Three pay-as-you-go rates: how top-up customers could see costs triple from July 2022 - and how to avoid it

Thousands of pay-as-you-go mobile customers will soon see their mobile phone costs triple.

Costs of calls, texts and data will soar by 250% when price hikes hit in July.

Here we take a look at who will be impacted by the price hike.

Who will the price hike affect?

Mobile provider Three have announced that these rising costs will start on 12 July for pay-as-you-go customers who bought traditional packages rather than bundles.

Pay-as-you-go users top up with credit and only pay for the calls and texts they actually use.

Three previously charged texts at 10p each and calls at 10p per minute.

However, from July, calls will increase to 35p per minute and texts will be 15p each.

Data will double in price and will soon cost 10p per MB.

There are roughly 1.6 million pay-as-you-go customers in total, so thousands of people will be affected by these price hikes.

Three said its rates will “still remain competitive across the market” even after upping its prices.

Are bundles affected? 

Bundle packages, where users pay in advance for a certain amout of minutes, texts and data, will not be affected by the price hikes.

Three has recommended trying one of their bundle packages, which begin at £10 a month for unlimited minutes and texts, as well as 10GB of data.

What was said?

A Three spokesperson said: “Like many mobile providers, we have to review and revise our pricing.

“From 12 July 2022 we will be increasing the prices of calls, texts and data, which will affect Pay As You Go customers who choose not to purchase a bundle.

“Our new rates still remain competitive across the market.

“We have a range of Data Packs or Add-Ons available for Pay As You Go customers starting from £10 per month, all of which include unlimited minutes and texts as well as generous data allowances.

“We continue to focus on improving customer experience and deliver better value on our new Pay As You Go services, giving customers access to even more competitive deals and 5G at no extra cost.

“We are investing over £2 billion in the UK’s fastest 5G network to ensure we have a strong 4G and 5G network, capable of delivering better connectivity, every day, for every customer.

“We will be contacting these customers from June 1, 2022, onwards, and this change will be introduced from July 12, 2022.”

Are there any alternatives to 3? 

If you’re thinking of getting a bundle, GiffGaff offers unlimited texts and minutes with 15 GB of data.

Alternatively, if you want to stay on pay-as-you-go, the cheapest rate is 1pMobile, which is a branch of EE’s network.