Best service provider for short term PAC transfer?

Postcard

Hello.

I'm currently on a Three contract which ends next week. I've requested a PAC in the hope they offer me a better deal, if not, I'll be signing up to Three again as a new customer.

As you cant use the PAC for the same provider I'm looking for a PAYG with the least terms to transfer to and then back to Three.

I've read that Virgin don't require any topups on the sim and have no minimum period to wait before requesting a PAC from them. Is this true?

Thanks

rev_henry

I did exactly the same thing you wanted to about 18 months ago now. I simply ported my number onto a free orange PAYG sim I had lying around, then immediately ported it off this back onto three. Virgin and Orange give out free sims fairly readily, and come with credit so no need to top up.

thor

I have just done this with my O2 number. It has been transferred onto a virgin payg sim which has a few pounds worth of credits on. What I want to know: If you are transferring the number off the virgin sim then what happens to the unused credit on it? Will the sim return to it's original number and continue on as if nothing had ever happened?

RJharrow

any unused credits will be gone after porting, that's what I was told before when I asked for my PAC code... so better use all credits before porting..

rev_henry

RJ is correct, as the sim which the number was ported off will simply die.

Postcard

Thanks for the advice. I ported my number from Three to Virgin which they said should take 2 working days. Will have to find out if it's as easy to transfer out from Virgin..

thor

I suspected that the virgin sim would become useless after porting and now that it is confirmed I will probably just get another contract with a new number and keep my old number with the payg sim(There is 4 quid on it and I can easily not use it for a very long time).

rev_henry

thor wrote: »

I suspected that the virgin sim would become useless after porting and now that it is confirmed I will probably just get another contract with a new number and keep my old number with the payg sim(There is 4 quid on it and I can easily not use it for a very long time).

Just be aware that you must use the sim in some way once every 180 days or it will die.

thor

yeah I know about that. I have already had the card for around that period and make a call every so often to keep it alive. I have got enough credit left to maintain my schedule for a few years yet.