By Three offers ‘Lite’ Pay Monthly plans from £5 per month. You’ll get access to 5G with no speed restrictions. However, international roaming and Paramount+ are not included.
In the UK, Three now offers three different types of Pay Monthly plan: Lite, Value and Complete.
At present, you can get one of Three’s Lite Pay Monthly plans from as little as £5 per month. This will give you unlimited UK minutes, unlimited UK texts, and an allowance of data with Three’s fastest available speeds (including access to 5G). You’ll also get access to exclusive discounts and offers in the Three+ app.
The main drawback of choosing a Lite Pay Monthly plan is the fact that international roaming will cost you extra. It will cost you an extra £2 per day to use your phone in Europe, and an extra £5 per day in other Go Roam Around The World countries. You also won’t get Paramount+ included. On handset plans, you’ll get the standard manufacturer warranty and the discounted screen repair offer is not available on Lite plans.
In this article, we’ll look at Three’s Lite plans, including what you’ll get on them and how they compare to the Value and Complete plans. We’ll also look at the best Lite SIMO deals and the best Lite airtime deals that are currently available from Three.
| Prices From: | £5 per month |
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| Lite SIMO Deals: | |
| Lite Airtime Deals: | See Lite Airtime phone deals → |
| What’s Included? |
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| What’s Excluded? |
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| Coverage: |
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Contents
What is a Three Lite Plan?
In the UK, Three’s standard Pay Monthly plans are now as known as ‘Lite’ plans. Currently available from £5 per month, they’ll give you access to all of the following:
- Unlimited calls & texts. You’ll get unlimited UK minutes and unlimited UK texts included on your Lite Pay Monthly plan.
- Mobile data with Three’s fastest available speeds. You’ll get an allowance of mobile data (between 1GB per month and unlimited data). This includes access to Three’s 5G network, with no speed restrictions. You can also use personal hotspot to share your data with other devices.
- Access to Three+ offers and discounts. You’ll get access to the Three+ customer rewards app. This gives you weekly discounts and offers. For instance, you can currently get a £1 coffee from Caffè Nero every week.
Unlike on the more expensive Value and Complete plans, you’ll need to pay extra for international roaming on a Lite plan. This will cost you an extra £2 per day when you travel in Europe, and an extra £5 per day when you travel in other Go Roam Around The World countries. You also won’t get Paramount+ included.
If you’re buying a handset on one of Three’s Lite airtime plans, you’ll get the standard manufacturer warranty (which is up to 24 months).
The following table shows a side-by-side comparison of Three’s Lite, Value and Complete plans:
| Lite Plans | Value Plans | Complete Plans | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
 |
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| SIM Only Plans | |||
| 3GB Data | £5 per month | £10 per month | £15 per month |
| 8GB Data | £7 per month | £12 per month | £17 per month |
| 25GB Data | £8 per month | £13 per month | £16 per month |
| 120GB Data | £12 per month | £17 per month | £21 per month |
| 250GB Data | £20 per month | £25 per month | £30 per month |
| Unlimited Data | £20 per month | £23 per month | £26 per month |
| Inclusive Allowances | |||
| Minutes & Texts |
Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Personal Hotspot | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Speed | 5G with no speed limits | 5G with no speed limits | 5G with no speed limits |
| Additional Plan Features | |||
| Three+ Offers |
✔ Yes | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| Inclusive Roaming | ✘ Chargeable | ✔ 14 days per year | ✔ 28 days per year |
| Paramount+ | ✘ No | ✔ First half of plan | ✔ Entire plan |
| Extended Warranty | ✘ Standard warranty | ✔ On handset plans | ✔ On handset plans |
| £25 Screen Repair |
✘ No | ✘ No | ✔ On 24m handset plans |
Three’s Lite Pay Monthly plans are sometimes compared to EE’s No Frills plans (up to 25Mbps), EE’s Essential plans (up to 100Mbps) and Vodafone’s Unlimited Lite plans (up to 2Mbps). However, a key difference is the fact that there are no download speed limits when you choose a Lite plan from Three – you’ll always be able to get their fastest available speeds on your phone.
Three Lite SIMO Plans
At present, Three offers Lite SIMO plans, with an exclusive discount against their normal price when you order through one of the links below. For instance, you can get 40GB data for £8 (reduced from £10 per month). There’s also 120GB data for £12, and unlimited data for £20.
