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SIM only deals: compare plans and prices on each UK mobile network
Our comparison tool checks each network's pay monthly SIM only contracts to compare their benefits and prices for your chosen minutes, texts and data.
Search Pay Monthly SIM only deals
Tell us the minimum minutes, texts and data you want in your next SIM only deal below, plus any preferences on network and contract length, and we'll find the best-priced plans that match your search.
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Showing SIM only deals with at least mins | texts | data on 4G or 5G - edit search ( possibilities) on any length contract.
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As we've seen in the section above, not every plan automatically comes with unlimited texts.
Plenty of networks put caps of 3000 or 5000 on the number SMS messages you can send. So here's our rundown of the cheapest 3 SIM only deals with no limits on messaging:
The very cheapest deals hardly ever come with unlimited minutes as standard but you can still get a deal with no limits on the number of calls you can make relatively cheaply.
Or if you'd rather have no limits at all on how much you can use internet and streaming services on your phone, we've found the best value 3 unlimited data SIM only deals too.
EE currently have a decent range of 7 plans on SIM only available on 12-month contracts only online (you have to go into a store to get a 30-day contract). Prices vary between £9.99 and £25 a month and you can get a data allowance up to 20GB.
Out of their plans available this , we rate the best value to be their £19.99 deal with unlimited mins, unlimited texts and 12GB data on a 12-month contract but there are also other options if this is too big or small for your needs. We compare EE’s SIMs with all other networks in a special guide under the link below:
Lowest priced plan: £9.99 a month Largest data allowance: 20GB Most amount of minutes available: Unlimited
Most amount of texts: Unlimited Contract lengths available: 12-month (1-month available in stores)
With a large range of 12 SIM only tariffs, O2 offer both 1-month and 12-month contracts priced between £10.50 and £31.00 a month, depending on the allowances you want and the contract length (30 day plans are more expensive). The most amount of data on O2's SIM only is .
We rate O2’s best value SIM only deal in to be their £16 deal with 5GB data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts (-month contract) that tops works out best value for money. To see how all their SIMs compare with other network, take a look at our O2 deal comparison page under the link below.
Lowest priced plan: £10.50 a month Largest data allowance: 25GB Most amount of minutes available: Unlimited
Most amount of texts: Unlimited Contract lengths available: 1-month, 12-month
Three offer the largest selection of SIM only plans out of all the networks in the UK. There are a staggering 44 combinations ranging in price from just £5 a month right up to £35 a month, depending on how many minutes, texts and data you’re after (with a maximum of data available).
Their best value deal this gives you 600 mins, unlimited texts and 8GB data for just £12 a month on 12-month contract but there are plenty more plans available on 1-month and 12-month contracts. See how they compare in our Three SIM only deals page under the link below:
Lowest priced plan: £ a month Largest data allowance: Most amount of minutes available: Unlimited
Most amount of texts: Unlimited Contract lengths available: 1-month, 12-month
Choose from a large range of 18 Pay Monthly SIM only bundles with Vodafone, which come either on a 1-month contract or 12-month deal. Plan prices start from £9.50 a month on their most basic tariff and go up to a handsome £29, with monthly data allowances up to a huge 20GB.
Vodafone’s current best deal on SIM only comes with 12GB, unlimited mins and unlimited texts for £19.20 a month (-month contract) but there are plenty of other options too. Watch out for plans that come with inclusive roaming and even a free entertainment subscription of your choice.
Lowest priced plan: £9.50 a month Largest data allowance: 20GB Most amount of minutes available: Unlimited
Most amount of texts: Unlimited Contract lengths available: 1-month, 12-month
On BT Mobile, you’ll find a simple choice of just 4 SIM only plans on 12-month contracts only. They start from just £5 a month if you have BT Broadband at home or £ a month if you don’t. Their most expensive plan comes in at ££16 (££21) a month and their biggest available data allowance is 15GB.
This , their best value deal on a SIM has to be BT Mobile’s £12, 6GB plan with unlimited minutes and unlimited texts but the other plans offer something for practically everyone too. With frequent gift voucher offers when you join and perks like free BT Sport App and WiFi, there’s plenty more to BT Mobile SIMs than just low prices.
Lowest priced plan: £5.00 a month Largest data allowance: 15GB Most amount of minutes available: Unlimited
Most amount of texts: Unlimited Contract lengths available: 12-month
giffgaff call their monthly SIM only bundles ‘goodybags’ as they come with a monthly allowance of minutes, texts and data that you pay for up front from as a little as £5 a month up to £. There are 8 options in total ranging up to a deal that comes with 6GB data at full speeds and then unlimited data at slower 2G speeds.
Starting from an astonishingly cheap £4 a month, iD Mobile’s SIM only plans are a good choice for anyone looking for a budget no-frills deal. In total, there’s a decent range of 19 different tariffs to choose with a SIM on iD on 1-month contracts, including deals with as much as 10GB monthly data.
Their best deal this is their £5 SIM only plan with 1.5GB, 250 minutes and 5000 texts (1-month contract), which is giving every other UK mobile network a run for its money. Apart from that you’ll never pay more than £ a month for a SIM on iD, making them one of the cheapest providers around.
