Leaving your number behind

Find out how to switch your services to SMARTY and leave your number behind

Mike avatar
Written by Mike
Updated over a week ago

If you'd like to join SMARTY or have already joined, follow these 3 easy steps to transfer your existing phone number:

That’s it. 😎

Got questions? Fast track to our FAQs.


1. Request a STAC in 60 seconds

  • Text 'STAC' to 75075 for free from your old provider's SIM.

    You may be asked to provide your date of birth to verify the request.

  • You'll be sent a STAC within 60 seconds. 📲

Your provider’s reply must also include important information about any early termination charges or pay-as-you-go credit balances, including any refunds that you may be eligible for.

Please note: If you do not have access to your old SIM, you will need to contact your previous provider to help get your switching information.

Got your STAC? Nice one, you can go to the next step.


2. Enter your STAC and switch to SMARTY

To provide you with the correct switching information, please select one of the options from below. This will provide you with a step-by-step guideline on how to use your STAC to switch to SMARTY and cancel your current number. 👌

I'd like to join SMARTY by leaving my number behind and I have not ordered a SIM or plan yet

  1. To get started, choose the SMARTY plan that you would like to purchase and tap 'Buy Plan'. The full list of plans is available here.

  2. You will now be directed to the Dashboard screen, where you will be asked to enter your details. This will allow us to create your account and help you manage the plan.

  3. Once you have provided the relevant details, before you tap 'Create Account', you will be asked if you would like to bring your number to SMARTY and/or cancel the services with the current provider.

4. By pressing 'Yes', you will be asked to enter the mobile phone number from the current provider.

Please note: if you press 'Maybe later', you can go ahead and create your account without cancelling your services with your current provider. You will be able to do this at a later stage and more information can be found here.

5. Once you have entered your phone number, the system will bring up the PAC/STAC field. Below you can find information on what a PAC/STAC is, and how you can get this information.

6. Now enter the STAC and press 'Check my details', so we can validate the information.

7. IF the information is correct, you will see a message to confirm how many days the STAC is valid for and details on switching your services to SMARTY.

8. To confirm that you have read the switching details, agree to switch your services and move the number to SMARTY, you will need to tick box as per the example below, followed by 'Save and Continue'.

Alternatively, if you'd like to cancel the request, press 'Cancel'.

9. You will now receive a confirmation that we've got your details, as well as information about next steps.

  • Complete your order and wait for your SIM to be delivered.

  • Activate it before (3 working days) the STAC expiry date to ensure the cancellation is successful.

  • Once the SIM is active, we will cancel your number within one working day, unless you choose a different date.

IF you decide to choose a date to port in, click on 'you can choose a date' and the calendar will come up.

Please note that we will only allow you to select a valid date (excl. weekends, public holidays or dates that exceed your PAC/STAC expiry date).

As soon as you have chosen a cancellation date and confirmed it, the switching notification will be updated with the new information.

From here, you need to do is create your account and complete the purchase of your SMARTY plan. At the end, you will receive an order confirmation that will provide more details about the delivery date and confirm the next steps once again.

If you require support, please contact us in the first instance using our web chat at http://smarty.co.uk, or alternatively, you can email us at team@smarty.co.uk.


I have a SMARTY SIM card and I'd like to use it to join and cancel my old number

  1. To get started, you need to follow the activation journey by heading to smarty.co.uk/activate.

  2. Here, you'll need to enter the last 12 digits of your SIM card number and press 'Continue'.

  3. Once you've clicked 'Continue', you will be asked to select a plan. Please note: if the SIM card is prepaid / preloaded, the page will display the credit available. Otherwise, you will need the make the payment at the end based on the plan cost you've selected.

  4. After selecting the plan, you will be directed to enter your details and create an account. Here, you will also see 'Bring your number to SMARTY'. This applies for cancelling the services with your current provider as well.

  5. By pressing 'Yes', you will be asked to enter the mobile phone number from the current provider.

    Please note: if you press 'Maybe later', you can go ahead and create your account without cancelling your services with your current provider. You will be able to do this at a later stage and more information can be found here.

    6. Once you have entered your phone number, the system will bring up the PAC/STAC field. Below you can find information on what a PAC/STAC is, and how you can get this information.

    7. Now enter the STAC and press 'Check my details', so we can validate the information.

    8. IF the information is correct, you will see a message to confirm you entered a STAC and details on switching your services to SMARTY.

    9. To confirm that you have read the switching details, agree to switch your services and move the number to SMARTY, you will need to tick box as per the example below, followed by 'Save and Continue'.

    Alternatively, if you'd like to cancel the request, press 'Cancel'.

    10. You will now receive a confirmation that we've got your details, as well as information about next steps.

    • Complete your order and wait for your SIM to be delivered.

    • Activate it before (3 working days) the STAC expiry date to ensure the cancellation is successful.

    • Once the SIM is active, we will cancel your number within one working day, unless you choose a different date.

