Mobile Network Comparison

Family Mobile is a decent mobile network but it also has one really fantastic feature – the ability to choose your own phone number. It’s currently the only UK network to provide this cool service. And its not just any old phone number – Family Mobile lets you pick premium Gold Phone Numbers.

Choosing your own Gold number is absolutely free when you sign up. This is an amazing opportunity that is really worth checking out if you fancy a new and memorable mobile phone number.

How do I get my Gold Number?

The process couldn’t be simpler. First, head over the to Family Mobile website and click “Sign Up“.

Next, choose “I want to choose a free gold number” and click through to the next step.

You will then be offered a random free Gold Number. If you like the look of it, go to the next step or if you want more choice choose “More free gold numbers”. Here you can pick from a large list of available phone numbers or even search for a few memorable digits. Even though this has been available for ages, we were still able to find great numbers such as 0794 29 29 29 5 or 07550 90 90 09. See what other gems you can find!

Once you’ve chosen your number and gone to the next step, you just need to fill in your personal details and agree to the terms and conditions. Then you can buy a top up of between £10-£40 before your shiny new Gold Number SIM card will be posted to you.

What is a Gold Number?

Gold numbers are special easy-to-remember phone numbers like 07511 32 32 32 and they can be worth significant amounts of cash. They are especially useful for business customers who require a memorable contact number.

Is the Gold Number really free?

Yes. Family Mobile don’t change anything extra for Gold Numbers despite their value – they are absolutely free. You just need to activate your SIM like usual which requires you to top-up with at least £10 worth of credit. Remember that they also have the Recommend a Friend programme which rewards you with £10 free credit every time you recommend a new customer to join.

Can I use my Gold Number on other networks?

Yes. It’s trivial to get a new Gold Number and then immediately port it over to a different mobile network. This means you can use it with your current mobile phone network no matter whether it’s a bigger name like 3 or O₂ or another budget network like Giffgaff.

We’ve written some really useful guides to the process of porting your phone number including an article about PAC codes and how to get your PAC from Family Mobile to move your number over.

Is Family Mobile any good?

We think that Family Mobile is a solid virtual network and fantastic value for PAYG users especially if other members of your family already use them. For more details, please read our full and comprehensive Family Mobile review.

Which network does Family Mobile use?

Family Mobile runs on the T-Mobile network. They have 99% 2G coverage in the UK and some of the widest 3G coverage too. Please see the our Family coverage page to learn about the network coverage in your area.

What is the PAYG tariff on Family Mobile?

Calls and texts on Family Mobile are a mere fraction of the cost of other networks with UK voice minutes only 8p and texts a tiny 4p each. Voicemail is a very reasonable 8p per minute while 0845 numbers and even premium rate 0870 numbers are just 12p per minute to call – these are some of the best rates you can get on mobiles. Even data is quite reasonably priced at only 20p/MB. While this is not the cheapest available, it’s much better value than other providers which often charge around £4/MB for internet access.

Unfortunately, there are hidden charges for basic services such as SMS balance notifications which are 4p each. Still, overall, with rock-bottom standard call and text charges, Family Mobile is one of the cheapest options available to UK customers.