Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

Have a question? We have an answer!

Will My UK SIM Card work in my smartphone?

My UK SIM Card works in iPhone, Samsung, Motorola, Google, LG + others. Learn more.

My UK SIM Card works in most network unlocked Smartphones.

Our SIM Card is a physical SIM Card that you insert into your phone (it’s NOT an eSIM, but we will be launching eSIM soon).

This means you can’t use My UK SIM Card if you have an iPhone 14 or iPhone 15 purchased in the USA, because these iPhone models are eSIM only, and can’t use a physical SIM Card. You can use My UK SIM Card with all other iPhones up to and including iPhone 13.

If you’re not using an iPhone, and your Smartphone is more than a few years old, you should check that it will work with My UK SIM Card. Here’s how to check:

(1) Enter your phone’s IMEI number in the Three UK website here.

(2) On the next screen, scroll down to Network to confirm your phone is compatible like shown below.

Does my smart phone need to be network unlocked?

Your Smartphone must be network unlocked to use My UK SIM Card. Learn more.

Your Smartphone must be network unlocked to use My UK SIM Card.

Network unlocked is sometimes referred to as “SIM Free”.

A network unlocked Smartphone means means you can use any SIM Card from any carrier. Contact your phone provider or click on these handy links to unlock your AT&T phone, T-Mobile phone, or Verizon phone, or contact your phone provider directly to request a network unlock. If you have an iPhone you can read the official Apple website instructions about how to unlock your iPhone.

Depending on where you bought your Smartphone, it might already be unlocked or “SIM Free”. Use the handy details below to check if your Smartphone is already unlocked:

How to check if your iPhone is unlocked: Go to Settings > General > About. If “No SIM restrictions” appears next to Network Provider Lock, your iPhone is unlocked.

How to check if your Samsung, Motorola, Google, LG or other phone is unlocked: insert a SIM Card from a different provider, restart your phone, and if the different provider name appears in the status bar, then your phone is unlocked. For example, if your Smartphone is with AT&T, insert a T-Mobile SIM Card into your phone. In the event your phone is locked, you’ll get an error message saying you need to insert a valid SIM Card, in which case contact your network provider and request an unlock.

Your purchase helps the village enterprise charity

We donate 1% of our annual profits to the Village Enterprise charity. Learn more.

Village Enterprise empowers the ultra poor in rural Africa to lift themselves out of poverty through small sustainable businesses and savings groups. It delivers a four part program to build businesses that increase household income: entrepreneurship training, a cash grant, business mentoring and a savings group.

Since its founding in 1987, it has trained over 154,000 owners who have opened over 39,000 businesses. There is strong evidence that the Village Enterprise program leads to a significant and persistent increase in income. You can read more about Village Enterprise at https://www.thelifeyoucansave.org/where-to-donate/village-enterprise.

Geoff Whitmore at Forbes said My UK SIM Card is "A great SIM Card option for Europe". Read more.

Geoff Whitmore has reviewed My UK SIM Card in his Forbes column. Have a read here of what he thought about My UK SIM Card.

John Brandon at Fox News said My UK SIM Card was one of "seven cool travel gadget for your next trip". Read more.

We featured in the Innovation section of Fox News, as one of seven cool travel gadgets for your next trip. “Slip this card into an unlocked phone like the Google Pixel 2 XL I tested, and you can expect to have service in the U.S., most of Europe, and dozens of other countries.”

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Questions & Answers (FAQs)

What's the 30 day restriction in Europe all about?

You can only use the SIM Card for 30 consecutive days in Europe. Then it will stop working in Europe even if you refill.

This is because the SIM Card is a UK SIM Card that roams in Europe, and the roaming is only meant to be for short durations. The network sets a maximum of 30 days.

However this 30 day restriction gets “reset” if you use the SIM Card again in the UK. Then you can again use the SIM Card in Europe for up to 30 days and so on.

Here’s some examples:

John is going to France for two weeks, Italy for three weeks and Spain for one week. He’s not visiting the UK at all.

