Vodafone. You can order a free Pay As You Go SIM card for this purpose (e.g. from giffgaff) and follow the step-by-step instructions in our PAC Code Finder.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Bob replied:
Text PAC to 65075. Ring 191 from your new mobile and give them your PAC code. (the PAC code is good for 30 days)
Jacek replied:
There is an additional problem with a phone locked to Vodafone if you want to make this trick: Vodafone PAC>giffgaffPAC>Vodafone.It’s necessary to unlock the phone first.
Lorraine said:
Hi Ken,
I would be so grateful if you or anyone can help with this scenario I am experiencing with Vodafone. I am changing my contract provider (from Vodafone to mobiles.co.uk) but keeping the same network provider (currently Vodafone). I have spent over 2 hours simply asking for them to cancel my contract with them and provide me with a pac code so I am able to keep my number and use my new phone but they have told me I will need to see out my 30 day cancellation period and only then can I apply, using a form from Vodafone, for my pac code. After submitting this ‘form’ I will then have to wait further for them to issue me with the pac code. They have refused to issue me with a pac code now and have told me I will not be able to use my current sim in my new phone so I cannot use my new phone until after this 30 day period. During this conversation, which was in a Vodafone chat so I have been able to print the full discussion, they obviously tried to make me stay with them by offering a more costly contract (but so much better because going with a third party will cause me no end of problems) and I point blank refused. They continued with this line of pressure sell or the world will blow up many times after I said no. It was then they refused to give me a pac code number. Is this standard practice if you are staying with the same network but different contract provider or can I simply text 65075 and do it that way without being blackmailed from a sales advisor because I don’t want to renew my contract with them? I like the Vodafone network coverage but not them as a provider as I have had serious problems from with my sons contract that ended up with a higher authority so as a contract provider, they are appalling.
Thankyou for any help
Ken replied:
Hi Lorraine,
Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, networks like Vodafone really don’t like you to sign up for their subsidised “new customer deals” on retailers like Mobiles.co.uk. This is because they make a lot less money from them, and they have to pay out a commission to the other retailer for acquiring a new customer (which they believe they already own the relationship with). This is the reason they aren’t offering you the same deal through their direct upgrades channel.
Sadly, the PAC Code process and all of the legal entitlements around that only apply when you’re moving from one mobile network to another. It doesn’t apply to upgrades or tariff changes on the same network. One way to get around this is by porting out to another network, and then immediately back in from that network to Vodafone. You can get a free Pay As You Go SIM card (e.g. from ASDA Mobile) for that purpose. With text to switch, it should actually be fairly straightforward to do this, as you just need to send a text message on each network. Unless you do that, your only other option is asking Vodafone to move you over internally, but it sounds like they’re not very keen to play ball…
Ken
Kim replied:
Did this work for you? I’m in the same position. And did they make you give 30 days notice?
Natasha Kingham said:
I have a Vodafone payg account but I want to change it to a monthly business account and keep my number. How do I do that?
Ken replied:
Hi Natasha,
Thanks for your comment. There are two ways you really do this:
(1) You can port your phone number out to a free Pay As You Go SIM card on a different mobile network. Once you’ve done that, you can port your phone number back in to your Vodafone Business contract.
(2) If you want to avoid doing that, you should get in touch with Vodafone Customer Services to see if they’re able to do it for you directly. Unfortunately, I’m not quite sure how it works for consumer plan to business plan transfers, so this is probably something you’ll need to discuss directly with them. Generally, for a consumer plan to consumer plan transfer, this should be pretty straightforward (albeit, you might not be able to get the full range of new customer deals).
Hope this helps,
Ken
Antony Cook said:
I have bought a new phone I would like to keep the number from my old phone. Both phones are Vodafone Pay as you go. How do I go about this.
Ken replied:
Hi Antony,
The best way to do this is by calling Vodafone Customer Services on 191. They should be able to arrange it for you.
Ken
Chris said:
I have 2x Vodafone SIMs (1x PAYG and 1x Monthly Contract) can I transfer my number from the PAYG SIM to the monthly SIM?
Ken replied:
Hi Chris,
Vodafone should be able to do this for you, without the need for you to request a PAC Code. If you give their customer services team a call (dial 191 from your Vodafone handset), they should be able to arrange this for you.
Hope this helps,
Ken
jill Piper said:
I have been paying my bill to vodafone for some years now. I received a phone call to tell me that my contract was up for renewal (which was confirmed at a Vodafone shop). When I tried to upgrade I find I am with one-com. How do I get a pac code from them so that I can stay with Vodafone alone and use their shops to upgrade? Will I have to wait for a code (ie can I do it in a vodafone shop) and is it best to do it on a weekday in normal working hours?
