Three's - 1,2,3p

SaveMeDo

I've had a 123 sim for years and years, they never expire and that is why they are the best for low users, I still have about £10 left on mine from a twenty pound top up five or six years ago!

I have been hoping that the signal to my flat would improve, but in all these years it never has.

10p per minute is a bit harsh though, I'm going to try a 1p sim and see how that goes.

SaveMeDo

I got on the Three chat system yesterday after reading this thread...

I asked if I was still on the 123 tariff, he said no, it's now 10p 10p 5p.

He said my credit would never expire, BUT I would have to make a paying call every so often, which wasn't the case before.

So the cost has gone up by a factor of X10, !!!

Low users, need to be aware of these changes, might be wise to move on, which is what I'm doing.

Rodders53

SaveMeDo said:

So the cost has gone up by a factor of X10, !!!

No only a maximum increase of x5.
3-2-1 ---> 10-10-5  (Calls, Texts, Data)
Even so the rates are about as cheap as you can get for very low users.

1p mobile, for example costs £30 top ups per annum, whether used or not.  Some (many) may get away with a lot less on Three over a year?

All good things come to an end, though.

Qew

Rodders53 said:

SaveMeDo said:

So the cost has gone up by a factor of X10, !!!

No only a maximum increase of x5.
3-2-1 ---> 10-10-5  (Calls, Texts, Data)
Even so the rates are about as cheap as you can get for very low users.

If you can get hold of one, and they're still selling on eBay, you could get an O2 Classic 321 sim, which has the same expenditure as Three's 321. The only difference is that the minimum top-up is £10.

Yeah, O2 is bound to stop it eventually, as it's a legacy product (the sims are marked as needing activation by December 2021), but for now it's a viable way for very low users who feel shafted by Three. My wife swapped from Three's 321 to O2's Classic PAYG, and all is working fine.

pinkladyvenus

I was on 3 and after the increase changed to 1p mobile I ported my number across and everything went smoothly would recommend.

SaveMeDo

Rodders53 said:

SaveMeDo said:

So the cost has gone up by a factor of X10, !!!

No only a maximum increase of x5.
3-2-1 ---> 10-10-5  (Calls, Texts, Data)
Even so the rates are about as cheap as you can get for very low users.

1p mobile, for example costs £30 top ups per annum, whether used or not.  Some (many) may get away with a lot less on Three over a year?

All good things come to an end, though.

You are quite right Rodders53, I got 321 the wrong way around, anyway X5 is still a hell of a price rise isn't it?

The Three plan was perfect for me, I was very happy with it, you could get incoming calls and texts, and you always had an emergency phone, just in case.

I've got a really nice phone number, very memorable and I don't want to lose it, so I'll be moving it, now.

Really sad to leave Three, TBH.

droopsnoot

SaveMeDo said:

BUT I would have to make a paying call every so often, which wasn't the case before.

I've been on Three 3-2-1 for about four years (since I finally got to find out how much EE were charging me for calls) and it was pointed out to me when I joined that I'd have to make a paying call every six months. Maybe yours was different if you've been with them longer.

I bought a couple of the O2 SIMs linked to from the other thread, but have yet to activate them as my phone is linked to Three so I need to get a replacement and just haven't got around to it. The Three coverage for two of my most frequent locations is pretty poor, so I'm hoping O2 won't be any worse.

Rodders53

droopsnoot said:

 my phone is linked to Three so I need to get a replacement and just haven't got around to it. The Three coverage for two of my most frequent locations is pretty poor, so I'm hoping O2 won't be any worse.

If you mean 'locked' to 3 they should unlock it for you if you ask https://www.three.co.uk/Support/Device_Unlock .  (It'll also be ancient as 3 haven't locked stuff to their network since 2014.  I still have a 3 MiFi that's locked I believe.)

Check out the coverage maps to see if O2 or a.n.other network is better than 3 (but 2G is available on other networks but not 3 so some not-spots are due to that).
We've been with Three PAYG 3-2-1 for a very long time and it suited our use pretty well.  I'm now with Lebara on a MSE deal.

getmore4less

Sky mobile have a 3 year unlimited calls and text option for £42 up front. 
(Nokia 109 on 100MB plan)

Not so good for data but could be cheaper long run than the networks that require regular £10 topups for a call and text user.
If sporadic  data user the 100MB piggy banks
1GB extra data is £6.

droopsnoot

Rodders53 said:

droopsnoot said:

 my phone is linked to Three so I need to get a replacement and just haven't got around to it. The Three coverage for two of my most frequent locations is pretty poor, so I'm hoping O2 won't be any worse.

If you mean 'locked' to 3 they should unlock it for you if you ask https://www.three.co.uk/Support/Device_Unlock .  (It'll also be ancient as 3 haven't locked stuff to their network since 2014.  I still have a 3 MiFi that's locked I believe.)

Check out the coverage maps to see if O2 or a.n.other network is better than 3 (but 2G is available on other networks but not 3 so some not-spots are due to that).
We've been with Three PAYG 3-2-1 for a very long time and it suited our use pretty well.  I'm now with Lebara on a MSE deal.

I have read that this can be done recently, and the main reason I hadn't bothered is that you're correct - it's an ancient Nokia N95 which I got while I was working in an office more than ten years ago, and it wasn't new then. Part of me wants an excuse to buy a new phone, part of me doesn't.

I did look at the coverage maps, and to be fair the Three coverage map suggests that it's better than it really is at these locations. Because of that, I didn't really trust it.