I should note at the start that this article is not sponsored by Three! I neither work for them nor receive any benefits. Nonetheless, I am a big fan. I first used Three about 13 or 14 years ago when it was first released to great fanfare about the ability to hold videocalls. The network then was reliant upon other carriers and if you had a good signal then the service was good, but most of the time it was absolutely shocking. I used to travel between midland’s cities at the time and each time the phone moved from a 3G signal to a 2G one, it disconnected. It meant that it was all but impossible to use as a phone when driving (which, of course, you were allowed to do in those halcyon days). Since then the network has improved greatly including, in recent days, changes to its network coverage. The reason why I’m now saying Thank You is Three’s roaming packages; in particular it is the ability to use your handset in various countries abroad at no extra cost – the so-called ‘Feel At Home’ feature. This allows customers to use their phone abroad, in much the same way as they do at home, for free. The list of countries included is a bit random (at least to me!), but is quite broad:
Australia
Austria
Denmark
Finland
France
Hong Kong
Indonesia
Israel
Italy
Lanzarote – Spain
Macau
New Zealand
Norway
Republic of Ireland
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sweden
Switzerland
United States
Back in August Three reported that it had saved customers £1.3 billion in roaming charges in the first two years of the ‘Feel At Home’ package. I spent last week in the US and, thanks to Three, was able to use my phone as if I were at home. Admittedly I could never get a 4G signal, which I presume is intentional, and my domestic all-you-can-eat-data was capped at the more than ample monthly limit of 25GB, but I was able to phone home, send myriad SMS, and stream the thrilling 0-0 West Ham draw at Old Trafford for free. I then got sent this message:
Great news! Quite how the figure was worked out is beyond me, but nonetheless it shows just useful the package is and how much money it can save. So, a BIG thank you from me to Three.
For more on the Feel At Home package, see here.