Keep your UK mobile number when you move to
Emigrating or working overseas? Don’t lose the mobile number your bank, your friends and your family already have. NumberHolding keeps it live for just £1 a month — callers hear a message you set, and every text lands straight in your inbox.
- Keep your existing number — no new SIM, no roaming
- Callers hear a personal message you choose
- Texts — bank codes, 2FA, messages — forwarded to your email
How does it work?
You keep your existing mobile number, and we look after it for you. Once it’s moved to NumberHolding, anyone who rings it hears a short message you’ve written, and any text sent to it is forwarded straight to your email — so you never miss a bank code, a delivery text, or a message from home.
- 1
Sign up in minutes
Tell us the mobile number you want to keep and set up your £12/year plan.
- 2
We move your number
We transfer your number over to NumberHolding. It stays yours — nothing changes for the people who call or text it.
- 3
Set your greeting
Write the message callers will hear — “I’ve moved abroad, reach me on WhatsApp” — and we play it to anyone who rings.
- 4
Texts land in your inbox
Every text sent to your number is forwarded to your email, so you keep getting your codes and messages wherever you are.
Transferring a number takes a few working days to complete — we keep you posted, and your number stays active throughout. Just don’t cancel your old SIM until the move is done.
Why not just let it go?
Staying reachable on your old number after you emigrate
Roaming or a second UK SIM
£100s/year
roaming fees or a spare line, just to catch the odd code or text
On NumberHolding
£1/month
just £12 a year — your number stays live, texts to your email, callers hear your message
Your mobile number is tied to your bank, your two-factor logins and years of contacts. Losing it — or paying roaming to keep it — costs far more than £12 a year.
One simple price
No contracts, no per-minute charges, no surprises. Just £1 a month, billed once a year, keeps your number alive and reachable.
NumberHolding
Billed as £12 once a year
- Keep your existing mobile number
- A custom greeting callers hear
- Every text forwarded to your email
- No roaming, no new SIM
- Cancel any time
Billed £12 once a year (that’s just £1 a month), VAT included. Cancel any time — your number is released when your plan ends.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we’re asked most about keeping your number.
What exactly does NumberHolding do?
It keeps your existing mobile number alive after you stop using it on a normal plan — for example when you move abroad. Callers hear a message you set, and any text sent to your number is forwarded to your email. A simple way to stay reachable and never lose the number your bank and contacts already have.
Why would I keep my old number?
Your mobile number is attached to more than you think — your bank’s security codes, two-factor logins, delivery notifications, and years of contacts who still have it. NumberHolding keeps all of that working for £12 a year, instead of losing the number or paying roaming to hold onto it.
Do my calls get forwarded to my new phone?
Not to another phone — instead, callers hear a short message you write (for example, “I’ve moved abroad, please email or WhatsApp me”). That keeps the price flat at £12/year with no per-minute charges. Texts, though, are forwarded straight to your email.
How do texts reach me?
Any text sent to your number is forwarded to the email address on your account, usually within seconds — so you keep receiving bank codes, two-factor logins and messages wherever you are in the world.
Which numbers can I keep?
UK mobile numbers to begin with. We’re expanding to more number types — get in touch if you’d like to keep a different kind of number.
How do I move my number over?
After you sign up, we handle the transfer from your current provider. It takes a few working days, your number stays active throughout, and we keep you updated. Just don’t cancel your old SIM until the move completes.
Can I change my greeting or email later?
Yes — sign in to your account any time to update the message callers hear or the email your texts are sent to.
Can I cancel?
Any time — there’s no contract. When your plan ends, your number is released.
Can I move my number back to a normal network later?
Yes — your number is never locked to us. If you move back to the UK, or just want it on a normal SIM again, you can port it straight out to any UK network like EE, O2, Vodafone or Three using a standard PAC code, exactly like switching providers. We hold your number for as long as you need it and hand it back whenever you want.
Who is NumberHolding?
NumberHolding is part of ONSIM, a UK telecoms company. We built it to help people keep the mobile number they’ve had for years, wherever life takes them.
Keep your number for £1 a month
Set it up in minutes — we’ll look after your number so you don’t have to.