Three (UK) Mobile preloaded 3GB Data

Yggr of Asgard

If you scroll down on the page you will see the question/answer I posted above in respect of data, there is also the T&C which clearly state the requirements:

Customers must buy a bundle or top-up for no roaming costs on calls and texts in the 18 Lycamobile countries. Customers must buy a specific data bundle for no roaming costs on data. It’s not possible to use minutes, SMS of bundles, except for selected bundles (Ireland Plus, National M, National UL).

Any data usage when travelling to any of these 18 countries would require the purchase of a data add-on. Your add-on will expire when your current plan expires.

The roaming SIM is not different to the standard sim, all you need to do to get the call/sms roaming is purchase one of 3 available bundles that includes this function and when you are abroad ensure you roam on the local lyca network (not any network, a specific network).

The 14€ is for the national M tariff, the 15€ for the Ireland Plus and all of those allow free roaming of voice/sms. The data allowance is national only not international.

If you look at the pdf on the page you can see which of their available bundles allows free roaming.

deadimmortal

Yggr of Asgard wrote: »

If you scroll down on the page you will see the question/answer I posted above in respect of data, there is also the T&C which clearly state the requirements:



The roaming SIM is not different to the standard sim, all you need to do to get the call/sms roaming is purchase one of 3 available bundles that includes this function and when you are abroad ensure you roam on the local lyca network (not any network, a specific network).

The 14€ is for the national M tariff, the 15€ for the Ireland Plus and all of those allow free roaming of voice/sms. The data allowance is national only not international.

If you look at the pdf on the page you can see which of their available bundles allows free roaming.

Ah okay, they should really make that clear lol even after reading the questions below the bundles I didnt get it, thanks.

newwan

Got my 3 uk sim there...
Have data working well here in ireland using it in my oneplus3.
Going to italy at the weekend. Anything i need to know? It should work the same as here right?

And also people were saying 3 uk blocked their sim occasionally unless people went back to uk. is this right? How do you unblock it then again?

MBSnr

newwan wrote: »

And also people were saying 3 uk blocked their sim occasionally unless people went back to uk. is this right? How do you unblock it then again?

My voice/data SIM got blocked in Oct last year. I rang Three UK customer service (India) and as far as I could tell the block would last 12 months. Guess I'll have to see if roaming is re-enabled next month...

Not sure if this applies to the 3Gb data SIM being discussed here but can't see how it would be different, otherwise everyone would be roaming with one permanently.

TimHorton

newwan wrote: »

Got my 3 uk sim there...
Have data working well here in ireland using it in my oneplus3.
Going to italy at the weekend. Anything i need to know? It should work the same as here right?

And also people were saying 3 uk blocked their sim occasionally unless people went back to uk. is this right? How do you unblock it then again?

You would have been better off with a 3 Irish SIM as that has AYCED in Italy

bk

TimHorton wrote: »

You would have been better off with a 3 Irish SIM as that has AYCED in Italy

Three Ireland don't have "Feel At Home" on their pay as you go SIM's, only on their expensive post pay contracts.

newwan

TimHorton wrote: »

You would have been better off with a 3 Irish SIM as that has AYCED in Italy

I don't think I would Tim. They only support 3 countries that I'd ever go to and not the states or France where I go most bar Canada but no one does Canada.

kellsred

bk wrote: »

Three Ireland don't have "Feel At Home" on their pay as you go SIM's, only on their expensive post pay contracts.

Not true. I am PAYG and used my phone in Italy and England this summer at no extra cost.

whiterebel

bk wrote: »

Three Ireland don't have "Feel At Home" on their pay as you go SIM's, only on their expensive post pay contracts.

They have Three like home on PAYG? I was using it in Italy in June/July.

bk

kellsred wrote: »

Not true. I am PAYG and used my phone in Italy and England this summer at no extra cost.

whiterebel wrote: »

They have Three like home on PAYG? I was using it in Italy in June/July.

Looks like it has changed slightly from last year, not included in PAYG by default, but you can add it for €3:

https://apps.three.ie/roaming/pages/three-like-home

Though it only covers 6 countries, compared to the 30+ including the US that the UK one covers.

whiterebel

bk wrote: »

Looks like it has changed slightly from last year, not included in PAYG by default, but you can add it for €3:

https://apps.three.ie/roaming/pages/three-like-home

Though it only covers 6 countries, compared to the 30+ including the US that the UK one covers.

No, you add it for €2.99 on bill pay. Its AYCED on 3Pay. It makes no sense, but the prepay plan is far better than the bill pay.

