The retailers featured on this page may compensate us when our readers follow links to their websites and make a purchase. More
Save your regular mobile data allowance for when you really need it with free unlimited WiFi on the go. Keep reading to see the mobile networks offering hotspot access. Last updated: 11th November 2021.
✔ Some networks help you track data savings
Getting access to free public WiFi with your mobile deal used to be a genuinely useful extra in the days before 4G data speeds. After all, it got you a quicker internet connection than your 3G.
These days, the main draw for WiFi hotspots is in holding onto your data. In a nutshell, by connecting to WiFi when you’re on the go, it means you don’t use up your monthly data from your plan.
You could say that having access to free WiFi hotspots could save you money. You can pick a smaller data plan, avoid charges for going over your data limit and have a backup in case you're completely out of data.
It’s hard to calculate the exact price benefits. We think it’s more of a nice added bonus to sweeten the deal of your overall plan. Something to fall back on, should you need to.
✔ The more locations, the better
Free WiFi is only good if there are a lot of WiFi hotspots to access. That’s why we’re looking for the mobile networks with the most locations spread out across the entire country as well as abroad.
Thankfully, no network imposes a limit on how much you can use their hotspots, but if a network were to do so it would bring them down in our estimation. The whole point is to make the most of data-savings.
Having to log in every time you want to use a hotspot is a bit of a pain, so the schemes that log you in automatically, without entering details every time will rank higher in our list.
Finally, we’re keeping an eye out for the fastest hotspots because free WiFi is only as good as its speed. There’s no point connecting to something slower than your 3G or 4G connection and slow WiFi can be teeth-grindingly painful.
Click a logo to skip to that part of the article or read our rankings from top to bottom
What we like:
In more locations than any other network
Even the cheapest plan will give you access
Unlimited and free (usually costs £4 an hour)
What we don't like:
You need an app to access it
Variable speeds for hotspots in different locations
Non-BT broadband customers end up spending more
We like the quality of BT Mobile’s network, but only if you have BT broadband (you’ll get better pricing). See our review of BT Mobile here. The free WiFi included sweetens the deal:
You’re entitled to free BT WiFi access via the UK’s largest hotspot network of over 5 million hotspots (find ones near you here), whether you join on a smartphone contract or a SIM only plan.
Each of these deals gets you access to millions of BT WiFi hotspots:
You’ll only need to register and login once after downloading the BT WiFi app. After that, your phone will automatically connect whenever you’re in range of a hotspot.
And because it’s unlimited, you can use it as much as you like - regardless of the size of your data plan. Overall, we think it’s the most comprehensive scheme, making it the best in our opinion.
Useful link: All reasons to join BT Mobile at BT.com
What we like:
The second-largest number of hotspots
Works on pay monthly phones and SIMs
Includes access to London Underground WiFi
What we don't like:
Connection problems with the app
Virgin Mobile’s scheme gets our second-place ranking with the second largest number of free WiFi hotspots. With 4.3 million they’re getting close to BT’s 5 million. But their app has been subject to poor reviews.
No matter if you join on a SIM only plan or a phone contract, and regardless of the size of your data plan, you’ll be entitled to free WiFi as a Virgin Mobile customer.
All of these deals get you the Virgin Media WiFi app which keeps you connected on the London Underground and millions of other places:
To get started, you’ll need to download their Virgin Media WiFi app. Like with BT you’ll only ever have to log in once to automatically connect to their whole network of hotspots.
The London Underground and other transport hubs, pubs, cafes and various high street locations (although Virgin don’t publish an easy hotspot checker online) are included, as well as 20 million hotspots all over the world.
Useful link: Full guide to free WiFi on Virgin Mobile at virginmedia.com
What we like:
No app needed to connect to many hotspots
Works on pay monthly and pay as you go
WiFi on the Underground included
What we don't like:
Not all the hotspots connect without logging in
Not as many locations covered as others
Even if you’re not an O2 mobile customer, you are still able to access their network of 15,000+ hotspots across the UK. So what’s the benefit of joining on one of their plans?
If you do, you’ll get the added benefit of automatic recognition at around 7000+ hotspots. So as soon as your O2 SIM card is in range, you’ll get instant connection to the WiFi there - all without having to login.
And it will only do this if the WiFi hotspot is faster than your existing 3G/4G mobile connection. This is convenient as you’ll only ever have the strongest connection available without having to do anything manually.
Every deal below comes with O2's automatic login feature, ensuring you're always connected at the fastest available speed:
As an O2 customer, you’ll also get free WiFi on London’s Underground transport network.
