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Find out all you need to know about how to activate your new SIM card with your sim free iPhone in the UK.
There are a few scenarios where you perhaps need a new SIM card, maybe you’re opting for a new iPhone but the package comes with a certain mobile network, or possibly you found a better SIM-only plan and you’re looking to switch SIM cards, or it could be you’re visiting the UK and need a new UK SIM card with your iPhone whilst traveling. Whatever the reason, the question still remains - how do you activate your new SIM card? What do you have to do to be able to use it with your SIM free iPhone? Is there black magic involved? It is actually not difficult at all to activate a SIM card, and especially with a sim free iPhone too, but each provider has slightly different steps. For some networks you only need to insert the SIM card and you're done, but for others, you may need to either dial a number, send a text, visit their retail store, or create an online account first. Who knew different network providers had different approaches? Find out everything there is to know with activating your new SIM card with a SIM free iPhone, and what you can expect with different UK network providers.
First of all, you need to ensure your iPhone (recently purchased or old) is not locked to any network provider currently. This is often found in iPhones which were on contract before, and may be locked to the network’s SIM cards only.
Second, make sure you have the correct SIM card size for your iPhone - iPhones nowadays mostly come in nano sized SIMs since the iPhone 5 model onwards.
Best practice is to turn your iPhone completely off before switching SIM cards. However, the majority of iPhones today can conveniently recognise when you have swapped SIMs whilst the iPhone is still on.
If it is an online activation process, there is normally an activation key provided, in which you’ll likely need to visit the carrier’s website or mobile app to enter the key, followed by further instructions.
Simply wait for your iPhone to recognise the new SIM card, and this can vary from a few hours to under 24-hours (rarely). If nothing has changed, try turning your iPhone on and off again, or contact your carrier.
For a better understanding on how each UK carrier varies with their SIM activation process, we have detailed below their particular process.
For SIM-only plans with O2, it comes pre-activated already so all that needs to be done is for the SIM card to be inserted.
With Pay-As-You-Go SIM cards, you’ll need to visit the O2 Pay As You Go web page and follow the activation instructions there.
Vodafone SIM-only plans require online activation, but Pay-As-You-Go SIM cards will either be pre-activated if bought in store, or require dialling ‘17298’ if ordered online.
With Three SIM cards, you have to activate online through their Three SIM support web page and enter your 19-digit SIM number (under the bar code).
EE is perhaps the easiest of the bunch with activation as all SIM cards come pre-activated, which simply means you just have to insert the SIM card into your iPhone and wait hopefully just a couple of hours.
New customers to the iD network will just need to simply insert the SIM card, but for existing customers switching to a new iD SIM card then you will need to follow the activation instructions on your iD account (if you don’t already have one from onboarding as a new customer before).
Virgin is also pretty straightforward, after inserting your new SIM card you will then be asked for a PIN (7890), and then from there Virgin will send a confirmation text stating that your SIM is now fully operational.
As mentioned briefly earlier, the SIM card activation wait will vary from carrier to carrier, from as little as 5-minutes to possibly a few hours. If in the worst case (and rarest) scenario where the SIM card has still not activated on your iPhone after 24-hours, then we suggest re-inserting your SIM card, switching your device off and on again, or reaching out to your network provider to troubleshoot the problem.
A new SIM card is your gateway to receiving and sending text messages, on-the-go internet access, making phone calls, and mobile roaming overseas to name a few. All network carriers compete on these things usually, with each offering varying amounts of internet data, roaming at no extra cost in specific countries, and different price points to win the customer. The choice is sometimes down to who has the best network coverage in the country to receive all these benefits without any problems.
You can easily check if your iPhone is unlocked before potentially purchasing your new SIM card by following these 4 simple steps:
Go to Settings in your iPhone
Scroll down until you see General
Tap on About
Scroll down again until you find Network Provider Lock
If your iPhone is truly unlocked, it should read within the box as ‘No SIM restrictions’. There are also other ways to find this out, in which we've created a helpful guide on how to check whether your iPhone is unlocked.
Hopefully after reading the above and gaining a better understanding of what a SIM card activation consists of. You are now ready to activate your new SIM card with the carrier of your choice. If you’re also on the lookout for a new mobile phone to compliment your new SIM plan, then check out our exclusive range of refurbished iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or Pro Max sim free for a cheaper price instead of buying new.
For SIM-only plans with O2, it comes pre-activated already so all that needs to be done is for the SIM card to be inserted.
Vodafone SIM-only plans require online activation, but Pay-As-You-Go SIM cards will either be pre-activated if bought in store, or require dialling ‘17298’ if ordered online.
With Three SIM cards, you have to activate online through their Three SIM support web page and enter your 19-digit SIM number (under the bar code).
SIM card activation wait will vary from carrier to carrier, from as little as 5-minutes to possibly a few hours.
after inserting your new SIM card you will then be asked for a PIN (7890), and then from there Virgin will send a confirmation text stating that your SIM is now fully operational.
New customers to the iD network will just need to simply insert the SIM card, but for existing customers switching to a new iD SIM card then you will need to follow the activation instructions on your iD account
you just have to insert the SIM card into your iPhone and wait hopefully just a couple of hours.
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