How Important is your mobile number?

razil

I'm leaving my current employer and have the option of taking my phone with me, but I'd have to take on the contract with 13 months left, an iphone 5s, and a 50 quid tariff monthly - I would however keep my number that I've had for a long time.

Is it worth it just to keep your number, and why?

Or tell them to keep it (and get a number change), and go get a new iphone 6?

Any views?

Ross

I've had the same number since I was 11, so 15 years.

Then again, I've never wanted to change networks etc, so i've just got new contracts but staying with the same network provider.

Makes life easier when you get a new phone, so that you haven't got to give your new number out to everyone.

moutuakilla

£50 a month! Need to get yourself over to three!

SuedeAdidas

I change my number every few years.

A group message to those who need to know and all sorted.

If nothing else it cuts down on the cold calls for a while.

Talal

50 quid a month?! Jeez, I pay 15 and will still be looking to cut that in half at the next available opportunity

RalphMilnesgut

I think you can take your number with you to a new provider and certainly pay less per month.

razil

no you can't while in contract, crazy really

SilentAddick

Best to ask for a PAC code which enables you to transfer your number to a new service. You shouldn't be laden with your former company's contract with them!

razil

fraid not, Vodafone insist they can't unless the company pay off the contract

Elthamaddick

your phone number means nothing, you are just a 'contact' in another persons phone, how many peoples mobile numbers do you actually know?, just send all your contacts a text from your new number and they'll just store it over your old one.

HardyAddick

Keep it if your business contacts know it and call you on it. I was a "junior" partner if a firm and agreed to be bought out but kept the phone number. Best decision I ever made!!

Kap10

£50 a month seems pretty steep. I would want to keep the number but not at that cost, unless you would be able to justify it. Otherwise, put a message on your phone giving your new number, if possible leave a redirect - both will be removed in time by the company and text every body you know with the new number and put it on linkedin and facebook if you have them

buckshee

I've had the same number for at least ten years but in that time I've been through all the major networks. It depends what line of work you're in I guess as to whether it's worth doing.

red_murph

I've had my number with Orange/EE for at least 10 years. Couldn't tell you the number for the life of me.

seth plum

I have had my number for at least 15 years, but still have to look it up on 'own number' whenever anybody asks for it.

Clem_Snide

If you do change it, I don't want the new one....

Charltonparklane

The plus side is you will get an Iphone 5s and calls for £50 on a 13month contract (and keep your own number) £650, not bad.

Even then I bet you could transfer to another network when you have 3/4/5 months left and they would settle the outstanding balance.

chester_conrad

razil said:

I'm leaving my current employer and have the option of taking my phone with me, but I'd have to take on the contract with 13 months left, an iphone 5s, and a 50 quid tariff monthly - I would however keep my number that I've had for a long time.

Is it worth it just to keep your number, and why?

Or tell them to keep it (and get a number change), and go get a new iphone 6?

Any views?

Any views? Not really no.

razil

Some of you are just plain mean..

I still cant decide what to do - is buying sim free/sim only that much cheaper over say 2 years on a contract?

aliwibble

Unless it's an incredibly easy to remember number (lots of repeated digits or runs of numbers) then go for the best value for money tariff you can get, and don't worry about keeping the number. Most people don't know numbers by heart anyway, so you can just update the people who you WANT to have your new number.

razil

It is easy and has 442 at the end..

guinnessaddick

razil said:

It is easy and has 442 at the end..

442 is so last year.

DiscoCAFC

Ross said:

I've had the same number since I was 11, so 15 years.

Then again, I've never wanted to change networks etc, so i've just got new contracts but staying with the same network provider.

Makes life easier when you get a new phone, so that you haven't got to give your new number out to everyone.

This

Ormiston_Addick

razil said:

fraid not, Vodafone insist they can't unless the company pay off the contract

They bundle the numbers with the corporate deals (which are set at different rates to the consumer deals).

The phone companies also know that numbers have more value to corporate clients than consumers so they don't allow switching as easily.

Personally, I would not take on a 50 quid per month contract, that is very high unless you are making a lot of calls and using tons of data.

North Lower Neil

SuedeAdidas said:

I change my number every few years.

A group message to those who need to know and all sorted.

If nothing else it cuts down on the cold calls for a while.

Exactly this, and also don't go with 3, coverage is terrible!

MrOneLung

Think of it as a chance to cull your contacts list.

kings hill addick

Two things.

1> If you wanted a new iPhone 5s you'd pay best part of £50 a month for unlimited calls and texts and have to stump up over £350 for the handset if you wanted a 12 month contract with Vodafone. * The handset alone, with no contract, is going to cost you close to £700 for a 64GB handset.

2> If you don't take it with you the company will still have to pay the £50 a month so their might be some negotiation to be had.

If you go for the iPhone 6 I suspect it will cost you at least what the 5s costs and probably more - both in terms of handset price and monthly cost.

Thus I would advise that you keep the phone if it is in good condition or still under the 12 month warrenty. You can take out Apple care for about £60 which will extend the warrenty to two years and then if anything goes wrong Apple will let you take it into their store and they will give you a new one. This is something that I do every year before the new phone comes out and then I have a shiny one with the plastic covers on to sell on eBay.

* These prices are correct today for a 64GB handset.

kings hill addick

Re your number, if anyone has it that you don't contact (this is especially true for business contacts) you can lose them for ever. Most of the places I've worked the company has issued phones to staff, insisted that the number is on all business cards, and personal numbers are not. Then when people leave the phones are used to sweep up any clients that call. It generates a lot of business and easily covers the cost of the calls that employees make.

razil

I cant keep the phone unless I keep the contract and work were funny about even that, there wont be any clients calling - mainly I get pp calls

kings hill addick

What's a pp call? It sounds like what a two year old does when it needs to use the potty.

Granpa

I paid a small amount, years ago, to have my number for life. Two advantages, one my memory is crap, and your old friends can always reach you. The number on my bill is different, but my number remains so wherever I go.