If you want to leave, don't forget that there's some great reasons to stay with us. It's not too late to change your mind.
Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data for Q1-Q2 2023. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with permission.
Leaving us doesn't have to be painful, and we've got all the info you need right here. You can do everything easily online, through a text message or by giving us a call.
Whatever you choose to do with your Three number, you'll still have to make sure you pay any final charges or settle an outstanding balance with us.
Your outstanding amount includes any discounts or charges. And just so you know, if you're a Pay Monthly customer, you'll also receive a final bill from us once you've left, which acts as a confirmation of the cancellation.
If you decide to leave us within your minimum contract period, you may be charged a cancellation fee to cancel your contract early.
This will be equivalent to the total of the monthly charges remaining during the minimum term of your agreement, minus a variable discount. From 14 December 2020, the discount will decrease from 20% to 3%. This is due to a change in the VAT payable by Three on cancellation fees.
If you’ve got a device plan on Three Your Way and cancel your Airtime plan, you'll need to continue paying off your device until the outstanding balance is paid.
You can settle your outstanding balance at any time via bank transfer. You’ll also no longer be able to log into your account once you’ve cancelled your Airtime plan. For more info, see our Device plan FAQs.
You can check your outstanding charges in your My3 account, or by texting INFO and your date of birth (DDMMYY) to 85075.
Once you've requested your outstanding charges, we'll send you a text immediately with all the info you need, including the code.
If you’re a Pay As You Go customer, any remaining credit will be confirmed when you request a PAC or STAC code, or when you ask for your balance.
Once the transfer to your new provider is complete, contact us to get a refund for any remaining credit balance and unused Data Packs or Add-ons.
If you want to take your number with you when you leave Three, you'll need a PAC code. Give this to your new provider and they'll transfer your Three number over to their network.
What is a PAC code?
A PAC code (Porting Authorisation Code) allows you to take your old number with you when you change service providers.
If you don't use your PAC code, your Three account will remain open, and you'll continue to be charged for your service.
How to get a PAC
Text PAC and your date of birth (DDMMYY) to 65075 and we’ll reply with your code.
For example: PAC 071281
If you’d prefer, you can also get your PAC and view outstanding charges by logging into your My3 account, using the Three app, or by contacting us.
Please note that you won’t be able to upgrade online for 30 days once you’ve requested this code. If you don’t use your PAC code within 30 days, your contract with us will carry on as normal.
If you’re leaving Three and don’t want to keep your number, you'll need a STAC code instead.
A STAC code (Service Termination Authorisation code) allows you to cancel your mobile number with your previous supplier when you change networks.
Once you've got your STAC it's valid for 30 days. All you need to do is give this to your new provider and they'll handle everything for you.
If you don't use your STAC code, your account will remain open, and you'll continue to be charged for your service.
How to get a STAC
You’ll need a STAC code to close down your number with us. Text ‘STAC’ and your date of birth (DDMMYY) to 75075 and we’ll send this to you.
For example: STAC 071281
If you’d prefer, you can also get your STAC and view outstanding charges by logging into your My3 account, using the Three app, or by contacting us.
Please note that you won’t be able to upgrade online for 30 days once you’ve requested this code. If you don’t use your STAC code within 30 days, your contract with us will carry on as normal.
If you want to leave Three and you aren’t moving to another provider, you don't need PAC or STAC code. Simply give us a call.
You'll need to give us 30 days' notice, and at the end of it we'll cancel your number and stop billing you.
Remember though, if you do this, you'll lose your number forever and we won’t be able to get it back. If you want to keep it, you'll need to get a PAC code and take that to a new provider.
The following information is applicable from 3rd April 2023.
If your PAC or STAC information hasn’t arrived within one minute of submitting a request either via SMS, through our Three app or your My3 account or one minute from the end of your phone call where it was agreed this would be sent, you could be entitled to compensation.
To discuss your compensation rights or make a claim, please contact us.
Business customers may be entitled to compensation if a PAC or STAC code hasn’t arrived within 2 hours of asking for it via the phone, or within 2 working days from an online request.
