3 payg activation problem

I have recently purchased a 3 USB modem for payg. I have registered my
account with them and set up a credit card. My account then showed £10
credit but I can find no way of using that credit to purchase 30 days
of mobile broadband. I therefore assumed since I was showing £10
credit, this had activated my 30days. Not so! I started being charged
money OUTSIDE of my data allowance.

I have emailed 3 for help, but there response was completely useless
saying that need to set up an account and register a credit card. I
have done all that!! But I don't know how to use the credit on my
account to get 30 days surfing.

simon wrote:
> I have recently purchased a 3 USB modem for payg. I have registered my
> account with them and set up a credit card. My account then showed £10
> credit but I can find no way of using that credit to purchase 30 days
> of mobile broadband. I therefore assumed since I was showing £10
> credit, this had activated my 30days. Not so! I started being charged
> money OUTSIDE of my data allowance.
>
> I have emailed 3 for help, but there response was completely useless
> saying that need to set up an account and register a credit card. I
> have done all that!! But I don't know how to use the credit on my
> account to get 30 days surfing.
You have to use the credit to buy the mobile broadband add-on by
clicking on the Add-ons tab in My3.

But unfortunately if you've already used some of the initial £10 outside
this (and it's really expensive) then you won't have enough left to buy
the cheapest 1GB add on for £10.

It takes exactly 7 days before you can use a registered credit card to
buy more credit. When you do this, again remember to use it to buy the
mobile broadband add-on.

I'm really pleased with the speed and the service.

"none" <""user\"@(none)"> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> simon wrote:
>
> I'm really pleased with the speed and the service.

Do you not find yourself struggling at the end of the month with no download
limit left? 1GB doesn't go very far these days does it? And in your words,
out of deal data is expensive.

"Chapie" <no-chance-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "none" <""user\"@(none)"> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> simon wrote:
>>
>> I'm really pleased with the speed and the service.
>
> Do you not find yourself struggling at the end of the month with no
> download
> limit left? 1GB doesn't go very far these days does it? And in your
> words,
> out of deal data is expensive.
>
>

I agree with you entirely on both points.

It suits me though, as I only use it when travelling in this country, as
many places I stay either don't have wifi or it's ridculously expensive. As
I usually only use it for email and surfing I don't need more than 1GB, and
it doesn't cost me anything in the months I don't travel.

T-Mobile seems to cost £4 per day for 'unlimited' usage (although I don't
think it is), and the credit doesn't expire, but that would work out more
expensive once I've been away longer than two days.

I couldn't use either as my main provider.

Chapie <no-chance-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> "none" <""user\"@(none)"> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > simon wrote:
> >
> > I'm really pleased with the speed and the service.
>
> Do you not find yourself struggling at the end of the month with no download
> limit left? 1GB doesn't go very far these days does it? And in your words,
> out of deal data is expensive.

Think of it the other way around. You buy 1GB which expires after a
month. If you use your allowance, just buy another GB.

Si.

"Simon Higgs" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:1iiybst.5hnv7jmwpc0uN%(E-Mail Removed) alid...
> Chapie <no-chance-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> > "none" <""user\"@(none)"> wrote in message
> > news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > > simon wrote:
> > >
> > > I'm really pleased with the speed and the service.
> >
> > Do you not find yourself struggling at the end of the month with no
download
> > limit left? 1GB doesn't go very far these days does it? And in your
words,
> > out of deal data is expensive.
>
> Think of it the other way around. You buy 1GB which expires after a
> month. If you use your allowance, just buy another GB.
>
> Si.

But someone told me that you cannot buy another GB until the 30 days has
expired from your last purchase, which means any use of the service within
the 30 days and after using up your GB, you pay premium charges for the data
you transfer. Of course this could be complete rubbish, in which case, yes
you could buy another GB.

""user\"@(none)" (none) wrote:

> But unfortunately if you've already used some of the
> initial £10 outside this (and it's really expensive)
> then you won't have enough left to buy the cheapest 1GB
> add on for £10.

