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Three UK - PAYG 2015 Tariffs?


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Old 07-12-2014, 22:53
david16
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I went to get my monthly 15 payg top up to use for my ayce

and was told that as of January I'd have to sign up to get it as that add on was being stopped on payg.sucks I hate contracts,suppose it's a 12month at 15 or 18pounds on
1Month contract!still cheap but on a contract!.

Merry Xmas!
I wonder if you make 3 or 4 top ups at superdrug or Tesco in December and buy the AYCE add ons before the end of December.

3-2-1 must remain as an option on PAYG surely. That's not going as well is it?

The 3 PAYG with 3GB per month amongst the £15 add on for a 3G phone would still beat both Virgin and EE. 3 still would have 300 minutes calls among the £15 add on versus 0 minutes on virgin and you would have to pay 26p per minute to make a call on your mobile with Virgin, and for EE's mormal PAYG option 3GB of data per month would still work out more expensive.

But even so surely 3 could have offered the AYCE data on PAYG for £25 rather than ditching it altogether. But I have 3 x 3 PAYG sims. Looks like I might have to use all 3 of them if I have no access to the home wifi for a while if they no longer offer AYCE on PAYG.
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Old 07-12-2014, 22:55
jchamier
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Three is suffering somewhat, Manchester and latterly Sunderland seems be having problems.
I suspect its university towns that are hit the hardest. Unlimited usage on the device for a fixed fee, even without tethering students will buy the largest screen handset they can afford, and use it to watch Netflix/Amazon streaming.

The problem students have (and the reason I got a mobile years ago) is the rented accommodation and moving around is incompatible with 18month contracts for ADSL or FTTC
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Old 08-12-2014, 00:36
natbike
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Unless a serious portion of the network is congested I beg to differ. Three speeds of 1.2mbps on 3G are the norm in the various parts of the UK I was last week. EE manages 8mbps in same places. 4G on Three around 22mbps max, with 40+ on EE 4G.
I still think that Three compares very well to the other two and not far behind EE. This coverage map reflects my experience as an engineer 2 years ago. Vodafone looks like it is beyond help.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hvzpkz4jjd..._2014.gif?dl=0
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Old 08-12-2014, 00:49
david16
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Unless a serious portion of the network is congested I beg to differ. Three speeds of 1.2mbps on 3G are the norm in the various parts of the UK I was last week. EE manages 8mbps in same places. 4G on Three around 22mbps max, with 40+ on EE 4G.
To my mind 22mbps 4G on 3 is not really bad at all. It will depend on what people really expect of a 4G sim, or whether or not the most lightning speed is necessary for them. But you would have to pay considerably more to EE if you want the fastest speed possible but you won't get as much data per month with EE.

I would imagine 22mbps will be more than adequate for many with a 4G phone if that's a consistent figure.
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Old 12-12-2014, 12:40
B_W2
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"I went to get my monthly 15 payg top up to use for my ayce

and was told that as of January I'd have to sign up to get it as that add on was being stopped on payg.sucks I hate contracts,suppose it's a 12month at 15 or 18pounds on
1Month contract!still cheap but on a contract!."

Going by the above post is there any more proof that AYCE data is going on PAYG?

Is it being removed from the All-In-One 15, will it stay with the All-in-One 25?

Or lastly, will it just be available with a contract?
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Old 12-12-2014, 13:03
d123
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"I went to get my monthly 15 payg top up to use for my ayce

and was told that as of January I'd have to sign up to get it as that add on was being stopped on payg.sucks I hate contracts,suppose it's a 12month at 15 or 18pounds on
1Month contract!still cheap but on a contract!."

Going by the above post is there any more proof that AYCE data is going on PAYG?

Is it being removed from the All-In-One 15, will it stay with the All-in-One 25?

Or lastly, will it just be available with a contract?
No one who can answer that definitively will do so at present. It's really a wait and see what happens in January.
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Old 12-12-2014, 14:21
jonmorris
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Probably doesn't make sense to keep it. I had a US colleague come to London and he bought a SIM at the airport, added the AYCE data, caned it here and then went home after a week and carried on in the US!

