activate old number

[belgasem]

Hi,

I have pay as you go sim , i have been back to my home country  and the sim stopped working , currently i am back to UK and i need to actviacted . could you please advise me how?

[AnnS]

Hi @belgasem

As far as  reactivating the SIM is concerned you are going to have a problem.  With the SIM being PAYG when the number is not used for 180 days, Vodafone would have sent an SMS to advise you to top up of make a chargeable activity, you would then have had a further 90 days before the SIM was totally disconnected from the network.

However, it won't do any harm using live chat and asking the question, but you may find you will need a replacement SIM which will had a different number.  You can order a free SIM from the link below.

Support - How do I order a free PAYG SIM

[cafp06]

Hi AnnS, 

I hope you can help me. I am travelling at the moment and have last used my UK Vodafone PayAsYouGo number for paid activity on 3rd June but have now found it has been disconnected and I wasn't even able to top-up to reactivate it. 

I have tried calling it and found it's not been reissued to anyone else. I understand that it should stay active for 180 days and then 90 days. So I'm confused as to why it's been disconnected. Are you able to help me to reactivate it please? 

I still have the chip but won't be back in the UK for 6 months at least. I've had this number for years and don't want to lose it. I have also regularly used it to ensure I kept it active by sending charged text messages, which is what Vodafone advised me to do before I left the UK to keep it in use. I hope you can help me.

Many thanks. 
Cafp06

[AnnS]

Hi @cafp06

When you are within the further 90 day deadline, the number has to be topped up or a chargeable activity made.  You are still within the 90 days deadline.  Try topping up onlin followed by a chargeable activity, if the SIM accepts the top up, it will reactivate the number.  If it is too late, the SIM will reject the top up and your money will be returned. You can see how to top up from abroad on the link below.

Topping up Abroad

With it being an Ofcom ruling that all PAYG SIM's have to be in use, if you leave it until after the 90 days, it will be too late and the number will be very difficult to get back.  

[Annie_N]

@cafp06

If your last charged usage was in June, you are still well within the initial 180 days, let alone the final 90 days, so it sounds as though some error has occurred on your account, to explain your number being disconnected. Though another explanation might be that the SIM has developed a fault

Unfortunately you are going to have difficulties topping up from abroad, as most of the routes involve logging in to your online account, which probably requires you to receive an incoming text on your phone! If the number is still active, someone in the UK should be able to top it up via an ATM, but I rather suspect they'd run into a problem, as the system is set up to reject payments to a disconnected number.

I'd suggest holding on here for one of Vodafone's online team to pick up this thread, so that they can look into the problem for you.

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi @belgasem

Try ringing the number.

If it’s dead then it’s been quarantined and held for recycling. 

Contact customer services and advise them what’s happened. 

If they say they can re issue it to you then you may need to visit a Vodafone Highstreet Store where they’ll sim swap it onto a blank SIM card. 

If someone answers then it’s been reissued. It really depends on how long they suspended the account. They may just need to re activate it. 

[belgasem]

Thank you...I have activated the sim...Thank you vodafone.