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Keeping your number

Keep your old number and bring it over to SMARTY

Written by Casey

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. 😎

Check out our 'How to' video or follow the written steps below.

Got questions? Fast track to our FAQs.


1. Request a PAC in 60 seconds

  • Text 'PAC' to 65075 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 PAC 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 PAC? Nice one, you can go to the next step.


2. Enter your PAC to start your transfer

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 PAC and bring your old number SMARTY. 👌

I'd like to join SMARTY with the previous number 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.

A screen asking “Bring your number to SMARTY” with radio options Yes or Maybe later, and a disabled Create account button below.

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 bringing your number over. You will be able to do this at a later stage and more information can be found in this here.

A screen asking “Bring your number to SMARTY” with radio options Yes or Maybe later, and a disabled Create account button below.

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.

A form screen titled “Bring your number to SMARTY” with Yes selected, a confirmed +44 phone number field, and a field to enter a PAC/STAC code, plus a link explaining what it is.

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

A “Bring your number to SMARTY” form with the phone number and PAC/STAC code confirmed, a Check my details button, and a disabled Create account button below.

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

A “Bring your number to SMARTY” form showing a confirmed phone number and PAC/STAC code, a note that the code is valid for a limited time, and a prompt to read and agree to switching details before creating an account.

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'.

A “Bring your number to SMARTY” form with the phone number and PAC/STAC code confirmed, a checked agreement box, and Save and continue and Cancel buttons.

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 PAC expiry date.

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

A confirmation screen titled “We’ve got your details!” explaining the number transfer steps, with a timeline of what happens next and a Create account button at the bottom.

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).

A “Bring your number to SMARTY” screen showing a calendar to choose a transfer date, with a warning that the date cannot be changed later and a Confirm button below.

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

A confirmation screen titled “We’ve got your details!” explaining the next steps to transfer a number on a chosen date, with a simple timeline and a Create account button at the bottom.

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


I have a SMARTY SIM card and I'd like to use it to join and keep my existing 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'.

    A SMARTY SIM activation screen prompting users to log in or enter the last 12 digits of their SIM number to 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.

  4. After selecting the plan, you will be directed to enter your details and create an account. Here, you will also see the option to keep your existing number.

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 bringing your number over. You will be able to do this at a later stage and more information can be found in this here.

A screen asking “Bring your number to SMARTY” with radio options Yes or Maybe later, and a disabled Create account button below.

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.

A form screen titled “Bring your number to SMARTY” with Yes selected, a confirmed +44 phone number field, and a field to enter a PAC/STAC code, plus a link explaining what it is.

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

A “Bring your number to SMARTY” form with the phone number and PAC/STAC code confirmed, a Check my details button, and a disabled Create account button below.

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

A “Bring your number to SMARTY” form with the phone number and PAC/STAC code confirmed, a checked agreement box, and Save and continue and Cancel buttons.

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'.

A “Bring your number to SMARTY” form with the phone number and PAC/STAC code confirmed, a checked agreement box, and Save and continue and Cancel buttons.

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 PAC expiry date.

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

Confirmation screen showing "We have got your details!" with "What's next?" steps.

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).

A “Bring your number to SMARTY” screen showing a calendar to choose a transfer date, with a warning that the date cannot be changed later and a Confirm button below.

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

Confirmation screen showing "We have got your details!" with "What's next?" steps.

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 and we can process the request for you.


I am already a customer and I'd like to transfer my number to SMARTY

  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'.

    A SMARTY app menu panel listing options like Dashboard, Account settings, Payment history, Usage history, Add a SIM, Support, and Log out, with App Store and Google Play download buttons at the bottom.

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

    An Account settings page in the SMARTY app showing options like Manage plan, Payment settings, Your phone number, Contact preferences, and Content & network settings, with a link to edit personal details at the top.

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

    A SMARTY screen titled “Your phone number” with fields to enter a +44 phone number and a PAC/STAC code, plus a help link explaining what the code is.

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

    A SMARTY screen titled “Your phone number” showing confirmed +44 phone number and PAC/STAC code, with Check my details and Cancel this request buttons.

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

    A SMARTY “Your phone number” screen showing a confirmed +44 phone number and PAC/STAC code, a note that the code is valid for a limited time, and a prompt to read switching details, with Read the details and Cancel this request options.

  7. Once you've ticked the box, you'll get the option to bring your number to SMARTY and choose a date.

    Alternatively, you can select 'Cancel this request' if you changed your mind.

    A SMARTY “Your phone number” screen showing a confirmed +44 phone number and PAC/STAC code, a checked agreement box, and buttons for Bring my number, Choose a date, and Cancel this request.

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

    A SMARTY “Choose a date” screen showing a calendar with November 17 selected, a warning that the date cannot be changed, and Confirm and Go back buttons at the bottom.

  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.

    A confirmation banner reading “Transfer queued!”, stating the phone number will be transferred to SMARTY by the end of the selected day, with a small SIM‑card illustration above the text.

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 and we can process your request.


FAQs

When will my number transfer?

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

Submit your PAC on a business day (Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM) for your transfer 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 PAC to us on a Tuesday at 3pm, your number will transfer by the end of Wednesday.

But if you submit your PAC to us on a Thursday at 7pm, your number won't transfer until the following Monday (providing it's not a Bank Holiday). 🙌

I've entered my PAC or existing number incorrectly 😭

Don't worry, if your PAC 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.

A “Bring your number to SMARTY” screen showing Yes selected, a +44 phone number entered, and a PAC/STAC code flagged with an error message saying the code cannot be verified right now.

When will I know my number has transferred to SMARTY?

We’ll send you an email and a text to your SMARTY SIM when your number transfer has gone through. 📨

You'll also lose service on your old SIM when your transfer has completed, this is when you can insert your SMARTY SIM and start using your number with us.

Will I still have service whilst my number transfers? 📡

On the day your number transfer is due to complete, you may experience a little downtime, so don't worry if you lose signal or are unable to make a call, send a text or use data. This is perfectly normal and only temporary. 📶

My number hasn't transferred yet, help! 😱

If your number transfer is due to complete today, please allow until the end of the day for this to complete.

If it's still not completed, 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 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.

When should I insert my SMARTY SIM?

Once you've submitted your PAC, you can continue using your previous SIM until your old provider cancels your services with them, or wait until you receive an email from us to confirm that your transfer has gone through.

At that point, pop your SMARTY SIM in, give your device a restart and you should be good to go! 💃

Can I bring my number over 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.

I'm having issues getting my SIM to work after my transfer

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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