I actually wonder if, even with supposed limits, these SIMs are being sold abroad with AYCE data where unlimited data is either not available or much more expensive?
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Old 12-12-2014, 14:31
B_W2
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AYCE data is usually for this country. The exception to this I believe is if you use the Sim in a 'feel at home place' where I believe you can use 25GB of data in one of them places.

I am hoping at best Three just slightly increase the price- my proposals are as follows;

All in one 20- £20 per 30 days, AYCE data, 400 mins & AYCE txt's

All in one 25- £25 per 30 days, AYCE data & txt's & 1000 mins

Or no change at all, but as long as it is kept on 3 PAYG for either £20 or £25 it will do for me.
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Old 12-12-2014, 14:56
jonmorris
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Yes, it is limited to FeelAtHome countries, but that includes Australia, Hong Kong, USA etc.. so might well be of value. £15 for 25GB and is that a hard cap? Has anyone tried using that much?

It might be one of a range of reasons Three will want to get rid of the AYCE option, although if it is replaced with something that's still decent (e.g. 10 or 20GB) then it won't be so bad than if they decide to drop it to 1, 2 or 4GB.
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Old 12-12-2014, 15:37
david16
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Yes, it is limited to FeelAtHome countries, but that includes Australia, Hong Kong, USA etc.. so might well be of value. £15 for 25GB and is that a hard cap? Has anyone tried using that much?

It might be one of a range of reasons Three will want to get rid of the AYCE option, although if it is replaced with something that's still decent (e.g. 10 or 20GB) then it won't be so bad than if they decide to drop it to 1, 2 or 4GB.
A 1 to 2GB data limit among the £15 all inclusive tariff would be appalling. Even 4GB may be not be anywhere near enough for some.

1p per MB would not be compensation for any loss of data from unlimited to 1GB or 2GB's worth e.g, as you would have to fork out £10.24 for every GB in excess that you use on your PAYG SIM. No point staying with 3 for PAYG if an extra heavy month data use on your sim due to being unable to access your home wifi means that data use on PAYG suddenly becomes very expensive due to 3 no longer making PAYG AYCE data available.

Another thing mobile phone conpanies marketing 1000MB as 1GB when 1GB's actually 1024MB.
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Old 12-12-2014, 15:42
B_W2
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I tried EE yesterday on their £15 everything pack on PAYG sim.

The speed was very good, 3 times that of three if not more, but after watching a few youtube vids, updating a few apps, a few speedtests and a bit of general browsing. I had used about 500MB for half an afternoon!

At that rate, 4gb will not last a month, let alone a week!

I just wish EE wasn't so expensive!- I guess you have to pay for speed.

But, if AYCE data goes on PAYG then I hope there is an exodus of PAYG customers.

How much PAYG matters to three is the question, as long as they keep AYCE on SIM only contract and phone contract, they will still have a customer
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Old 12-12-2014, 15:47
david16
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I tried EE yesterday on their £15 everything pack on PAYG sim.

The speed was very good, 3 times that of three if not more, but after watching a few youtube vids, updating a few apps, a few speedtests and a bit of general browsing. I had used about 500MB for half an afternoon!

At that rate, 4gb will not last a month, let alone a week!

I just wish EE wasn't so expensive!- I guess you have to pay for speed.

But, if AYCE data goes on PAYG then I hope there is an exodus of PAYG customers.

How much PAYG matters to three is the question, as long as they keep AYCE on SIM only contract and phone contract, they will still have a customer
A 30 day rolling sim only with AYCE data paying with cash?
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Old 12-12-2014, 17:34
Orbitalzone
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Yes, it is limited to FeelAtHome countries, but that includes Australia, Hong Kong, USA etc.. so might well be of value. £15 for 25GB and is that a hard cap? Has anyone tried using that much?