    IF you decide to choose a date to port in, click on 'you can choose a date' and the calendar will come up.

    Please note that we will only allow you to select a valid date (excl. weekends, public holidays or dates that exceed your PAC/STAC expiry date).

    As soon as you have chosen a cancellation date and confirmed it, the switching notification will be updated with the new information.

    From here, all you need to do is create your account and complete the purchase of your SMARTY plan. At the end, you will receive an order confirmation that will provide more details about the delivery date and confirm the next steps once again.

    If you require customer support please contact us in the first instance using our web chat at http://smarty.co.uk, or alternatively you can email us at team@smarty.co.uk.


I am already a customer and I'd like to cancel my old number

  1. To get started, you'll need to sign in to your dashboard at smarty.co.uk/dashboard or in the SMARTY app.

  2. Tap on the menu and select 'Account Settings'.

  3. From here, you'll need to tap 'Your phone number'.

  4. At this point, you'll need to enter the phone number that you'd like to leave behind (cancel), followed by the STAC. For more information, press 'What is a PAC/STAC and how do I get it?'.

  5. Once you've entered the phone number and the STAC, you'll see an option to 'Check my details'.

  6. IF the details match, you'll be asked to confirm that you agree to switch your services to SMARTY, and that you've read the relevant information.

  7. Once you've ticked the box, you'll get the option to cancel your number. Alternatively, you can select 'Cancel this request' if you changed your mind.

  8. IF you selected 'Choose a date', you'll see the screen to confirm when you'd like the old number to be cancelled.

  9. Once you tap 'Confirm', the request will be in the system and you'll receive a confirmation that the number will transfer on the chosen date.

Would you like to use the app instead? Find out more here.

If you require customer support please contact us in the first instance using our web chat at http://smarty.co.uk, or alternatively you can email us at team@smarty.co.uk and we can process your request.


How to activate your SMARTY SIM

Simply download our app, log in and hit My SIM arrived or log in to your online account and tap Activate my SIM to begin your billing month and start using your plan.

Activation should happen in just a few minutes but could take up to 2 hours. ⏳

We’ll send you an email when your SIM is activated.


FAQs

Please check the most common questions that we get on switching to SMARTY and keeping the previous number. 👌

When is my old number going to be cancelled?

This should happen within 1 working day (unless you have chosen a date). 📅

Submit your STAC on a business day (Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM) to complete by the end of the next business day. Outside of that, it might take an extra business day, or longer if it's a Bank Holiday.

For example, if you submit your STAC to us on a Tuesday at 3pm, your services will be transferred to SMARTY and the previous number will be cancelled by the end of the next day.

But if you submit your STAC to us on a Thursday at 7pm, your number will not switch and get cancelled until the following Monday (providing it's not a Bank Holiday). 🙌

I've entered my PAC/STAC or existing number incorrectly? 😣

Don't worry, if your PAC/STAC and mobile number don't match, the system will recognize this and give you an error message when you enter your switching details. Please see the example below.

My old number hasn't been cancelled yet?

If it was due complete today, please allow until the end of the day for this to complete.

For customer support please contact us in the first instance using our web chat where we are available 7 days a week between 8AM - 8PM, or alternatively you can email us at team@smarty.co.uk and someone will reply within 24 hours.

If your transfer hasn't happened on the date we provided you or there has been a delay and it is our fault, you may be entitled for an automatic compensation. You can find out more by clicking here.

Can I bring over or cancel my older number at a later point? 🤔

Of course! You’ll automatically get a brand new SMARTY number when you join. You can start using this number as soon as you activate your SMARTY SIM.

The option to enter your PAC/STAC to transfer a previous number will remain available to you from your account settings, however, if you’re not using that previous number it may expire.

I'm having issues getting my SIM to work?

First, try restarting your device if you haven't already. We know it's old school, but it tends to resolve most issues.

Second, try these handy steps 👉 here.

Still need support? Get in touch so our Customer Care Team can help.


  • My iPhone is displaying the wrong number when texting/calling?

  1. Go to Settings > Phone > My Number, and make sure the right number is showing. If it isn't, please update the number.

  2. Go to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive and tick/untick the correct number

    The same process is for Facetime.

  3. Go to General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

  4. Restart your device.


  • My Android is displaying the wrong number when texting/calling?

We have a few things to try for Android devices, check them out below:

  1. Go to Settings > About Phone > My Number and edit to the correct one

  2. Go to Contacts > 'Me' or 'My Card' and edit the number to the correct one

  3. Reset Network settings - go to Settings > General Management > Reset > Reset network settings

    (Note: This won't delete any personal data such as photos, contacts etc, but you may need to re-enter Wi-Fi passwords again for saved connections)

    If your device still continues to display the incorrect number, we recommend contacting the manufacturer who can advise further. Alternatively, completing a factory reset is a known fix, however, be sure to back up your data first as it will erase all content from the device.

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