Three's Lite vs Value vs Complete: are the differences worth it?

Three offer 3 tiers of plan: Lite, Value and Complete

Three have reworked how their mobile plans are structured. There are now three clear tiers of plan: Lite, Value, and Complete. They’ve called the extra choice you now get ‘Three Your Way’.

You can pick any of the plan tiers whether you’re taking out a phone contract or a pay monthly SIM only deal. But while more choice can be great, it can also make it harder to work out which plan is best for you.

That’s where this guide comes in. Below, we’ve broken down what each plan tier includes, how they differ in terms of benefits, so you can find out if it’s worth investing in a more-premium plan.

Where to first? Lite plans | Value plans | Complete plans

Lite plans get you full speed access to Three’s network

Lite plans are the lowest-cost way to join Three on a pay monthly deal. You’ll pay less per GB than with any of their other plan types. And for many people, Lite will give you absolutely everything you need.

Three haven’t taken anything away to create Lite. There’s nothing silly like speed caps, you don’t get lower priority for coverage or anything like that. It’s full, normal access to 5G and 4G and WiFi/4G calling and eSIM.

That’s a welcome contrast to rivals EE who limit speeds on Essentials plans or Vodafone who don’t offer 5G on their Basics plans. Three’s Lite doesn’t include many extra perks. But you don’t miss out on any core network features.

What you don’t get on Lite vs Value or Complete on Three is inclusive roaming or subscriptions. When you go away, you’ll need to buy one of Three’s daily roaming passes. To get EU or worldwide roaming included, see Value and Complete below.

Useful link: See our hidden deals on Three

Value plans add EU roaming and a streaming subscription

Three’s mid-range plans on phones and SIMs are called ‘Value’. Their main advantage over Lite plans is they now include roaming in 49 Go Roam in Europe countries. On Lite, you have to pay extra per day to roam.

We’re pleased to say Three have done away with their annoying roaming pass system, which gave you a fixed number of days you could roam. Instead, Value plans let you roam as often as you like, up to 12GB data and 3000 minutes / texts.

The second main Value benefit is that Three will include a subscription to the streaming service Paramount+ (here are the types of films and TV shows on there). This would normally cost £7.99 a month.

It’s the Standard Paramount+ plan, which gets you HD ad-free streaming on TVs and devices. You get it free for half the length of your contract, after which it’s payable. Follow Three’s instructions to activate / cancel your subscription any time.

Useful link: More details on Three’s EU roaming with Value plans

On phone contracts, Value gets you an extended warranty

Another nice benefit of Three’s Value plans is the 3 years’ extended warranty for your phone, if you take a contract from Three directly. You don’t get this on SIM only or if you got your phone from anywhere else.

Normally, phones come with a 24-month warranty, while some iPhones only include 12 months. With a Value plan, Three will cover you for another year beyond the usual timeframe for a warranty.

This isn’t insurance. It won’t cover accidental damage or loss. Batteres that no longer hold charge wouldn’t qualify either. But you can read here what it does cover and how to claim (things like faulty components).

Hopefully you’ll never need to use it. But it’s good peace of mind if you’re planning to keep your phone beyond the normal contract length. It’s another generous benefit for joining on Three’s mid-range plans.

Useful link: See Three's latest phone range

We calculate there’s typically a £5 difference baked in

Based on what we’ve seen, Value plans typically cost around £5 more each month than Lite plans with the same amount of data. Though you should definitely check our exclusive better-priced Value plans below:

So you’re effectively usually paying £60 extra per year on Value vs Lite. It then comes down to how much you value the extra benefits. Do you travel to Europe a fair amount and don’t want the faff of buying roaming passes?

Will you get full value out of Paramount+ or the extended warranty, which would cost extra separately? If you’ll make use of them, the Value tier starts to look very worthwhile. If not, stick to Lite and make the saving.

Useful link: What extra you get with Complete

Longer lasting versions of everything you get with Value

Three’s highest-tier option is their Complete plan, available on phones and SIMs. It builds on all the added benefits of the Value plan, but lets you keep them for longer and adds a couple of extra perks for further value:

Instead of just EU roaming, Complete gives you inclusive roaming in Three’s massive list of 160+ Go Roam Around The World (and Extra) countries. And there are no daily passes. Go as often as you like and use 12GB and 3000 minutes/texts a month.

If you’re a regular long-haul jetsetter, these work out a lot more competitively against Global Roaming alternatives on Vodafone (almost half the price in fact).

You’ll also get Paramount+ included for the full duration of your contract on Complete plans (instead of half of your contract like on Value plans). And if you’re on a phone contract, there are couple of extra benefits below.

Useful link: See everything you get with Value

You get a discounted screen repair with Complete too

Complete plans also come with a screen repair benefit. If the phone display you took from Three breaks during your contract period, you can send it off to their partner for a repair. Here’s how to claim.

This only applies to phone contracts, not SIM only. But if you’re the type to drop your phone often or prefer using it without a case, this gives you some peace of mind.

It’s not a completely free service though. You’ll pay £25 directly to Three’s repair partner (see full terms here). That’s far cheaper than most screen repairs, which can easily cost over £100 depending on the phone.

You only get one repair per contract, and it has to be for the phone you took out with Three. Like the extended warranty, it’s a benefit you’ll hopefully never need, but it’s good to have as backup.

Useful link: How to claim on it

Complete plans typically cost £5 more than Value

Upgrading to a Value plan often makes sense. But stepping up again to Complete is a bigger decision. These plans usually cost around £5 more per month than Value and £10 more than Lite.

That means an extra £60 per year compared to Value. So it only makes sense if you’re confident you’ll use the extra worldwide roaming and longer Paramount+ subscription.

It also helps if you're the type of person who’s likely to break your screen! And even then, you’ll still need to pay £25 for the repair.

For us, Complete feels like an upgrade too far. But if you travel a lot, like the long-term subscription and the reassurance of the screen repair, it could be worth the cost. Some readers will be able to get their money’s worth from it.

Useful link: Read our full review of Three