Lebara customer wants new Lebara tariff - can I keep my number?

gelato_cat

I signed up for an MSE Lebara SIM-only monthly tariff a couple of years ago.  I still have it, and I want to change it now, to a Lebara tariff that gives me more data for the same money.

How do I achieve this, while keeping my phone number?  Has anyone here tried it?

I have switched off the auto-renew on my currrent tariff as a first step.  My current month ends on 23rd August.  I was then going to buy the new tariff and select "existing Lebara SIM" (instead of "new Lebara SIM").

If I do this before my current month expires, will the new tariff / plan just supercede the old one on the same phone number and SIM?

Or do I need to wait until the existing month expires, so that I don't have two plans running at the same time?

Or do I need to port my number out and port back to Lebara again?

Thanks in advance.

dc_scotland

Hi Suzey, I have done it several times.  It is a simple process, pretty much as you have described in your third paragraph.  No porting required.  Lebara usually send an email each month stating date and time the current package will expire/auto renew. Just buy the new package in advance of that date and time.  If you don't usually get those emails and are unsure of the time on the 23rd, then do it on 22nd instead.  Auto renew usually disables on the old package as soon as it is activated on the new package, but I see you have disabled it already.  This is the page I use for latest deals:
https://mobile.lebara.com/gb/en/search/?sort=price-asc&q=exclusive:relevance&show=Page#

gelato_cat

Thanks, @dc_scotland!

I do receive the e-mails, so I can gauge it from there.  I will double-check, but it's around 9am.

Just wondering too - if I don't buy the new package before the old one expires, do I lose my number?  Or do I just get put onto some sort of Lebara PAYG tariff with my existing phone number?

(Asking in case I forget to buy the new package in time!)

savergrant

Suzey said:

Thanks, @dc_scotland!

I do receive the e-mails, so I can gauge it from there.  I will double-check, but it's around 9am.

Just wondering too - if I don't buy the new package before the old one expires, do I lose my number?  Or do I just get put onto some sort of Lebara PAYG tariff with my existing phone number?

(Asking in case I forget to buy the new package in time!)

Hi. If you don't buy a package your sim will simply revert to pay as you go, if you have a credit balance or autotopup enabled (make sure it isn't) you will be charged 25p per minute for calls. Your phone will stay active for months without buying a pack.

gelato_cat

Thanks, @savergrant

I'm thinking I might leave a gap after this next month's and only buy a new package when I need it, to be truly moneysaving...

Also, I have £7 of credit on my Lebara account and no idea how it got there - I've never done auto PAYG topups, I've only ever had a monthly SIM with them.  Can I use it to buy a new pack?

savergrant

Lebara have an option to buy a pack using account credit but with lower allowances;
https://mobile.lebara.com/gb/en/buywithcredit
Also worth remembering your month is actually 29 full days plus what's left of the day when you buy the plan, so if you can wait until after midnight you will gain an extra day. Incoming calls and texts will work fine.

gelato_cat

Ah yes.  No idea where the credit came from, but might as well use it for either a lower-allowance package or for PAYG, because I assume it will just sit there otherwise.

My old plan expired on 23rd August, and I bought the new pack on that day at about 12.15am.  When I log in, it says my plan renews on 22nd September (so expires on 21st September), which tracks with what you say