3 (UK) Travel SIM Card by Holidaysimcard Review (+Speedtests)

Original publication: 7^th of February 2023. Last updated: 15^th of January 2024.

---

Table of Contents

Holidaysimcard Shipping Time & Cost

Depending on where you live, it can take one to three business days in metro areas to receive your Holidaysimcard SIM card (add a few more days if you live in rural places) if you select express shipping for 9.99 GBP (12.40 USD). If you live in the United Kingdom, free Royal Mail shipping is available.

I was skeptical when I saw that Holidaysimcard could deliver a SIM card from the United Kingdom to Australia in three business days.

Holidaysimcard created the UPS Express label on the 9th of November (2022), and it shipped the same day.

On the 13th of November, the parcel was already on its way to my apartment in metro Melbourne.

So the parcel went from the United Kingdom to Australia in two business days (the 12th was a Sunday, and the 13th was the day it was being processed to be delivered to my place on Monday the 14th).

On the 13th, I headed to Sydney for my two-week Australian East Coast trip (Sydney, Brisbane & Canberra) for my Australian SIM card and travel eSIM review series).

In fact, I was unaware that the parcel was already in the country until I received a text message from UPS on the 16th saying it had tried to deliver the parcel three times while I was not home.

Yeah… I was not home indeed (I was enjoying Sydney, and my boyfriend works during the day), but I was not expecting the delivery this quickly!

Remember, the flight distance from London to Melbourne is about 17 000 kilometers (or 10 500 miles).

And I did not expect many UPS flights to head to Australia because it is so remote.

But I was proved wrong 🗿.

Now, Holidaysimcard does state on its delivery information page that it cannot promise such fast deliveries, but you can expect to receive your SIM card(s) within five business days in (urban areas of) these countries:

So yes, even though Holidaysimcard is based in the United Kingdom, you will not have to wait multiple weeks to receive your SIM card.

With that out of the way, let's talk more about the 3 UK travel SIM card!

---

How Much Does the 3 (UK) Travel SIM Card Cost?

You can get the 3 UK travel SIM card with 12 GB travel/roaming data for 17.99 GBP/22.35 USD (30 days), 25 GBP/31.05 USD (12 months) & 35 GBP/53.50 USD (24 months) from Holidaysimcard.

And you can save 10% when you use code ADU 😏.

If your credit/debit card charges you foreign exchange fees, get yourself a Wise Borderless Account and Debit Card.

Their fees are MUCH lower than banks and credit card companies charge you (and Wise is transparent about their fees, unlike banks).

I have saved literal THOUSANDS of Australian Dollars and Euros, my main currencies, when using Wise abroad when traveling compared to my debit and credit cards.

Open a Wise account for FREE!

Wait, why does the photo above say 50 GB while you say 50 GB, Adu – do you need new glasses?

No… my boyfriend bought me a new pair in January 🤓 – but the data allowance showed on the starter pack is for United Kingdom use only.

You only get 12 GB of data abroad, even with the 100 GB 3 UK travel SIM card.

Be aware that you cannot top up the 3 UK travel SIM card when you are out of (travel) data.

3 UK only accepts UK-issued debit or credit cards on its top-up page or app (which you can install and track your data usage if you want).

So if you plan on using much more data than 12 GB, you may want to consider getting multiple SIM cards.

And you will still get 10% off of your total order if you use code ADU 🤑.

---

In Which Countries Can the 3 (UK) Travel SIM Card Be Used?

The 3 UK travel SIM card can be used in more than 70 countries in practically all continents (called Go Roam – except for Africa), including Australia, Hong Kong & Singapore (the countries I tested the SIM card).

Regardless of the starter pack you choose (22.49 USD, 31.25 USD & 43.75 USD – and use code ADU for 10% off), your 12 GB roaming allowance can be used in the following countries:

With the 3 UK travel SIM card, you can save a lot of money by skipping the initial SIM card costs per country you visit – averaging 10.78 USD/country in Europe.

If you had too much time and counted all these countries, you would notice that I only listed 69 of them!

That is because I excluded French West Indies, which are listed separately already (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy & Saint Martin), and the countries that make up the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland (although some say this is a province instead, but that is a debate for another time), Scotland & Wales).

I am not sure why 3 UK split the United Kingdom (not Holidaysimcard) like that, or even included it, because you can use the starter packs' full data allowance in the United Kingdom (12 GB, 24 GB, 50 GB, or 100 GB).

---

My 3 (UK) Travel SIM Card in Australia, Hong Kong & Singapore Experiences

I used my 3 UK travel SIM card in Australia, Hong Kong & Singapore.