John will need to buy two (2) SIM Cards. The first will work for 30 days (and cover him for his France trip and two weeks of his Italy trip) but he won’t be able to refill the first SIM Card. Instead, after 30 days he’ll throw the first SIM Card away and use the second SIM Card which will cover the remainder of his time in Italy and Spain.

Tabitha is going to France for three weeks, UK for two weeks, Spain for three weeks, UK for one week and finally to Sweden for three weeks.

Tabitha can use the same SIM Card and simply refill it every 30 days. That’s because at no time is Tabitha in Europe for more than 30 consecutive days. When Tabitha goes to the UK and uses the SIM Card there that will “reset” the 30 day Europe restrictions.

What's included with My UK SIM Card?

5G/4G LTE data

Choose 10GB, 30GB, 60GB or UNLIMITED GB. If you choose 30GB, 60GB or UNLIMITED GB you can use a maximum of 12GB in Europe due to roaming restrictions. Need more than 12GB in Europe? Just buy two (2) or multiple SIM Cards (each will give you 12GB to use in Europe).

Unlimited minutes and texts

When you’re in the UK: you can use your unlimited minutes and texts to UK landlines (starting with 01 and 02), national numbers (starting with 03), free call numbers (0800) and UK mobiles (starting with 07), and you get unlimited minutes and texts to other people who are using our SIM Card.

When you’re in the included European countries: you can use your unlimited minutes and texts to local landlines and mobiles in the same country (eg when in France call and text French numbers), landlines and mobile in other European countries (eg when in France call and text German numbers), UK landlines (starting with 01 and 02) and UK mobiles (starting with 07), and other people who are using our SIM Card. For example, when you’re in France you can call a local Paris restaurant, text someone in Germany, call your airline in the UK and text someone else who is using our SIM Card.

Unlimited minutes and texts are subject to a Fair Use Policy of 43,200 minutes of calls (yes, that’s 720 hours of calls) and 43,200 texts.

Incoming calls and texts are free for you

It’s free for you to receive calls and texts from anyone anywhere in the world. So if someone in the USA calls or texts you in doesn’t cost you anything (the person calling will pay whatever it costs them to call or text a UK number).

A local UK mobile number

The SIM Card has a local UK mobile number which you can write on baggage labels, government forms, and give to family and friends.

Free unlimited wi-fi on the London Underground

You get free unlimited high speed fiber optic Wi-Fi at over 250 London Underground stations. Connect once, register, and then your phone will automatically connect (just like how your phone auto-connects each time to your home Wi-Fi).

There’s no mobile coverage at London Underground stations (many are very deep underground), so being able to connect to free Wi-Fi is a great feature.

Running late? Send a text. Keep in touch on Instagram and Facebook. Plan your journey, check train times, directions and connections. Stay up to date with the news, sports scores and the latest updates from your friends.

Access to exclusive UK cinema, cafe and restaurant offers through the Three+ rewards app

With our UK SIM Card you get exclusive offers from the Three + rewards app. This includes Cineworld, Caffe Nero, Frankie & Benny’s, Uber Eats + more.

Use your phone as a hotspot and share the data

How does it all work?

My UK SIM Card comes pre-loaded with high speed 5G/4G LTE data, unlimited minutes and texts, and lasts for 30 days from activation. Simply take out your normal American SIM Card and insert our SIM Card into your phone on arrival in the UK or Europe. Within minutes the SIM Card will self activate and your phone will be ready with high speed data, calling and texting.

With My UK SIM Card you’ll be able to stay connected using all your apps (Facebook, Google Maps etc), and you’ll be able to make and receive phone calls, and send and receive SMS text messages.

