Switching from Contract to PAYG? Help Please!

RooBee

Hi

I am considering cancelling my mobile phone contract and going back to pay-as-you-go. I have had a contract for the best part of 10 years with 02 (through Carphone Warehouse). I have approx. 3 months left to run on my current (18 month) contract.

I recently got a company mobile at work and find myself with not much need for my own mobile. I only use it for a few short calls a week (evenings and weekends mainly) and maybe 100 texts or so a month. I also go abroad a couple of times a year and need to use my phone when travelling.

The only reason I have kept my contract this long is because I didn't want to change my number but someone has told me that I might be able to take my number to PAYG. Is this correct? If so, how do I go about it?

Also, how does PAYG work these days? It's so long since I had one I have no idea about how top ups work etc.

Finally, how do I go about cancelling my contract with Carphone Warehouse?

I know I must sound like a complete numpty but when it comes to mobile phones, I really am!!

allthatmularky

Yes - you can take your number with you - just ring your airtime supplier (Vodafone,O2,etc,etc) and ask for the PAC (porting access code).

They should supply this within hours or a couple of days at most - this is valid for 28 days. You then just need to decide which PAYG supplier you want to use and ring the CS and quote the PAC to transfer the number.

To cancel the contract - ring the CS at the network (Orange,O2, etc) not CPW and you'll need to give 28 days notice.

There are any number of variations on PAYG - the cheapest are around 12-15p a minute x-net - just do some research as to what is best for you.
A lot of these now operate on E topup cards - a swipe card that is debited to add credit.