# Giffgaff vs Three - what do we think



## editor (Jul 26, 2017)

I've been with GiffGaff almost since they began but they've royally fucked me off since their system 'upgrade' has left me with no data for three days ad their possible solution involves me requesting a replacement SIM which requires up to two days with no phone at all. 

I was on their 5GB rolling monthly deal for £15/month but I see Three do an even better deal with 8GB for £13. So I'm thinking of switching. Opinions if you please!

Compare  SIM only Deals | Find the Best  SIM Card Deals


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## editor (Jul 26, 2017)

Oh I see iD Mobile do 5GB for a tenner a month. But who they?


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## skyscraper101 (Jul 26, 2017)

iD runs on the Three network. They're an MVNO operated by Carphone Warehouse.

I was with GiffGaff for ages, but the 4G was very patchy in large parts of London I needed it to work in, and had no phone support. Then I discovered that Three have that 'Feel At Home' thing which let's you use your phone/data as you would at home in dozens of countries, including Australia, and the US and most of Europe which is handy for me (now replicated by iD).

So in the end I fucked off GiffGaff for Three on their Unlimited Data/Texts and Calls for £20/month.


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## joustmaster (Jul 26, 2017)

I left Giffgaff for three a year or so ago. For this very reason.

Its worth checking Tesco mobile, too. They looked to have good deals.


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## editor (Jul 26, 2017)

And Three works on the underground.


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## skyscraper101 (Jul 26, 2017)

editor said:


> And Three works on the underground.



Yes, thats another bonus. Although in my experience, it can be a of a faff if you're trying to log onto some wifi between stations. I often have to manually search and connect it to the 'Free Virgin WiFi' and get it through security process, and that can take virtually the entire crucial 15-20 seconds the train stops in the station for.

Handy if you're waiting for a while for a train in an underground station though.


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## 2hats (Jul 26, 2017)

I’ve been with Three for ages (note: thread here), originally for the ‘no additional cost’ roaming. It’s not perfect but it is ‘good enough’ for my needs anyway (I’ve used it in Denmark, Spain Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, US, Singapore, Australia, probably quite a few more and it’s always been sufficient eg for maps, instant messages, photos, occasional streaming - I know some people talk about connectivity in France being bad and I have found it patchy out in rural areas but was perfectly good in Paris a couple of weeks ago).

Three were (I think?, I could be wrong) the first carrier to roll out 4G and not discriminate between their customers on pricing (though in a sense they did so geographically insomuch as it took them a bit of time to grow the infrastructure compared to eg EE). They have always offered WiFi on the underground for no extra too (though leaky waveguides are supposed to be installed in due course so everyone should be able to keep consuming data).

Generally positive experience with them/their customer service. Sure their network goes pear shaped once every few hundred days but then that seems to happen to every main carrier. Some of their back office IT infrastructure for accounts/billing seems to go awol every few weeks for a few hours (was annoying when I was PAYG and couldn’t easily top-up/add-on through the app or website though buying a voucher/web top-up still worked; now I’m PAYM am not sure if it has improved or not).

In my experience their UK network coverage has always been pretty good. Almost as good as EE and better than Vodafone and certainly O2 (especially in less urban areas).

I pay £18/month for SIM only with 30GB/600min/unlimited texts and tethering thrown in (have always bought my handsets outright myself because it works out cheaper, I can switch when I want to, often they don’t offer the phone/model variation I want at this moment, etc). I never get through more than a small fraction of those quotas.


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## cybershot (Jul 26, 2017)

Three ftw.


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## maomao (Jul 26, 2017)

I got very upset with three about five years ago and left them for Giffgaff. However the coverage isn't all that, especially 4g coverage and the list of SIM only deals in the OP makes me feel I'm getting cheated.


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## skyscraper101 (Jul 26, 2017)

I suspect EE have the best data coverage in London but Three have the unlimited 4G data and the free roaming abroad which keeps me onside for £20/month.


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## editor (Jul 26, 2017)

2hats said:


> I pay £18/month for SIM only with 30GB/600min/unlimited texts and tethering thrown in (have always bought my handsets outright myself because it works out cheaper, I can switch when I want to, often they don’t offer the phone/model variation I want at this moment, etc). I never get through more than a small fraction of those quotas.


