Questions about 3Pay

a5y

I don't use my mobile often but I'm thinking of changing my mobile and network from a clapped up Nokia 6230 on O2 Prepay to something else.

I went to http://www.callcosts.ie and used the mobile calculator to see what network and tariff would work best for me, and 3Pay on 3 was recommended.

Problem is I don't know anyone who is using 3, so there are some things about the network I don't understand at all; anyone currently on 3Pay who could tell explain one or two things I can't figure out?

Credit Availability:
As I've never had to buy credit for a 3 phone I don't know much about this at all. Is it as widely available nationwide as the O2, Vodaphone and Meteor? (I only ask because according to the calculator credit is only available to be bought in retailers, not in ATMs or online etc.)

Carryover call credit: Not available
This is something else I noticed on the calculator. Does this mean unused credit is not carried over month after month? I've tried looking at the terms and conditions on three.ie and I couldn't find anything about it.

Credit needed to top up
Something one of my friends told me that I found hard to believe was that the number used to top up your call credit (1741 for O2, it may be the same number for 3 perhaps?) was not a freephone number; meaning that if your credit ran out completely there is no way to ever put credit on it again.

Surely this isn't true, right? ...Right?!

I'd really appreciate it anyone who is on 3Pay or has used 3pay could tell me what they think of it.

BuffyBot

Top-ups are currently only available in store - but any store that can do top-ups for other networks can do it for 3.

Your credit does carry over.

And as far as I remember 444 (top ups) is free, but I stand to be corrected.

Sam Vimes

You're right. 444 is how you put credit on and its free. And credit can only be bought in shops.

I find 3pay alright but i use it mainly for the internet only. Im using it to post this

but be warned their customer care are beyond retarded

GekkePrutser

I find it very hard to get credit for 3 actually... There's several ways I buy credit for Vodafone that don't carry 3:

• The "YQ" machine in work
• The ATM in work
• The newsagent nearby

None of them carry credit for 3 but they do for all the other networks. So I always have to go into Xtravision or Dunnes to get it. It's very annoying because if I run out while at work, I have no way of topping up.

Not that that happens a lot though because like Commander Vimes I mostly use it for the internet and use my Vodafone phone to make calls And I got one of the internet bundles so that's very cheap.

But it is worth checking the usual places if they really do carry 3 credit because not all of them do!

Edit: And I also agree on the bad customer service, I hope you won't need them And their internet service is becoming more intermittent lately. But voice seems ok whenever I use it.

a5y

BuffyBot wrote:

Top-ups are currently only available in store - but any store that can do top-ups for other networks can do it for 3.

Your credit does carry over.

And as far as I remember 444 (top ups) is free, but I stand to be corrected.

I still don't understand the "your credit does not carry over" part, does this mean that any credit bought must be used within a certain period? (I've went over the site thoroughly and apart from a mention of the "the first €10 credit must be used within 60 days" I'm still none the wiser)

AlmightyCushion

a5y wrote:

I still don't understand the "your credit does not carry over" part, does this mean that any credit bought must be used within a certain period? (I've went over the site thoroughly and apart from a mention of the "the first €10 credit must be used within 60 days" I'm still none the wiser)

It does carry over. The credit you buy has a time limit of 90 days for you to add it to your account but once that is done it doesn't have a time limit.

tallus

a5y wrote:

I still don't understand the "your credit does not carry over" part, does this mean that any credit bought must be used within a certain period? (I've went over the site thoroughly and apart from a mention of the "the first €10 credit must be used within 60 days" I'm still none the wiser)

Maybe it means that any remaining credit you have with what network you're transferring from won't transfer across to 3. At the moment my 3pay phone has €9.98 credit which "never expires" the data addon however, lasts for 30 days. After that you have to buy another 100mb.

The_Hustler

a5y wrote:

I still don't understand the "your credit does not carry over" part, does this mean that any credit bought must be used within a certain period? (I've went over the site thoroughly and apart from a mention of the "the first €10 credit must be used within 60 days" I'm still none the wiser)

If you look at what you're quoting, it says "your credit does carry over"

tallus wrote:

the data addon however, lasts for 30 days. After that you have to buy another 100mb.

Not at the moment, but I don't want to complicate things as this is most likely temporary.

foggy_lad

all post offices now sell 3 credit and that carry-over thing applies to inclusive texts and minutes for bill-pay options. am with 3 a year now and never problem getting credit anywhere that a ten yard walk to the next londis or centra wont sort out! and yes customer care are fooked but its only a year ago that meteor were the same! they are still new network sortint/ironing out creases but always found benefits outweighed the slight probs.