Ken replied:
Hi Jill,
Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, I’m not aware of Onecom or their internal processes, so your best bet would probably be to contact them through this page if it isn’t possible to upgrade directly through Vodafone.
Ken
Simon said:
Hi Ken, I have a Vodafone pac code and want to give this to my daughter so she can get her own SIMO contract now she has started working. (It is her number but I have been paying for the contract in my name) Am I correct in think that she cannot use this with a new Vodafone contract as it would be with the same network? Assuming this is the case if she gets a PAYG sim from another network and transfers the number to that can she then get a pac code from that network without waiting 30 days? She can the port the number back to Vodafone.
Ken replied:
Hi Simon,
Thanks for your comment. There’s no technical reason why Vodafone can’t transfer your daughter’s phone number into the new contract which is in her own name. As you say, however, the staff in customer services will probably be reluctant to do this. My recommendation, in the first instance, would be to discuss your situation with customer services and to see whether you’re able to transfer the number over directly. If this isn’t successful, then you can of course order a free Pay As You Go SIM card from another network, transferring your number there and back.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Stevie said:
Hi Ken, I have moved a vodafone payg sim to a new smartphone. It picks up the vodafone network and connects to it for a short while but will not allow calls or texts. The connection is then dropped and it won’t reconnect to vodafone. Sim works ok back in the old phone but gets a text from vodafone saying that settings need to be updated. Then a text arrives into which I put an authorisation code. Another text arrives saying that settings have been updated. I put the sim back in the new phone and again I get connection for a short while but no calls or texts, then it loses connection and the I go around in circles. Any ideas? I have swapped this sim to new phones in the past without any problems….
Stevie replied:
As an update I have just tried a new vodafone payg sim in the new phone and it all works ok. Looks like the old sim is the problem and will probably be easier to change my number to the new sim.
Ken replied:
Hi Stevie,
Thanks for your update! As you say, this problem is normally caused by a faulty or malfunctioning SIM card. You can ask Vodafone to give you a replacement SIM card for free or you can ask them to move your current phone number over to the new SIM card 🙂
Ken
Stevie replied:
Yes, I think you are right. One way or another it is new sim time. Also I notice the new sims have a micro sim ready to pop out for when I change phone again.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. 🙂
D drury said:
I am at my wits end after 4 hours on the phone to vodaphone!!! I want to put my wife’s number on to my vodaphone business account . She is a vodaphone account holder customer at the end of a 24 month contract . She’s been quoted £40 odd to get a PUC
I can’t transfer for 30 days …she’s been told to get a pay as you go for 30 days !!
I am being told different things on every call . Can someone please help
Nikkii said:
Hi
Not sure if it's been asked previously! I have taken out a new contract with vodafone and have an existing contract with them also! I would like to take my old number with me but vodafone will not do that! Can I port the number to a payg sim on another network and then port it back to Vodafone? I really don't want to lose the number! Please help?
Ken replied:
Hi Nikkii,
This should be possible – yep! However if you speak to Vodafone Customer Services and ask them to escalate the issue, I would have thought they could do this for you more easily?
Ken
Andy said:
Hi, I am due for an upgrade with vodaphone and am after an iphone 4s which I can get for free from another supplier but on a vodaphone contract. Trouble is that I must keep my number as I use it for my business and the website are telling me that I cannot keep my number! Can I make them use my pac code to keep my number? As I said I MUST keep my number so have to be 100% sure before I commit to a new deal!
thanks
Andy
Ken replied:
Hi Andy,
I believe the proper way to go is through Vodafone as an upgrade. Obviously as an upgrading customer, that means you won't get the same deals as a new customer would. You could call Vodafone customer services and ask them to move your number between accounts (other mobile operators such as O2 can do it with ease). Worse case scenario, it's possible to port out to another network and then port back in. You can get a free SIM card for this purpose.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Staceyy said:
Hi everyone, wounder if any could help me??? i have taken out a new contract on the internet (dial a phone) i was with vodafone previously but they couldnt offer a good deal on a blackberry torch so i got one through dial a phone… because its classed as a new connection although the network is still going to be vodafone, i just want to know how i would keep my exsiting number as i wouldnt need a PAC code as i am staying with the same network???
HOPE SOMEONE CAN HELPP!! 🙂 x x
Alan White said:
I have pay as you go on Vodafone. I know what to do to transfer the number to another phone but can I transfer the credit since I would still be on the same vodafone tarrif?
Ken replied:
Hi Alan,
Vodafone customer services might be able to do this for you if you ask them but I'm not 100% sure what their official policy is.
Ken