[daza1978]

I saw an advert for 3 and noticed that sms are charged at a really low price and calls were quiet cheap too. I think it means topping up with £10 but do 3 customers get to keep the credit or is there a "fee" for having lower rates for sms etc?

[Stiggles]

Keep all the credit and no fee

I topped up a tenner about a month ago and still got £8 odds left. You also get 150mb free data when you to up.

[daza1978]

Thanks for the reply. Does the 150mb expire after say a month if not used?

[FortKnox]

The 150mb of internet expires after 30 days.

[daza1978]

Thank you.

[Broadwood]

A few words of caution..........

1) You need a 3G or 4G handset for the Three network. A 2G handset is not compatible.

2) The Three PAYG network DOESN'T revert back to 2G in areas where there is no 3G signal so make sure there is a 3G signal where you want your phone to operate. Three may have the best 3G coverage but they don't have the best total coverage compared with their rivals' combined 2G & 3G networks.

3) In your handset's settings make sure you select 3G only otherwise you might suffer from rather quick battery drain as the handset tries and fails to lock on to a 2G signal in non-3G areas.

I've been using Three's 321 PAYG for 3 months now for making calls texting and occasional web access, but I still keep my Orange PAYG as my main phone for receiving calls due to better nationwide coverage required for my job as an HGV trunk driver. I'm roughly saving about £10 per month so well worth having Three if you can adapt to their limitations.

[daza1978]

Cheers for the advice. I'm currently on O2 and have been since the BT Cellnet days but now I'm looking to change to reduce costs.

[hairyharry]

Sounds like your talking about the 321 plan. With that deal if you top up a tenner you get those low rates but it eats into your tenner. It's not the same as bundles their bundles. Check out thishttp://comparisim.com and click on th free Sims link on the top. It explains the difference and compares all the providers offerings there.

[SkipTracer]

Only time eats into your bundle.

[Thine Wonk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Broadwood

A few words of caution..........

1) You need a 3G or 4G handset for the Three network. A 2G handset is not compatible.

2) The Three PAYG network DOESN'T revert back to 2G in areas where there is no 3G signal so make sure there is a 3G signal where you want your phone to operate. Three may have the best 3G coverage but they don't have the best total coverage compared with their rivals' combined 2G & 3G networks.

3) In your handset's settings make sure you select 3G only otherwise you might suffer from rather quick battery drain as the handset tries and fails to lock on to a 2G signal in non-3G areas.

I've been using Three's 321 PAYG for 3 months now for making calls texting and occasional web access, but I still keep my Orange PAYG as my main phone for receiving calls due to better nationwide coverage required for my job as an HGV trunk driver. I'm roughly saving about £10 per month so well worth having Three if you can adapt to their limitations.

Three does have 2G backup still enabled in some areas, just no data on it. Also I have noticed no battery issues with 2G/3G selected, in the rare event that it loses 3G it is no more power consuming with that setting as it's looking for 3G anyway.

[xreyuk123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thine Wonk

Three does have 2G backup still enabled in some areas, just no data on it. Also I have noticed no battery issues with 2G/3G selected, in the rare event that it loses 3G it is no more power consuming with that setting as it's looking for 3G anyway.

I can back this up as there are 2 locations I visit fairly regularly where I'm on 2G.

[qasdfdsaq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Broadwood

2) The Three PAYG network DOESN'T revert back to 2G in areas where there is no 3G signal so make sure there is a 3G signal where you want your phone to operate. Three may have the best 3G coverage but they don't have the best total coverage compared with their rivals' combined 2G & 3G networks.

When did this happen? 3 months ago my PAYG SIM fell back to 2G fine. I've not heard of any change and such a difference between PAYG and contract customers I'd assume would have been noticed.

Are you sure you're not getting confused by the lack of 2G fallback for all customers in areas where 3 deem their 3G coverage to be "sufficient"?

[interactiv-uk]

There are still loads of places in the North of England, particularly in rural Northumberland where 3 switched off the Orange fallback a couple of years ago with the promise of 3 coverage "within months". Over two years on and theres still not a sniff. We weren't notified at the time - everyone just lost signal!

[daza1978]

Hi again,

I thought I'd update this post as I'm now having issues registering a new pre pay sim on three.

I've tried to register the sim on the my 3 web page but keep being told the mobile number is incorrect. Also, the phone displays 'emergency calls only' whenever the three sim is placed in the phone.

The network sent me two sims (one to give to a friend) and both have the same issues. I've emailed them but the reply said it can take up to five working days.

Is there anything else I can try? Will giving them a call help? Has the sim not been set up up? I've had them now for over 48 hours.

Thanks

[daza1978]

Edit: All sorted now. Thank you.