3 UK Scraps 12 Month Contracts, Introduces 6 Month Tariffs

In a stark contrast to networks attempting to tie consumers in for longer, 3 UK has gotten rid of their 12 month pay monthly deals, replacing them with a range of 6 month tariffs.

The 6 month contracts are available on 3′s Mix and Match 300 and 500 packages, which offers sign-ups a flexible combination of free any network minutes and texts, varying based on usage.

Both offer a free handset on deals from £15 and £18 per month respectively, and are already on the site alongside the existing 18 and 24 month contracts.

The phones available are not the latest, which is understandable given the shorter contract duration, but are still some of the strongest on 3′s roster. The Nokia 6120, socially savvy INQ1 and Skypephone S2 are all free on the new 6 month tariffs, and all geared to take advantage of the free Skype-to-Skype calls and data-driven messaging services endemic of the network.

“The buying habits of our customers tell us that, on the whole, the 12 month contract has lost popularity in a market where better value is offered by longer term 18 and 24 month contracts,” 3 said in a statement.

“We’ve also introduced 1 month contracts on handset and Mobile Broadband for those customers after good value but with a minimal commitment. Due to a fall in demand, we’ve decided to remove 12 month contracts from our range.”

With the chance to bump up to unlimited e-mails and 1GB of web surfing for an extra fiver a month, these new 6 month deals strike a fine balance to be a brief enough to appeal to commitment phobes, but offer more than enough perks to be a step up from prepay.

Only question is, will anyone want these handset now they’ve seen the next generation of INQ handsets? We think the INQ Mini 3G and Chat 3G might be worth waiting for…

Tags: 12 month contracts, 24 month contracts, 3 uk, cheap 3 UK deals