For businesses with 24 mobile numbers or less, you may also be entitled to compensation if your PAC or STAC code hasn’t arrived within 2 working days from requesting it by SMS.
To discuss your compensation rights on a Business account, please contact us.
Yes, your account will remain active until you share your PAC or STAC with your service provider, your account will remain active.
There are two key steps in both the PAC and STAC processes. You first request a PAC or STAC code and then you share this code with either, your future provider (PAC), or with your existing provider (STAC).
If you requested a PAC or STAC on a Pay As You Go account, you’ll be given an up-to-date balance of any remaining credit you have at the time of the request. Once the transfer has completed, you can request a refund of any remaining credit that was still on the account when it was closed, and any entirely unused Add-ons and Data Packs, where the product hasn’t been used since purchasing.
To request a refund of this, please get in touch. We can arrange for this to be refunded to the card it was purchased from (where possible) or transferred to your bank account.
Note: refunds on remaining Pay As You Go credit balances are only available when leaving Three through the switching process (i.e. obtaining a PAC or STAC and giving this to your new provider).
You’ll receive your final bill within 38 days of you cancelling your account with us.
We’ll send this final bill to your registered billing address. If you need to update your registered billing address either using your My3 account or contact us here.
To ensure everything runs smoothly, please do not cancel your direct debit with Three until you receive your final bill, and your final payments are settled.
If you’ve been abroad recently, you may receive an additional future bill. Some international roaming charges can take up to 3 months to register on your bill.
If your account is in credit when your account closes, you may be entitled to a refund.
Any refund owed to you that’s over 50p in value will be sent directly to your registered bank account within 14 days of your receiving your final bill.
If your refund is less than 50p, you can call 0333 338 1001 to arrange a refund, otherwise we will donate this credit to our charity partner.
Please note, not all types of credit are eligible for a refund. To find out more about our terms and conditions on refunds, please visit three.co.uk/terms-conditions.
No, your account will not automatically cancel when you reach your contract end date.
If you wish to leave Three, you are required to get in touch to close your account.
When you close your account with Three, your My3 access will soon be deactivated. Typically, your My3 account will be available for 30 days. In some scenarios, your My3 account may be deactivated earlier.
If you have any queries about your account or final bill or final invoice, please get in touch.
If your PAC/ STAC was still less than 30 days old, we recommend contacting your new provider, who will be monitoring all switching requests. You may be entitled to compensation if your switching request failed or delayed – this will be managed by your new provider.
If you’ve selected the wrong code in error, we’ll need to cancel this PAC code for you before we can raise a STAC code for you. Please get in touch.
If you’ve selected the wrong code in error, we’ll need to cancel this STAC code for you before we can raise a PAC code for you.
Please get in touch and we will support you with this change.
If you've got more than one number associated with your account, you'll need to use My3 or give us a call to request a PAC or STAC code. You'll be able to switch up to 24 numbers at the same time this way.
If you’ve paired a smartwatch to your Airtime plan and wish to cancel before the end of your contract, both will end, and you’ll be charged an early termination fee.
When you close your contract with Three, any associated insurance contract will also be closed.
If you’re a business customer and you’re thinking of leaving Three, you’ll find more information in our business help section. If you’re not the actual Three account owner, please speak to them first.
We'd hate to see you go but if you’d like to leave us then you should look to gain a STAC code. Using this code, you will be able to close your account with Three.
Alternatively, please get in touch and we can arrange this for you.
If you’d like to move your current Three number to another Three account, please get in touch.
Please note, due to system constraints, this can be a complicated process and may take some time to complete. We are looking to improve this process as soon as we can.
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. To request a PAC on a closed account, contact us.
If you want to understand the services that Three offer to ensure that your new provider can match or offer suitable alternatives, visit the below pages for more information:
To find out more about our accessibility services: three.co.uk/accessibility
To find out more about our vulnerable situation support: three.co.uk/vulnerability
You need to be logged in your My3 account to make any changes
