SMARTY review 2025: is the network genuinely good value?
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Read our experience testing SMARTY's 4G/5G network coverage and speeds and added features to see if they're worth joining. Last updated: 8th December 2025
Overall rating
SIM Sherpa rates SMARTY as a very good budget provider
(3.5/5 very good)
SMARTY are a great choice for anyone looking to be thrifty with their mobile deal. There’s no credit check. Prices don’t go up. You can’t accidentally overspend. And you’re free to change plans, pause to take a break or leave whenever you like.
That’s backed up with a good quality mobile network too. Much improved coverage via Three and Vodafone, consistent 4G, and 5G that sets records. Their WiFi calling works when you need it. And eSIM’s coming too.
Our main complaints would be SMARTY’s online-only customer service agents aren’t particularly helpful. And we found getting into their app glitchy. It’s also annoying to have manually activate roaming too.
But that’s not an outrageous trade-off for a cheap deal if you know it up front. The truth is there’s very little to go wrong on SMARTY. If you’re confident self-serving, we think you’ll be perfectly satisfied with SMARTY.
The 3 best bits
1) Superfast 5G through Three
2) EU roaming included
3) Most flexible plans in UK
The 3 worst bits
1) Slow online-only customer service
2) eSIM only for existing customers
3) Manually activate roaming
Which network is SMARTY on?
SMARTY mainly uses the Three network for 4G and 5G but they now also have access to more and more parts of Vodafone’s network too, as the companies have merged.
Is SMARTY owned by Three?
Yes but they’re run as a separate sub-brand.
Can I keep my number on SMARTY?
Yes. Text the word PAC to your old provider using your old SIM to 65075 and give the PAC code to SMARTY in your online account.
Does SMARTY allow WiFi calling?
Yes and we’ve found it works really well. They support a massive number of phones.
Does SMARTY offer 5G?
Yes. You get uncapped 5G speeds through the Three network on every SMARTY plan.
Can I use a SMARTY SIM in a MiFi broadband device?
Yes. There are no restrictions on putting SMARTY SIMs in mobile broadband dongles, WiFi devices, tablets or iPads, as long it’s for personal use.
Does SMARTY allow tethering?
Yes. You can use anything up to your entire data allowance in the UK for tethering.
Does SMARTY support eSIM?
Yes. But currently only for existing customers. We’ve switched to a SMARTY eSIM ourselves and it worked well.
Can I use a SMARTY SIM in a Three phone?
Yes you can.
How long does it take to activate a SMARTY SIM?
In our experience it took literally a couple of minutes. But every network cautiously say it can take up to 24 hours.
Does SMARTY have a fair usage policy?
In the UK, SMARTY’s only fair usage policy is that you’re using the SIM for personal (not commercial usage). While roaming, there are monthly caps on how much data you can use.
Can you cancel SMARTY anytime?
Yes. And they don’t make it hard for you. You can pause your account online at the click of a button and also request a STAC or PAC to give to another provider to cancel your SMARTY deal.
What happens if you run out of data on SMARTY?
They send you warnings in advance. If you do use it all up though, data gets suspended until you buy an add-on. You won’t accidentally wrack up a large bil..
SMARTY’s mobile network
Coverage had already improved and is about to get better
Generally, we’ve been pleased with the coverage our SMARTY SIM has got. It’s great that you don’t get worse signal on SMARTY than parents Three. We proved this ourselves by testing two SIMs side-by-side.
We’ve noticed a massive 4G coverage improvement in recent years. SMARTY have always been strong in towns and cities but rural blackspots have clearly lessened lately (but definitely check your local signal).
If you are travelling or are out in smaller villages, we have found you can quite often get stuck on one or two bars of 4G, which is unusable for anything other than calls and texts though.
For 5G, there’s plenty of it about. We’ve been pleased to see our SMARTY SIM connect to 5G in all the same locations as Three. But like every network, we’ve found a 5G connection on SMARTY doesn’t always offer a massive advantage vs their 4G, especially indoors.
Independent testing specialists do say Three-based networks like SMARTY are beatable for coverage nationwide. We’ve found them decent enough ourselves. Millions of others agree. And things are only getting better now SMARTY are beginning to use Vodafone too.
Three and Vodafone have recently merged as companies. As part of the new VodafoneThree company, they are beginning to combine their networks.
Currently, this works a bit like roaming. Your SMARTY SIM will silently switch to using Vodafone’s network but only in certain locations. Behind the scenes, it’s a manual process of VodafoneThree activating the shared technology in each location.
So it’s not true to say “SMARTY and Vodafone use 100% the same network” yet. There are places where you won’t connect to Vodafone. But it’s still nice to know your SMARTY coverage will steadily get better and better while you’re with them.
Useful link: Be sure to check coverage in your area
Data speeds are reliable on 4G and often superb on 5G
In most places we’ve used our SMARTY SIM, we’ve found their data speeds more than satisfactory. They’re definitely one of the most consistent networks we’ve tested for 4G. Not such big highs but way fewer lows.
Our own top 4G speed test was in the 70 Mbps range. Independent analysts Opensignal put typical downloads around 38 Mbps via SMARTY’s hosts Three – more than enough even for things like UHD video streaming.
It was shame to measure SMARTY downloads 10% to 20% slower vs Three over 4G and 5G in many of our side-by-side tests. Though at times they’d be the same or faster. For day-to-day usage, we didn’t notice it.