30GB! Blimey, that is a a lot of data! Yeah, I think I'm going to switch. Giff Gaff have really pissed me off.


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## Jon-of-arc (Jul 26, 2017)

Just a general vote for three. PAYG is pretty damn reasonable - I get 12 gig a month for £20, which meets my needs. They have fucked with the pricing a bit over the last 18 months (was £15 for unlimited data, for a very long time), but to be honest, 15 was a bit too reasonable, and I've very rarely had problems. The odd bit of patchy coverage, never more than a day or two over the 6+ years I've been with them, and pretty good customer service, who have given me some free bits and bobs (I once forgot to change my £20 top up into a "bundle", and used it all in about a week - so obviously my fuckup - called them and within minutes had a new bundle for 30 days, from that day, so basically got a free week of calls.  Other examples as well...).


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## Fingers (Jul 26, 2017)

Yeah I can vouch for Three as well. Been with them for six years now and never had any problems.


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## 2hats (Jul 26, 2017)

editor said:


> 30GB! Blimey, that is a a lot of data! Yeah, I think I'm going to switch. Giff Gaff have really pissed me off.


Get one of their ‘free’ SIM cards and test drive it first before you commit (ie port your number) to make sure you get the coverage you need in the places you frequent? That’s what I did years ago before switching from Orange.


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## nick (Jul 26, 2017)

Another vote for three - I'm on a legacy Sim only deal: 250 minutes and UNLIMITED data and text - for £15.

If you do need a giff gaff sim in a hurry - one popped through my door in today's post - let me know


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## Kid_Eternity (Jul 26, 2017)

I'm on three (£18 pm, unlimited data, 12 gig hotspot tethering) and its great! I haven't had a contract in years because Three have been so great.


.


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## editor (Jul 26, 2017)

Just ordered my Three SIM and signed up on a rolling monthly deal of unlimited texts, 600 mins (which I'll never use) and 8GB for £13/month. So that's £2 less than GiffGaff and double the data.


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## joustmaster (Jul 26, 2017)

editor said:


> Just ordered my Three SIM and signed up on a rolling monthly deal of unlimited texts, 600 mins (which I'll never use) and 8GB for £13/month. So that's £2 less than GiffGaff and double the data.


And better customer service


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## skyscraper101 (Jul 27, 2017)

The annoying thing with new networks is you never know precisely where their dead zones are. Even official coverage maps are not specific enough to pinpoint these.

E.g. when I was on GiffGaff, there was always the same area on Fulham Palace Road which would be a dead spot and I'd always be stuck for 3-4 mins in traffic there. On Three I find Oxford Street very patchy, I can't listen to any streaming radio for the entire time it takes to get from one end to another. Not sure if that's network capacity, or buildings, but still for the epicentre of a major global city that is pretty poor.


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## 2hats (Jul 27, 2017)

skyscraper101 said:


> Not sure if that's network capacity, or buildings, but still for the epicentre of a major global city that is pretty poor.


Frequency band allocations and how the carrier is using them will have an influence (they all tend to use slightly different combinations - LTE in this band, 3G in that, LTE up here as well, etc). The high frequencies have greater bandwidth but tend to be attenuated more easily in the urban jungle. Many of the carriers have moved some 4G/LTE down to 800MHz since the UHF TV space was freed up but the capacity will be limited. If your handset doesn’t try to switch to alternative (higher LTE) bands often enough (when they are available - the situation can change quite often as you walk down the street as the degree to which the signal is being absorbed and repeatedly scattered/reflected/interfered can vary really rapidly) you may be left stuttering. Sometimes it helps to be able to select between 3G/4G/LTE if your handset has the option. Handset orientation can make a significant difference due to polarisation arising from the aforementioned processes (though not such an influence if your antenna is circularly polarised). Or just be patient .


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## Wolveryeti (Jul 27, 2017)

I have been on both. Three are much better because they actually own masts. Reception where I live (Oxford) was ridiculously bad on GiffGaff even where it had no right to be (the centre). 

