Advisory note AN-14Leaving a network
Two free text messages, thirty days, and the obligations a provider owes you whatever its retention script implies.
Note AN-14 · four sections · reviewed July 2026 · no prices published
Independent status. fernwick is an independent guidance and information service. We are not a mobile network. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, appointed by or connected to Three, EE, O2, Vodafone, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile or any other provider, and we hold no commercial arrangement with any of them. We do not sell, supply, arrange or broker SIM cards, contracts, handsets or services of any kind, and we take no commission. Everything published here is general information and must not be relied upon in place of the provider's own current terms.
Our position in one lineSwitching runs entirely on text messages — your provider cannot refuse the code, delay it, or make a phone call a condition of leaving.
§1The two codes
| Code | What it does |
|---|
| Text PAC to 65075 | Carries your existing number to the new provider. Free, back within minutes, valid thirty days. |
| Text STAC to 75075 | Closes the account without carrying the number. Same mechanics; a new number is issued. |
| The reply | Itemises any early-termination charge and outstanding device balance before you commit. |
Use PAC unless you actively want a new number. Porting is free, and an established number is worth keeping.
If any of this is unclear
Telephone the advisory and we will talk it through. There is nothing to buy at any point.
020 3896 5248This line is for guidance and information only. We sell nothing, arrange nothing and act for no provider. If anything on this page is unclear, telephone and we will explain it. §2What a provider may not do
- Refuse the code, or delay issuing it.
- Attach conditions to it.
- Require a retention conversation, a call-back or written notice as a precondition of leaving.
- Treat a bundled household bill as a lock — it makes leaving feel heavier and changes nothing in law.
Retention offers are lawful and occasionally genuinely good. They simply cannot be a toll gate: take the code first, then consider any offer with it in your hand.
§3Completing the move
Coverage-check the new network at your postcode.
If anything is uncertain, test it for a rolling month first.
Buy the new plan.
Text for the code and read the itemised reply.
Hand the code over and keep the old SIM in until the number lands.
Diary a check that the final bill closes at zero.
§4If it does not go smoothly
Put the complaint in writing — app transcript, email or letter — with dates, facts and the outcome you want, and keep the reference. Telephone calls leave no file, and a file is what gets reviewed later.
At eight weeks unresolved, or immediately upon a final response, the matter goes free to the Communications Ombudsman. Its decision binds the provider and does not bind you.
Common pitfallIf you are with a wholesale brand, every part of this goes to the brand issuing your bill, never to the network that owns the masts.
Speak to the advisory
Telephone the advisory and we will talk it through. There is nothing to buy at any point.
020 3896 5248This line is for guidance and information only. We sell nothing, arrange nothing and act for no provider. If anything on this page is unclear, telephone and we will explain it. Independent status. fernwick is an independent guidance and information service. We are not a mobile network. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, appointed by or connected to Three, EE, O2, Vodafone, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile or any other provider, and we hold no commercial arrangement with any of them. We do not sell, supply, arrange or broker SIM cards, contracts, handsets or services of any kind, and we take no commission. Everything published here is general information and must not be relied upon in place of the provider's own current terms.