Keeping Deactivated Account Number

[Shelbz4444]

I'm living out of the country for a few months, so I won't be using my Public SIM Card. Is there any way for me to keep my number for when I return to Canada? I would prefer to keep my number, but I'm not sure if that's possible.

Help appreciated. 

[totalUser]

@Shelbz4444 

If you want to use your number while away you could port it to fongo 

It doesn't really make sense to port out from fongo when you are back since they have free forwarding and free calling.  It's naturally better option to keep your home phone as outgoing texts are not free and there is not such thing as text forwarding, and you lose all your rewards with pm if you port out. 

[darlicious]

@Shelbz4444 

Actually it will only cost you $15 to suspend your account for up to 200 days or a little more than six months. Once your current cycle (or the one you have around the time you are leaving finishes or you suspend it you will then leave it til day 85 and renew it for $15 for 30 days. Once you suspend it again ( or it suspends due to non payment) you then can leave it another 85 days or so before renewing it again. 85+30+85=200 days cost $15 or $0.075 per day+ tax of course..

[Nezgar]

voip.ms has free port-ins, and costs 85c USD/mo to maintain the DID after a minimum $15 USD prepayment...

It may be better to keep the phone number + account at PM though if you have accumulated any rewards.

[Luddite]

Hard to find anything cheaper than plan already outlined by @darlicious >> $15/3 = $5/month.

Pretty sure speakout711 will cost $35 >> SIM plus $25 minimum topup. Even Fongo will charge $25 for the port-in.

[popping]

@Shelbz4444 

To summarize:

1. You can pay once every 119 days and still keep your phone number. 30 days after reactivated your plan + 89 days to reactivate your plan.  I will not wait until the 89th day to reactivate a suspended account just in case something is preventing the reactivation.
2. If you have a plan which is not longer offered, like the $10 50/50 plan or the $120 12GB 90days plan, you will not be able to get your old plan back.
3.  If you have lots of rewards, you may just change to the cheapest plan and use the reward to lower your 30 days cost.  Then, forget about reactivate your plan every 119 days and enjoy your travel.

[notchman]

To not worry about the expiry after 90 days of your number. You can port your number to a service like

https://www.speakout7eleven.ca/

The topups lasts 365 days.

Then you can port number back when you need it.

[darlicious]

@Shelbz4444 

You may find this post a useful read for your intentions....

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Self-Serve/When-and-How-to-Suspend-or-Place-an-accoun...

You may also want to use the extended absence greeting.....if you suspend the account via lost/stolen and remove the sim card your voicemail will continue to work when its " lost/stolen" and voicemail is not accessed thru the device the sim may reside in only from an outside source (other phone.) Read this help article.....

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Knowledge-Base/How-To-Use-Your-Phone-and-Plan-Feature...

[Anonymous]

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@Shelbz4444 wrote:

I'm living out of the country for a few months, so I won't be using my Public SIM Card. Is there any way for me to keep my number for when I return to Canada? I would prefer to keep my number, but I'm not sure if that's possible.

Help appreciated. 

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You can change to the $15 plan and then let it suspend or don't pay. Then 85 days after that pay again. You end up wasting the $15 and the paid services but you keep your account alive. I call it my "dormant" account. Pay every ~4 months.

Or there are number parking services out there that you port out to and you keep "ownership" of your number.

[darlicious · Accepted solution]

@Shelbz4444 

You can suspend your account for 89 days on the 90th day it would be cancelled. Most reactivate on about day 85 to be safe in case you encounter issues. You can then allow it to suspend if necessary again after 30 days of service. If you are on a higher cost plan you can switch it to the $15 plan to keep costs down.

Edit: Keep in mind if you are on a grandfathered plan you would not be able to switch it to the $15 plan if you want to keep your original plan.