My general observations having been on many networks is that virtual networks suck balls unless you are happy to have an unreliable service as your data/voice will always get bumped in favour of the infrastructure owner's. Got really tired of the GiffGaff forum shills arguing that this was not the case when I was out and about with my wife (who was on O2) and observing she had amazing reception, 3G and so on, whereas I had no bars at all.


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## paolo (Jul 27, 2017)

I switched to Three when they had the killer tariff. Unlimited everything *with* tethering. I was using my phone as home wifi, rinsing up to 80Gb a month. HD films on laptop, 10gb downloads of new versions of Windows... it was all faster than the crappy talk talk broadband. Low contention 4G was nearly as fast as fibre. The fair use policy on that tariff (£23/month Sim only) was a terabyte a month. Yep, a terabyte.

Sadly that party ended for everyone - they killed that tariff. And these days most/all providers do European access for no extra cost (EE used to be *atrocious*).

In the last year I've had accounts with Vodafone and EE, as well as Three. I still rate Three though am dumping the other two.

Not perfect, but for me Three has been the "least worst" operator.

(Good: UK Rural. Bad: Inside some London buildings. Rural France.)


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## 2hats (Jul 27, 2017)

paolo said:


> these days most/all providers do European access for no extra cost (EE used to be *atrocious*).


Worth pointing out that Three did that long before the EC got the thumbscrews out. Also, that Three offer the same deal in a number of useful places far beyond the EU (eg US, Oz, NZ, Brasil, HK, Singapore).


> (Good: UK Rural. Bad: Inside some London buildings. Rural France.)


True. My experience also, generally, though I rarely seem to have issues with it in London these days other than what I suspect is network congestion on occasions. In some countries they have multiple deals with different carriers so it's worth selecting a specific network if your phone allows and you know which ones you can use (eg I used to force my handset to Orange in preference to Free in France).


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## Chz (Jul 28, 2017)

Wolveryeti said:


> I have been on both. Three are much better because they actually own masts. Reception where I live (Oxford) was ridiculously bad on GiffGaff even where it had no right to be (the centre).
> 
> My general observations having been on many networks is that virtual networks suck balls unless you are happy to have an unreliable service as your data/voice will always get bumped in favour of the infrastructure owner's. Got really tired of the GiffGaff forum shills arguing that this was not the case when I was out and about with my wife (who was on O2) and observing she had amazing reception, 3G and so on, whereas I had no bars at all.


Unless you have identical phones, it's not really a useful comparison. I have better reception on GG than several people do on the office mobiles, which are all O2.

Three is way better if you're a big data eater. No contest. For myself, GG's £10 for 2GB is more than sufficient and most people I know end up being free calls. And I've yet to have a problem with them.


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## Wolveryeti (Jul 28, 2017)

Chz said:


> Unless you have identical phones, it's not really a useful comparison. I have better reception on GG than several people do on the office mobiles, which are all O2.


I'm on O2 now (same phone) with no reception problems in the centre whatsoever.

GiffGaff are just a pile of arse gravy.


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## Wookey (Jul 28, 2017)

I'm on Giffgaff coz of the tethering - can you tether a laptop on a 3 sim?


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## bi0boy (Jul 29, 2017)

Wookey said:


> I'm on Giffgaff coz of the tethering - can you tether a laptop on a 3 sim?



Yes, on some of their plans: Personal Hotspot on your phone. - Internet on your phone - Internet & apps - Support - Three


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## Wookey (Jul 29, 2017)

bi0boy said:


> Yes, on some of their plans: Personal Hotspot on your phone. - Internet on your phone - Internet & apps - Support - Three



Thanking you Bio... They might have just found a convert!


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## Throbbing Angel (Jul 29, 2017)

2hats said:


> Get one of their ‘free’ SIM cards and test drive it first before you commit (ie port your number) to make sure you get the coverage you need in the places you frequent? That’s what I did years ago before switching from Orange.



This, I found Three patchy at home but great at work.
Worth a few quid to find.out.