RoYoBo

Is this SIM/data card deal really valid for 90 days? I'm puzzled, as the 3UK site only has cards that are valid for 30 days. I have one that I use a couple of times a year (usually Spain, France & Italy) and it expires after 30 days unless I top up again in the interim and use an add-on.

I'm able to buy top-up vouchers across the border in NI, so I make sure to allow my phone to re-connect with the UK network periodically to avoid any disconnection.

How can sellers offer something that 3 itself doesn't have for sale? Am I missing something?

bk

RoYoBo wrote: »

How can sellers offer something that 3 itself doesn't have for sale? Am I missing something?

Three.co.uk do offer it, you can find it here:

http://store.three.co.uk/view/searchTariff?deviceType=SIM_ONLY_MBB

What you are missing is that this is a data only SIM, you can't make calls/texts on it. The idea is that it is supposed to be for your tablet/ipad. Of course nothing stopping you using it in you smartphone.

The 30 days plans are the standard mobile phone type plans (include calls/texts), but as that is with a UK mobile number, probably not of much interest to most Irish people.

The ideal way to use this abroad is either with a dual SIM phone (where you get calls/texts on your Irish SIM and data on the Three.co.uk SIM) or alternatively just use your Irish sim in an old phone for calls/texts and use the Three SIM in your regular smart phone.

RoYoBo

bk wrote: »

Three.co.uk do offer it, you can find it here:

http://store.three.co.uk/view/searchTariff?deviceType=SIM_ONLY_MBB

What you are missing is that this is a data only SIM, you can't make calls/texts on it. The idea is that it is supposed to be for your tablet/ipad. Of course nothing stopping you using it in you smartphone.

The 30 days plans are the standard mobile phone type plans (include calls/texts), but as that is with a UK mobile number, probably not of much interest to most Irish people.

The ideal way to use this abroad is either with a dual SIM phone (where you get calls/texts on your Irish SIM and data on the Three.co.uk SIM) or alternatively just use your Irish sim in an old phone for calls/texts and use the Three SIM in your regular smart phone.

Thanks for that - I do have a dual SIM phone, so this will be very handy for me. I'm assuming I can buy it from 3 UK as well and get it sent to a NI address? The offer mentioed in the OP is out of stock at the moment. This will work out a lot cheaper for me than topping up the phone SIM, which I generally only use for data anyway

bk

RoYoBo wrote: »

Thanks for that - I do have a dual SIM phone, so this will be very handy for me. I'm assuming I can buy it from 3 UK as well and get it sent to a NI address? The offer mentioed in the OP is out of stock at the moment. This will work out a lot cheaper for me than topping up the phone SIM, which I generally only use for data anyway

I think the issue with ordering from the Three.co.uk website is that you need a UK credit/debit card. Irish cards won't work unfortunately.

RoYoBo

bk wrote: »

I think the issue with ordering from the Three.co.uk website is that you need a UK credit/debit card. Irish cards won't work unfortunately.

The beauty of having family in NI I always knew they'd be useful for something, sometime!

Also, when topping up the 3 UK mobile card anyway (not sure if the same will work for the data card) most supermarkets in NI sell the vouchers, which are easy to use online thereafter.

RoYoBo

Can someone confirm if this data sim card, used in a smartphone in Spain, for example, can be used to tether/hotspot to a tablet?

I followed one of the links posted earlier in this thread and many of the people responding to that claimed it could not be done. I know this probably doesn't make sense, as it's data only and meant to be used as such. But is there something about using it in a mobile phone that might negate this option? Sorry if that's a dumb question.

dozy doctor

RoYoBo wrote:

Can someone confirm if this data sim card, used in a smartphone in Spain, for example, can be used to tether/hotspot to a tablet?

It's not a dumb question... Not all tablets have the capacity to insert a sim card,. Mine certainly don't...

But according to the TAC on the website, creating a hotspot to tether to another device is not allowed, but you could always try and if it does, great...

RoYoBo

dozy doctor wrote: »

It's not a dumb question... Not all tablets have the capacity to insert a sim card,. Mine certainly don't...

But according to the TAC on the website, creating a hotspot to tether to another device is not allowed, but you could always try and if it does, great...

My tablet has no sim either, which is why I want/need to tether via the phone. I know when I had a 3UK mobile sim in Spain earlier this year, it wouldn't allow me to tether and I then saw the restriction in their T&Cs.

