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Step-by-step guide

How to switch network

One free text moves you to any UK network. Your old provider cannot refuse, delay, or talk you out of it — here is the whole process and every right you hold inside it.

Reviewed: July 2026Region: United KingdomType: Independent information
Please read first Kestrel Hub is an independent third-party information centre. We have no affiliation with, authorisation from, or connection to any network mentioned on this page — trade marks belong to their owners and appear only to identify subjects. We sell nothing, cannot open or change any account, and never take payments or security details. Billing, contract and account matters belong with your network's official customer service. Our helpline gives general information only, at standard geographic call rates.

How to switch, step by step

Choose your code

Keep your number → PAC. Fresh start with a new number → STAC.

Send one free text

PAC to 65075, or STAC to 75075, from the SIM you're leaving. Free on every UK network.

Read the reply carefully

It arrives in about a minute with your code plus any early-exit fee or remaining device balance. The code lasts 30 days.

Hand the code to your new network

Sign up through their official channels; they run the transfer from there.

Transfer completes

Normally within one working day. A service gap of a few hours on the day is normal.

Check the final bill

Charges must stop from the switch date, apart from what the code text disclosed.

Your rights while switching

Can my old network refuse or delay my PAC?

No. Issuing the code is mandatory and instant, and no network can require a 'retention chat' first. Refusal or delay is itself grounds for a formal complaint.

Can I switch while still in contract?

Yes — the code text discloses the exact early-exit cost first, so the decision is informed. Sometimes paying it beats months on a bad-fit network; do the arithmetic.

Will my phone stop working during the switch?

Expect minutes to a few hours of interruption on transfer day. Anything beyond one working day is a fault worth raising formally.

Never pay for a codePAC and STAC codes are free, issued only by your own network directly to you. No third party — this hub included — can obtain one on your behalf. Anyone charging for that service is running a scam.

Want to talk it through?

Our helpline answers general questions about anything in this hub — switching, coverage, complaints, staying safe. We can't open accounts, take payments, or act for any network.

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