I would have tried it in Macau too, but as China (and Macau) opened its border on the 8th of January 2023 and we, my boyfriend and I, headed to Hong Kong on the 11th, I knew there would be a lot of Chinese demand for Macau.

And there was… all ferries to Macau were packed… so I did not go, lol.

Anyway, I used the 3 UK travel SIM card for two weeks in Hong Kong, for about six hours in Singapore (long layover), and the remaining data in Oakleigh, Melbourne, Australia.

Because the 3 UK travel SIM card is resold by Holidaysimcard, the roaming partners are set by 3 UK.

In Hong Kong, it used the 3 Hong Kong network. In Singapore, StarHub. In Australia, Telstra.

3 Hong Kong is the third-largest mobile operator in the country (of four). StarHub is the second- or third-largest in Singapore (of four – it switches positions with M1 Singapore every few quarters). Telstra is the largest in Australia (of three).

In terms of speeds, 3 Hong Kong has the slowest 4G/LTE speeds. StarHub has the second-fastest, and Telstra is the fastest.

Regarding reception, all the roaming partners have one of the best receptions in the country.

In Hong Kong and Singapore, this is easy because they are city-states.

You do not have to worry about connection loss in the MTR (Hong Kong) or SMRT (Singapore) while underground with the 3 UK travel SIM card.

Telstra has the best network in Australia, covering many remote areas its competitors do not cover.

I did not have the data to try out the 3 UK travel SIM card in rural Australia or the Outback.

But you should always keep your expectation low out there because it is too rural over there.

I did speed tests with the Speedtest app throughout Hong Kong.

For reference, I consider an average download speed of 25 Mbps and an average of 10 Mbps upload speed fast enough.

Preferably, download speeds should be 100 Mbps+ on 4G/LTE… but we are not there yet 🗿.

But why these averages?

A download speed of more than 25 Mbps is enough to video stream content @ 4k resolution.

Social media sites that allow for live streaming, like Facebook Live, recommend an upload speed of at least 10 Mbps.

So, that is why – but that does not mean that a download speed of less than 100 Mbps excited me 😏.

With all of that out of the way, let's see how the 3 UK travel SIM card performed in Australia, Hong Kong & Singapore.

---

3 (UK) Travel SIM Card in Australia Experiences + Speed Test Results

I used the 3 UK travel SIM card mostly in the Melbourne suburb I stayed in: Oakleigh.

That is because I mostly used my data allowance in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Before I knew it, I was out of data already when I came back from those two countries 🤯.

Then again… I was in Hong Kong for more than two weeks – actively testing the SIM card at many locations.

Moreover, I finished my Australia SIM card and eSIM review series two months earlier, so I do not have that much data to compare the SIM card to.

Worry not… the results are still impressive.

In Australia, the the 3 UK travel SIM card uses the Telstra network, which on paper had the best 4G/LTE coverage experience and 5G NR reach.

In terms of speed, Telstra had the best download speed, with a median download speed of 81.57 Mbps, ahead of Optus (75.27 Mbps) and Vodafone Australia (59.15 Mbps).

Anyway, taking the seven speed tests I did in Australia into account, I had an average overall download speed of 84.10 Mbps and a median download speed of 90.52 Mbps with the 3 UK travel SIM card.

And that was… incredibly fast 😍.

The global median was 36.74 Mbps in December 2022, as per the Speedtest Global Index, so the SIM card did exceptionally well.

Especially when its top download speed was 184.59 Mbps at Chatime in Oakleigh.

And its second-fastest speed of 101 Mbps in The General Practitioner Oakleigh & District in Hughedale was impressive too.

So were its speeds at a Coles supermarket in Oakleigh and Kalimera Restaurant in Oakleigh were not bad either (91.02 Mbps and 90.52 Mbps, respectively).

Now, in terms of upload speeds, things were not looking that pretty.

For example, the 0.01 Mbps upload result at the GP can be ignored because that is when I fully ran out of my travel data.

The 0.04 Mbps can also be ignored because I was in a Uber back home.

Initially, we were stuck in traffic when it suddenly cleared up.

The download part of that test passed successfully, but the upload was done when we were in a tunnel… I could see the speeds go from 20 Mbps to 0.04 Mbps in real-time 🗿.

In Australia, I do recommend the 3 UK travel SIM card, as you will be on Australia's fastest network (Telstra) and enjoy superior reception and speeds.

---

3 (UK) Travel SIM Card in Australia Experiences + Speed Test Results

---

3 (UK) Travel SIM Card in Australia Experiences + Speed Test Results

I used the 3 UK travel SIM card mostly in the shopping malls on Orchard Road.

Initially, I did not plan on testing the SIM card in Singapore and exclusively using it in Hong Kong.

