1pMobile review 2024: easily our favourite network on EE

Our experience ordering a 1pMobile SIM card

You may never have heard of the 1pMobile before. We originally only found out about them in the first place after seeing an advert on social media.

We can understand why you may be wary when deciding on a new network, especially one that relatively few people know about and doesn’t have the flashy branding of the larger providers.

So, we took out our own 1pMobile SIM card to see what’s what. We ordered at 4pm on a Wednesday and were pleased when our SIM was delivered the very next day by Royal Mail.

The letter the SIM came with was simple looking, but included everything we paid for. You get a SIM card with every size to fit any device. You just need to pop out the one that fits your phone and you’re good.

Useful link: About 1pMobile's SIM card sizes

How to set up your 1pMobile SIM

Once you’ve popped your new SIM into your phone you have to activate it online. It’s a simple process, you just need to follow the information that 1pMobile put in their welcome email.

While their instructions say that your SIM should start working in 15 minutes, ours took 30 minutes to register to the network. To be fair they do say 24 hours at the worst, so don’t worry if it takes some time.

We tested our 1pMobile SIM directly against an EE SIM and found we got exactly the same number of signal bars. We were connected to mobile signal right away (but it took about 3 minutes for 4G to work).

So we can say with certainty that 1pMobile is not a scam, but a legit network. We hope that has put any worries you had to bed. Further on we go over the quality of their network and what other features they offer.

Useful link: Get a 1pMobile SIM card now

Overall coverage on 1p is the joint best of any network

1pMobile have made a brilliant decision to partner with EE to use their network. In our experience, it offers the best overall mix of call and data coverage around the country. And we’re confident 1p signal is identical to EE.

You can still get 4G data (see 5G here) in some impressively remote places, which is useful as you travel around. And in towns and cities, we found there’s plenty of capacity to get you a good connection.

Indoor calling signal is beatable. The frequencies that 1pMobile use aren’t the most optimal for regular phone calls but you do get WiFi calling / 4G calling as standard on 1pMobile, which massively helps with this.

More about our 1pMobile coverage tests...

It’d be impossible to test every inch of the country, but we did manage to do some spot checks in different locations with our 1pMobile SIM. We compared signal bars to our EE SIM in the same phone.

We got an identical number of signal bars on our test 1pMobile SIM as we did on our EE SIM in the same locations.

It was practically impossible for us to find blackspots outdoors and call signal held up alright indoors. We did however find that quality could be a little flakey the further inside you are.

After testing, we can say that you’ll get identical coverage on 1p as you would on EE. They used to not get access to EE’s band 20 masts, which broadcast 4G in rural areas, but that’s no longer the case.

Overall, we’re happy to report that 1p is not an inferior experience to EE or any other network. It is always important to double check local coverage near you though. Don’t just look at home but everywhere you’ll use your phone.

Useful link: Check 1pMobile signal

4G data speeds are another strength for 1p

Our testing found no in-built speed disadvantage on 1pMobile vs being on EE directly. In fact, while most of EE’s plans have speed caps as low as 10 Mbps, all 1pMobile’s SIMs are sold with the top possible speeds.

That’s handy given Opensignal’s latest report showed typical 4G speeds around 47.7 Mbps on 1p’s hosts EE. We’ve had speeds up to 130+ Mbps in the city on 1p and as low as 12 Mbps in the sticks.

If you’ve been on other networks, 1p will be noticeably faster. There are lows speed-wise but the typical connection is much more like being on decent home broadband than other provider in the UK.

Overall, 1pMobile benefit from being on EE’s network when it comes to 4G data speeds (see 5G below) and are technically even better due to the lack of speed caps on their plans.

Useful link: Read 1pMobile's guide to data

5G data’s being rolled out fast but is beatable on speed

1pMobile offer full access to EE’s 5G. Their hosts currently sit in second place in our best 5G network rankings, with healthy speeds, lots of 5G live locations and great coverage in these 317+ UK towns and cities.

Opensignal and Speedtest by Ookla’s reports show typical 5G speeds between 108.91 Mbps - 122.3 Mbps on 1p’s hosts, with peak speeds up to 272.22 Mbps. That’s like home fibre broadband and is impressive when you get it.

1p’s hosts are excellent at covering their 5G live locations, as they only declare one as live when 5G is available in 50% of its area. You can get 5G in locations not on their list, but coverage will be weaker.

You get 5G access for no added cost on pay as you go and on 1pMobile’s pay monthly plans. Getting access to the best network for 5G coverage with great speeds is brilliant on such low cost deals.

Useful link: Check 5G coverage near you

WiFi calling and 4G calling work really well

WiFi calling and 4G calling are basically must have features at this point and 1pMobile offer both of them. You get these features on any SIM only plan or on Pay As You Go.

So if you run into issues getting call signal indoors, you’ll be able to connect to calls and send and receive SMS texts via WiFi signal instead.

We’re pretty sure 1p’s use EE’s WiFi calling technology for their feature instead of developing their own. WiFi calls had similar audio quality on 1p and EE and it worked on the same phone models on both networks.

You do need to be on a compatible device to get it working. Most modern smartphones should work fine, but if you’re on a cheap £19.99 Nokia style device then these features might not work.