When you’re in the UK you can (i) use your data for all your favourite apps (Google Maps, Facebook, Instagram, Email etc) (ii) hotspot your phone and share the data and (iii) use your unlimited minutes to call UK landline numbers (beginning with 01 and 02), UK mobile numbers (beginning with 07), UK national numbers (beginning with 03), UK freephone numbers (beginning with 0800), and other people using our SIM Card (iv) use your unlimited texts to text UK mobiles and other people using our SIM Card. For example, suppose you’re walking along Oxford Street in London. You could use Google Maps to find directions, take some photos and send them on Facebook Messenger to your friend in San Diego, make a call to a restaurant in Manchester to make a reservation, send a text to your friend in Glasgow, and call your traveling companion who is also using our SIM Card.

When you’re in the European countries: you can (i) you can use up to 12GB of your data (ii) hotspot your phone and share the data (iii) use your unlimited minutes to call UK landline numbers (beginning with 01 and 02), UK mobile numbers (beginning with 07), UK national numbers (beginning with 03), UK freephone numbers (beginning with 0800), other people using our SIM Card, local landline and mobiles numbers in the same country, and landline and mobile numbers in other European countries (v) use your unlimited texts to text UK mobiles, other people using our SIM Card, local mobile numbers and mobile numbers in other European countries. For example, suppose you’re doing a cruise on the River Seine in Paris. You could take a selfie and send it on WhatsApp to your friend in New York, make a call to your cousin in London, send a text to your traveling companion who is also using our SIM Card, call a restaurant in Paris to make a lunch reservation, and call your tour company in Germany.

The SIM Card is posted from the USA which means you’ll have it before you leave. 

Keep reading the FAQs below for answers to more frequently asked questions.

Will I know my new cell number before I leave to the UK/Europe?

Yes. Once you receive your My SIM Card, simply email us quoting the SIM Card serial number and we’ll be able to tell you your UK cell number so you’ll know it before you leave to the UK/Europe. This way you can tell your family and friends, include the number on your baggage labels, on government forms etc.

Can I keep my WhatsApp number?

Yes. You don’t need to anything to keep using WhatsApp with your USA number. You’ll keep your number, contacts and all your conversations. People in the USA will still keep messaging you on WhatsApp as normal.

What phone number is the SIM Card?

My UK SIM Card has a UK cell number (the format is 07XXX-XXX-XXX, for example 07100200300). This is a standard regular UK cell number–the same cell number format as every other cell number in the UK. Think of it like as if you were a tourist to the USA and your number was 310-123-4567.

How can I check my data balance?

You can easily keep an eye on your data balance by logging into your account at Three.co.uk.

Do you offer UK timezone support if I have a problem?

Yes. We have UK timezone support via a dedicated Rapid Response Support Team you can email or WhatsApp message, whether it’s after a red-eye flight landing in Heathrow, or at 10pm when you’re at dinner in Madrid.

Travel is stressful enough, and after flying for almost 24 hours you want to know that you can speak to someone if you have a problem or question. 

How and when do I activate the SIM Card?

Activation is super easy and takes just a couple of minutes: when you receive your SIM Card, just go to the URL website address on the SIM Card packet to request activation and enter the date you want your SIM Card to start working. It’s that simple!

Can I activate the SIM Card in Europe? Or do I have to activate in the UK?

You activate your SIM Card on our website before you leave to the UK and Europe. It doesn’t matter if you first use the SIM Card in the UK or Europe.

I'm not travelling for several months - can I buy the SIM Card now?

Yes. Be a savvy traveler and plan everything well in advance so you’re the envy of your traveling companions. You can buy the SIM Card now and activate it at anytime up to 24 months from the date of purchase. But don’t worry because the 30 days only starts from the date you select when you activate it.

Is my phone compatible? Will my phone work?

All iPhones are compatible with the UK & Europe SIM Card except for iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 sold in the USA (both these phones only use eSIM).

Samsung, Huawei, Oppo, Google, Xiaomi, Motorola, Nokia, LG + others are also compatible with the UK & Europe SIM Card.

If you’re unsure, just email us at [email protected] or or send us a WhatsApp message to +447882165545.

Can I hotspot my phone using the UK & Europe SIM Card?

You can hotspot your phone and share data with your laptop, iPad, tablet, games console etc. When you’re in the UK you can use as much of your data as hotspot. But when you’re roaming in Europe you can only use up to 12GB due to network roaming restrictions.

