How to Switch Mobile Networks - SWITCHING TO SIM Only- FEB 28th 2009
The good thing about mobile phone providers is that they are always bringing out new deals which means it is almost always possible to attain a better deal which will save you money on your mobile phone bills throughout the year.
Your Mobile Phone Usage
Before you contact new providers or consider changing to a new provider, you need to work out your mobile phone usage pattern. To do this, you should sit down with your monthly mobile phone bills and work out how many texts you use, phone calls you make, how many times you use your voicemail service and how much data you use or how much internet time you use. You should also look at the times you make the most calls and workout whether you use it more at peak times or off peak, as this can significantly affect how much you will pay and which providers deal will be best suited to you. Once you have worked this out you will have a pretty good idea of the requirements you will be looking for from your new provider.
When making initial enquiries, a good place to start is to use one of the many price comparison websites like SIM Only Contracts for SIM Only Deals. There are several sites which deal exclusively with mobile phones and they are very useful as you can type in all your requirements and the best providers for you will be chosen.
The Switching Process
The first thing you need to do if you already have a monthly phone contract, is to call your current provider and inform them that you want to switch to a new provider. They should then provide you with a PAC code which you will need to give to your new provider in order for them to accept you as a new customer. The PAC code will only be valid for 30 days so you must be sure to give it to a new provider within that time limit. When you call to cancel the operator will, most likely, offer you many deals and better tariffs in order to get you to stay with the company. You should listen to them carefully, unless you have had bad experiences with the company and want to leave for that reason, because they may offer you just the deal you were looking for. If you are determined to leave, just get the PAC code and hang up.
Once you have found the right provider for you, who offers you the right text and call quota at the right time, you should give them your PAC code and then you should receive your new SIM Only and/or mobile phone within 5 days.
It is very convenient for most people to keep their old mobile number when changing provider, as it saves time having to give all your contacts your new number. It is fairly easy to do this providing you are no longer locked into a contract, which makes it more difficult. You need to tell your new provider you would like to do this and they will switch or port it to your new phone and/or SIM. It takes up to 14 days but you can have a temporary number in the mean time.
Compare SIM Only Contracts
