Three SIM Only Deals

Why choose a Three SIM Only deal?

Three aims to make its SIM Only plans as customisable as possible, so you have a lot of options to help you get the perfect balance of price, allowances, duration, and perks.

You can pick between a 30-day, 12-month, or 24-month plan, with varied allowances up to unlimited data. Though one thing you won’t need to choose is how many minutes and texts you want, as all Three’s SIM Only plans come with unlimited calls and texts.

Three’s plans also all come with 5G as standard, along with Wi-Fi Calling, 4G Calling, tethering, and access to the Three+ rewards app, which gives you a rotating selection of freebies, discounts, competitions, and other deals and offers from a variety of companies, along with pre-sale access to some of the UK’s biggest festivals.

What you can pick though is whether you want a Lite plan, a Value plan, or a Complete plan. Choose a Value plan and you’ll additionally get access to Paramount Plus for half the length of your contract, along with up to 28 days of inclusive roaming (with the exact number depending on the length of your plan).

With a Complete plan, you’ll get Paramount Plus for the full duration, along with up to 56 days of free roaming. Oh, and Three’s roaming doesn’t limit you to Europe – you can use your allowances in the likes of the US and Australia too.

Is Three a good network?

Three is an excellent network, particularly if you want a big, reliable network with its own infrastructure, superb coverage, impressive speeds, and competitive pricing.

Three has over 99% UK population coverage with 4G, while its 5G coverage extends to hundreds of towns and cities. But it’s Three’s 5G speeds that are the most impressive, as according to a September 2023 Opensignal report, its average 5G download speed is 205.5Mbps, which is higher than any other network in that test.

Similarly, its median 5G download speed is 202.2Mbps according to RootMetrics data from the first half of 2023, and that’s also faster than the other tested networks. The same report put Three’s 95th percentile 5G download speed (which is close to the maximum you can expect) at 813.6Mbps, which is also the highest on test.

Looking beyond speeds, a 2023 customer service report from Ofcom found that 83% of respondents were satisfied with Three's service overall, 75% were satisfied with the reception, 84% were satisfied with the value for money, 21% had a reason to complain, and 50% were satisfied with the way their complaint was handled.

It also found that there were 9 complaints to Ofcom per 100,000 subscribers, which is around the industry average.

FAQ

Can I roam abroad with Three?

Free offers inclusive roaming on its Value and Complete plans. For the former, you’ll get 14 days of roaming on a 12-month plan or 28 days on a 24-month plan, while on the latter you’ll get 28 days on a 12-month plan and 56 days on a 24-month plan.

These roaming passes allow you to roam at no additional cost in 71 global destinations, including Europe and a selection of more distant locations, such as the US, Brazil, and Australia.

If you’re on a Lite plan or have used up your roaming days, you can roam for £2 per day in Europe or £5 per day in many other places. And you can use your allowances as normal when roaming, just with a 12GB fair usage limit for data.

Does Three have credit checks?

Yes, Three will credit check you if you apply for one of its SIM Only plans. However, most other networks do the same, so this is standard practice. There are some exceptions though – check out our guide covering who offers SIM Only deals with no credit check for more details.

Can I keep my number when switching to Three?

Yes, and it’s simple to transfer your number to Three. First, simply order the Three SIM Only plan you’re interested in, and once the SIM card arrives, activate it by putting it in your phone. With that done, text the word ‘PAC’ from your old number (the one you want to keep) to 65075, and you’ll be sent your PAC (Porting Authorisation Code) in return.

Then you just need to fill in Three’s number transfer form. This will ask you for your new, temporary Three number, the old number you want to transfer, and your PAC code. It will also ask you which day you want the transfer to happen on. Then you can just sit back and wait for Three to make the switch.

Can I get unlimited data on Three?

Yes, Three offers unlimited data on a selection of SIM Only plans, including 30-day, 12-month, and 24-month ones. You can also get unlimited data whether you pick a Lite plan, a Value plan, or a Complete plan.

There’s no fair usage limit in the UK either, which makes Three rare among networks, though when abroad you’re limited to 12GB of data per month.