How does the free unlimited Wi-Fi work on the London Underground?

With our SIM Card you get free unlimited 100Mbps wi-fi at over 250 London Underground stations. Many stations are deep underground with no 3G/4G/5G service, so having free wi-fi is really helpful to stay connected. You can check train times and plan your journey, keep in touch on Facebook etc, and check the latest news.

Once you’re at an Underground Station, switch on Wi-Fi and connect to Three_WIFI.

Full details can be found here.

Can I use the UK & Europe SIM Card in Scotland, Ireland or Wales?

Your UK SIM Card can be used across the UK. The UK comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (but not the Republic of Ireland).  So this means when you are in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland you can use your data, unlimited minutes to UK landlines and UK mobiles (including other people using our SIM Card) and unlimited texts to UK mobiles (including other people using our SIM Card).

When you’re in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) please remember this is not part of the UK, it is part of Europe, so this means you can (i) only use up to 12GB of your data (due to roaming restrictions) and (ii) use your unlimited calls to call UK landlines, UK mobiles, other people using our SIM Card, local numbers in ROI, and numbers in other European countries. For example, you can use up to 12GB of your data, text a friend in the UK, call a Dublin restaurant to make a booking, and call your tour company in Germany.

Can I use the SIM Card in Dublin, Ireland?

When you’re in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) please remember this is not part of the UK, it is part of Europe, so this means you can (i) only use up to 12GB of your data (due to roaming restrictions) and (ii) use your unlimited calls to call UK landlines, UK mobiles, other people using our SIM Card, local numbers in ROI, and numbers in other European countries. For example, you can use up to 12GB of your data, text a friend in the UK, call a Dublin restaurant to make a booking, and call your tour company in Germany.

Why can I only use 12GB in Europe?

The Three UK mobile network has a “Europe fair use policy” and you can only use up to 12GB of the data in Europe. This means that once you use 12GB in Europe the data will stop working (but you can then use the remainder of your data in the UK). Sorry, there’s nothing we can do to get around the Europe fair use policy.

Need more than 12GB in Europe? Buy two or multiple SIM Cards and each will give you 12GB to use in Europe.

Does Brexit cause any problems? I heard there's now daily charges in Europe?

Because of Brexit some UK SIM Cards now charge a daily fee to use the SIM Card in Europe. However with our SIM Card there is NO additional daily fee to use the SIM Card in Europe.

What happens when I'm out of the UK?

Your SIM Card can be used in the following European countries: Aland Islands, Austria, Azores, Balearic Islands, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Martinique, Mayotte, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Réunion, Romania, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Vatican City.

When you’re in the European countries: you can (i) you can use up to 12GB of your data (ii) hotspot your phone and share the data (iii) use your unlimited minutes and texts to UK landline numbers (beginning with 01 and 02), UK mobile numbers (beginning with 07), UK national numbers (beginning with 03), UK freephone numbers (beginning with 0800), other people using our SIM Card, local landline and mobiles numbers in the same country, and landline and mobile numbers in other European countries (v) use your unlimited texts to text UK mobiles, other people using our SIM Card, local mobile numbers and mobile numbers in other European countries. For example, suppose you’re doing a cruise alone the River Seine in Paris. You could take a selfie and send it on WhatsApp to your friend in New York, make a call to your cousin in London, send a text to your traveling companion who is also using our SIM Card, call a restaurant in Paris to make a lunch reservation, and call your tour company in Germany.

IMPORTANT! 30 day Europe use restriction! You can only use the UK SIM Card in Europe for a maximum period of 30 days. After 30 days, the UK SIM Card will stop working unless you use it in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland). That’s because the UK SIM Card is a UK SIM Card that roams in Europe (long term use in Europe is not allowed by the network provider). Staying in Europe for longer than 30 days? The solution is to buy two (2) or multiple SIM Cards.

Will the SIM Card work on a cruise ship?