5G speeds is where SMARTY can shine through. Independent testers predict typical 5G downloads upwards of 200 Mbps via Three. We managed 260 Mbps on SMARTY. Though sometimes 5G’s no faster than 4G.
Those kind of results put your home broadband to shame. Combining networks with Vodafone will also begin to speed up SMARTY too, thanks to increased bandwidth and capacity.
Useful link: What SMARTY say about their data speeds
WiFi calling has always worked nicely, as does VoLTE
For calls, SMARTY have both WiFi calling and VoLTE technology. These let your phone make and take phone calls and send/receive SMS over WiFi and 4G/5G data, instead of old-fashioned mobile signal.
We found both worked well on our iPhone and Android test phones (see SMARTY’s support page here). And we were pleased to find calls don’t drop when we tested switching off WiFi mid-call. SMS works over WiFi too.
One thing we did notice is that WiFi calling on our eSIM doesn’t kick in as early as our old physical SIM did. You have to be down to very poor 4G/5G for the SIM to choose WiFi calling. But it’s there when you need it.
Both the technologies are essential now, because SMARTY have switched off older 3G signal and they never had even older 2G/GSM technologies. So we’re pleased they work well and fuss-free.
Useful links: Read SMARTY’s full FAQs on WiFi calling | Our guide to the best WiFi calling networks
eSIMs and extra features like call forwarding aren’t bad
SMARTY are in the process of launching eSIMs. You can’t buy one as a new customer yet but you can switch over to eSIM if you’re an existing customer. For new customers, SMARTY say they’re “working on it”.
We’ve done it ourselves and the switch was easy to do online (follow SMARTY’s instructions here). As we say in our WiFi calling section, we have noticed a couple of differences when using eSIM vs our physical one.
Our call forwarding test was successful on SMARTY too. They’re one of the few budget operators where you can set calls to divert to a different number if your phone’s off or not go signal (see their help page here).
And we also like that SMARTY customers can access free WiFi on the Underground. Out of other advanced features, it would be good if SMARTY could get visual voicemail working, as it currently doesn’t.
Useful links: See all networks with eSIM | Best networks for call forwarding
SMARTY’s added benefits
They’re among the best for flexibility and no price rises
SMARTY are definitely one of the best networks for people who care about price. Not only are their plans cheap and have no credit check, but SMARTY also promise not to increase costs annually too.
We also like how flexible SMARTY’s plans are. If you ever need a break from paying, you can actually choose to pause your plan in your account. It’s really simple to do and your SIM stays active for up to 6 months.
SMARTY clearly show you your usage online too. So if you find you’re not using all your data, you are free to change down to a cheaper plan (or up if you’re hitting your limit). It’s super easy to do online.
You can’t overspend either, without manually buying an add-on. And because it’s only ever a rolling 1-month plan, you can leave SMARTY with zero notice (see how here). They’re not one of these networks that fight you.
Added together, we think this makes SMARTY the perfect network for students, parents buying for kids and anyone concerned about affordability and signing up to long contracts that keep you tied down.
Useful link: Our guide to no credit check SIM only plans
EU roaming is included, with nice generous limits
It’s great that SMARTY have kept inclusive EU roaming in all these countries. Choose any of their plans and you can use your UK minutes, texts and data there, without paying extra.
You get unlimited minutes and texts to other UK numbers and even local EU numbers while roaming too. That comes in handy for things like calling your hotel or booking a table somewhere.
There is a fair usage limit of 12GB per month on data. That’s more generous than average for cheaper networks. And more than the typical UK user gets through at home. Only heavy data users will find it restrictive.
The main downsides with roaming on SMARTY are that you have to manually activate it on your phone (follow these instructions). Also, their roaming outside the EU is expensive (you pay as you go at these rates).
Useful link: Best networks for EU roamng
Group plans can make you some excellent extra savings
We think SMARTY have the most flexible friends and family plans in the UK. Their key benefit is that you’ll save 10% on every plan, when you take out multiple plans with them. That’s against already cheap prices.
And we’re pleased to see SMARTY let you add the Group plan discount to already discounted promotional plans (though check the small print on each individual offer to avoid disappointment).
But the best bit is their flexibility. Everyone can join on different plans to match their needs. You can add / remove SIMs whenever you like (you don’t have to all sign up at once). And the lead SIM can manage others.
You can read more about how you set up a Group plan here. Parents will appreciate the scheme. Thrifty students can make some nice little savings too. It’s nice to have, even if you don’t use it at first.
Useful link: FAQs about SMARTY’s group plans
SIM only plans and offers
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Customer service
Customer service is one of SMARTY’s main letdowns
The good news is there’s not a lot to go wrong on SMARTY. We’ve had a SIM with them for a few years and had no genuine reason ever to get in touch with them. But we did get locked out of the app recently.
We have to say SMARTY’s online-only customer service is a bit of a weakness. It’s quick enough to get through to a real chat agent. But the quality of the interaction was quite poor. We never got our issue sorted.
When you’re in the app it is pretty decent though, so is their online account management. You can change plenty of settings, track usage properly and do things like switching plans, pausing plans or leaving.
It’s really about trade-offs. SMARTY is a budget operator. They keep their costs down with leaner customer service. If you know this up front and are happy to self-serve, most people will never even notice.
Useful link: Best networks for customer service