Hi, firstly my apologies if this has already been touched upon. My network provider Vodafone has terminated my mobile line today without notification. I’ve been in France since Nov 2020 and I had to use chat on my laptop using my wife’s wi-fi to contact them. After being referred to 3 different people I was told I would have to go back to the UK to get it activated, are they having a laugh! I need a uk number for my internet banking so does anyone know of a network provider that can do this. Thanks
UK mobile phone terminated
Stemeypants
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OK and thanks to everyone.
Yes, normally resident in GB.
I won't tamper with anything at the moment.
But perhaps others will know about UK numbers for SMS confirmations from institutions.
I would not want to phone from the German mobile.
I have three basic PAYG mobiles but these are only used for phoning from the supermarket ... when I need to ask exactly what it is that I've been sent out to buy.
P
Yes, normally resident in GB.
I won't tamper with anything at the moment.
But perhaps others will know about UK numbers for SMS confirmations from institutions.
I would not want to phone from the German mobile.
I have three basic PAYG mobiles but these are only used for phoning from the supermarket ... when I need to ask exactly what it is that I've been sent out to buy.
P
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492 Posts
Our U.K. bank, Natwest, has recently informed us that it will no longer send codes by SMS to non U.K. numbers, bit of a ****** but then we only use it to order kindle books.
You could try the Vyke app. They say it works on on phones or tablets, not sure about laptops. Their helpdesk is very responsive. £16/year to transfer your UK number to them and then you can receive calls and texts, and make cheap calls. No roaming fees
Beginning to think the idea of using a German mobile for SMS confirmation from UK institutions is a non-starter.
Although I detest smartphones, I do have an iPad (not with a phone capability but just WIFI). So if I can get SMS confirmations via my iPad, the Vyke app would be VG. However, I'm not clear about, "£16/year to transfer your UK number to them and then you can receive calls and texts, and make cheap calls." So perhaps I would first have to "own" the existing mobile number - the number that was issued by the UK provider. I think this is what people do when they want to transfer their existing mobile number to a different provider. I've heard there is something called a "PAC" that enables such transfers.
There was a time when you could identify a provider by a number - one prefix for EE, another for Vodafone and so on. But if people are transferring their number, I guess this is no longer the case.
One other thing: would it matter that the number that I would want to use for Vyke, is currently assigned to a basic mobile and not to a smartphone?
Is anyone on the forum using Vyke in the way that I propose?
P
Although I detest smartphones, I do have an iPad (not with a phone capability but just WIFI). So if I can get SMS confirmations via my iPad, the Vyke app would be VG. However, I'm not clear about, "£16/year to transfer your UK number to them and then you can receive calls and texts, and make cheap calls." So perhaps I would first have to "own" the existing mobile number - the number that was issued by the UK provider. I think this is what people do when they want to transfer their existing mobile number to a different provider. I've heard there is something called a "PAC" that enables such transfers.
There was a time when you could identify a provider by a number - one prefix for EE, another for Vodafone and so on. But if people are transferring their number, I guess this is no longer the case.
One other thing: would it matter that the number that I would want to use for Vyke, is currently assigned to a basic mobile and not to a smartphone?
Is anyone on the forum using Vyke in the way that I propose?
P
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233 Posts
Natwest seems to be OK so far sending messages to my American number.
Hi,
Barclays only send SMS for their online banking app to UK numbers
Barclays only send SMS for their online banking app to UK numbers
Have a look at 1p mobile UKs cheapest PAYG mobile tariff
My friend in Wales rarely uses his mobile and during the pandemic he discovered he had been cut off because he hadn't made or received a call for so long. He absolutely blew a fuse, which he frequently does about things technology-related, and I set myself the task of finding him a mobile operator that he would be happy with, that wouldn't cut him off if he doesn't use his phone from one end of the year to the other and wouldn't get him throwing the phone at the wall because he can't figure out how to top it up.. I came up with 1p mobile, and so far they've done what they said on the tin. This is what they say about roaming:
Roam-like-at-home post Brexit
We're committed to providing our customers with great connectivity and value when they travel overseas. We currently have no plans to change our roaming services across Europe. We will be working closely with the government and other European operators to try and protect the current arrangements so our customers can continue to enjoy EU roaming at UK rates.
Which isn't a promise, but seems about as fair as you can get.
My friend in Wales rarely uses his mobile and during the pandemic he discovered he had been cut off because he hadn't made or received a call for so long. He absolutely blew a fuse, which he frequently does about things technology-related, and I set myself the task of finding him a mobile operator that he would be happy with, that wouldn't cut him off if he doesn't use his phone from one end of the year to the other and wouldn't get him throwing the phone at the wall because he can't figure out how to top it up.. I came up with 1p mobile, and so far they've done what they said on the tin. This is what they say about roaming:
Roam-like-at-home post Brexit
We're committed to providing our customers with great connectivity and value when they travel overseas. We currently have no plans to change our roaming services across Europe. We will be working closely with the government and other European operators to try and protect the current arrangements so our customers can continue to enjoy EU roaming at UK rates.