My boyfriend and I wanted to cycle around Singapore instead because we had a nine-hour layover in the country.

But the weather was horrible, and many things were closed because of Lunar New Year…

So I decided to test out the the 3 UK travel SIM card and a handful of travel eSIMs instead so that I can share some insights with you.

And they were impressive 😲.

In Singapore, the 3 UK travel SIM card uses the StarHub network, the second-fastest mobile operator in the country.

Taking the 15 speed tests I did in Singapore into account, I had an average overall download speed of 139.95 Mbps and a median download speed of 131.61 Mbps with the the 3 UK travel SIM card.

That was… blazing-fast 🐆.

Some would think I was on StarHub's 5G NR network at times.

Unfortunately, I was not… and these results would be slow for 5G NR speeds (do not let those mobile operators fool you!).

The 3 UK travel SIM card's fastest download speed was in Wisma Atria, with a download speed of 260.65 Mbps.

But the SIM card did well at the Starbucks in Raffles Place and Takashimaya Shopping Center (237 Mbps and 225.26 Mbps, respectively).

Let's not forget the last honorable mention at the Departures Hall of Terminal 1 in Singapore Changi Airport (228.54 Mbps).

Besides these results, we only see speeds between 100 Mbps and 200 Mbps (still super impressive for 4G/LTE, by the way!).

The SIM card's slowest performance was in ION Orchard (28.62 Mbps).

You cannot always be speeding, I guess? 😏.

In terms of upload speed, there is not much to say because it was almost always the fastest, with an average upload speed of 35.66 Mbps and a median upload speed of 40.36 Mbps.

In fact, the SIM card had the fastest upload speed at nine of the 15 test locations.

So yeah, there is nothing to worry about with this SIM card in Singapore.

In Singapore, I do recommend the 3 UK travel SIM card, as you will have reception basically anywhere AND have blazing-fast speeds.

---

My Overall Experience with the 3 (UK) Travel SIM Card – Is It Any Good?

I would recommend the 3 UK travel SIM card, especially if you are visiting two or more eligible countries within a month, 12 months, or 24 months (depending on the SIM card you choose).

Holidaysimcard sells these 3 UK travel SIM cards for low prices (also compared to its many competitors AND when using code ADU for 10% off 😏).

Its shipping speed halfway across the globe (Australia) is ridiculously fast, especially for the modest shipping fee (9.99 GBP/12 USD).

I love the fact that the SIM card can be used in around 70 countries for such a low price.

The travel data allowance is quite generous too (12 GB).

However, it would have been nice if even more data were available.

But this is a limitation set up by 3 UK – not Holidaysimcard.

The same applies to being unable to top-up your SIM card after you have exhausted your data allowance or simply want more data.

Only UK-issued credit- and debit cards are accepted on the top-up page or app, so when you are out of data or the validity is over, you are out of luck.

If you already know you need much more travel data or plan to travel for multiple months, you can purchase multiple SIM cards simultaneously (with code ADU for 10% off 😏).

And if you wonder if any other 3 UK travel SIM card reseller is not bound by this limitation, they will be. And the honest ones will mention this in their FAQs too, like the ones I work with.

And one thing I almost glossed over is that you can use this SIM card in the United Kingdom, giving you up to 100 GB of data to use in the country.

Better yet, you will also have free 5G NR access!

Unfortunately, you will not have 5G NR access in any Go Roam country.

It is mostly because prepaid customers in those countries have no 5G NR access yet, but also because 5G NR roaming agreements are still sparse.

But this may change in the near future.

In terms of the performance of the 3 UK SIM card in Australia, Hong Kong & Singapore, it did very well.

Especially in Australia and Singapore where the SIM card achieved phenomenal speeds.

In Hong Kong, it did not do that well because the local mobile operator, 3 Hong Kong, is just trash (as you can read more about in my 3 Hong Kong review).

But be aware that you will not always have 4G/LTE access in every country.

Rumors say you will not have 4G/LTE access in some Baltic states, Hungary, the Isle of Man, New Zealand somehow & some countries in Latin America.

But this could be outdated information… but at least I gave you a heads up, so you do not wonder why your phone is stuck at 3G.

Overall, I recommend Holidaysimcard's 3 UK travel SIM cards if you plan to visit multiple countries.

You will often be roaming on the best networks in the country, often resulting in fast speeds.

So you should have a smooth network experience with 3 UK travel SIM card (and be sure to use code ADU for 10% off!).

---

Other Holidaysimcard Reviews

I also tried out the Orange Holiday SIM card by Holidaysimcard in New Zealand.

You should read that review too.

I may try it out in other countries as well, but we will have to see 😏.