However, some posters on this thread are saying that as this is a data sim only, it will work. I messaged the Ebay seller in the OP and he says he honestly doesn't know. Other forum reviews elsewhere indicate it won't work

Unless someone can confirm they've actually used it for tethering, I think I'll just stick with buying a local sim abroad - Orange in Spain, for example, allows tethering from a mobile phone sim and it worked fine with my tablet on wifi. It's a bit more expensive for less data and time, but better to be sure.

bk

RoYoBo wrote: »

However, some posters on this thread are saying that as this is a data sim only, it will work. I messaged the Ebay seller in the OP and he says he honestly doesn't know. Other forum reviews elsewhere indicate it won't work

Three UK call these "Tablet SIM's". This means they mean for these to be used in a tablet which has it's own 3G/4G radio.

They aren't "tethering SIM's" for use in mifi devices.

People use them in their phones while abroad, as there is no way to tell a difference between a smartphone and a tablet (they are fundamentally the same thing) and they represent very good value for money. But no guarantee that they work for tethering. Though sometimes there are ways around tethering blocking on rooted/jailbroken phones.

billbond4

I was able to tethering using a 3UK Sim this summer in france with an android phone running kitkat.
it was fine for normal browsing and downloading, but you could stream on it.
Also you wont be able to use 4G when you abroad on these sims.

Zimmerframe

bk wrote: »

Three UK call these "Tablet SIM's". This means they mean for these to be used in a tablet which has it's own 3G/4G radio.

They aren't "tethering SIM's" for use in mifi devices.

People use them in their phones while abroad, as there is no way to tell a difference between a smartphone and a tablet (they are fundamentally the same thing) and they represent very good value for money. But no guarantee that they work for tethering. Though sometimes there are ways around tethering blocking on rooted/jailbroken phones.

Not the one, I have.

It's called "internet with legs"
and Three clearly state on the front, that it's
"for use in any unlocked 3G or 4G tablet, dongle or Mobile Wi-Fi device"

There is no problem tethering with them or any other method you can think of using data.

keano25

Regarding the data only sim.

Will this work all year round without entering the UK?

Or is it the case you must turn it on in the UK every now and then?

tomslick

I've ordered one off mymemory for €14 delivered, paying in sterling via revolut. Will let ye know how I get on with it in a phone as a hotspot.

keano25

is that the 12gb plan?

tomslick

keano25 wrote: »

is that the 12gb plan?

No the 3gb. They are doing the 12gb for £24 + £1.95 shipping. I didn't want to commit to 12gb if it couldn't be used as a hotspot.

Zimmerframe

There is no question about using them in a phone as a hotspot, it will work perfectly. A phone used as a hotspot is a mobile wifi device.
They are not tablet sims, they are not voice sims, they are mobile broadband data sims. Put them in anything you like, then use the data, simple.

newwan

I got the mymemory one and it worked amazingly well in Italy last week. Even if it only works for that holiday alone and then is blocked forever it is still great value for money.

The ability to sit into your rental car at the airport and have high detail Google maps guaranteed is invaluable for me

bk

newwan wrote: »

The ability to sit into your rental car at the airport and have high detail Google maps guaranteed is invaluable for me

A few years ago, Vodafone had a plan that included 2GB of data, but best of all, you could use the 2GB anywhere in the world!!!

I travelled abroad 12 times that year and it was amazing to have this. Google Maps, Google Transit, yelp, etc. made it so easier to get around and explore these new cities. It should me how great and important data roaming is.

Unfortunately Vodafone so dropped this plan and as a result, I dropped Vodafone immediately. But it is great to have an option available like this three deal.

keano25

keano25 wrote: »

Regarding the data only sim.

Will this work all year round without entering the UK?

Or is it the case you must turn it on in the UK every now and then?

So lads can anyone answer?

TimHorton

keano25 wrote: »

So lads can anyone answer?

Feel Like home only works 2 Months out of 12 , So for 10 months you need to be in UK to use,

fergiesfolly

I'm going to ask the idiots question...
I'm going to the UK for a few days.
Can I get this, stick it in the second sim slot in my phone and use it simply for data for google maps, browsing etc.

bk

fergiesfolly wrote: »

I'm going to the UK for a few days.
Can I get this, stick it in the second sim slot in my phone and use it simply for data for google maps, browsing etc.

Assuming your phone is a dual sim phone, then yes.

You will likely need to mess with your phone settings to select which SIM gets used for data and which gets used for calls/texts.

coldfire1x

Mr.S wrote: »

My three uk sim won't allow tethering when roaming.

You can connect fine, but your brought to a webpage that says tethering not supported.

Tethers fine on the home network though.

That's correct, tethering not allowed on this sim while roaming.

coldfire1x

Used the sim for three weeks in US without any issue. Over a month now since I activated the sim and it's still working. Not too concerned if it gets deactivated, if I go somewhere else then I will probably get a new sim. Its a must have when travelling. You can't go wrong for that price.

digitaldr

newwan wrote: »

I got the mymemory one and it worked amazingly well in Italy last week. Even if it only works for that holiday alone and then is blocked forever it is still great value for money.

