PAC code: keep your number when you switch

You do not have to phone anyone, and you do not have to explain why you are leaving. Here is how the code works, and what your old network can and cannot charge you on the way out.

What a PAC code is

PAC stands for Porting Authorisation Code. It tells your new network that you are allowed to bring your number with you, and it tells your old network to let it go.

Asking for one commits you to nothing. If you never hand it to a new network it runs out after 30 days, and your service carries on exactly as it was.

How to get your PAC code

1. 1Text PAC to 65075 from the phone whose number you want to keep. The text is free.
2. 2Your network must reply with the code within one minute. It is valid for 30 days.
3. 3The reply must also tell you about any early termination charge, or your credit balance if you are on pay as you go. Read that part before you go any further.

You can also ask for the code by calling your network or through your online account. You will have to do it that way if there is more than one number on the account, such as a family plan.

Check whether you are still in contract

Text INFO to 85075. The reply says whether you are in or out of contract, and what leaving early would cost. It is a question, not a request to switch, so nothing changes when you send it.

If you are out of contract you can leave for nothing. If you are still inside your minimum term you can still switch, but the early termination charge will be on your final bill, so it is worth knowing the figure first.

How to use the code

1. 1Choose your new deal. If you are keeping your phone, a SIM only deal is usually the better value. Networks are no longer allowed to sell locked phones, so your handset should work on any of them.
2. 2Give the PAC to the new network when you sign up. Most will let you sign up first and add the code afterwards, as long as you do it before the 30 days are up.
3. 3The new network must complete the switch within one working day of being given the code.
4. 4Put the new SIM in when it goes live. Your old contract ends by itself. There is nobody to call and nothing to cancel.

What your old network can charge you

STAC: when you want a new number

Text STAC to 75075 instead. It works the same way: the code arrives within a minute, lasts 30 days, and your new network uses it to end the old contract for you. The only difference is that you start with a new number.

It is worth using even if you do not care about the number. Switching with a code is what stops the notice period charges. Cancelling by phone and starting somewhere else by yourself can leave you paying both networks for a month.

If you have already cancelled

You have not necessarily lost the number. In most cases you can still move it to a new network within one month of cancelling. If your old network did not give you a PAC, ask for one by phone or through their website, then pass it to the new network as normal.

If money is tight

If you receive Universal Credit, Pension Credit or certain other benefits, you may qualify for a social tariff: a cheaper deal with no price rises in the middle of the contract. Ofcom keeps the list of what is available.

Your phone is rarely the only bill that has drifted. The Bill Audit checks your mobile, broadband, energy, savings and bank account against today's prices in about two minutes.

Last reviewed 1 October 2026 by William.