Keeping Number For New O2 Contract?

[pburke90]

I have a Sim Only pay monthly account but the deal I had has expired so I'm paying the standard monthly fee and can upgrade/cancel.

I have found a new SO tariff on MSE that is still with O2 and I would like to avail of. Obviously it is a better deal than O2 could ever offer me direct (I have spoken to them to confirm this). 

I would like to take out the new contract and then have my old number ported over to the new contract. According to O2 customer service, they no longer do this. Is this correct or was the agent mistaken? Seems like an odd thing to no longer support. 

[pgn]

Well, I remember having to migrate my number twice - once when upgrading, and being given a 4G compatible SIM, and again when I got my first 5G-capable SIM. The first of those was done in an O2 store during an upgrade, including a handset; the other was moving my number from that 4G SIM to a newer 5G SIM when I got my first 5G-capable phone from a reseller.  In both cases, my number was being moved from an older O2 SIM to a more modern one. 

I imagine the need to move from VM to O2 was a similar process (not that I was ever a VM Mobile customer) as was moving from a malfunctioning SIM to a replacement SIM (done at least 3 times by others in the family, all PAYG).

This whole "nobody but O2 do upgrades on O2" smacks of a hangover from the move to 360 - there were many issues back at that time, as I recall, with the resellers (both of handsets/contracts, and of SIMO only contracts).

@Dave-O2 do you have any insight into why the only way to upgrade and stay with O2 now, in the absence of taking out an upgrade directly with O2, involves a trip around the houses, musical SIMs, if you will?

[MI5]

I imagine it's another method designed to discourage customers from circumventing the annual price increase.

Customer focussed and all that jazz

[pgn]

Well, you do effectively circumvent the annual price increase, but at the expense of a much higher monthly charge for an 12M O2 SIMO from O2 vs a 12M O2 SIMO from a reseller: 50GB before Volt for £8.50, cheapest on O2 is about £19 for 3GB pre-volt

O2 offerings, as an upgrade:

Go compare SIMO (not available on Upgrade with O2)

Buy these in April, avoid any uplift for that 12-month period.

[MI5]

Exactly my point.

[Dave-O2 · Accepted solution]

Morning @Enlli, @pgn, @MI5, @TallTrees 

The option to migrate your number is still available.

@pburke90 Please drop me a PM with the details involved and i will take a closer look 👍 

[jonsie]

Good to know and thank you for that @Dave-O2 

So it's going to be a case of insistence and persistence with customer service

[Enlli]

Being available on the system and being available via Customer Services seem to be two different things

[pgn]

Good info, @Dave-O2 - please do share the actual process for this, if Migration is what is needed rather than Porting: (moving an unwanted number over onto the SIM you have with the number you want to keep:

Guide: Migration & porting into O2 - first section: 

 If moving from one Pay Monthly account to another - presumably with the same person holding an existing contract and a brand new contract with an unwanted number at thus juncture...

[TallTrees]

Oh that's good @Dave-O2 

Thanks very much for the information.

[TallTrees]

Now that's the difficulty @Enlli 

Not knowing or disconnecting line.

Seems like a very unhappy customer services department somewhere on the planet 🌎