Three Call Forwarding and Divert
Quick Answer
Three publishes no call divert codes, so use your handset’s own call forwarding screen: on iPhone, Settings > Apps > Phone > Call Forwarding; on Android, the Phone app’s menu > Settings > Call Forwarding. To divert to voicemail, use 07782 333 123. Be aware Three charges for every redirected call.
Three has the thinnest published documentation on call forwarding of any major UK network. It does not document divert codes, a ring-time setting, or app-based management. What it does document clearly is that you pay for every forwarded call. This page sticks to what Three has actually confirmed and gives you the method that works regardless.
The Reliable Method: Your Handset’s Settings
Call forwarding is a network feature your phone can configure directly, so this route works on Three without needing any code Three has not published.
- iPhone — Settings > Apps > Phone > Call Forwarding, turn it on, then enter the destination under Forward To.
- Android — open the Phone app, tap the three-dot menu, then Settings (or Call Settings) > Call Forwarding, choose the divert type and enter the destination.
Android exposes all four divert conditions separately, so you can send busy and unanswered calls to different places. Full walkthroughs are in our iPhone call divert guide and Android call forwarding guide.
Why This Page Has No Code Table
Search for Three divert codes and you will find the same table repeated across dozens of sites. It is worth knowing where it came from: a customer-written post on Three’s community forum, which opens by noting that Three itself says the feature is not supported. It is not a Three staff answer, and Three has never published those codes.
The generic GSM codes may work on your line — they often do — but presenting them as “Three’s codes” would be inventing an authority that does not exist. A later reply in that same forum thread reports a network change stopped them working. Since Three documents nothing either way, the handset settings route is what we recommend. If you want to try the standard codes, our call divert codes guide explains the syntax and why the single and double asterisk forms behave differently.
Diverting Three Calls to Voicemail
Three’s voicemail number is 07782 333 123, in international form +44 7782 333 123. This one is solid: it appears in Three’s own published price guide. Enter it as the destination in your handset’s call forwarding screen.
Three prices its own voicemail as a call destination, so diverting to voicemail is not free. Our Three voicemail guide covers access and setup.
What Three Charges
Three’s wording is unambiguous and less generous than EE’s: “If you divert your incoming calls to another number, we’ll charge you for each redirected call. The cost of the redirected call depends on the type of number you’re calling.”
On Pay As You Go standard rates, that is 35p per minute to UK landlines, UK mobiles on any network, and Three voicemail. There is no documented allowance treatment of the kind EE offers, so do not assume a forwarded call comes out of your inclusive minutes. Picking up voicemail while abroad is charged at your roaming rate.
The practical consequence: a divert left running on a line that receives a lot of calls is a recurring cost on Three, not a free convenience.
What Three Does Not Document
| Commonly claimed | Status |
|---|---|
| Three call divert star codes | Not published by Three anywhere |
| Custom ring time before diverting | No code and no default published |
| Managing diverts in the Three app or My3 | No official page describes this |
| Diverting to international numbers | Support responses indicate UK destinations only |
| Pay As You Go divert restrictions | Not documented either way |
SMARTY and the VodafoneThree Merger
SMARTY runs on Three, so the same position applies: no published codes, use the handset screen. Since August 2025 SMARTY customers use both Three’s and Vodafone’s radio networks.
Three and Vodafone merged into VodafoneThree in June 2025, but the core networks remain separate and call forwarding is a core network service. So Vodafone’s well-documented codes do not carry over to a Three SIM, even though the two brands now share spectrum. If you want the network where the codes are officially published, that is Vodafone call forwarding.
Three Business Lines
Three does not publish separate divert documentation for business accounts, so the handset route and the per-call charging both apply. For a business relying on diverts to route calls, the charging model is the real argument for moving to a hosted system: routing happens on the platform rather than generating a billable forwarded call every time the phone rings. See business call forwarding.
Outgrown network-level diverts?
A hosted phone system gives you hunt groups, auto attendants and time-of-day routing instead of one divert per handset. We can scope it for you free of charge.
Get a Telecoms Quote →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Three call forwarding code?
Three does not publish one. There is no page on Three’s own site that documents call divert codes, so the widely-copied “Three divert codes” tables are not sourced from Three — they trace back to a customer post on Three’s community forum, not a staff answer. The dependable method on Three is your handset’s own call forwarding screen, which does not rely on codes at all.
How do I divert Three calls to voicemail?
Use 07782 333 123 as the divert destination. That is Three’s voicemail number and it is confirmed in Three’s own published price guide. Set it in your handset’s call forwarding screen against whichever condition you want — all calls, unanswered, busy or unreachable.
Does Three charge for diverted calls?
Yes, and Three is blunter about this than the other networks: “If you divert your incoming calls to another number, we’ll charge you for each redirected call.” The cost follows the type of number you have diverted to. On Pay As You Go, calls to UK landlines, UK mobiles and Three voicemail are 35p per minute at standard rates, so a busy line left on divert can run up a bill quickly.
Why has my Three call divert stopped working?
If a code that used to work no longer does, note that Three has never documented these codes as a supported feature, and forum reports suggest a past network change altered the behaviour. Because Three publishes nothing on the subject, there is no official statement to check against. Setting the divert through your handset’s call forwarding screen instead is the more reliable route.
Can I forward Three calls abroad?
Three’s support responses indicate diverts are supported only to UK landlines and mobiles. Since Three charges for every redirected call, an international divert would be expensive even where it connects. A hosted phone system is the better answer if calls genuinely need to land overseas.