The following table shows the best 12-month SIM-only deals that are currently available:
| Plan | Data | Monthly Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
Lite
| 3GB data | £5.00 per month 12 month contract Monthly cost will rise each April by £1 | See deal |
Lite
| 12GB data | £6.00 per month 12 month contract Monthly cost will rise each April by £1.25 | See deal |
Lite
| 40GB data | £8.00 per month 12 month contract Monthly cost will rise each April by £1.25 | See deal |
Lite
| 60GB data | £10.00 per month 12 month contract Monthly cost will rise each April by £1.25 | See deal |
Lite
| 120GB data | £12.00 per month 12 month contract Monthly cost will rise each April by £1.50 | See deal |
Lite
| 250GB data | £22.00 per month 12 month contract Monthly cost will rise each April by £1.50 | See deal |
Lite
| Unlimited data | £23.00 per month 12 month contract Monthly cost will rise each April by £1.50 | See deal |
If you’re looking for 120GB data or more each month, you can get a slightly lower price when you sign up on a longer 24-month contract:
| Plan | Data | Monthly Cost (will rise each April by £1.50) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Lite
| 120GB data | £12.00 per month 24 month contract | See deal |
Lite
| Unlimited data | £20.00 per month 24 month contract | See deal |
You can upgrade your ‘Unlimited Lite’ plan to an ‘Unlimited Value’ plan for an extra £5 per month (equivalent to £60 per year). For this, you’ll get 14 daily Go Roam passes each year (worth up to £28 if you’re travelling in Europe, and up to £70 if you’re travelling outside Europe). You’ll also get Paramount+ included for the first half of your plan (this is worth £42 on a 12-month plan).
If you want to upgrade to the ‘Unlimited Complete’ plan, this will cost you an extra £10 per month (equivalent to £120 per year). For this, you’ll get 28 daily Go Roam passes each year (worth up to £56 if you’re travelling to Europe, and up to £140 if you’re travelling outside Europe). You’ll also get Paramount+ included for the entire length of your plan (worth £84 per year).
Three Lite Airtime Plans
If you’re buying a handset on a Pay Monthly contract from Three, the cheapest available deals will normally be on a Lite Airtime plan (also known as Lite AIRT plans).
On Lite Airtime plans, your mobile phone will come with the standard manufacturer warranty. This will be a 12-month warranty if you’re buying an iPhone, and a 24-month warranty if you’re buying an Android.
If you upgrade to a Value Airtime plan (typically available for about £5 per month more), you’ll get an extended 36-month warranty on your phone. You’ll also get 12 months of Paramount+ included (worth £84) and 28 daily Go Roam passes (worth up to £56 if you’re travelling in Europe and up to £140 if you’re travelling outside Europe).
Alternatively, if you upgrade to a Complete Airtime plan (typically available for around £10 per month extra), you can benefit from a discounted screen repair. If you’re eligible, you’ll only pay a £25 excess for the screen repair. This can save you quite a lot of money. For instance, at the time of writing, a screen repair for the iPhone 14 costs £289 and a screen repair for the Galaxy S23 costs £209. The Complete Airtime plan also comes with an extended 36-month warranty, along with Paramount+ for the entire length of your contract and 56 daily Go Roam passes.
When it comes to choosing your plan, you’ll ultimately need to look at whether the additional benefits make it worthwhile for you to upgrade. For most people, we think the Lite Airtime plan offers the best value, unless you think you’re likely to use a lot of the additional services included on Value Airtime or Complete Airtime.
Keeping Your Phone Number
If you’re switching to one of Three’s Lite Pay Monthly plans, it’s a straightforward process keeping your current phone number.
Start by asking your current mobile network to give you a PAC Code. You can get one by texting PAC to 65075, or you can request one through your mobile network’s website or app.
Once you’ve gotten the PAC Code from your old network, you’ll be able to place your order online with Three. You can either give them the PAC Code when you sign up, or you can wait until the SIM card arrives and then fill out this form on their website.
For step-by-step instructions on how to transfer your phone number to Three, please select your current mobile network from the drop-down menu below:
For more information, see our full guide to transferring your phone number between networks.
More Information
For more information about Three’s Pay Monthly plans, see the guide on their website. You can also read our full guide on Three’s SIM-only deals and Three’s unlimited data plans.
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