Three’s Data Reward Pay As You Go SIM card gives you 200MB of free data every month. There’s no need to top-up to get your free allowance.

The Data Reward SIM is no longer available to new customers. Three’s Data Reward SIM with 200MB of free data every month was available from the 3rd February 2016 to 22nd May 2022. It has now closed to new registrations so you won’t be able to get the 200MB of free data every month. For some alternative deals, see our guide to the best Pay As You Go SIM cards for light usage.

For light mobile users, Three’s Data Reward SIM card was a good alternative to their normal Pay As You Go plan. Customers received 200MB of data for free on the SIM card each month, with no need to top-up.

As of May 2022, the Data Reward SIM is no longer available to new customers. You should get a SIM card from another network instead. The information below is being kept as an archive for customers who already have a Data Reward SIM.

Data Reward SIM Card

The Data Reward SIM Card is a good alternative to Three’s normal Pay As You Go plan if you’re a light mobile user. You’ll get 200MB of free data on the SIM card each month, with no need to top-up to get your free allowance.

200MB Monthly Free Data

The main selling point of Three’s Data Reward SIM Card is the 200MB of free data you’ll get each month. To qualify, you’ll need to make sure you have a designated Data Reward SIM card as it isn’t possible to get this on normal Pay As You Go SIMs.

You can order a Data Reward SIM card through this page on Three’s website. There’s a £10 upfront fee for the SIM card which gives you 1GB of preloaded data (in addition to the 200MB of free data you’ll also get every month).

Order Data Reward SIM Card →

Once you’ve ordered and activated your Data Reward SIM card, visit three.co.uk/freedata using the browser on your device. There’s a short sign up form you’ll need to complete before you get the 200MB of free data each month.

If you’re unable to register and receive an error message on this page, make sure the APN setting on your phone is set to 3internet instead of three.co.uk.

Pay As You Go Rates

Outside of the 200MB of inclusive data each month, you’ll need to pay for your usage at 3p/minute, 2p/text and 1p/MB.

One difference between the Data Reward SIM card and standard Pay As You Go SIMs is that Data Reward SIM cards have a lower minimum top-up. You’ll only need to top-up £2 each time, rather than the £5 minimum top-up that’s required on normal Pay As You Go SIMs.

Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to convert your credit into a 30-day add-on, which will offer much better value if you’re a regular mobile user.

The following table shows Three’s standard Pay As You Go rates on the Data Reward SIM:

Calling Rates:
Voice Calls 3p/minute (any network, any time)
Calls to Voicemail 3p/minute
Calls to Special Rate Numbers 45p/minute access charge
+ service charge from the company you’re calling
Messaging Rates:
Text Message (SMS) 2p
Picture Message (MMS) 40p
Video Message 40p
Internet Rates:
Mobile Data 1p/MB
Free Allowance 200MB free data every month (no top-up required)

The prices in this table are stated for UK-to-UK only. If you’re travelling abroad outside Europe or making international calls, higher charges will normally apply. Source for pricing information: three.co.uk.

Once Pay As You Go credit has been added to your account, it will not expire providing your SIM card remains active. You can keep your SIM card active by using it for a chargeable activity at least once every six months.

Data Add-Ons

On the Data Reward SIM card, it isn’t possible to convert your credit into one of Three’s 30-day bundles with minutes, texts and data.

As an alternative, Three offers a choice of three Data Reward add-ons. You can pay £15 to get 2GB of data, £20 to get 5GB of data or £25 to get 10GB of data. Add-on allowances will expire 30 days after purchase.

With a Data Reward add-on, you can save up to 75% on Three’s normal Pay As You Go rates. However, this is still substantially more expensive than on regular Pay As You Go if you’re a heavy data user. For instance, you’ll pay £15 for 10GB of data on Three’s regular Pay As You Go service (with unlimited minutes and unlimited texts included in the price). With the Data Reward add-on, you’ll pay £25 for 10GB of data with no minutes and no texts included in the price. For this reason, we would only recommend the Data Reward SIM card for light users not needing to buy an add-on very regularly.