Useful link: 1pMobile's own guide to their WiFi/4G calling

Advanced network features are a bit sparse on 1p

Mobile networks add extra features as a way of helping customers get the most use out of their phone or SIM card. But, as a budget network, 1pMobile don’t offer a lot of these:

You can tether your data signal to non-data devices on any 1pMobile plan without limits. It’s like using your phone as a personal hotspot to keep devices like laptops connected while you’re on the go.

1pMobile offer no free WiFi hotspots. That’s a shame as it’s a great way to save data or to help Pay As You Go users use up less of their credit on the go. See which networks offer these in our guide here.

You can’t get an eSIM on 1pMobile, you can’t divert incoming calls to another number and you don’t get visual voicemail. But most budget networks don’t offer these, so it’s no shock 1p are thin on the ground here.

Useful link: 1pMobile's About Us page

Inclusive EU roaming is an excellent benefit

Lots of UK networks have removed inclusive EU roaming from their plans, but 1pMobile are not one of them (see all the networks that still include EU roaming here).

That means you can use your regular UK mins, texts and data in these 46 EU roaming destinations. You will be limited to 14GB while there, but we think that’s enough for most users on a trip away.

Roaming is turned on by default on 1pMobile, so you don’t have to worry about arriving with no way to connect to data. And if you’re on PAYG you get the same 1p rates in the EU as you would at home.

1p don’t offer inclusive roaming beyond the EU, however. But it’s great that they’ve kept EU roaming in place, putting them way ahead of all the networks that have removed EU roaming. Overall, their scheme is good.

Useful link: All about roaming on 1p Mobile

Nice rewards for bringing friends onto 1pMobile

1pMobile offer extra rewards for bringing friends onto their network. You get £5 free credit every time you bring a friend or family member onto 1pMobile.

You have to already be on 1pMobile to get it to work. All you have to do is send your friend a special code or tracked link. After they’ve taken their new SIM you’ll both get your rewards.

Both you and your friend get £5 credit, but you’ll only get it if your friend stays on 1p for at least 30 days. You can refer as many friends as you like, meaning you can get some serious value out of this scheme.

We think the scheme would be better if you just gave you money back, but it’s still a nice reward for your loyalty.

Useful link: Our guide to the best mobile network loyalty schemes

1pMobile’s other smaller benefits are also useful

1pMobile offer all their SIM only plans on flexible 1-month deals. There are no contracts, meaning you can switch or leave your plan whenever you need and you don’t need to pass a credit check to join them.

Firstly, 1p’s extra data add-ons are good value. Last time we checked you can add 1GB for £3 or 4GB for £6. That’s good if you just need a bit of extra data to tide you over till your next month.

International calls are also good value on 1pMobile, with calling rates to North America, Australia and New Zealand in particular being much lower than on most networks. But calls to Europe aren’t great value.

It’s good to know that you’re getting great value out of your pay monthly deal or PAYG tariff and also getting good value outside of that with 1pMobile.

Useful link: Our guide to the best international calling networks

Some other networks do certain things better

You don’t get data rollover on 1pMobile, which usually lets you hold onto your unused data for your next month (even their data boosts expire after 30 days). Low cost rivals iD Mobile include this on all plans.

The money you save from going with 1pMobile may even free you up to pay for these otherwise “free” subscriptions anyway, but for many the lack of data rollover and worldwide roaming may be hard to get over.

There is no inclusive worldwide roaming on 1pMobile. There are also no free subscriptions, 1pMobile don’t have a rewards app (like O2 Priority) and there are no benefits for adding multiple SIMs to your account.

Overall, 1p are a low-frills network, so we’re not shocked that they miss out on these sorts of benefits. It’s the trade-off you get for lower prices, so if you don’t mind that then they’re still a great choice.

Their Pay As You Go tariff is the best in the UK

Traditional Pay As You Go SIMs are rarer than ever these days. But 1pMobile fill in the gap by offering the UK’s best Pay As You Go tariff in our eyes, with the lowest rates of all networks:

1p per minute + 1p per text + 1p per MB data= £0 a month (0‑month contract)
See full deal

If you want a second SIM card for a dual SIM phone then 1pMobile are a great option as you get low cost minutes and texts while benefiting from EE’s network. And you can use your SIM for things like sat-navs too.

But this scheme won’t appeal to everyone. Very infrequent phone users won’t like the minimum £10 top-up requirement every 120 days. And their pay monthly plans give you much better value for your data.

Still, if you’re set on paying as you go, 1pMobile are one of the best choices out there.

Useful link: Order a 1pMobile SIM card

But there are some restrictions on how you use your top ups

1pMobile have changed the way you use your topped up credit with them. To keep your SIM active you’ll now have to top up with and use up £10 of credit every 90 days. If you don't, your SIM will deactivate.

If that does happen you will at least get the rest of your credit back (unless it’s a genuinely tiny amount). In any case, if you don’t then top up again within 10 days you will lose your 1pMobile account.

That will also mean losing the phone number that 1p gave you. It’s a big change from their old scheme where you only had to top up with £10 every 120 days, rather than having to use the credit in that time.

We understand why 1p have changed this system, as they ultimately need their customers to spend money in order to make a profit. Still, these restrictions may be enough to turn some users off from joining.

Useful link: All methods of topping up on 1pMobile