Lebara Mobile review: are they good enough for just UK usage?

Lebara offer a great mix of call and data signal coverage

Lebara get full access to Vodafone’s network to provide signal, meaning they get the same call (3G/2G) and data (5G/4G/3G) signal coverage as their hosts. This has its strengths and its weaknesses.

This means they’re part of the joint-largest UK network for call signal, covering more than 92% of the UK’s landmass and most of the areas where people live. And indoor signal tends to be more reliable than on some networks.

4G data speeds: Lebara’s speeds are decent but can vary

To see what sorts of speeds you can expect from each network we look at the results from independent network testers Opensignal and compare it against our real life tests. They claim typical 4G speeds on Lebara’s hosts sit around 21.6 Mbps.

In our testing of Vodafone we found speeds as slow as 5 Mbps in rural areas, while we got up to 110+ Mbps at one point in the city centre. More often than not in the city we sat at around 58 Mbps, so we can see how it all averages out.

That’s still a huge variation in speeds compared to most other networks. So you’re more likely to slow to a crawl out in the sticks, but you’re more likely to speed way ahead in the city centre than other networks.

We found no evidence of a speed cap on Lebara’s website, but we have yet to test them. Once we do we’ll update this page here, but for now we’re fairly confident you’ll get the same speeds on Lebara as on Vodafone.

5G: Lebara get you full access to Vodafone’s 5G

In our guide to the best 5G networks, Vodafone and the providers that use them came in last place. But it still improves their network experience when you can get strong 5G, and it’s great that Lebara offer it on all plans.

Lebara’s current best SIM only deals with 5G

You get 5G on every Lebara SIM only deal. Here are what we think are their best deals:

You’ll get 5G in 120+ UK towns and cities on Lebara. But 5G is still only on a street-by-street basis and Lebara’s coverage within their locations tends to be a bit weaker than the other networks.

Opensignal and Speedtest by Ookla put 5G speeds on Lebara between a strangely low 73.3 Mbps - 159.40 Mbps. That’s a massive variation in speeds and we think this is a result of people using 5G where signal is poor.

In any case, it’s still good that a cheap provider Lebara get access to 5G as it increases speeds and helps ease 4G signal congestion, even if it’s not the strongest network for 5G around.

Useful link: Read Lebara’s full 5G guide

WiFi calling: offered on all plans as standard

Typically, indoor blackspots are less common on Lebara due to their great indoor call signal coverage. But if you do run into indoor blackspots at home, Lebara offer a couple of features to help out:

They offer both WiFi and 4G calling as standard, letting your phone connect to calls via WiFi or 4G where conventional call signal is poor. Lebara seem to support the same devices as Vodafone (as they link to their page here).

We haven’t tested it out yet, but we think it’s largely the same as Vodafone’s scheme. If that’s the case then you should also be able to send SMS texts over WiFi and also transfer a call from WiFi to 4G without it dropping.

The main downsides are that it's not active immediately when you get your SIM, it can take up to 7 days, and there are a few Android devices that aren’t supported. Otherwise, if you can get it to work with your phone then it’s a great feature to help stay connected.

Useful link: The best networks for WiFi calling

Extra network features: not a lot offered

It’s best to know what other features you do or don’t get with any network so you can really know if they’re right for you.

Tethering is allowed on every Lebara SIM and you can tether your entire allowance if you so wish. They don’t say whether tethering works abroad. For now we expect it should work abroad.

Lebara don’t currently offer WiFi hotspots and we don’t expect them to introduce any, as Vodafone themselves offer none. You can see which networks offer the best WiFi hotspot schemes here.

You also cannot forward incoming calls onto another number like you can on these networks. And you also can’t get visual voicemail on Lebara either, though you can customise your voicemail message how you like it.

And finally, Lebara don’t offer eSIMs. But considering only very few networks offer it this doesn’t come as a surprise. Overall, Lebara are missing a few features that some users might find handy.

Useful link: All providers that use Vodafone’s network

Free international minutes on every plan

The main thing that sets Lebara apart from most other other small networks is that they offer inclusive international minutes to these EU and worldwide countries. This means you can call abroad without having to pay anything extra.

Each plan comes with a different amount of international minutes, usually from 100 to unlimited. Typically the pricier the plan the more minutes you get and most tariffs come with an unlimited international minutes option for a higher cost.

Here is their cheapest plan with unlimited international minutes:

If you run out of international minutes then you will have to top up with credit and pay out of that, but Lebara also offer some of the cheapest international rates of all networks. Some destinations only cost 1p per minute to call!

Overall it’s a nice addition to their plans that can help save quite a bit of money if you call abroad quite often.

Useful link: Lebara’s international calling costs

EU roaming: use your phone abroad at no added cost

More UK networks are removing inclusive EU roaming from their plans, but Lebara isn’t one of them. You can still use your allowances abroad in Europe without having to pay anything extra.

While you’re in one of their 42 EU/EEA destinations you’ll be able to use up to 30GB of your regular allowance. That’s more than enough for most users and more than a lot of other networks let you use abroad.

Interestingly enough Lebara also include roaming in India as standard, but there are no other worldwide destinations included. To go beyond their included destinations you’ll have to pay at these rates.

Overall, Lebara’s roaming scheme is surprisingly good. They’re one of the few to offer any inclusive worldwide destinations at all, even if it is just one. An overall great scheme.

Useful link: Our rankings for the best roaming networks

Flexibility: no contracts and no credit checks on 1-month deals

If you don’t want to be stuck on a plan with a network for a whole 12 months, you’ll like the extra flexibility Lebara offer with their 1-month deals. These let you leave or change plans when you like.

The way these work is that you’re paying up front for your bundle of minutes, texts and data for a month. If you don’t set your bundle to automatically renew then you’re free to change networks or plans at the end of each month.

Lebara are also a decent choice if you’ve failed a credit check in the past. Since you’re paying up front for your allowance they won’t have to check your credit history to make sure you can pay them.

Or if you want to spend less on your deal then you can choose a 12-month contract and save 10% vs joining the same plan on a 1-month deal. But it’s up to you whether you prefer the better value of their 12-month contracts or the flexibility of their 1-month plans.

Useful link: Our 1-month contract guide

Refer a friend: get cashback for bringing users onto Lebara

If you’re already on Lebara and a friend or family member is looking to join on a new SIM only plan, then you might want to consider referring them onto Lebara as you and the person you refer can get some nice benefits for doing so.

Firstly you get cashback from Lebara if your friend stays on their plan for 2 months (60 days). This is typically around twice the value of the plan that your friend took. So if they take a plan worth £15 you’ll get £30 back.

Add to that the fact that your friend gets their first 3 months on Lebara discounted by 50% and you’ve got a scheme that benefits everyone. You get cashback, your friend saves on their plan and Lebara gain a new customer.

It’s easy enough to do this as well. You just need to send your friend a referral link which they’ll follow to purchase their plan and then after 60 days you should get your cashback. Simple as.

Useful link: Our guide to the best customer reward schemes