Data Add-Ons Monthly Cost Effective Cost per MB
2GB (lasts for 30 days) £15/month 0.75p/MB (25% cheaper)
5GB (lasts for 30 days) £20/month 0.40p/MB (60% cheaper)
10GB (lasts for 30 days) £25/month 0.25p/MB (75% cheaper)

The “effective cost per megabyte” assumes you’ll use the entire data allowance within its 30-day validity.

Go Roam

The Data Reward SIM card is compatible with Three’s Go Roam offer so you can use your device in 71 destinations at no extra charge. This includes most European countries along with the USA, Australia and more.

The 200MB free data allowance can be used abroad in any Go Roam destination. Beyond that, you’ll pay the regular 3p/minute, 2p/text and 1p/MB charge when travelling abroad in a Go Roam destination.

For more information, see our full guide to Three’s Go Roam offer.

Comparison to Three Pay As You Go

The following table shows a side-by-side comparison between Three’s Data Reward SIM card and their standard Pay As You Go service:

Data Reward Standard Pay As You Go
Free Data 200MB every month
(no top-up required)		 No
Per Minute 3p/minute 10p/minute
Per Text 2p/text 10p/text
Per MB 1p/MB 5p/MB
Minimum Top-Up £2 £5 (online)
£10 (in-store & phone)
Other Features
Bundles From £15 for 2GB data
(no minutes & texts)		 From £10 for 5GB data
(unlimited minutes & texts)
Go Roam Yes, 71 destinations Yes, 71 destinations

For the majority of users wanting a SIM card for their smartphone, we think Three’s standard Pay As You Go SIM card offers better value. This is because you can buy one of the following 30-day bundles giving you minutes, texts and data from £10/month:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited10GB£10.00
for 30 days
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited4GB£10.00
for 30 days
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited25GB£15.00
for 30 days
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited10GB£15.00
for 30 days
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited50GB£20.00
for 30 days
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£20.00
for 30 days
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited36GB£27.50
for 30 days
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£35.00
for 30 days
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£90.00
for 90 days

The Data Reward SIM card offers a more suitable price plan for light users who don’t use their device enough to warrant getting a 30-day bundle with minutes, texts and data.

Order Data Reward SIM Card → Order Standard SIM Card →

Supported Devices

Three classifies their Data Reward SIM card as a mobile broadband plan which can be used in any device including a tablet, dongle or MiFi. You can also use the Data Reward SIM card in a mobile phone.

Most smartphone users will find the standard Pay As You Go SIM card to be better overall value if they’re a frequent smartphone user. However, the Data Reward SIM card may work out to better value for some light users due to the 200MB of free data each month.

Coverage

3G & 4G Coverage

In the UK, Three offers 99.8% population coverage. This includes 98.3% population coverage on 3G and 99.8% population coverage on 4G.

Before joining the Three network, we’d recommend double-checking the coverage in your area. You can do this by entering your postcode on Three’s online coverage map:

Check Three Coverage Map (three.co.uk) →

Unfortunately, Three doesn’t provide any 2G coverage. For this reason, it isn’t possible to use a 2G-only device with the Data Reward SIM card. For the same reason, you may also experience problems when using the Data Reward SIM card inside a dual-SIM smartphone.

For more information, see our full guide to the network coverage on Three. Alternative, see our overview on how to compare mobile network coverage.

5G Coverage

At the time of writing, 5G coverage isn’t available to customers with a Data Reward SIM card. Three has said that their 5G service will launch to consumers in early 2020. We expect it’ll be available at no extra cost to customers with a Data Reward SIM.

