Moving Abroad for a year and don't want to lose Public Mobile Number

[chiara1]

Hello,

I am currently a public mobile client and I am moving abroad to Stockholm, Sweden from Canada in August 2022. I am trying to figure out how I can keep my public mobile number while I am abroad without paying for a phone plan that I won't need. If Public Mobile operates in Europe then I'll happily pay whatever it costs for that plan but I'm under the impression that they operate only in Canada. Please advise on how to proceed or if you've encountered this issue before!

Thanks 🙂 

[darlicious]

@chiara1 

You can keep your account and phone number with pm for approximately $45/year minus rewards. When you are about to leave schedule a plan change on next renewal to the $15 plan. This can be for your last 30 days of service before you leave or for next 30 days of service that you must reactivate to avoid account cancellation and deactivation. By suspending your service for a maximum of 89/90 days and reactivating for 30 days and suspending again for 89/90 days and so on....it will cost you 3×$15/30 days=$45 (minus rewards) to maintain your pm service/account for about 360 days.

Alternatively if receiving incoming calls on your pm account is important to you and you also have accumulated rewards to help offset the cost of the $15 plan you may wish to maintain active service on your pm account. Download a void provider app such as text now or fongo. Before you leave Canada call forward your pm phone number to your voip number. While on WiFi or mobile data with a local SIM card your pm calls will ring thru to your voip number. You will be able to use your voip number to call back to Canada or the US and text (with textnow) for free. Or just use the voip number to stay in contact with friends and family when your pm account is suspended.

Your options for maintaining your pm account and phone number are in the spoiler below...

Spoiler

1. You can turn off autopay and allow the account to suspend at the of your current 30 day cycle but this is your least advantageous option. Pay and reactivate by day 85 or so.
2. If you have an account balance that exceeds your plan amount then you need to suspend via the lost/stolen feature in your account before midnight eastern on the evening of your renewal. Then on day 85 or so resume your service to pay and reactivate.
3. Suspending via lost/stolen before midnight eastern will keep your voicemail active allowing you retrieve voicemail and any verification sent by phone calls. However your rewards will not be applied to your account. Moderator/CSA contact after paying and reactivating is necessary to have the rewards applied manually.
4. Voicemail can be accessed by calling your pm number from a different phone by calling your phone # and pressing * once connected and entering your 4 digit voicemail pin #.
5. If you don't have an account balance or enough balance to cover your plan amount you can suspend via lost/stolen after midnight but before 2 am eastern on the day of your renewal. Once your rewards have been applied (usually by 12:15 am et) then suspend your account. Voicemail access will be lost.
6. Switching to the $15 plan with rewards helping to cover a partial or full amount of your plan allows you to call forward your pm number to your fongo or textnow number before you leave Canada.. Now any incoming calling to your pm number will ring thru to your fongo or textnow number while on wifi or mobile data (w/a local or global sim card) You can access your fongo or textnow voicemail for all voicemail messages.

Most important mark on your calendar day 85 of your suspension and day 90. Do not forget when you must unsuspend your account via lost/stolen and/or pay and reactivate your service so you don't lose your phone number and account. Happy travels and Stay--Safe!

To contact customer support click below:

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

To pre-verify your account include your full name, address, email, phone # and 4 digit acct pin #.

[chris_chan]

Hi Chiara, I'm not a staff member but I would assume that unfortunately you can't keep the number unless you're staying with Public Mobile. In this case I would suggest changing your plan to the cheapest plan available until your return, I believe it's $15+tax for the most basic plan. Consider that at least you'll keep the bonus reductions you've accumulated so far through the rewards program.

[CountyDownIeUk]

Others here have ported their number away from PM to voip.ms. That will close your PM account and you would have to apply for a new account on the “points” program and would lose loyalty etc a port your number back to PM. Voip.ms would cost you 85 cents usd to hold your number. You would have calling options to use over wifi with your voip.ms account as well. 

[Meow]

You cold:

- Downgrade your plan to $15 Plan

- Remove autopay and credit card info through self-serving account

- Your account will be suspended for no payment and will stay like that for 90 days.

- Log in around 88th day and pay your bill for next month

- Then leave again your account suspended for 90 days.

This way you will keep your account and number. After returning add credit card and activate autopay and proceed as usual.

Another way is, if money is not a problem, to downgrade plan to $15 plan, leave autopay and active, valid credit card on file and you will be charged $15+tax every month and keep your service. Less headache but higher cost.

[JL9 · Accepted solution]

Hi @chiara1

Unfortunately Public Mobile does not work in Europe. It can work outside of Canada if we are talking about the USA but does not go overseas.

There is a post a bit earlier this morning if you scroll down about someone who is leaving abroad for a year on the various ways you can keep the number while you're gone. You just won't be able to actually use the number or service as an everyday phone in Europe.