Three free SIM cards come with no commitments and you can simply top them up to use them on Pay As You Go with low rates of 3p per min, 2p per text and 1p per MB.
They come with 4G at no extra cost, free roaming abroad and enable you to earn Pay As You Go rewards.
Getting a Three SIM card is easy and it doesn’t cost a penny.
Simply head over to the order page, fill in your name, address and a handful of other details and the SIM card will be sent to you free of charge.
It’s a trio SIM, which means it has every SIM type on one card, so whether you need a standard, compact or nano SIM you’re covered, just pop out the relevant size when you get it.
Delivery takes around 1-2 working days. If you can’t wait that long then you can get a SIM card for £1 from a Three retail store, but if you top up at the same time then the card itself will be free.
When you are ordering your free SIM why get a SIM pre-loaded with a Pay As You Go add-on. When your SIM arrives you'll then be able to use your bundle of minutes, data and texts.
| Plan | Bundle | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|
All in One £10 | 10GB data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts | |
| All In One £13.50 | 100GB data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts | Buy Now |
| All In One £18 | 200GB data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts | Buy Now |
| All In One £31.50 | Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts | Buy Now |
Those looking for the best possible deal should consider a Pay Monthly contract, which include 1-month rolling contracts for increase flexibility.
Free SIM cards on Pay As You Go come with a host of benefits including:
| Low Pay As You Go rates | Just 3p per min, 2p per text and 1p per MB. |
| 5G at no extra cost | Enjoy faster browsing and downloads |
| Unlimited data | Pay As You Go add-ons with all-you-can-eat data available for £31.50 |
| Tethering | Share internet with other devices over a personal hotspot. |
| No credit checks | Great for those with poor credit or no credit rating |
Now that your SIM card has arrived you should be ready to start using your Three SIM card, but assuming you didn't buy an add-on you’ll need some credit.
The easiest way to top-up is to register your debit or credit card at My3, then top-up online using your PC or phone. As you can do it from your phone you can basically top-up anytime, anywhere.
Alternatively you can top-up at any Barclay’s or HSBC cash machine if your card is issued by Barclays, HSBC, Nationwide, The Coventry, Yorkshire, Clydesdale or Creation.
One final top-up option is to use a voucher. These are available from supermarkets and anywhere you see a top-up sign. You’ll find a 16 digit number on your receipt and you simply visit your My3 account or call 444 for free and enter the number to top-up.
Those options give you basic credit, which can be used towards data, minutes and texts at a rate of 3p per minute, 2p per text and 1p per megabyte of data.
But to get even better value for money you may want to get an add-on. These let you convert your credit to bundles of texts, minutes and data which last for 30 days.
Three SIM cards work in any unlocked 4G or 5G phone. Just about all smartphones and many other handsets support 4G, but if you’re not sure whether yours does simply text ‘Mobile’ to 78333. That’s a free text and it will let you know whether your phone is compatible with Three SIM cards or not.
The trickier part could be having an unlocked handset, as if your phone is from another network it’s likely to be locked to it. To get your phone unlocked you can contact your network for an unlocking code, known as a DCK. However this isn’t always a free service.
Alternatively many shops offer unlocking services, but if you do it in a shop it certainly won’t be free so your network should be your first port of call.
If you don’t want to keep your old number then setting up your SIM card is as simple as putting it in your phone. How you put it in will depend on your handset and should be explained in your phones user guide, but it typically involves removing the back cover. The user guide should also tell you what size SIM card you need for your phone.
Then once your new SIM is in and you’ve turned your phone on you’re ready to go, except for topping up, which we’ll cover further down. Your new number is on the card attached to your SIM card, so make sure you give it to all your contacts.
Yes, if you want to port your existing number to Three then start by putting your new Three SIM card in your phone to activate your Three account.
Next you need to get your PAC (Port Authorisation Code). For full instructions read our How to keep your number guide.
There are several things to be aware of when getting a Three SIM card. For one thing your contacts may be saved to your old SIM card, so you’ll want to move them to your phone before throwing your old SIM card away.
If you’re transferring your number to Three then you should also be aware that you need to keep your old account active until the number has been ported and that on the day of the move you may lose connectivity for an hour or two. If you have credit remaining on your old account you should use this up too as credit can’t be transferred.
The information contained on this website has been written to assist our readers. We do not represent Three or speak on its behalf and are entirely independent of Three.