Useful link: How O2's free WiFi works from their official guide
What we like:
Comes with every plan
Plenty of locations
What we don't like:
Fiddly setup process
Not all O2 WiFi hotspots included
giffgaff are among the list of providers offering free WiFi on London's TFL network. Their WiFi there is provided by Virgin Media.
You’ll also get free access to around 8,000 WiFi Extra hotspots provided by O2. There’s no top up requirement, but you’ll need to download the giffgaff app and make sure to install the WiFi Extra settings.
Other networks are easier to get on with than giffgaff, but follow these instructions to stay connected even when you're underground, away from mobile signal.
Useful link: giffgaff's help guide to their WiFi
What we like:
Only need to sign in once
Works on pay monthly and pay as you go
What we don't like:
There's no WiFi on the trains yet
Three offer no other free WiFi
Three are one of the UK's four major mobile networks but their level of free WiFi provision is actually pretty poor (even if their mobile data itself does regularly win awards).
If you’re regularly in London, you’ll be able to access Three’s WiFi in the Underground for free. But they don’t provide a network of national free hotspots to use.
These deals all get you free WiFi on the London Underground:
Three customers who have logged into an Underground hotspot at least once will be remembered by all 250 of their hotspots, meaning there’s no need to log in every time you reach a new one.
It works on any pay monthly SIM only or phone contract deal. And if you’ve used your phone to send a text, make calls or access mobile internet in the last 30 days, it will also work on pay as you go (read full terms here).
Useful link: Three's full guide to free WiFi at Three.co.uk
What we like:
Automatic login on some devices
Works on pay monthly and pay as you go
What we don't like:
It doesn't work on the trains yet
It's the only WiFi on EE
EE is owned by BT, so you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d get access to BT’s WiFi network of 5 million hotspots. But unfortunately this is not the case.
Just like Three and Vodafone, EE joins the group of major networks to offer free WiFi only on London's Underground network.
You’ll get free access no matter what plan you take with them. But pay as you go customers need to have topped up with at least £5 in the last 30 days in order to benefit.
EE may automatically connect you to the WiFi at stations by recognising your SIM, but this depends on what device you have. Otherwise, you'll only need to log in once to be remembered after that.
Useful link: How to get free WiFi on the Underground from EE's help guide
What we like:
Plenty of hotspots in useful locations
Fast and unlimited usage
What we don't like:
It's free anyway so no benefit for Sky customers
Not as many hotspots as other providers
No WiFi on the Underground with Sky
You'd think that with its 20,000 free hotspots we'd rate Sky WiFi higher than the networks above that only offer free WiFi on the Underground.
But there’s one issue - Sky WiFi is already free and you don’t get any bonus features if you sign up to one of their SIM only plans or phone contracts.
The only advantage to being on Sky is that you can access their hotspots using your existing log in, without having to create your own separate account like non-Sky customers have to. But that’s hardly a big incentive.
You can access their hotspots in decent locations and we’d say their network is pretty comprehensive too (find your nearest here by ticking Sky WiFi box). But without a specific reason to join Sky mobile, it’s just not a drawing point for them.
Useful link: See all reasons to join Sky Mobile at Sky.com
✖ No free WiFi hotspots on these networks
After having ranked all the networks based on their WiFi hotspot schemes, it’s worth mentioning all the networks that offer none:
It’s surprising to see Vodafone and VOXI not offer hotspots. Both used to offer them on the Underground. With ASDA also offering none, Virgin are the only network on Vodafone that offer hotspots.
Tesco are also a fairly large network to not offer hotspots. But for the most part, it makes sense that these other no-frills budget networks won’t be able to offer a network of free hotspots.
This doesn’t mean those not offering hotspots are bad networks. The purpose of this guide is to give you an overview of the providers that give you free hotspot access.
Nowadays free WiFi is easier to find when on the go, so it’s not necessarily a make-or-break benefit to have. Saying that, we do think it’s a nice extra on top of other benefits.
Useful link: Read our full reviews of mobile networks
✔ Compare SIMs with WiFi included
Below, you’ll find our SIM only deals finder, which we’ve pre-filtered to show you only those networks that have some kind of free WiFi for their mobile customers.
It’s worth remembering that the number of hotspots and locations varies per network, so have a read of our network breakdown above to see what each one offers.
Alternatively, simply choose the minutes, texts and data you want in your deal and we’ll help you compare SIM only plans with free WiFi:
We've pre-filtered the results for networks with the feature
Data: (0MB+)
Minutes: (0+)
Upfront: (Any upfront cost)
Monthly: (Any monthly cost)