Lowest priced plan: £4.00 a month Largest data allowance: 10GB Most amount of minutes available:
Most amount of texts: 5000 Contract lengths available: 1-month
Giving everyone stiff competition for the UK’s lowest cost SIM only deals, is Plusnet Mobile, whose simple range of 5x short 30-day contracts start from just £5.00 a month. No deal comes in at more than £15 a month and they offer up to 8GB data. Also Plusnet Broadband customers can look forward to mates rates deals too.
For £10 a month you'll get 500 mins, unlimited texts and 5GB data (-month contract), Plusnet Mobile’s best value SIM only deal offers more than enough for most people’s monthly needs and their other tariffs are just as competitive when you compare them with other networks.
Lowest priced plan: £5.00 a month Largest data allowance: 8GB Most amount of minutes available: Unlimited
Most amount of texts: Unlimited Contract lengths available: 1-month
Not the easiest SIM only plans to understand, Sky Mobile effectively have 9 different deals depending on whether you have their Sky TV, ranging from £10 to £20 a month but only offering up to a biggest 5GB data a month. If you don’t have Sky TV, you can either pay as you use minutes and texts or an extra £10 a month for unlimited both.
If you want to find a SIM only plan with precise number of minutes, texts and data you need, you’ve got a good chance of finding it among Tesco Mobile’s massive selection of 26x tariffs on SIM only. Starting from £6.00 and going all the way up to £35.00, with data allowances as large as 30GB, there’s something for everyone, and at an honest price too.
At the moment, we’ve singled out Tesco’s £13.50 plan with 3000 minutes, 5000 texts and 6GB data ( -month contract) as being their best value but there are lots of other contenders in their bigger-than-average range that features both 12-month and 1-month contracts: all with some handy extra benefits too.
Lowest priced plan: £6.00 a month Largest data allowance: 30GB Most amount of minutes available: 5000
Most amount of texts: 5000 Contract lengths available: 1-month, 12-month
TPO Mobile have a concise range of just 6 plans to choose, with tariffs that will suit most people starting from just £3.99 a month up to a maximum £20 a month. This puts their deals, which are all on short 1-month contracts, among the UK’s best value. You can get up to 8GB data with TPO.
For the best value in , we’d recommend their £6.99 -month deal with 600 mins, unlimited texts and 2GB data that offers an impressive set of allowances for such a low price. Otherwise, their other plans offer similar value and all allow you to donate 10% of the monthly cost to your choice of charity.
Lowest priced plan: £3.99 a month Largest data allowance: 8GB Most amount of minutes available: 3000
Most amount of texts: Unlimited Contract lengths available: 1-month
There may only be 6 tariffs to choose from in Virgin Mobile’s well priced range of SIM only plans but they start from just £6 a month and offer up to a sizeable 20GB data so there’s something for almost everyone. Each comes on a short 1-month contract, which gives you flexibility too.
Virgin’s £13 5GB, 5000 minutes and unlimited texts SIM only deal stands out as being their best value deal in . Like all Virgin’s plans, you’ll also keep unused data each month and you’ll be able to message on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger without using up data.
Lowest priced plan: £6.00 a month Largest data allowance: 20GB Most amount of minutes available: 5000
Most amount of texts: Unlimited Contract lengths available: 1-month
Every network offers the same SIM deals for every device
✔ Every network's SIM will work in any unlocked model
The first thing to note is that every SIM only plan available today is suitable for every single phone make and model. No network gives better pricing or deals for a specific handset - it just wouldn't make any sense.
So whether you're looking for a SIM card to put in an iPhone, Sony, Samsung, BlackBerry or any other make, you don't have to worry about missing out on the best price.
Even SIM card size is no longer a consideration, as every network sends out a 'triple' SIM, which will fit every model of smartphone.
The main consideration is that your phone is unlocked, so that it can be used with any network. If it's not and you're out of contract, your provider will normally unlock it free.
The same applies as above for iPhone SIM only deals: there are no specific plans made just for the iPhone 7, iPhone 6s, iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s or any of the older models either.
Instead, you're free to pick any plan that takes your fancy to put in your Apple device. All of them will work and every network has SIMs in the right size for any iPhone too.
Most providers ship iPhones already unlocked so this shouldn't be a factor. But if yours is locked but you're out of contract, give your network a call and they should unlock it free of charge.
✔ 3G phones work with deals advertised as 4G-ready
You've probably noticed that practically every SIM only plan available now is sold as 4G ready (Talkmobile are the last 3G-only network). That's because most new devices support faster data.
But what if you've only got a 3G-ready phone, will it still work on a 4G SIM only deal and network?
The answer is yes but you'll still only be able to access the 3G and 2G signal from that network on your phone. This means that you should focus your search on networks with the best 3G signal and ignore their 4G reception.
We've put together the locations of every network's coverage map that you can quickly check under the link below.
Using phones that don't have mobile internet on SIM only
✔ Even phones with no internet can be used
Every monthly SIM only plan at the moment comes with an allowance of mobile data from anywhere between 100MB right up to unlimited data but what happens if your phone doesn't access the internet?
The answer is, you can still pick any of the deals at the top of this page to get the monthly minutes and texts and it could still work out cheaper than Pay As You Go if you regularly makes calls and send texts.
Your phone doesn't have to have mobile internet to use these SIMs.
Work out what you're currently spending a month and then see if you can beat it on a Pay Monthly deal (even if it does feel like you're paying for data you'll never use).
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