Three UK Mobile Review: The Good, The Bad, and The Avocado Toast Savings

Three UK SIM card on passport

The Story

How I Stumbled Into Mobile Enlightenment

Let me paint you a picture: It’s 2022. I’m fresh off the plane at Heathrow, clutching my $200 Verizon bill for 3 days of ‘travel pass’ like it’s a radioactive potato. My British mate Sarah takes one look and says: “You muppet, should’ve got Three.”

Three.co.uk website screenshot Stock Photo - Alamy

Turns out Three does these magic SIM cards where:

You pay £20/month
Get 100GB data
Roam freely in 71 countries

As a digital nomad splitting time between London, Lisbon, and questionable Airbnb Wi-Fi, I was sold.

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First Impressions: SIM-ple Beginnings

Walked into a Three store near Shoreditch (hipster alert: the sales guy had a man bun that could launch ships). Got set up with:

12-month SIM-only plan
Unlimited UK calls/texts
100GB data (with 35GB EU roaming)

Pro Tip: Ask for the physical SIM - their eSIM setup requires sacrificing a goat to the APN gods (more on that later).

Real-Life Usage: From Paris Panic to Greek Gratitude

Fast forward 3 months:

Paris Disaster Averted: Missed train to Lyon? No problem. Streamed entire Emily in Paris season while waiting (don’t judge)
Greek Island Hack: Used phone as hotspot for 3 devices during Airbnb Wi-Fi outage. Still had 12GB leftover for beach TikToks
Stingy American Moment: Saved £58/month compared to AT&T International plan

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The Experience

Daily Driver Dilemmas

Good:

Average 50-80Mbps in London (Zoom calls while walking through Camden Market)
Tethering works like a champ (ran Photoshop on iPad using phone data)

Annoying:

Rural Wales = “Emergency Calls Only” (sheep don’t need Instagram anyway)
App login requires 2-digit password rotation (feels like solving a mini CAPTCHA)

📅 6-Month Reality Check

Surprise Wins:

Rewards Program: Got 3 free months of Audible just for hitting data milestones
Customer Service: Once reached a human in 8 minutes (UK record?)
EU Perk: Still worked in Switzerland (not technically EU - shhh!)

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Facepalm Moments:

That time I blew through 35GB EU data in 10 days (4K gelato stories add up)
Learned the hard way: “Unlimited data” becomes 2Mbps after 100GB

Let’s Break It Down

Pros ✅

EU Roaming That Doesn’t Rob You
- Used 28GB in Spain last summer - $0 extra
- Compare to Verizon ($10/day) or T-Mobile (256kbps snail speeds)

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Actual Unlimited Data (Kinda)
- Streamed 7 World Cup matches in HD at 2AM (insomnia FTW)
- Full speed up to plan limit, then usable for email/basic browsing
Hidden Flexibility
- Paused plan for 2 months when back in US (£4/month ‘hibernation’ fee)
- Roll over unused data (max 2 months)

Price-Performance Sweet Spot
- £18/month for Essential plan (frequent deals)
- Same cost as 3 avocado toasts in Chelsea

Cons 🔴

Countryside Roulette
- No service in Lake District Airbnbs (host offered a carrier pigeon)
- Fix: Download offline maps & Spotify playlists pre-trip

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APN Setup PTSD
- Had to manually configure APN for tethering
- Workaround: Their SMS auto-config works 60% of the time (100% with a prayer)
Phone Selection Stinginess
- Want latest iPhone? Only with 36-month contract (hard pass)
- Better BYOD or buy unlocked

4,019 Number 3 Clipart Images, Stock Photos, 3D objects, & Vectors | Shutterstock

Real Talk

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Perfect For:

✈️ Frequent Europe travelers
💻 Remote workers needing reliable tethering
💰 Students/backpackers counting every quid

Avoid If:

You live in rural areas (stick with EE)
Need 5G speeds 24/7 (their 5G coverage map looks Swiss cheese)

🔥 Pro Hacks:

Multi-Month Discount: Pay for 6 months upfront = 10% off
Data Boost Trick: Buy 1-day “Data Pass” (£2) when you need full speed beyond limit
Secret Coverage Check: Their coverage map lies less if you check at 3pm weekdays

The Bottom Line