I have an old mobile phone number that I'd like to keep. I think it is registered with a bunch of services for 2FA by SMS, but I can't be sure. So I want to keep it for a couple of years just in case I need it to log on to something.
I don't want to faff around with physical SIMs, so I went looking for the cheapest way to keep my number for the longest time. There are a whole bunch of providers out there who will do low-cost monthly contracts (like Spusu), which I don't want. Similarly, there are some pure PAYG providers who require you to top-up with £10 every few months (like 1pmobile).
In the end, I went with Lyca Mobile (affiliate link). Total cost was £10 which should last indefinitely.
The process isn't particularly straightforward. Here's how it works:
First, add a PAYG SIM to your basket and select "eSIM"
Next, click the Bin icon (🗑) in the top right. You'll get this pop-up:
Select "Discard plan & add credit" - you'll return to this screen:
The minimum top-up is a tenner, so select that. From there, you can add details of your old number, its porting code, and when you want the port to take place. Then pay.
Done! You'll receive your eSIM instantly. Scan it with your phone and you'll be up and running. The phone number porting will take as long as it takes.
OK, but will Lyca let you keep a number indefinitely? Here's what they say:
How long can I keep my number for if I don’t use any of Lyca Mobile’s services?
Normally we will keep your number for 120 days if you do not use our service. However, you may also keep your Lycamobile number for up to 1 year without using our service. Just dial
*139*9999#from your Lycamobile and follow the instructions on the screen. Please be aware that there will be a fixed annual fee of £15 which will be deducted from your balance.
Note, their chatbot says the fixed fee is a fiver. Like all half-baked AI systems, it is wrong.
So, what does "using" consist of? This is hard to find out! I think is any chargeable event. Based on their current PAYG pricing the cheapest options are:
- Send an SMS for 23p
- Use 1MB of data for 15p.
If I'm right, you could use 1MB of data every 120 days. That would deplete your credit in about 22 years. More than long enough for me!
There you have it, I'm pretty sure that's the cheapest way to keep a UK mobile number on an eSIM. You can keep it switched off for 119 days, flick it on, send a quick message, then shut it down again.
Click the referral link to join Lyca Mobile
9 thoughts on “Cheapest way to keep a UK mobile number using an eSIM”
Tulip Coales
I'm curious how you remember to send a text every 119 days though. Miss it once, and it's all over!
I use Claude Code to run a web service using Kubernetes which installs a Go binary to use AWS to push an API call to an OAuth endpoint which is secured by Kerberos to…
Oh, wait, sorry. I mean, I just stick a reminder in my calendar.
Tulip Coales
haha, I got worried for a moment there, must admit!
I just fear I would be one to dismiss the reminder for a day, forget, and then suddenly find things not working anymore
I use Vodaphone for this; I topped up £10 some years ago, which never expires, and I just send 1 text message or make a call to the voicemail (121) every 6 months or so, which deducts £1 from the balance, so it costs £2/year. They send a text to remind you if it's going to be disconnected.
| Reply to original comment on bsky.app
I’ve been doing something very similar with GiffGaff for years. No monthly / annual fee. Just need to make a 1 second call every 3 (or maybe 6?) months and the credit stays untouched so is essentially endless.
BUT, it was a physical sim at the time I started.
| Reply to original comment on bsky.app
@blog Oooo thanks for that. I needed a cheap sim to use for a second developer account, this is perfect.
Something for anyone else trying it, if you follow the referral link, the options presented don't let you add them to your basket, you gor straight through to the checkout process.. But if you go to the front page you can select the PAYG option there and add that to the basket. Everything else works the same from there.
| Reply to original comment on hachyderm.io
Sadly, not all phones can use an eSIM though. They tend to get locked out by carrier "exclusivity" configs. (cough, Vodafone, cough).
Oh, and I use RSS over Atom, because it suits my needs. Don't redirect a RSS feed to Atom when an App isn't expecting it. Yes, I know Apps should read the content before deciding what to do about it, but a lot are lazy and will grab it from RSS and process it as such. If it grabbed it as RSS but ends up with Atom things will most likely break.
rjc
I'd be curious to know why wouldn't you go for a 1-month rolling contract - I've been doing that for years myself in an attempt to keep my old mobile phone number. In fact, I went with a different provider this time (Spusu, actually) for my son's contract (£2.80 p/m).
£2.80 per month will cost more than then tenner I'm paying after only four months. That's why.
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