Keeping UK mobile number active and roaming while living abroad for 1-2 years

loau

Does anyone know which mobile providers currently allow long-term overseas roaming?

It would be very minimal usage, I mainly just want to make sure I can stay roaming to receive SMS text messages (like the login verification codes banks send) while I'm living abroad.

I'm currently with 3 and they told me roaming gets disabled after 2 months abroad and then the number won't connect again until it's back in the UK. 

So looking for advice from expats and people who spend a lot of time outside the UK, how do you keep your UK number roaming long-term?

I will be moving to Canada (so not EU roaming). 

PHK

I'm not aware of any that (officially) allow long term roaming

It's also worth you being aware that several UK banks took the decision to close accounts of people who move abroad. Which would complicate payments if you can find one.  

ellenvan

I haven't found a UK bank account for non-residents.
Mostly you have to swop to off shore e.g. Jersey or Isle of Man.
No long term roaming plans that I know of either for phones.
Following this thread with interest though, just in case anyone else has.

glennevis

Giffgaff PAYG SIM would work. You would load your account with £10 credit which never expires.

The SIM remains active provided that you use some credit at least once every 6 months, for example by sending a text message (cost from Canada 30p).

 

loau

Wow I had no idea it would be difficult for bank accounts too, I obviously want to keep my UK bank accounts and cards while I'm away too. 

Why are UK banks and mobile providers so harsh about this?

I did 2 years in Australia around 10 years ago and I still have my bank accounts and cards from there (updated with my UK address and tax details, they even send me new cards from Australia to my UK address, for free!!). I also kept my Aussie mobile number roaming in the UK for about 5 years until I decided I didn't need it anymore (because the Australian banks allowed me to put a UK phone number in for SMS!!).  

sgthammer

If you're only moving temporarily, will you still be maintaining a home address in the UK?

You will, won't you?

MyRealNameToo

loau said:

Wow I had no idea it would be difficult for bank accounts too, I obviously want to keep my UK bank accounts and cards while I'm away too. 

Why are UK banks and mobile providers so harsh about this?

I did 2 years in Australia around 10 years ago and I still have my bank accounts and cards from there (updated with my UK address and tax details, they even send me new cards from Australia to my UK address, for free!!). I also kept my Aussie mobile number roaming in the UK for about 5 years until I decided I didn't need it anymore (because the Australian banks allowed me to put a UK phone number in for SMS!!).  

Because they dont have a licence to operate a bank in Canada?

It all came to a head with Brexit when banks and insurers lost their passporting rights across the EU and whilst dealing with that some took the decision to review wider geographical considerations. 

There was debate at the time, certainly in the insurance space, of what we could and couldn't do both with customers that were overseas when they bought the product and those that were in the UK when they bought in and subsequently moved overseas. Universally it was agreed you couldn't sell to people there but was more difficult a question for long term products.  This is where Lloyds of London comes in because the market place is licensed in most of the world and those operating in it can use the markets licence to write business in other countries.

Are you maintaining a UK address? Or have close family that you wouldnt mind them seeing the few letters your bank sends? Most get around the issue by keeping their UK account registered to a UK address. 


On the mobile front, not something I've looked into but O2 had no issues when we were in the americas for 6 months. Similarly wife's PAYG phone had no issues with her being back home for 4 months. 

Murmansk

I have a virtual mobile number with Andrews and Arnold that takes incoming voicemails and texts and forwards them to an email address. It costs about £1.50 per month. I use it to put on my website so I don't have to put my real mobile number but you could get one for your situation assuming you can access email

Frozen_up_north

SMS text messages are not a particularly secure means of confirming a transaction or log-on, even though it is still used by some banks and credit card companies. I would ask your bank(s) about alternatives, such as email or better still using their phone app.
Regarding long term roaming, the O2 Classic PAYG SIM has been used for many months at a time by friends in Spain. But as PHK mentioned, by and large networks are uneasy about long term roaming, while some may leave roamers alone, there is no guarantee that you won’t eventually be cut off by either the home network or the overseas one.

PHK

It's also worthwhile pointing out that you might not be able to receive 2FA texts when overseas anyway. 

It all depends on how the bank/organisation sends them. For security reasons, SOME firms inject the SMS directly into your provider's message centre for direct delivery to your handset. 

In general, texts like appointment reminders  are sent through a  firms message gateway, to their provider's message centre, then to your message centre and if you're abroad to the roaming providers message centre (there might even be an intermediary) .

For something like a security code this adds multiple points of potential weakness. So SOME firms use the direct approach I mentioned above. (Which is why if you port your number sometimes it takes a while before 2FA codes work)