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## 2hats (Jul 29, 2017)

Forgot to add - Three have one of those apps (Three In Touch) that routes calls and sms (in and out) over WiFi. Works quite nicely for poor/zero coverage notspots. No extra cost.


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## Dom Traynor (Aug 1, 2017)

I was always on three in the UK and my partner has been using her UK phone data in NZ for 9 months with no issues or extra cost. She has a local phone as well for most things.


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## Fingers (Aug 5, 2017)

2hats said:


> Forgot to add - Three have one of those apps (Three In Touch) that routes calls and sms (in and out) over WiFi. Works quite nicely for poor/zero coverage notspots. No extra cost.



Not sure if you even need the app now on the newer phones, it just connects to the WIFI to make calls and texts.


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## editor (Aug 5, 2017)

Fingers said:


> Not sure if you even need the app now on the newer phones, it just connects to the WIFI to make calls and texts.




Only works if you bought the phone from 3.


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## Fingers (Aug 5, 2017)

editor said:


> Only works if you bought the phone from 3.




Ah. I did just that.


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## cybershot (Aug 6, 2017)

Fingers said:


> Not sure if you even need the app now on the newer phones, it just connects to the WIFI to make calls and texts.


On iPhone you just turn on Wifi calling and it works. Bought my phone off the shelf from Apple store and just whacked my Three sim into it, it works! Which is great at work, we have wifi hotspots everywhere but many of the older buildings are terrible for phone reception.


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## Hassan I Sabha (Aug 7, 2017)

Just swapped to Three based on this thread and happy so far. It seems like you cannot use your data as a wifi hotspot whilst not in the UK due to "EU Rulings" - is there any way around this at all as was hoping to do this to allow the kindle to download books?


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## WWWeed (Aug 7, 2017)

editor said:


> Only works if you bought the phone from 3.



I can confirm as a three customer with simfree phones not purchased from three that you do not need a three handset for it to work.

I currently have a sim free S7 which it works on, and it also worked on my sim-free Motorola too!

But yeah given a choice between a MVNO and a proper network (i.e EE, Vodaphone, Three, O2 - all others are MVNOs) I'd go with the proper network if the price was right. I was with ID mobile and they messed up a number port which took about a week longer than it should have done to fix. MNVOs have to raise a ticket and wait, where as the proper networks can talk to their techs directly so you should get a better service.


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## 2hats (Aug 7, 2017)

WWWeed said:


> I can confirm as a three customer with simfree phones not purchased from three that you do not need a three handset for it to work.
> 
> I currently have a sim free S7 which it works on, and it also worked on my sim-free Motorola too!


Three only support it for more recent handsets (see here). A firmware update might be needed in some cases.


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## editor (Sep 8, 2017)

I've moved to happier times with Three but GiffGaff have now taken to spamming me with adverts for their new personal loans service. How fucking tacky is that?


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## Ralph Llama (Jan 4, 2018)

Here is the deal with Giff-Splaff PAYG always on data usage from my findings,

You dont have to give them any identity information
for 20 squid you get an initial 8gig or so unthrottled (thats the unlimited txts and calls s well) - torrent apps seem to be unthrottled 
after the initial 8 gigs have gone:
During peak times(5-10), data rates drop way down to whats usuable for light browsing and low rez streaming... utorrent crawls at 35kbps
Outside of peak times hd streaming is possible.
12-6 am is the torrenting window (on 1 4g bar i get 5 Mbps on me Utorrent)

I cant be arsed to hack the interweb anymore


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## sim667 (Jan 4, 2018)

I'm with three and have been for yonks..... Generally fairly happy with them except when my phone has gone wrong, they can be an utter fucking ballache. But if you're sim only, thats not really a problem.

I think I overpay though, some people on here seem to have banging deals in comparison to me. I'm out of contract, paying £24 a month for 200 mins, 200 texts, AYCE data and 30GB Personal hotspot data.

I mean really I'd be happy without the texts/mins and just the AYCE Data and 30 GB personal hotspot


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 4, 2018)

Just to throw out another one, Virgin have some very good deals and use the EE network, which may be more useful, depending on where you live.


