Quick Links
(details about the sims are below the table):
| Retailer | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Free | Get free sim cards direct from 3 Mobile |
| MobileFun | £7.12 | Get a 3 Mobile sim card from MobileFun |
| Prepay Mania | £0.50 | Get a 3 Mobile sim card from Prepay Mania |
3 are one of the newer mobile networks in the UK, and they have positioned themselves to offer some of the best data services on contract, sim only and pay as you go plans.
Three Mobile For Data
With the explosion of data use in the UK through smart phones like Blackberry’s, Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Nexus handsets, the popularity of the Three network has soared.
When you order your free sim cards from 3 Mobile, you’ll be able to get two posted out to you, one for you and one for a friend. Three’s pay as you go offering has a unique twist where they’ll pay you to keep your number (from a previous network provider). Of course, to genuine customers this is actually like getting paid to do something that’s in your interests, but it overcomes a problem nicely for Three.
When mobile networks offer free sims, they know that freebie hunters like to order them and stash them in a drawer, in case they ever need them. These sims will usually have a mobile number assigned to them, which is effectively wasted until the sim expires. Normally networks want to leave at least a couple of months before they expire a sim card, as if customers then try to use them they are effectively disconnected.
Money For Nothing?
By offering pay as you go customers who order a free Three Mobile sim card a £10 credit for bringing their number, this frees up the number assigned to that new sim card much sooner, and allows it to be reallocated to another customer.
To arrange for your number to be transferred (or ported as mobile companies call it), you’ll need to request a PAC code (porting authorisation code) from your previous network. This will usually be texted to you after you request it, and may take anything up to a couple of weeks to arrive, depending on the network you are leaving. You’ll need to be out of your contract’s minimum term too, otherwise you’re likely to be asked to pay up the remainder of your contract.
The Lowdown On Free Three Mobile Sim Cards
On to the tariffs then, and as you would expect, Three offer bundled Internet as well as calls and texts as bonuses. They’re much more forward about their data plans than the other networks too, pushing the benefits of staying connected on the move. For example, you can use a £15 top up to exchange for unlimited data, on top of 300 voice call minutes (as opposed to video calls – something else Three pioneered in the UK) and 3000 texts.
As you’ll see elsewhere on the site, just offering 300 minutes and 3000 texts for £15 stacks up favourably against the other network’s plans, so what’s the catch?
Signal Past And Signal Present
Network coverage is something Three have historically been behind the game with, particularly back when the network first launched. It’s something they’ve worked hard on over the years and have now caught up sufficiently for Three users to be expect to be able to use their handsets across the country. Of course, like all networks, you’ll hit patchy signal from time to time, and the biggest problem is often using the phone indoors in a weak signal area. It’s now true to say the vast majority of built up areas across the country will now support Three phones outdoors, and travelling by train or car will be fine for most of your journey.
Choose A Better Bundle
If £15 is a little too much to spend on your phone each month, there’s also a £10 plan too that you can opt for on pay as you go, which will get you half a gigabit of data, 100 minutes and 3000 text messages.
To order either plan, order your free sim cards using the link below, and once you receive it, place it into your handset. If you haven’t ordered it pre-loaded with credit, you’ll need to top up. When you’re ready, just make a call to 444 and choose the option to buy your add on. You’ll need sufficient credit for the package you choose, at either £10 or £15.
A Free Bonus Costs You Nothing
There’s also an option to get a sim with £10 credit and go for a ‘taster’ where you’ll get 150Mb to use as you like in the following 30 days from each top up, perfect if you want to try things out before swapping over your number and jumping in with both feet!
All call, text and data allowances above last for thirty days following your top up being used to buy the allowances.
Three Micro Sims For Apple Devices
For more recent iPhone and iPad users, Three Mobile offer a micro sim option, which is effectively a smaller sim card to pop into your device to get connected. Quite simply, a standard sim won’t fit, so be sure to choose the right option when ordering.
Three Tether Regions – Getting Computers Online
If you’re considering a Three pay as you go package for data, it’s important to be aware that you can’t tether on pay as you go, unless you’ve got the appropriate add on. Tethering is the name given to using your mobile to get your computer or laptop online, usually by connecting your computer through wi-fi, blue-tooth or a USB cable to your phone and sharing its mobile Internet connection. Three do offer an add on to ‘upgrade’ pay as you go to allow tethering, or you may prefer to look at Three’s One Plan, which includes tethering as standard.
If this pay as you go plan sounds good, why not order two free Three Mobile sim cards now, and they’ll be with you in no time!
