Moving overseas for 1 year, want to keep number!

packeted

Hi there guys,

My girlfriend is about to move to Germany for a year. She'll be coming back for occasional holidays and would like to keep her mobile number and ideally leave it on overseas to collect texts and use it when she comes back for the odd weekend.

She's currently on Three, they've switched her to an £8/month contract but just wondering if there are any more cost effective options out there? Are there any PAYG providers out there who allow you to receive texts abroad and top up infrequently?

Cheers!

Oscar_The_Grouch

Yes. All of them. If your GF is in the middle of a contract, there's nothing you can do until that contract ends. Once she's out of contract, all of the UK networks will let you receive text messages from overseas.

If you want to top up a tenner and hope to keep it for as long as possible, try Virgin. They have no expiry on their top ups.

Exhortation

Move to PAYG at the earliest opportunity, PAC the number and then just send the odd text to keep the number valid (one every 5-6 months should do it). I think that should work. I'm sure someone will put me right if it isn't.

Jamjaw

Everyone thing people have posted seem right. Just to point out, giffgaff credit does not expire too. Need to use the phone once every six months, but that is all to ensure you get to keep the number. If she is coming hom every so often, she should be able to do that ok!

Is she going on a year abroad for uni by any chance? Seems like that kind of time of the year again! I did mine a few years ago and it was great!

packeted

Thanks for the advice guys....

Went with T-mobile in the end as they have a good German presence. They all seem to offer the same deal - 14ppm to receive, 34ppm to make calls, free to receive texts. Credit expires after 180 days...

She's off to do a one year MBA, yep that time of year!