It might be one of a range of reasons Three will want to get rid of the AYCE option, although if it is replaced with something that's still decent (e.g. 10 or 20GB) then it won't be so bad than if they decide to drop it to 1, 2 or 4GB.
I've used my Three SIM in a couple of feel at home countries and I reckon that it would have taken me a couple of months to use 25Gb of data given that the speeds I was getting was near dialup

They clearly give Three roaming much much much lower priority than local users (fair enough), I found almost anything that required data took much longer than if in the UK and suspect most others find the same.... so their 25Gb limit is probably near impossible to use. Still damned handy to have mind you.
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Old 12-12-2014, 18:27
eforce
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Most heavy users don't have an issue with money, so if Three will not offer more than 4GB, then they will naturally look elsewhere.
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Old 12-12-2014, 21:52
david16
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Most heavy users don't have an issue with money, so if Three will not offer more than 4GB, then they will naturally look elsewhere.
I'm certainly prepared to pay more for the All in one provided that the AYCE is still on offer. All in one 25 would still be excellent. The minutes and texts are irrelevent.

Even 10GB data in the All In One for £15 and/or 20GB for £20 still be good enough for me.

It's terrible that with 3 customers are now going to have to pay considerably more for a lot less.
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Old 13-12-2014, 10:16
natbike
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It's terrible that with 3 customers are now going to have to pay considerably more for a lot less.
Or you had it good for a long time and now it's back to reality. I'm looking forward to better performance (hopefully) and am happy to pay for it. Unlike most here, I would have been returning to EE if the service didn't get better in the few places that are congested for me.
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Old 13-12-2014, 10:58
jonmorris
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I'm actually finding Three is performing very badly of late, and I have no idea why. It can't be a sudden increase in usage - but besides having no data flow in London recently (and having to flight mode toggle/reboot to get it back), I'm now in a bizarre situation at home and surrounds where I am on 4G but getting no more than 4-5Mbps down. Uplink speeds are still around the 15Mbps and above, but no matter how many reboots, or even trying my PAYG SIMs, it's the same.

3G speeds are also down, and it's acting as if there's some sort of speed cap in place. I have had this happen before and it usually fixes itself after a few days/weeks, but it's rather bad timing to start giving users a bad data experience at a time when so many people are now being told to change tariff, or AYCE data on PAYG is rumoured to be stopping, and are able to pause for a moment to consider other options.
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Old 13-12-2014, 13:40
david16
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I'm actually finding Three is performing very badly of late, and I have no idea why. It can't be a sudden increase in usage - but besides having no data flow in London recently (and having to flight mode toggle/reboot to get it back), I'm now in a bizarre situation at home and surrounds where I am on 4G but getting no more than 4-5Mbps down. Uplink speeds are still around the 15Mbps and above, but no matter how many reboots, or even trying my PAYG SIMs, it's the same.

3G speeds are also down, and it's acting as if there's some sort of speed cap in place. I have had this happen before and it usually fixes itself after a few days/weeks, but it's rather bad timing to start giving users a bad data experience at a time when so many people are now being told to change tariff, or AYCE data on PAYG is rumoured to be stopping, and are able to pause for a moment to consider other options.
And the AYCE being hacked back to a measly 1GB if a post in another thread about a £13 per month SIM only having a maximum of 1GB of data alowance, if they decide to stop the AYCE on PAYG that is.

5GB of data use on 3 PAYG on that basis you would jump from paying £15 per month to suddenly forking out an extortionate £55.96 per month. Truly flabbergasting. Shocking.
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Old 13-12-2014, 15:40
Jack_Wilson2
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Probably doesn't make sense to keep it. I had a US colleague come to London and he bought a SIM at the airport, added the AYCE data, caned it here and then went home after a week and carried on in the US!

I actually wonder if, even with supposed limits, these SIMs are being sold abroad with AYCE data where unlimited data is either not available or much more expensive?
They won't last long as you have to be in the UK within 30 days or the sim stops.
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Old 13-12-2014, 15:50
moox
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I'm actually finding Three is performing very badly of late, and I have no idea why. It can't be a sudden increase in usage - but besides having no data flow in London recently (and having to flight mode toggle/reboot to get it back), I'm now in a bizarre situation at home and surrounds where I am on 4G but getting no more than 4-5Mbps down. Uplink speeds are still around the 15Mbps and above, but no matter how many reboots, or even trying my PAYG SIMs, it's the same.

