Temporary Vodafone SIM card and keeping old number....

[PassingCloud]

Does anyone if there's a way of being able to keep your usual phone number when using a temporary sim card? I will get a vodafone sim for the festival because I'm on Three and their signal was atrocious last year. I'd like to keep the same number so I don't have to send out new temporary number to people. 

I've looked at getting the PAC code from Three, but this appears to cancel my three plan when switching to vodafone. I don't want to do that.

TIA.

[Crazyfool01]

24 minutes ago, PassingCloud said:

Does anyone if there's a way of being able to keep your usual phone number when using a temporary sim card? I will get a vodafone sim for the festival because I'm on Three and their signal was atrocious last year. I'd like to keep the same number so I don't have to send out new temporary number to people. 

I've looked at getting the PAC code from Three, but this appears to cancel my three plan when switching to vodafone. I don't want to do that.

TIA.

does your phone have esim or dual sim capability ? 

[PassingCloud]

14 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

does your phone have esim or dual sim capability ? 

No, don't think so anyway. Three don't do e-sim yet. Not sure about dual sim, i'll have to look that up (iPhone 11).

[PassingCloud]

16 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

does your phone have esim or dual sim capability ? 

Actually, looks like I do have dual sim. Don't know a thing about it though!

[Crazyfool01]

Just now, PassingCloud said:

Actually, looks like I do have dual sim. Don't know a thing about it though!

so one line you can have on esim ( virtual sim card ) and one a physical sim ....you will be able to run 2 lines and keep existing sim . and use another as an esim . 

[PassingCloud]

12 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

so one line you can have on esim ( virtual sim card ) and one a physical sim ....you will be able to run 2 lines and keep existing sim . and use another as an esim . 

I’ll still end up with a different number for the Vodafone sim though, right? That’s what I was trying to avoid so as not to have to give all my contacts a new (temporary) phone number. Hope that makes sense? 
 

A friend mentioned using the WhatsApp (the main messaging service I use) migrate function to transfer messages to the new number, but, again, surely I’d still have to give all contacts the new number? 
 

I’ll probably just end up giving out a new number 😅

 

 

[carlosj]

2 hours ago, PassingCloud said:

I’ll still end up with a different number for the Vodafone sim though, right? That’s what I was trying to avoid so as not to have to give all my contacts a new (temporary) phone number. Hope that makes sense? 
 

A friend mentioned using the WhatsApp (the main messaging service I use) migrate function to transfer messages to the new number, but, again, surely I’d still have to give all contacts the new number? 
 

I’ll probably just end up giving out a new number 😅

 

 

You may not need to. I recently ported my number to a new supplier, and posted WhatsApp messages to an existing group as the thread was already on the phone I had the new SIM in, using the new number. I then ported my number back to my first supplier and continued with the WhatsApp thread with no issues. Yeah, the crazy double porting was to get a better deal with Lebara that was only available to new customers so I had to close my contract, begin a new contract elsewhere and then go back to take a new contract to get it. The benefit of rolling 30 day contracts!

[Mr_Grump]

Lebara piggyback Vodafone's network...there's currently an offer where you can get a monthly contract for £1.49 per month (for the first 3 months) for the usual unlimited mins & texts, along with 10gig of 5g data. I'm with O2 and have just signed up to a Lebara sim.

Lebara

As they piggyback Vodafone, you'll get the same coverage as Vodafone customers. All you need to do is cancel the contract afterwards.

I know you'll end up with a second number but you could always check with Three if they can forward your calls to the new number?

Edited May 14, 2023 by Mr_Grump

[jfaragher]

So you can use eSIM with an iPhone 11, but it doesn't have dual physical SIM.

If you just want to use Whatsapp, that doesn't care which number you are actually on, except when setting it up (and periodic checks - keep your main SIM in the back of your case, along with a paperclip, so you can switch back to re-verify if it asks) - so sending Whatsapp messages to you based on your old phone number will come through on the new one.

SMS messaging and calls will only go through to the 'live' SIM, so if you don't have your main SIM in, you won't be able to take calls on your main number.

For eSIM, you can use an app called Holafly (https://esim.holafly.com/esim-united-kingdom/), which will give you a temporary number with Vodafone for data only.  You can have this active for data, and your usual SIM active for calls and texts.  Just remember to set it up before you get to site, as you need an active data service to be able to do this.  Disclaimer - there is a chance toat Vodafone will prioritise their main customers for bandwidth etc (i.e. ones on Vodafone contracts, rather than third parties using their network as a carrier), but I have no idea whether they plan to do this.