Validate SIM abroad

[droffatst]

I am stuck in Australia with no flight back to UK.

VM have sent me a message saying I need a new SIM before June 30 to continue roaming service. I know that even if I order a new SIM I will not be able to validate it whilst abroad. I have had long overnight message exchange with chat line but nobody seems to help.  I find it very difficult to find a route through VM help system because they do not anticipate my problem.  My VM uk mobile phone is important as I use it for security verifications.

Please help, - even an international help line into Virgin Mobile would be useful.

[DJ_Shadow1966 · Accepted solution]

Hello

The only way to do this is to get VM to send the SIM to somebody in the UK for them too place in an unlocked phone, to activate it and then to forward the SIM to yourself the only issue you will have is that your current SIM will be de-activated and you will be without a service until your receive the replacement SIM.

Regards Mike

[Kath_F]

Hi droffatst, 

Thanks for your post and welcome to the forums. It's great having you on board with us in the Community. 

I'm really sorry to hear that you are in this position. 

DJ_Shadow1966 has hit the nail on the head here. It is the only thing we will be able to do I'm afraid. If this is something you wish us to go ahead with, please post back here to let us know so we can get things arranged for you. 

Thanks,

[droffatst]

I have now spoken with a Virgin Mobile representative. The problem is I have been in Australia beyond the normal 6 months for which roaming is supported.  Because of Covid restrictions Australia has closed borders and I cannot get a return flight to UK. Apparently there are other people in same position i.e. their SIM needs to be updated but they will not be able to activate a new one. So Virgin Mobile customers stuck overseas, through no fault of their own, will lose their mobile service unless their SIM usage can be extended. We must hope that VM can be sympathetic and find a way to help us and not just add to our existing problems.

Thanks for suggestion to get someone to activate a SIM in UK and send it to me. That sounds like a work-around but also sounds as though it may be illegal and I would prefer a solution officially sanctioned by Virgin Mobile UK HQ.

[dannylau]

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@droffatst wrote:

I have now spoken with a Virgin Mobile representative. The problem is I have been in Australia beyond the normal 6 months for which roaming is supported.  Because of Covid restrictions Australia has closed borders and I cannot get a return flight to UK. Apparently there are other people in same position i.e. their SIM needs to be updated but they will not be able to activate a new one. So Virgin Mobile customers stuck overseas, through no fault of their own, will lose their mobile service unless their SIM usage can be extended. We must hope that VM can be sympathetic and find a way to help us and not just add to our existing problems.

Thanks for suggestion to get someone to activate a SIM in UK and send it to me. That sounds like a work-around but also sounds as though it may be illegal and I would prefer a solution officially sanctioned by Virgin Mobile UK HQ.

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It's not illegal, but once the sim is activated your previous sim will cease to work, you can however carry on using what's app, my advice is to get the sim activated and sent rather than waiting for VM to offer a solution (that may never occur) 

[droffatst]

Thanks all!,   If I need a new SIM to be first activated in UK then sent to me in Australia, - and if this is not illegal, then it should be possible for someone at Virgin Mobile to do me that favour and to send a pre-activated SIM to me. 

It appears simple for the "tech-savvy" to activate a SIM, - and I would ask one of my children, or grand kids to help, but they live in Australia (that's why we are here to visit).  My friends and relatives in the UK are all elderly and probably use phones locked to a service provider. Though it sounds easy, anyone I ask may be confused by the SIM swapping process.   

I appreciate that the need to activate a SIM in the UK was probably introduced for security reasons but since it is apparently easy to circumvent that purpose it would now be helpful to offer a pre-activated SIM to people in my circumstances.  I would be happy for any costs to be put on the monthly bill.

[dannylau]

I believe they can activate it but I don't think they will post it to Australia 

[Kath_F]

Hi droffatst, 

Thanks for coming back to us on this one. 

We can indeed send the SIM out already activated but this can only go to a UK address. We wouldn't be able to post it to Australia. As well as this, as soon as the new SIM is requested, your SIM will stop working right away so there will be a longer period of time without your SIM working. 

If this is something you can live with then let us know and we can get this sorted for you 🙂

Many thanks,

[droffatst]

Thanks Kath_F,   

                           If my existing SIM does stop working on 30th June, as implied by the VM email, could you send an activated SIM to a UK address for someone to send it on to me?  Even if there is a few weeks delay, because airmail is not that good at present, it would be better than losing the service permanently.   Thanks again,

                                driffatst

[David_Bn · Accepted solution]

Hey droffatst,

Please come back to us on the 30th of June and we will process the sending out of an activated SIM card to a UK address for you

As previously advised, if we were to do this with intimidate effect, the SIM card you have now would be instantly terminated and you would be left without a service for an extended period of time

Kindest regards

David_Bn