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America is the land of the free — if you’re on Three. The numerical network has expanded its brilliant Feel At Home scheme to the US, letting subscribers use their minutes, texts and data as if they were back in Blighty, for no charge whatsoever.
The scheme has also added Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Chinese region of Macau to a growing list that includes Australia, Denmark, Italy and Ireland, among others.
There’s only one catch — while using your data and texts is free, it’s only free to call (and receive calls) from UK numbers. Calling US numbers is just as expensive as ever. Nevertheless, it’s significantly better than any other UK network offers.
“We want customers to get the most out of their devices at home or abroad,” says Three’s chief executive Dave Dyson. “High roaming charges stop people enjoying their phones while they’re away and Feel At Home is the antidote to that.
“Adding the USA to the mix is great news for our customers and shows our commitment to giving them the best experience in what is a popular destination. We plan to add more countries to the mix soon.”
You don’t have to set up Feel At Home, it just works — fly to America and you’ll automatically be able to use data when you land and the seatbelt sign goes off. It’s open to all Three customers, whether you’re on contract, pay as you go or SIM-only.
“This is a huge boost for Three customers already thinking about next year’s summer sun,” says Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com. “It is the addition of the USA that now makes this plan really stand out. A fifth of Brits have returned from a trip across the Atlantic to a mobile bill shock — averaging over £90 — so this could be make a real difference.”
Three has also started upgrading customers to 4G phones ahead of a limited rollout of super-fast data later this year in Birmingham, London, Manchester and Reading. The company aims to offer 4G in 50 towns and cities by the end of next year, but hasn’t said if you’ll be able to use 4G abroad.
Have you used Three’s data roaming on your holibobs? Would you switch networks to take advantage of this? Roam free in the comments, or on the open plains of our Facebook page.