The ability to sit into your rental car at the airport and have high detail Google maps guaranteed is invaluable for me

Going to the US after Christmas so had planned to buy one from 3 up North but mymemory are actually cheaper! Thanks for the tip!

dozy doctor

fergiesfolly wrote:

I'm going to ask the idiots question... I'm going to the UK for a few days. Can I get this, stick it in the second sim slot in my phone and use it simply for data for google maps, browsing etc.

Should be good too... I'm heading over on Monday for the day so will test it out in person and let you know...

dozy doctor

So just back from the UK, and happy to report that I was able to get 3g with the 3 data sim whilst using my Irish sim card for calls and texts in my dual SIM mobile phone... 5 stars

Stevek101

What sort of speeds are people getting? Was in Belgium at the weekend mix of Edge and very slow H, very good connection for the most part. Never managed to get 4G. Was wondering was it a Belgium/Network specific issue.

TimHorton

Stevek101 wrote: »

What sort of speeds are people getting? Was in Belgium at the weekend mix of Edge and very slow H, very good connection for the most part. Never managed to get 4G. Was wondering was it a Belgium/Network specific issue.

I have used it in USA , Spain , France & Israel over the last year and the experience is always the same , General Browsing and Social Media is fine, Whatsapp Voice Calls and Skype Video calls were fine but streaming is very slow Video a no go and even Tunein Streams struggle , and on their site they mention that they service is managed and to expect slowness

tomslick

coldfire1x wrote: »

That's correct, tethering not allowed on this sim while roaming.

Just fired mine up in my galaxy beam (thanks bargain alerts) and was able tether two handsets and surf the net.

barneyrub

They also do a 1gb version of this for 5/6 pounds which might be of interest to some people?

Can they be topped up to use again?

tomslick

barneyrub wrote: »

They also do a 1gb version of this for 5/6 pounds which might be of interest to some people?

Can they be topped up to use again?

You can top up according to the leaflet that came with mine. The rates are more expensive than buying a new SIM

Zimmerframe

tomslick wrote: »

was able tether two handsets and surf the net.

I never had any trouble tethering either, but it seems some people do

coldfire1x

Cant get the tethering working, tried few times.

billbond4

Three roaming wont work on 4G, its only 2G and 3G networks when abroad.

RoYoBo

Bought one of these and tried it today. It works fine for roaming in ROI when used in a phone (dual sim) but will only tether when in the UK. I tried it across the border in NI and tethering worked on my phone there, but failed to work in ROI.

Maybe it works when used in a dongle or a mifi gadget when roaming (ie in ROI or other 'feel at home' locations) but the warning from Three comes up on my tablet when trying to tether via my phone at home (ROI). This is the same as what happens with an ordinary 3 mobile sim. Ergo, it won't tether in Spain either, which is what I'd hoped.

Still a very good deal for data on a mobile phone, so I'm happy enough Would love to know how others are connecting and tethering while roaming - is it via a dongle or what?

Zimmerframe

Zimmerframe wrote: »

I never had any trouble tethering

I must have had a different sim or phone when it worked for me or I was lucky, Three UK changed something or my recollection is faulty.

Got a new sim card today and it won't tether in the phone, but it works perfectly in the phone for data and it also works perfectly when I put it in a mifi device.

RoYoBo

Zimmerframe wrote: »

I must have had a different sim or phone when it worked for me or I was lucky, Three UK changed something or my recollection is faulty.

Got a new sim card today and it won't tether in the phone, but it works perfectly in the phone for data and it also works perfectly when I put it in a mifi device.

Somehow, Three recognises that my sim is in a phone, or maybe it's just my phone (Motorola G, dual sim) and throws up the warning/refusal message. I am considering getting a mifi - any recommendations? I'd really like something on the budget end.

Zimmerframe

RoYoBo wrote: »

Somehow, Three recognises that my sim is in a phone, or maybe it's just my phone (Motorola G, dual sim) and throws up the warning/refusal message. I am considering getting a mifi - any recommendations? I'd really like something on the budget end.

Yep, Three Uk seem to have got very clever re. sniffing out tethering , surprising that Three Irl don't do it yet.

In this case it's a bit silly because it's a data only mobile broadband sim designed to be used in a mifi, but obviously not in a phone pretending to be a mifi.

Any unlocked mifi should be fine, obviously 4G models are a bit dearer.
On adverts.ie you can usually get a 3G one for €15 - €20. If you check Ebay most of them can be unlocked for a couple of quid.