The SIM Card doesn’t work on a cruise ship when you’re traveling in open waters. It would only work when you are very close to shore or docked in the UK or Europe.

Can I use hotspot?

You can hotspot your phone and share data with your laptop, iPad, tablet, games console etc. When you’re roaming in Europe you can only use up to 12GB data due to network roaming restrictions.

How much does talk and text to the USA cost?

When you’re in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland): £0.03/minute to call USA numbers, £0.25 for each SMS text message sent, £0.40 for each MMS sent.

When you’re in Europe (including in Republic of Ireland/Dublin): £1.40/minute to call USA numbers, £0.35 for each sent SMS text message sent.

You’ll need to buy a refill voucher on our website for talk and text to the USA.

HOT TIP: If you use voice and messaging apps such as WhatsApp, FaceTime, Viber, or Facebook Messenger, then it’s FREE to call and message your family and friends back home because app usage comes from your data allowance.

 

How much does talk and text to local numbers in Europe cost?

It’s free and doesn’t cost anything. Talk and text to landline and mobile numbers when you’re in the 34 European countries comes from your included unlimited talk and text. For example, if you were in Paris, and called your local Paris hotel, the call would be free because you have unlimited talk. You can also call from Europe to Europe: for example, if you were in France you could call Germany. In Spain you could call Portugal.

Can I make FaceTime calls? What does it cost?

Yes you can make FaceTime calls. FaceTime audio and video calls use data – either 4G/5G or Wi-Fi. It’s free to make FaceTime calls.

Can I make WhatsApp audio and video calls?

Yes you can make WhatsApp calls. WhatsApp audio and video calls use data – either 4G/5G or Wi-Fi. It’s free to make WhatsApp calls. 

How do I add extra ££ credit to my UK & Europe SIM Card?

To add extra credit to your UK & Europe SIM Card, wait until you receive it from us, then purchase a refill voucher on our website.

Do I get a UK cell number with the UK & Europe SIM Card?

Yes. Your SIM Card has a local UK cell number in the format 07XXX-XXX-XXX. Someone calling you from the USA would therefore dial +447XXX-XXX-XXX.

Can I add more data?

No. You can’t add more data if you use it all up. Data will stop working completely. So if you think you’ll be a heavy data user, consider choosing the 60GB or UNLIMITED GB SIM Card.

Note that whichever SIM Card you buy you can still only use up to 12GB of the data when you’re in Europe due to Europe roaming restrictions

What happens to my apps, contacts, emails etc on my phone?

Everything stays the same! Nothing changes when you use the UK & Europe SIM Card. All your apps, contacts, emails or any other settings on your phone don’t change because they are all stored on your phone, and not on your SIM Card. For example, all your phone contacts and conversations will still be on your phone, your Facebook profile stays the same, and also your photos stay on your phone.

What mobile network does the UK & Europe SIM Card use?

The UK & Europe SIM Card uses the Three UK mobile network in the UK, and roams onto different local networks when you’re in Europe.

The Three mobile network is the UK’s fastest 5G network, and the combined 3G & 4G network covers 99% of the UK outdoor population. The Three mobile network won the Speedtest.net fastest 5G mobile network award for Q1/Q2 2022. You can read more on the Three mobile network website.

You can check specific coverage on the Three UK network by entering an address or post code into the network coverage maps.

I'm staying longer than 30 days. Can I refill?

Yes – if you’re staying longer than 30 days just refill on our website and get another 30 days. And you can keep refilling again every 30 days if you’re staying even longer (you can keep refilling forever if you want). Unused data does not rollover. However you can only use the SIM Card for a 30 day continuous period in Europe (the 30 days resets if you use the SIM Card in the UK). Staying longer than 30 days in Europe? Just buy two or multiple SIM Cards.

Is the SIM Card an eSIM? Can I use an eSIM?

Our standard UK & Europe Phone SIM Card is a physical SIM Card (not an eSIM).

However, we now have an eSIM option available:

Cost: $69.95

20GB data, valid for 14 days (staying longer? need more data? Buy multiple eSIMs)

Works in eSIM compatible phones, iPads and tablets.