I'm in a similar position. I appear to have used up 1p of my £10 somehow,
leaving me with only £9.99 to buy a £10 add-on. I am currently sulking
and inclined to bin the bl@@dy thing. I will no doubt calm down
eventually, because it will be useful occasionally... though I've shelved
the idea of giving it to my mother for broadband access I can pay for
remotely.

Overall I find the PAYG system rather confusing, and the my3 site doesn't
help much with the way your account info is displayed & explained.

What I *want* to believe is that I can buy a 1Gb top-up and that's it's
valid for 30 days. If I use all that up, I just buy another 1Gb and it's
valid for another 30 days from the time of that second purchase.

In practice I think it's rather less user-friendly than that, and there
are some fairly confusing threads on various forums. No doubt I'll find
out the hard way eventually. :-)

At the end of the day it is a mobile phone product, and mobile phone
companies are famous for having the most complex and deliberately
confusing pricing structures known to mankind. I shouldn't be surprised.

Andrew McP

no-chance-(E-Mail Removed) (Chapie) wrote:

> But someone told me that you cannot buy another GB until
> the 30 days has expired from your last purchase, which
> means any use of the service within the 30 days and after
> using up your GB, you pay premium charges for the data
> you transfer.

Hopefully the PAYG thing means they won't be able to help themselves to
your registered credit card under such circumstances. I'm fairly sure
they won't (because they couldn't if you could always pay via shop-bought
top-ups) but anything's possible, and I haven't read every bit of the
small print... always dangerous with mobile phone companies!

The sting might be that any additional top-ups bought before the original
30 days is up might only be valid up to that original cut-off. But that
seems pretty unfair, given that they've already got more money off you
than if you'd bought a 3Gb £15 top up in the first place... That might be
the idea though, to encourage you to spend £15 instead of £10.

I think we'll see a lot more threads like this soon, as a lot of people --
like myself -- have probably been tempted by the £40 price tag for
emergency (landline problems, as I had recently) or mobile access.
Hopefully that will lead to a more thorough understanding of the PAYG
system.

Andrew McP

Andrew MacPherson <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> no-chance-(E-Mail Removed) (Chapie) wrote:
>
> > But someone told me that you cannot buy another GB until
> > the 30 days has expired from your last purchase, which
> > means any use of the service within the 30 days and after
> > using up your GB, you pay premium charges for the data
> > you transfer.

You just buy another GB if required. It will expire after 1 month.
>
> Hopefully the PAYG thing means they won't be able to help themselves to
> your registered credit card under such circumstances. I'm fairly sure
> they won't (because they couldn't if you could always pay via shop-bought
> top-ups) but anything's possible, and I haven't read every bit of the
> small print... always dangerous with mobile phone companies!
>

Last month I used my GB in around 20 days, as I was staying in a hotel
where the internet access wass £15 per day. I just brought another GB,
as a voucher. New 1 month expiration date
> The sting might be that any additional top-ups bought before the original
> 30 days is up might only be valid up to that original cut-off. But that
> seems pretty unfair, given that they've already got more money off you
> than if you'd bought a 3Gb £15 top up in the first place... That might be
> the idea though, to encourage you to spend £15 instead of £10.
>

> I think we'll see a lot more threads like this soon, as a lot of people --
> like myself -- have probably been tempted by the £40 price tag for
> emergency (landline problems, as I had recently) or mobile access.
> Hopefully that will lead to a more thorough understanding of the PAYG
> system.
>
Three payg. You buy 1GB for ten quid. You have 30 days to use it or
loose it. If you use it just buy another and start a new month.

Si.

Andrew MacPherson <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>
> What I *want* to believe is that I can buy a 1Gb top-up and that's it's
> valid for 30 days. If I use all that up, I just buy another 1Gb and it's
> valid for another 30 days from the time of that second purchase.

Yes, this is how it works.

Si.