No credit check SIM only deals:
compare plans on each network

Anyone can get accepted for these rolling plans, even if they have bad credit history

Don’t see these as “bad credit SIM only contracts”. They’re 30-day rolling plans that you pay for up front using your credit/debit card rather than setting up a direct debit. Absolutely anyone can take one.

There are a lot of reasons why you might fail a credit check, such as if you don’t even have a credit history, if you’re under 18 or a student, or if you’ve just moved to the UK from another country.

What’s important to know is that it’s nothing to worry about. There are ways to get a guaranteed SIM only deal without having to pass a credit check.

The only actual difference is that you’re paying for your mins, texts and data up front, rather than setting up a direct debit and receiving a bill every month like you do for a pay monthly plan.

Useful link: Compare plans

30-day rolling bundles are more flexible that pay monthly SIM only contracts

Since you’re not locked into a contract like you are on a pay monthly plan, you get a lot more freedom with your SIM.

You can choose when to get your monthly bundle, meaning you can:

• Keep the same bundle if it suits your needs perfectly
• Take a different bundle each month if you need to change
• Buy your next bundle only when you need to, if you want to take a break
• Cancel it whenever you want without giving notice

In many ways, this is much better than a 12-month contract, where you're stuck on the same tariff and network for a long time with no flexibility.

Useful link: Use our price comparison tool

Avoid credit checks by paying for your plan up front

The reason why mobile networks make their customers pass a credit check to get on a SIM only contract is because they might run up a large bill and then not pay it.

Companies want to know if their customers have a history of not paying their bills on time, which will make them less likely to accept someone because they assume it will happen again.

One way around this is if you pay for everything up front. This way, networks aren’t taking a risk as they’re taking your money before you use your plan. You can only use what you’ve paid for, so you can’t rack up a massive bill.

It’s a bit like pay as you go, but a lot of networks now offer you pre-paid plans that act just like regular pay monthly SIM only plans.

Useful link: Compare deals now | See the networks

Only get your SIM from trustworthy networks, never from dodgy middlemen

On this website (simsherpa.com) we only give you the information to help you decide what sort of plan to take. We’re not a retailer, so you’re not buying through us and you won’t give us any of your personal details.

When we present deals on our page, clicking on them will take you to that network’s website directly so you can buy the plan from them.

We’d be wary of websites that promise you mobile contracts without credit checks and sign you up for rip-off loans for phone contracts.

It’s much safer to buy via the network directly, rather than going with some sketchy company that you’ve never heard of and promise you too much. If it seems too good to be true, that’s probably because it is.

Useful links: See the deals | See which networks

SMARTY offer great value SIM only plans without credit checks

SMARTY are a network that were set up by Three as a cheaper option to pull in customers looking for the best possible deal. But they offer some unique benefits as well as giving customers full access to Three’s network (check coverage here).

SMARTY’s best current SIM only plans

They’re set up in a way that you pay for your monthly allowance of mins, texts and data up front by setting up a UK bank or credit card (read full details here). And so they don’t need you to pass a credit check.

SMARTY used to market themselves on their unique benefit of giving you money back for unused data. However, these days this benefit is reserved for special plans that are generally worse value than their regular range.

But SMARTY now offer WiFi calling, they have a brilliant family discount and also have the best value data add-ons if you run out of data. They tend to offer the most minutes and data per pound (compare all plan prices here).

Useful link: See SMARTY's 30-day rolling SIMs

VOXI offer some nice benefits on top of good value

VOXI were set up by Vodafone as a low cost alternative to their network. They offer all their SIM only plans on 1-month plans. While they’re not the cheapest, they do offer some great benefits on top of their decent prices.

There are no credit checks on their plans, as you’re paying for everything up front. Keep in mind their phone contracts do require you to pass a credit check, like any other network.

You get Endless Social Media on all plans which lets you use these social media apps without using up data. But their best benefit is their Endless Video, which lets you stream these apps without eating into your allowance.

VOXI’s SIM only plans that get you Endless Video

You also get all the benefits of being on the Vodafone network, even 5G access. And you get network features like 4G calling and WiFi calling too. VOXI offer brilliant value for their SIM only deals.

Useful link: See VOXI’s home page for more details

giffgaff's offer good value guaranteed SIM only plans

giffgaff’s SIM only plans are all paid up front, meaning there are no credit checks to pass to get onto their network. Their SIM deals are open for anyone to buy, but their phone contracts will require a credit check.

They’re almost always the cheapest way to get onto the reliable O2 network, and get the same 5G, 4G, 3G and 2G coverage as their host (see coverage here), without needing good credit history.

giffgaff’s best current SIM only plans

You can top up with credit and pay as you go for your usage, or you can take their better value “goodybags” which are just bundles of minutes, texts and data that each last 30 days.

By using our SIM only comparison tool, you can see that giffgaff regularly work out as one of the cheapest networks. You can get £5 free credit on your first £10 top up if you join them via the link here.

Useful link: See giffgaff's SIM plans and get free credit

ASDA offer cheap monthly deals and pay as you go rates

ASDA Mobile use the Vodafone network and offer all their great value SIM only plans on 1-month contracts. There are no credit checks to pass as everything you get is paid for up front.

Best current ASDA Mobile SIM only plans

Along with offering some of the best value SIM only plans on the market, they also have the second-cheapest pay as you go rates in the UK. With them you can top up and pay as you go at these rates:

4p per minute + 4p per text +  4p per MB data =  £0 a month (0‑month contract)
See full deal

ASDA offer some nice benefits on top of being great value. With them you get the same 5G/4G/3G/2G coverage as Vodafone, you get WiFi calling and also inclusive EU roaming - all with no credit checking.