3G speeds are also down, and it's acting as if there's some sort of speed cap in place. I have had this happen before and it usually fixes itself after a few days/weeks, but it's rather bad timing to start giving users a bad data experience at a time when so many people are now being told to change tariff, or AYCE data on PAYG is rumoured to be stopping, and are able to pause for a moment to consider other options.
I have never had truly blazing speeds on 4G - there's some soft 20Mbit cap that I've had from day one, and performance seems to have only dropped since then. I suspect if I was in an EE 4G area I could get much better speeds on the same hardware (but can't test as that is currently 40 miles away)

3G is still okay but I am in a rural area
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Old 13-12-2014, 16:04
jabbamk1
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I have never had truly blazing speeds on 4G - there's some soft 20Mbit cap that I've had from day one.
I still have no idea about this.

It's really strange that you're the only one who can't go over 20Mbps at all.
Are you sure it's not the phone?
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Old 13-12-2014, 16:15
david16
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I have never had truly blazing speeds on 4G - there's some soft 20Mbit cap that I've had from day one, and performance seems to have only dropped since then. I suspect if I was in an EE 4G area I could get much better speeds on the same hardware (but can't test as that is currently 40 miles away)

3G is still okay but I am in a rural area
I suspect most existing 3 customers won't care how lightning 3's 4G is versus EE.

As long 3 offer 4G with AYCE data, it's 20mbps + download speed (fast enough that they can tell that there's a significant difference in performance in relation to 3G), it's reliable and is a reasonable cost their customers will be happy enough. But it seems like 3 are not going to be anywhere near meeting all the important requirements.
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Old 13-12-2014, 16:20
jabbamk1
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I suspect most existing 3 customers won't care how lightning 3's 4G is versus EE.

As long 3 offer 4G unlimited and it's 20mbps + download speed, it's reliable and is a reasonable cost their customers will be happy enough. But it seems like 3 are not going to be anywhere near meeting all the important requirements.
Three's price plans are still very competitively priced.

It's more the principle though as to why people are leaving. Old plans being discontinued and being forced to pay £13 extra for less isn't exactly appealing to many people now is it.

But for new customers the new price plans are good enough but the issue is that Three need to continue proving that their new/existing customers should pay almost as much as other networks for the experience they'll get on Three. A number of people may argue that EE will provide a better overall experience for the £5 extra or vice versa.
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Old 13-12-2014, 16:58
jchamier
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I'm actually finding Three is performing very badly of late, and I have no idea why. It can't be a sudden increase in usage - but besides having no data flow in London recently (and having to flight mode toggle/reboot to get it back), I'm now in a bizarre situation at home and surrounds where I am on 4G but getting no more than 4-5Mbps down. Uplink speeds are still around the 15Mbps and above, but no matter how many reboots, or even trying my PAYG SIMs, it's the same.

3G speeds are also down, and it's acting as if there's some sort of speed cap in place. I have had this happen before and it usually fixes itself after a few days/weeks, but it's rather bad timing to start giving users a bad data experience at a time when so many people are now being told to change tariff, or AYCE data on PAYG is rumoured to be stopping, and are able to pause for a moment to consider other options.
I'm getting the same on my PAYG iPad SIM. I switched to 3 PAYG from an EE contract as I hardly use the cellular data on my tablet, but out of interest topped up and did some speed tests. At home on 4G I get around 10 to 20mbps, but everywhere else its 3G and I saw 0.5mbps up to 1.5mbps.

My phone is on EE and even on 3G I get 3mbps but often 7mbps, and my company vodafone which is usually awful managed 7mbps in the same location. The EE 4G was 40mbps.

So I'm glad I didn't take out a 3 contract SIM.
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Old 13-12-2014, 20:35
jabbamk1
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I've used my Three SIM in a couple of feel at home countries and I reckon that it would have taken me a couple of months to use 25Gb of data given that the speeds I was getting was near dialup

They clearly give Three roaming much much much lower priority than local users (fair enough), I found almost anything that required data took much longer than if in the UK and suspect most others find the same.... so their 25Gb limit is probably near impossible to use. Still damned handy to have mind you.
This is how much I used in one week in Hong Kong.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/r...psf2acbcd6.jpg

Streaming was terrible but everything else worked fine.
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