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Leave Pay As You Go

Looking to leave Three and cancel your Pay As You Go account? While we don’t want to see you go, we’re here to help. So, whether you’ve got a phone or Mobile Broadband device, here’s everything you need to know.

Your leaving options

There are several options available... LUCY to write

Moving your number to a new network

If you want to leave us and take your number to a new network, you'll need a PAC – Port Authorisation Code. 

If you want to take your number with you when you leave us, you’ll need a PAC. It lets you take your number to a new network and is valid for 30 days. It’ll be 9 characters long, made up of 3 letters and 6 numbers. 

E.g. ABC277604

Here’s how to get your PAC: 

Important: if you’ve got more than 1 number with us, please call 0333 338 1082 to get your PAC. 

Contact us
You can get your PAC by contacting us on 0333 338 1082 or using Live Chat. 

My3 or the Three app
Follow these steps to get your PAC on My3 or the Three app:

My3

  1. Log into My3
  2. Scroll to Manage your plan
  3. Scroll down to Leave Three, then click Get a PAC or STAC code

Three app

  • Log into the Three app
  • Tap Account
  • Tap Leave Three
  • Follow the on-screen instructions to get your PAC 

Your PAC and its expiry date will then be shown immediately. 

You can come back and check your PAC information at any time – it’ll be displayed under Manage your plan.  

Text message

If you’ve only got 1 number with us, you can get your PAC by texting PAC and your date of birth (DDMMYY) to 65075. 

E.g. PAC060385

We’ll reply with your PAC immediately.  

If your PAC hasn’t arrived or you’ve requested the wrong code, please check our support page for more information.

How to use your PAC

ot your PAC? You’ve got 30 days to give it to your new provider. They’ll arrange for your number to be transferred to their network. You can either have your number transferred as soon as possible or pick a specific date.

Once this has been done, we’ll close your account.

What happens if you don’t use your PAC?

If you don’t give your PAC to your new provider within 30 days and haven’t asked us to close your account, it’ll stay open and active.

What to do if your switch fails or is delayed

If this happens, we recommend contacting your new network, as they’re responsible for moving your number.

Moving to a new network without your number

If you want to leave us and move to a new network without your number, you'll need a STAC – Service Termination Authorisation Code.

If you’re leaving Three and going to another network but don’t want to keep your number, you need a STAC.  

It lets you cancel your mobile number with your current network when you change to a new one. 

Your STAC’s valid for 30 days – all you need to do is give it to your new provider. They’ll do the rest. 

If you don’t use your STAC, your account will stay open.

You can get your STAC by:
 

Contacting us

Call us on 0333 338 1082 or start a Live Chat to get your STAC. 

Using My3 or the Three app

You can get your STAC on My3 or the Three app by following these steps: 

My3

  1. Log into My3
  2. Scroll to Manage your plan
  3. Scroll down to Leave Three, then click Get a PAC or STAC code

Three app

  • Log into the Three app
  • Tap Account
  • Tap Leave Three
  • Follow the on-screen instructions to get your STAC 

Your STAC and its expiry date will be shown immediately. 

You can check your STAC information anytime – it’ll be displayed under Manage your plan.

Sending a text

You can get your STAC by texting STAC and your date of birth (DDMMYY) to 75075.  

E.g. STAC060385

How to use your STAC

Once you’ve got your STAC, you have 30 days to give it to your new provider. When you do, they’ll arrange for your account to be switched to their network and give you a new number. They’ll also arrange for your Three account to be closed.

What happens if you don’t use your STAC?

If you don’t give your PAC to your new provider within 30 days and haven’t asked us to close your account, it’ll stay open and active.

What to do if your switch fails or is delayed

If this happens, we recommend contacting your new network, as they’re responsible for moving your number.

Letting your SIM expire

Want to cancel your Pay As You Go SIM and don’t want to keep your number? You don’t need to do anything. Your Pay As You Go SIM will expire if you don’t use it for 6 months. If you decide to do this, remember to use any remaining credit, Data Packs or Add-ons, as they can’t be refunded. 

Switching from Pay As You Go to Pay Monthly

If you’d like to move from Pay As You Go to Pay Monthly, get in touch, and we’ll go through the available options with you.

FAQs

We’ll send you your up-to-date credit balance when you request a PAC or STAC. Once the transfer of your account has been completed, you can request a refund of any credit left on your account at closing.

To request a refund, please get in touch with us within 90 days. We can arrange for the amount remaining to be refunded to you.  

Important: Refunding remaining Pay As You Go credit can only be done if you’re switching to a new network using a PAC or STAC.

If your account was closed less than 90 days ago, you can still request a PAC to switch your number from Three to another provider. Please get in touch with us to do this.

When you close your account or cancel your contract with us, any associated insurance contract will also be cancelled.

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You can find out more about our accessibility and vulnerability services at three.co.uk/accessibility and three.co.uk/vulnerability.

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