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## WWWeed (Jan 5, 2018)

2hats said:


> Three only support it for more recent handsets (see here). A firmware update might be needed in some cases.


Yes that is if you dont want to use their app. See Three inTouch - Embedded Wi-Fi Calling - Send a Text or Call over Wi-Fi. It will work on any android phone that has a sim in it and is android 4+ as per Three inTouch - Embedded Wi-Fi Calling - Send a Text or Call over Wi-Fi.

If you use the app make sure you get setup before you need it in anger! Once setup it can be a godsend in rural pubs or on the tube.


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## WWWeed (Jan 5, 2018)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Just to throw out another one, Virgin have some very good deals and use the EE network, which may be more useful, depending on where you live.



I was looking at their £9pm sim free deal but decided to stay with three as I'd loose my unlimited minutes and text but gain a gig a month. Currently I pay £9 for 4GB data and unlimited minutes and texts, as I rarely use my full data allowance I didn't think it was worth the hassle.


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## skyscraper101 (Mar 15, 2018)

I've become tired of Three and constant patchy 4G everywhere. Especially in London. Oxford Street is virtually unusable from end to end, and it has been patchy at best on the 4th floor of my office just behind Oxford Circus. I also have issues around Hammersmith, Shepherds Bush, Fulham, a whole section of road up to Barnes. It's basically useless for at least half of my commute. Unlimited data is great and fine, but rubbish if you can't actually get a strong enough signal to actually download anything.

I'm switching to Vodafone to see if they're any better.


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## editor (Mar 15, 2018)

skyscraper101 said:


> I've become tired of Three and constant patchy 4G everywhere. Especially in London. Oxford Street is virtually unusable from end to end, and it has been patchy at best on the 4th floor of my office just behind Oxford Circus. I also have issues around Hammersmith, Shepherds Bush, Fulham, a whole section of road up to Barnes. It's basically useless for at least half of my commute. Unlimited data is great and fine, but rubbish if you can't actually get a strong enough signal to actually download anything.
> 
> I'm switching to Vodafone to see if they're any better.


No regrets from switching to Three for me. I just walked down Oxford Street making a Whatsapp phone call and had no problems with reception.


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## skyscraper101 (Mar 15, 2018)

editor said:


> No regrets from switching to Three for me. I just walked down Oxford Street making a Whatsapp phone call and had no problems with reception.



How strange. It seems to be practically useless for me. Usually I’m on the top deck of a bus though. And I’ve tried numerous times from end to end to get a good signal which can be like 15 minutes or more in heavy traffic and it only improves at Marble Arch.

Even on Regent Street yesterday I had to stand outside the Apple Store just to get Wi-fi to check when the next 94 bus was coming because the 4G was ridiculous slow.


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## 2hats (Mar 15, 2018)

skyscraper101 said:


> How strange. It seems to be practically useless for me. Usually I’m on the top deck of a bus though. And I’ve tried numerous times from end to end to get a good signal which can be like 15 minutes or more in heavy traffic and it only improves at Marble Arch.
> 
> Even on Regent Street yesterday I had to stand outside the Apple Store just to get Wi-fi to check when the next 94 bus was coming because the 4G was ridiculous slow.


From post 20:


> Frequency band allocations and how the carrier is using them will have an influence (they all tend to use slightly different combinations - LTE in this band, 3G in that, LTE up here as well, etc). The high frequencies have greater bandwidth but tend to be attenuated more easily in the urban jungle. Many of the carriers have moved some 4G/LTE down to 800MHz since the UHF TV space was freed up but the capacity will be limited. If your handset doesn’t try to switch to alternative (higher LTE) bands often enough (when they are available - the situation can change quite often as you walk down the street as the degree to which the signal is being absorbed and repeatedly scattered/reflected/interfered can vary really rapidly) you may be left stuttering. Sometimes it helps to be able to select between 3G/4G/LTE if your handset has the option. Handset orientation can make a significant difference due to polarisation arising from the aforementioned processes (though not such an influence if your antenna is circularly polarised). Or just be patient .


They (all MN[V]Os) also shape the traffic of customers in different classes that they have sorted them into. You can’t necessarily compare the handset of one customer with another, even the same model on the same network (virtual or otherwise).