Three has announced 5G coverage in the following UK towns and cities:

Now Live194 towns and cities are live on Three 5G (September 2023)
Aberdeen, Abingdon-on-Thames, Adlington, Aldershot, Aldridge, Ashford, Balloch, Barnsley, Barrow-in-Furness, Basildon, Bath, Bedford, Belfast, Belfast Airport, Billericay, Billingham, Birdwell, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Bishopthorpe, Blackburn, Blackpool, Borehamwood, Bournemouth, Bradford, Brentwood, Brighton, Brimington, Bristol, Bromsgrove, Brookmans Park, Broughton Astley, Burton upon Trent, Campton, Cannock, Cardiff, Carlisle, Castlereagh, Chatham, Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Chesham, Chorley, Christleton, Clayton-le-Woods, Clifton, Coedkernew, Colchester, Copmanthorpe, Corringham, Coventry, Crawley, Crook, Cullingworth, Danderhall, Delph, Denholme, Derby, Dewsbury, Dinnington, Doncaster, Dundee, East Kilbride, East Midlands Airport, Edinburgh, Egginton, Ellesmere Port, Exmouth, Falkirk, Gateshead, Glasgow, Gorebridge, Grays, Greenock, Grimsby, Guildford, Hamilton, Hartley, Hatfield, Heanor, Heathcote, Hedge End, Hemel Hempstead, Hertford, Heswall, Heywood, Horley, Horwich, Huddersfield, Hull, Huntingdon, Inchinnan, Ingleby Barwick, Ipswich, Irlam, Isle of Grain, Iver, Kings Hill, Kings Langley, Kinmel Bay, Kirkheaton, Kirknewton, Knowl Wall, Leeds, Leicester, Leyland, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Loughborough, Lower Stondon, Luton, Maidenhead, Maidstone, Manchester, Mansfield, Margate, Marlow Bottom, Marston Moretaine, Merthyr Tydfil, Middlesbrough, Milnrow, Milton Keynes, Motherwell, Neston, Newark-on-Trent, Newcastle, Newhall, Newport, Newquay, Newton Aycliffe, Newton-le-Willows, Newtownabbey, Normanton, Northampton, Nottingham, Nuneaton, Ottershaw, Oxford, Peterborough, Plymouth, Pontefract, Porthcawl, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Redcar, Redditch, Royston Yorkshire, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Shelly Green, Shrewsbury, Slough, South Heighton, South Kirkby, South Normanton, South Ockendon, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, Southport, St Albans, St Blazey, St Columb Road, Stafford, Stansted Airport, Stevenage, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent, Stratford-upon-Avon, Sunderland, Sunninghill, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Swadlincote, Swindon, Swinton, Tamworth, Telford, Thornaby-on-Tees, Ullesthorpe, Wakefield, Wallingford, Walton-on-Thames, Warrington, Washington, Westhoughton, Weybridge, Wickford, Wigan, Winterbourne, Worcester, Worksop, Writtle, York

For more information, see our full guide to the rollout of 5G coverage in the UK.

Tethering & Personal Hotspot

Tethering or personal hotspot refers to the process of sharing your mobile internet connection with other devices (e.g. with your laptop or tablet).

On the Data Reward SIM card, the use of tethering and personal hotspot is permitted so you can easily share your mobile broadband internet connection with other devices.

For more information, see our full guide to tethering on UK mobile networks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get free data on the SIM card?
Once you’ve ordered a Data Reward SIM card and placed it inside your device, you’ll need to visit three.co.uk/freedata using the web browser on the device. There’s a short form you’ll need to complete to sign up for the 200MB of free data each month.
Where do I order a Data Reward SIM card?
You can order a Data Reward SIM card through this link. There’s an upfront fee of £10 for the SIM card. This will give you 1GB of preloaded data, followed by 200MB of free data each month.
Can I use my free data allowance when abroad?
Yes. It’s possible to use your free data allowance abroad in 71 destinations through Three’s Go Roam offer.
How does Three’s Data Reward SIM card compare to regular Pay As You Go?
With the Data Reward SIM card, you’ll get 200MB of free data each month. You’ll also be able to top-up from just £2 each time. The disadvantage is you won’t be able to buy a 30-day bundle with minutes, texts and data which will normally work out to be better value if you’re a regular mobile user.
Can I use the Data Reward SIM card in a smartphone?
Yes. You can use the Data Reward SIM card in any device including a tablet, laptop, dongle, Mi-Fi or smartphone.