Which isn't a promise, but seems about as fair as you can get.
Thanks for the tip regarding 1p mobile. That's another option.
But all in all I'm moving towards the Vyke solution.
With regard to Vyke, once you have set this up, will a cheap-and-cheerful mobile still work in the UK? Guess one would not have the phone active when you are out of the UK - in that way you would avoid roaming charges. (Or not?)
P
But all in all I'm moving towards the Vyke solution.
With regard to Vyke, once you have set this up, will a cheap-and-cheerful mobile still work in the UK? Guess one would not have the phone active when you are out of the UK - in that way you would avoid roaming charges. (Or not?)
P
Vyke looks good but it does say FAQ - Vyke
What do I need to use Vyke?
What do I need to use Vyke?
- You need an Android or Apple (iOS) device connected to the internet to use the Vyke app.
Contact Vyke and their very helpful people will answer your questions. You have to contact them to get the annual cost for transferring your UK number onto their system - it isn't listed on their website They told me they get their numbers from Three, but I assume they will still charge you to make calls in the UK.
Thank you for contacting us at Vyke Support.
Yes, we can port UK mobile numbers to Vyke (and give you a PAC code if you want to port away at a later date).
The costs depend a little on what currency you will be assigned based on the SIM card you will be using as your main number, but in GBP it costs £3.99 for one-month, £5.99 for 3-months or £15.99 for 12-months. This is the cost for keeping the number with us, and it is then free to receive all calls and SMS. You can extend the subscription at any time.
To make calls and send SMS is additional, you purchase prepaid credit, and our rates can be found at https://www.vyke.com/rates
To port you need :
1. A Vyke account registered to an active SIM phone number that is not the number to be ported in. So install the Vyke app with the SIM phone number you will be using in your phone. Please do not install Vyke with the number to be ported if you haven't already done so.
2. To have subscribed to a Vyke UK virtual number which will be replaced by the number being ported in.
3. Then let us know:
a. The number being ported in
b. The PAC code from your current mobile operator
c. Confirm the Vyke number to be replaced.
Porting takes up to 2 normal working days, and you will lose service for a short period.
I hope this explains, but please do let us know if you have any questions.
I think the problem with PAGY phones is you have to use them every 3 months or so, and top them up otherwise the service is cancelled. Vyke is a simple annual charge for keeping your number.
Yes, my friend was with Orange UK and because he'd been locked down he hadn't needed to use the mobile in over 6 months, he hadn't even switched it on. When he did it had been deactivated and the number had been lost. I think with 1p, it's a bit like Reglomobile in that if you haven't used the phone they take a small fee at the end of the 3 month period, and we set it up to top up automatically from his bank when the credit runs low, so hopefully it is foolproof and even if he doesn't use it for years it will keep topping itself up and will still work next time he does need it.
Except that 1p will probably have been bought out by one of the big barstewards by then and the T&Cs will have changed.
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The Americans used to have this issue - though it was back in the day before mobile phones (and smartphones) were the norm rather than the way they are now. The options were fairly expensive if they wanted to retain their "back home" phone number.
If you're actually moving to France, rather than "just visiting" there will come a time when you decide it's just no longer worth the hassle to try to maintain your "back home" phone number. Most folks these days are smart enough to figure out how to call a "foreign" phone number if they really want to talk to you. And money transfer and exchange services have become available and cheap enough that you really don't need to maintain your old "back home" credit cards and all that require the texting of those codes to make purchases or whatever.
Just saying...
If you're actually moving to France, rather than "just visiting" there will come a time when you decide it's just no longer worth the hassle to try to maintain your "back home" phone number. Most folks these days are smart enough to figure out how to call a "foreign" phone number if they really want to talk to you. And money transfer and exchange services have become available and cheap enough that you really don't need to maintain your old "back home" credit cards and all that require the texting of those codes to make purchases or whatever.
Just saying...
Yes 1p isn't something for nothing, though I have to say £30 a year for an all inclusive mobile bill doesn't seem bad to me considering that even a low user is normally going to make a few calls and incur some cost for useage. But the attraction for me was avoiding the risk of getting cut off again, which in itself is worth a fair few £££.
Overseas use wasn't an issue in my friend's case since he never goes abroad so I must admit I didn't look at that, but it doesn't actually look outrageous to me? It doesn't actually say anything about being charged to receive an SMS while you're abroad, which I think is what Pianoman wants to do.
But as you say Vyke may well work out cheaper if you don't have much useage cost on top of the £16 a year. It will be interesting to hear how Pianoman gets on with it - please keep us posted.
Overseas use wasn't an issue in my friend's case since he never goes abroad so I must admit I didn't look at that, but it doesn't actually look outrageous to me? It doesn't actually say anything about being charged to receive an SMS while you're abroad, which I think is what Pianoman wants to do.
But as you say Vyke may well work out cheaper if you don't have much useage cost on top of the £16 a year. It will be interesting to hear how Pianoman gets on with it - please keep us posted.
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