Three free SIM cards come with no commitments, and you can simply top them up to use them on Pay As You Go with rates of 35p per minute, 15p per text, and 10p per megabyte.
They come with 5G at no extra cost, free roaming abroad, and access to Three+ 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 (other than eSIM) 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 1-3 days. If you can’t wait that long, then you can get a SIM card for from a Three retail store instead.
When you are ordering your free SIM why not 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. You’ll also have the option of an eSIM if you purchase a pack.
| Plan | Bundle | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|
£10 pack | 60GB data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts | |
| £13.50 pack | 120GB data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts | Buy Now |
| £18 pack | 240GB data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts | Buy Now |
| £31.50 pack | 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 a similar amount of flexibility to Pay As You Go.
Free SIM cards on Pay As You Go come with a host of benefits including:
| Inclusive roaming | Use your allowances in over 70 destinations |
| 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 |
| Three+ | Access to rewards, discounts, and freebies |
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, from the Three site or app. As you can do it from your phone you can basically top-up anytime, anywhere. Alternatively you can top-up by calling 444 from your Three phone.
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 35p per minute, 15p per text and 10p 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, as detailed above.
Three SIM cards work in any unlocked 4G or 5G phone. Just about all smartphones and many other handsets support 4G, and the majority now support 5G too, but if you’re not sure whether yours does you can check the specs online or in the supplied manual, looking for mention of 4G or 5G.
Phones are typically now sold unlocked too so yours probably won’t be locked unless it’s very old. If it is, contact your network and ask them to unlock it for you.
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 phone’s user guide, but it typically involves removing the SIM card housing on the side. 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’ve covered above. Your new number is on the card attached to your SIM card, so make sure you give it to all your contacts.
The exception to this is if you have an eSIM. In which case, you’ll find full details in our Three eSIM guide.
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 in that case you’ll want to move them to your phone before throwing your old SIM card away. Though these days contacts are often saved to the cloud instead, in which case that won’t be an issue.
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.
