Three (3) mobile network has virtually introduced free calls to all users. I received a SMS from Three (3) mobile network provider yesterday, advertising the latest update of its service for Pay As You Go users. Well, I must say I am very attracted to it and I had bought a top up voucher worth £10 yesterday since my balance is very low too.

I joined Three (3) when I first came to UK and since then, I do not really compare it to other mobile network providers. First being that I am a very very low usage user. And at the time I bought the SIM pack, Three (3) Pay As You Go was the only service without a balance expiry date.

Types of Three (3) Pay As You Go
Three (3) Pay As You Go is constantly on the change. When I joined, I was on WePay package where users were rewarded with cash balance for calls received and calls made. With the extra cash balance, comes the extra minutes.

Not long after the introduction of WePay, Flat12 came in. With Flat12, calls cost 12 pence per minute and 12 pence per text message to any network.

The latest Three (3) Pay As You Go package is called 3Pay. Calls are charged at 20 pence per minute and 10 pence per text message. Compared to the old Three (3) Pay As You Go packages, it seems to be a little bit expensive. However, everything has its pros and cons and with 3Pay, the calls are expensive but Three (3) Pay As You Go offers Free 3-to-3 Calls for 90 days on each top up. For users not on 3Pay package, there will be no free 3-to-3 calls but the following offers are included on each top up.

The Offers

Skype
In the past, Three (3) Pay As You Go users have to top up in order to get 30-day free Skype access. Now, either you are on Three (3) Pay Monthly or Three (3) Pay As You Go, you will be able to login to Skype for free which means without any internet charges applied. In other words, you can make free Skype calls anytime you want and the better news is that Three (3) Pay As You Go users do not have to top up in order to get this free service.

Internet (90 days)
150MB mobile internet access and that is good enough to check emails on-the-go, though I am not a busy person. After all, anything free is good!

Windows Live Messenger (90 days)
Before 3Pay was introduced, Window Live Messenger is only available for 30 days on each top up. Obviously, this service has been extended to 90 days for Three (3) Pay As You Go customers while Three (3) Pay Monthly customers still get it for free.

Text Messages (90 days)
For every £10 top up, there will be 300 free texts and the more you top up, the more free texts you get. If you were to top up £25 or more, you will get practically unlimited free text messages.

Voicemail
As compared to other networks, calls to Voicemail is always free.

My3
This is an online service where any Three (3) users will have to check their account’s usage. It was more likely to be useful for Three (3) Pay Monthly users where we could view the electronic bill as well as the usage of free minutes and free texts. However, Three (3) Pay As You Go users will also be able to check out the free texts and free internet usage using My3 now other than topping up online.

It is also good for users like me who use an unlock mobile phones.

Verdict
I am still reluctant to change from Flat12 to 3Pay just for the sake of having free 3-to-3 calls for 90 days. Other than that, the free texts is great as well as the internet allowance and unlimited Skype connection. Still, I need to test out whether I will be charged for using my own Skype application. I have not used my top up voucher yet and I still have 99 pence balance. I shall see if it will charge for using my own Skype application.

My only concern is the battery life of my mobile. Having live connection to Skype or Windows Live Messenger will essentially drain the battery and that was what I experienced when I used Skypephone SP1.