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## skyscraper101 (Mar 15, 2018)

2hats said:


> From post 20:
> 
> They (all MN[V]Os) also shape the traffic of customers in different classes that they have sorted them into. You can’t necessarily compare the handset of one customer with another, even the same model on the same network (virtual or otherwise).



Right, well I can say now quite positively that the 4G signal strength on Vodafone so far is waaay better in the bits of London I usually get very sub par performance on Three.


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## Slo-mo (Apr 1, 2018)

SMARTY is cheap piggy back on Three with their top plan at £15  for 8gig and unlimited calls and texts. No experience of them personally, I'm forever seeing their adverts

Simple, honest mobile | SMARTY


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## cybershot (Apr 1, 2018)

Slo-mo said:


> SMARTY is cheap piggy back on Three with their top plan at £15  for 8gig and unlimited calls and texts. No experience of them personally, I'm forever seeing their adverts
> 
> Simple, honest mobile | SMARTY



I'm paying that to Three now and I get 12GB and unlimited calls and texts.


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## Slo-mo (Apr 1, 2018)

cybershot said:


> I'm paying that to Three now and I get 12GB and unlimited calls and texts.


Looks like they might not be so cheap after all then.


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## sim667 (Apr 17, 2018)

sim667 said:


> I'm with three and have been for yonks..... Generally fairly happy with them except when my phone has gone wrong, they can be an utter fucking ballache. But if you're sim only, thats not really a problem.
> 
> I think I overpay though, some people on here seem to have banging deals in comparison to me. I'm out of contract, paying £24 a month for 200 mins, 200 texts, AYCE data and 30GB Personal hotspot data.
> 
> I mean really I'd be happy without the texts/mins and just the AYCE Data and 30 GB personal hotspot



An update to this, I bartered them down on a sim only, £20 a month, unltd texts, unltd calls, 100GB data, 30 GB personal hotspot.


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## nick (Apr 19, 2018)

I actually bothered to read a notification that 3 texted to me today.
Out of allowance costs are increasing massively
for example UK-> Europe cost from 46-55p per minute to £1.25 per minute
International texts from uk 25p -> 35p

So if you're with 3 check your plan covers all you needs so you don't go over


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## cybershot (Apr 19, 2018)

TO be honest I've noticed the indoor coverage on 3 in crowded areas (City Centres, Arenas) to be really crap over the past week or so. First time I've reason to knock them. They are also phoning me at every hour possible when I always seem to be busy, if I block the number they just phone from a different number. Getting slightly annoying. I doubt whatever they are trying to offer me is anything I want. Probably just an exercise to agree to some new contract before GDPR kicks in.


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## Slo-mo (Apr 23, 2018)

Just as a heads up, Three are now charging 55p a minute for out of bundle minutes for contract customers.

How the fuck they can justify this I don't know. It was already 35p which is bad enough....

Giffgaff are a much safer bet in this regard, unlimited minutes on the £10 goodybag and upwards. Even on the £7.50 goodybag it's a more modest 15p a minute. And you can start a new goodybag early if you run out of minutes.


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## cybershot (Aug 6, 2018)

I see Three have brought back their all you can eat data sim only packages with 30GB hotspot allowance, all you can eat texts/minutes. £31 a month for existing customers (at least that's what it's being offered to me at) and £34 for new customers.

I barely ever touch the 12GB I have.


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## skyscraper101 (Nov 28, 2019)

For anyone who's interested, SMARTY (who run on the Three network), are doing a black Friday deal right now 100GB of data (unlimited calls/txt) for £17/month which is pretty good compared to the unlimited deal on Three (assuming you don't go anywhere near 100GB of data in a month.

I've just switched to them (reluctantly - I was getting a corporate Vodafone account for free until this week). It's definitely noticeable that Three have more dead spots in London compared to Vodafone, so I'm not sure how long I'm going to be on this network before I get annoyed to the point where I pay more to go back to Vodafone or EE, but just FYI on the deal for those shopping around.

(also worth noting that this doesn't have the same free international roaming options as Three)

Simple, honest mobile


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