The eSIM comes with a French mobile number.

Works in the following countries: Andorra, Azores, Aland Islands, Austria, Balearic Islands, Belgium, Canary Islands, Cyprus, Corfu, Crete, the Cyclades, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faeroe Islands, Finland, France mainland, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Isle of Man, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Rhodes, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom, San Marino, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, Vatican City. 

When you’re in the UK: you can’t make calls or send texts (you can of course use WhatsApp, FaceTime, Facebook Messenger etc).

When you’re in Europe: you get unlimited calls & texts to Europe numbers (e.g., when in France call France, or call from France to Germany), 120 minutes of calls to Australia and 1,000 texts to Australia.

We’ve not officially launched it yet so you won’t find it to buy on our website, but if you want to buy it just email us at [email protected].

What are your shipping options?

All orders are dispatched from our USA warehouse on the next business day after you order. For example, if you ordered on Friday it would get posted on Monday. Order on Tuesday it will post out on Wednesday.

You can read more here about our shipping options.

Do you have any customer reviews?

Yes! Head on over to our home page here, scroll down and you’ll see reviews from our Google Business page and our Trustindex page.

Can I re-use my phone SIM Card for another trip?

You can re-use your SIM Card within six (6) months of the last recharge. For most customers the “last recharge” will be the date you initially activated the SIM Card in your phone.

After six months without a recharge your SIM Card is considered inactive by the Three UK and it is permanently and forever cancelled, cannot be re-used or recharged and the mobile number cannot be retrieved for future use. To confirm, this means that if it has been more than six months since you last recharged your SIM Card cannot be re-used.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept Paypal, credit card (Visa, Mastercard & American Express), Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

Our entire website, and our checkout page, is protected by SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) which is a security protocol that provides privacy, authentication, and integrity to Internet communications. SSL encrypts data that is transmitted across the web. This means that anyone who tries to intercept this data will only see a garbled mix of characters that is impossible to decrypt.

You can click the little padlock icon in your browser’s address bar to verify that the checkout page is secure before entering your credit card details.

What is your money back guarantee?

We’re so confident that our SIM Card will work for you that we provide a 100% money back guarantee if it doesn’t work. To take advantage of the money back guarantee we just need you to do the following:

1. If you get to the UK/Europe and your SIM Card isn’t working, you must contact us on WhatsApp (+447882165545) or email [email protected]. Just connect your phone to wi-fi to do this.

2. When you contact us, include your name and your SIM Card serial number (it’s on the back of the SIM Card and starts with 8944).

3. Allow us a reasonable amount of time to fix the issue (it will be a maximum of 24 hours, but usually in as little as 1-2 hours).

4. If we can’t fix the issue because your phone isn’t compatible with the UK & Europe SIM Card network then we’ll provide a 100% refund of the amount you paid for your SIM Card.

Just to be clear, the money back guarantee only applies if you do steps 1-3 above. So, for example, if you wait until you get back to Australia to contact us then the money back guarantee won’t apply.

Is your website secure?

Our entire website, and our checkout page, is protected by SSL.

SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, is a type of technology that helps protect online credit card transactions. It does this by encrypting, or scrambling, the information that is sent between a customer’s computer and the website they are making a purchase from. This makes it much harder for anyone to intercept and read the information, such as credit card numbers, during the transaction.

When you see a website that uses SSL (likes ours does), it will typically have a padlock icon in the address bar and the website address will start with “https” instead of “http”. These are signs that the website is using SSL and that your information is being transmitted securely.

In simple terms, SSL helps ensure that when you make a purchase online, your credit card information is kept private and secure, and only the intended recipient (the website) can read it.

Do you have a shop or office I can visit?

We don’t have a shop or office, but we do offer a new service if you are in Melbourne. We can deliver the SIM Card to you, and help you install it, show you how to activate the SIM Card, and set up the Three UK app on your phone. The cost for this is $150. If you’d like to know more, just email us at [email protected].

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