UK virtual number or keep your own?
By Monty · Updated 2 November 2026
A UK virtual number is a phone number that isn't tied to a SIM. Calls and sometimes texts reach you in an app, which makes it a popular way to have a UK number while living abroad. The catch is that it's a new number, and if you're leaving the UK, the number you probably care about is the one your bank already has.
A UK virtual number is a new number that works over the internet instead of on a SIM. It's handy as a business line or a spare number. If you're moving abroad, though, nobody has it yet, so your bank and HMRC keep texting your old number. Keeping your own number avoids that.
What is a UK virtual number?
It's a UK number that lives with an internet phone company rather than on a SIM in your phone. You answer it in an app or a browser, or have calls forwarded to another phone, so it works wherever you have Wi-Fi or data.
Virtual numbers come in a few shapes. Some look like landlines and start with 01 or 02, some start with 03, and some look like mobile numbers starting with 07. Be careful with numbers starting 070, because those are personal numbers that forward calls on and aren't mobile numbers at all. Ofcom found people often can't tell them apart from mobiles.
Before you pay for one, check that it can receive texts, since some are set up for calls only. Check what calls and texts cost on top of the monthly fee too.
Will my bank send codes to a virtual number?
It depends on the bank and the kind of number. Nationwide, for example, says its codes can only be received on a mobile phone with a UK number, so a virtual number starting 01, 02 or 03 won't get them.
HMRC is more flexible. Its sign-in can send a code by text to a mobile, by voice message to a landline or through an authenticator app, so a landline-style number can still work there.
The bigger problem is simpler than any of that. Every account you have knows your current number, not the virtual one. You'd need to change the number on each of them, one by one, and anything you forget keeps texting a number you no longer use.
Why keeping your own number is simpler when you move abroad
When you keep your own number, nothing has to change. Your bank, the NHS, HMRC, WhatsApp and your friends all carry on using the number they already have, and it's still yours if you come back. The question is only where the number lives while you're away.
When I moved to Australia I thought about getting a UK virtual number instead. What put me off was reading that plenty of companies won't send security codes to virtual numbers, and treat them like the internet numbers scammers use. My own number had over 10 years of history behind it, and I wanted to keep that and take it with me.
| Option | Which number | Accounts to update | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| A new UK virtual number | A new one, in an app | Every one | Some banks only text UK mobiles |
| Keep your UK plan | Your own, on a SIM | None | You keep paying for a plan, plus roaming |
| A pay as you go SIM | Your own, on a SIM | None | Switched off if you forget to use it |
| Bring your number to NumberNest | Your own, in an app | None | Not open yet, join the waitlist |
A pay as you go SIM is usually the cheapest way to hang on to the number, but it needs looking after. giffgaff, for one, switches off a number that isn't used for 6 months, and receiving texts doesn't count as using it. The guide to using giffgaff abroad covers what does.
When a UK virtual number makes sense
A virtual number is a good second number. If you run a business and want a UK line that rings on your laptop, or you want a number to give out for selling things online without sharing your own, it does the job well. It's also the answer if your old number has already gone and you need a UK number again.
What it isn't is a replacement for the number everything is already linked to. If you still have your old number, I'd keep it, and get a virtual number on top only if you need a second one.
How to keep your own UK number in an app
You get most of what people like about a virtual number, the app and the calls over the internet, with the number you already have. NumberNest takes your existing UK mobile number with a free PAC code, the same way you'd move it to a new network. Texts arrive in the NumberNest app on your phone and on the web, and calls ring in the app over the internet, so there's no UK SIM to keep alive and no accounts to update.
Moving the number ends your old plan, and it costs £5.49 a month. NumberNest is on a waitlist while it gets ready to open. The guide to keeping your UK number abroad compares every way to do it.
Common questions
What is a UK virtual number?
A UK phone number that works over the internet instead of on a SIM. You answer it in an app or forward its calls to another phone.
Can a UK virtual number receive texts?
Some can and some can't, so check before you pay.
Can I use a virtual number for my bank?
Sometimes. Nationwide only sends codes to a UK mobile number, so a landline-style virtual number won't work there. Ask your bank which numbers it accepts.
Is a 070 number a mobile number?
No. 070 numbers are personal numbers that forward calls somewhere else. They look like mobile numbers, which is why they catch people out.
Can I turn my own number into a virtual number?
In effect, yes. You can move your existing mobile number to an app like NumberNest with a PAC code. It stays the same number, and your old plan ends when it moves.