circusplaza

I have Three PAYG for the last 3 years.
The phone is off but I still have the credit, I do not use it and just switch it on sometimes to get the HMRC or Bank texts... it seems Ok

Squirrel123

Just wondering whether anyone has come up against Three's two-month fair usage limit for 'Go Roam' use of their New Pay as you Go plan in the US?

Judging by Three's price plan (Terms & Conditions | Three.) and this story (https://www.theguardian.com/business...ing-time-limit), they do COMPLETELY cease all calls, texts and mobile data use if you use their SIM cards for more than 2 months overseas without returning to the UK.

I was about to transfer my number across to Three from Vodafone, when I thought I'd read the small print again... Glad I did! Now I'm on the hunt for another UK PAYG service that I can take with me so I can keep my UK number. I need it for calls and texts with older family/friends in the UK who don't use apps for calling, plus all the two-step verification that's now become standard on lots of UK services, whilst I also get myself put on my husband's monthly plan in the US. Giffgaff was mentioned above - any other suggestions welcome!

destone

My wife's account got turned off on Three for this very reason late last year. A Christmas trip to the UK fixed this. Mine didn't turn off but I put my phone on airplane mode each night, maybe that made the difference?

Mercury39

I've been in Three pay as you go for many years. Have not been in the UK for almost two years and SIM still working fine. It is active and in a phone that is always on (using iPhone with 2 SIMs (eSim for US and physical SIM for UK). I receive ~ 1 text a month, a little more recently as my UK Drs still has the number and I have been getting messages about booking a vaccine shot....

tht

I have a 3 sim in my safe I use in an iPad if I go to the UK.

I think the issue with the 3 sim is if you use it a lot. If you had it as a second sim and used no data, made calls over WiFi and used iMessage/WhatsApp vs. txt the risk is probably less they will kill it.

If you used it all the time and for a lot of data I can see why they would cut it off.

Mercury39

I would have guessed the opposite. Call, text and data rates when roaming in the USA on a UK sim are horrendously high, way higher than the actual cost and assume that three would be happy to take the money!

tht

You can guess, but your likely to be wrong, research is a better strategy than guessing.

The reason people are discussing Three is because they have “three like home” which lest you use your UK allowance:

Mobile roaming in United States - Support - Three

Mercury39

Thanks for the prompt. I should consider a different Three plan, current one is 5p per mb roaming in the USA. I'd missed the Three like home... Not that I use the data, bit good to have options.

Squirrel123

Thanks for your responses, guys - looking at other UK PAYG SIM options, it seems like all of them may be starting to build in 'fair usage' policies which limit the amount of time that you can be abroad before your UK number is cancelled. I'm still ploughing my way through to see if I can find one of them that doesn't have such a policy because I really cannot afford to lose my UK number at all - still need to check out Tesco and Asda, for example.

In the meantime, I have found a VOIP service called Swytch to which *you can actually port your current UK number*, and then use a local SIM card and WiFi so you can make and receive calls and texts on this number overseas. It's getting good reviews from expats: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.swytch.com. The basic subscription package is £5 per month and the calls/texts are cheap/local rate. I'm going to carry on looking into it, and will report back!

ukmd

Am curious about this too am on three but with a sim only pay monthly do I need to switch this to PAYG to keep my number then?

Squirrel123

I don't think so, ukmd - as long as you're out of contract with Three, or willing to pay to get out of it I guess, and your phone is unlocked, then you can switch the Three SIM card for a US SIM card, get your UK number ported to Swytch, and use it there. You don't need to have a PAYG account necessarily.

I've decided that I'm going to:
1) Take out a Swytch 'contract' before I leave the UK to get used to the app (you can cancel it any time, with no penalty and with immediate effect apparently so it's not really a contract)
2) Keep my Vodafone SIM card with its current UK phone number for a little while after I arrive in the US, to see how Swytch works in Southern California
3) Get a US SIM card
4) Port my UK number across from Vodafone to replace the one that Swytch give me if it feels like it's running OK
5) And then run my current UK phone number on Swytch, whilst using the US SIM card in my phone

Squirrel123

By the way, I am not at all a representative from Swytch! But their customer support is very helpful if you're thinking about your options.

Middlemore

Can you stay with EE but switch to a PAYG account?
I've had the same number with Virgin UK for over 20 years, its now in my dual sim phone so it automatically comes back to life when I step off the plane in London!
I just get a monthly email bill, they charge me $5 a month to keep it active, and its worth it for the convenience when I travel back, as I still do agency work back in the UK now and again.

justhefourofus

I'm with 3. I've been in the US for 14 months and I couldn't receive texts / calls for a few months after they locked it due to me using it for more than 60 days in the US. But I called them to explain my situation (I needed the number working so I could access apps) and they have reinstated it, with another 60+ days to use the roaming services. I pay £5 a month for a payg service. I don't actually use the roaming service (as I also have a US sim) much and wouldn't have needed it reactivated if I hadn't had to change my phone. It is useful for my parents to be able to call me on my UK number though and be charged UK rates. But I switched to Skype when I couldn't use it. Also, a dual SIM Phone is great.

clarkclnca

Hi all, just joined the group after being told by Three that my monthly UK SIM account is suspended due to roaming in the EU more than two months!

Called Three (333) and was just told they can switch me to one of their PAYG deals, while keeping my mobile number, and I must top up at least once every six months. This way they have no limit on EU roaming!

Tada! 👍😊