FreedomPop

From September 2015 to July 2018, FreedomPop offered a SIM card in the UK with 200MB of free data each month. The SIM card offered 3G & 4G coverage from Three.

It’s no longer possible to get a SIM card from FreedomPop as their service in the UK has now closed. Three’s Data Reward SIM card is the best replacement for this service as it also offers 200MB of free data each month on Three.

More Information

For more information, please see Three’s official web page or order a Data Reward SIM card.

Your Comments 124 so far

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. So far, we've received 124 comments from readers. You can add your own comment here.

  • Adam said:

    Does anybody have any experience on getting a replacement Data Reward sim to work?
    I lost my original sim so ordered a replacement and I can’t get any signal with it whatsoever.
    I have tried contacting Three’s online chat but they were entirely unhelpful

  • Amit said:

    I bought three new-old-stock Data Reward SIMs off eBay for £5.50 (at half the price of one SIM with a £10 preload of data that would expire in 30 days seemed better value). I was able to activate one for the 200 MB/month free data. It did take some struggling though, but this is what was successful in the end:

    1. I plugged in an old 2009 Huawei E156G HSDPA dongle with the SIM in, and set up Mobile Partner to use 3internet as the APN.

    2. I navigated to https://www.three.co.uk/freedata. This _tried_ to redirect to devicereg.three.hostedservice.net, but it seems the hostedservice.net domain is having DNS issues (the authoritative DNS server at ns1.openmarket.com knows about it, but the internet at large does not). I substituted the IP address I found for it: http://83.166.74.12

    3. This immediately tried to redirect to http://mbb.three.hostedservice.net/payg_mbb_data_usage2.html — but as DNS isn’t working, I substituted the IP address for mbb.three.hostedservice.net: http://83.166.64.57/payg_mbb_data_usage2.html.

    4. This page basically asked me to top up. I went to top up £2, but as I was making a card payment, the website guided me to register the SIM with My3. I did so on Wi-Fi (as the website was misbehaving on Three) and then topped up £2 via My3.

    5. I went back to the devicereg.three.hostedservice.net host (http://83.166.74.12). For several minutes this kept sending me back to the mbb page (to top up), but eventually this tried to go to https://devicereg.three.hostedservice.net/register. (Naturally this failed because of the DNS issue.) I substituted the IP address again: https://83.166.74.12/register.

    6. I was able to fill out the form and provide an email address. Three sent me an email to verify the address, which I did. The email link tried to redirect to https://devicereg.three.hostedservice.net/landing, which again didn’t work due to the DNS issue. I substituted the IP address: https://83.166.74.12/landing — which basically told me I was done.

    7. Logging into My3 I was able to verify that the 200 MB free data appeared alongside the £2 topup credit.

    It was a major faff, especially as it seems OpenMarket (who appear to host Three’s captive portal for new SIMs) are having problems with their hostedservice.net domain, but it goes to show that older “free” Data Reward SIMs can still be registered for free data with the lowest value £2 topup, and there’s no need to spring for £10 for a paltry 1 GB data that expires within a month. These older “free” Data Reward SIMs can be found on eBay for not much money, though it’s likely you’d need to purchase a few rather than just one.

    I saw over at MSE that someone was claiming that the regular (better-value) PAYG add-ons are available via 444 even though they aren’t available online: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79096170/#Comment_79096170

    I haven’t verified this myself yet.

  • Ken said:

    The data reward sim is no longer available full stop. What I would like to know is whether pre-existing data reward sims will still receive the free 200mb monthly and in particular whether calls texts and MBs will still be charged at 3p, 2p, 1p. Can anyone answer this?

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