While their pay as you go rates are very cheap, it’s still better overall value to get one of their SIM only plans. Bear in mind they have three different unlimited data plans, each having a different speed cap (check here).

Useful link: Our guide to the cheapest pay as you go networks

Talkmobile offer pay monthly contracts without credit checks

Talkmobile are one of the cheapest providers on Vodafone’s network and actually let you set up a direct debit with them, while not requiring you to pass a credit check (there’s only an ID check).

They will ask for some details, just so they know who you are. If you give false or incorrect information then you will be rejected. Otherwise, anyone can get onto Talkmobile.

But they don’t offer much in terms of features. They’re 4G only, they don’t offer WiFi calling or 4G calling and they offer no unique benefits or features that make them stand out. But their deals are great value.

Current best Talkmobile SIM only plans

What’s great about setting up a direct debit is that it will build your credit score, as long as you keep up with your payments. Talkmobile are a great choice for getting onto another network’s SIM only or phone contracts later on.

Useful link: Talkmobile’s terms and conditions

Tesco Mobile offer pay as you go and monthly bundles

While Tesco Mobile’s pay monthly SIM only contracts will require you to pass a credit check, they do offer pay as you go SIMs and monthly bundles paid up front that won’t require a credit check.

Neither method is particularly amazing value. Their “Rocket Pack” bundles are worse value than giffgaff’s “goodybags” and their pay as you go “Lite” tariff isn’t nearly as generous as some networks.

Tesco Mobile’s best No Contract SIMs

But there are some nice extra benefits for being a Tesco Mobile customer. You can benefit from their Clubcard vouchers to get points when you spend money on Tesco Mobile and use those points to get money off your bill.

Unfortunately you don’t benefit from their Family Perks, you don’t get WiFi calling or 4G calling or data rollover. We think Tesco are more focused around their SIM only contracts.

Useful link: Tesco Mobile’s pay as you go bundles

Lebara offer pre-paid SIMs and cheap international calls

Lebara’s main selling point is their cheap international calls, but they’ve made some changes to their network that make them worthwhile even if you’re just using them in the UK.

You pay up front for any of Lebara’s SIM only deals, and as we’ve said that means there are no credit checks necessary. They offer a decent range of 30-day bundles of minutes, texts and data.

Lebara’s current best SIM only plans

Their international minutes benefit is still useful if you have relatives or friends abroad that you call on a regular basis (see the list of countries here).

You get access to Vodafone’s 4G/3G/2G coverage on Lebara, though 5G is still unavailable. In all, they’re a good value network to join if you don’t want to have to pass a credit check.

Useful link: All Lebara SIM only plans

iD Mobile offer pay as you go bundles too

iD Mobile offer competitive SIM only contracts, but you can still fail a credit check for these. In that case you can still get on their network with one of their payg monthly bundles. These aren’t as good value as their pay monthly plans.

iD’s current pay as you go bundles

With these you also get WiFi calling and 4G calling and inclusive EU roaming as standard.

You do miss out on iD Mobile’s data rollover feature that normally adds a bit of extra value to their SIM only plans. It’s a shame because you’ll lose the mins, texts and data you paid for when they expire.

But, they’re definitely not a bad choice if you want a decent value bundle without having to pass a credit check.

Useful link: See iD Mobile's PAYG SIMs

Honest offer 12-month and 1-month contracts without credit checks

Honest Mobile market themselves as the UK’s only carbon negative network. They’re a little pricier than some networks, but you won’t have to pass a credit check to get on any of their SIM only plans.

They offer 1-month and 12-month contracts. Their 12-month contracts get you better overall value, while their 1-month contracts get you more flexibility to change plans. If you stay loyal to Honest you also get a discount.

Current best Honest Mobile deals

You get an extra 5% off every year you’re with Honest, for a maximum of 30% off after 6 years. You can also use the promo code “simsherpa” at the checkout to get 50% off your first month.

Coverage is provided by the Three network, so you’ll get brilliant 5G speeds and coverage. They also offer WiFi calling and 4G calling. They’re a pricier option, but they might just be worth it for you.

Useful link: Honest Mobile’s FAQ page

Three’s monthly bundles are quite good value

If you’ve already failed a credit check on Three, you can still get onto their network with one of their monthly bundles, or you can take a free SIM and top it up with credit.

They used to have a really generous pay as you go tariff, but now it’s not really great value:

10p per minute + 10p per text +  5p per MB data =  £0 a month (0‑month contract)
See full deal

There are much cheaper networks for traditional pay as you go. But their monthly bundles are alright value. You get the same benefits as being on one of their pay monthly plans.

Three’s current no contract SIM bundles

We’d argue networks like SMARTY and iD are better value these days. Three have pulled a lot of their best benefits, so you’re not missing out on much going with a cheaper network.

Useful link: Three's no credit check SIM only plans

O2 offer data rollover on certain monthly bundles

Like Three, O2 have shifted focus away from traditional pay as you go. They actually don’t let you pay as you go anymore at all, but they do offer monthly bundles if you’ve failed a credit check with them.

These are alright value compared to other main networks, but worse value than their pay monthly SIM only plans. But you still get all the benefits of being on O2, like their brilliant Priority rewards scheme.

Monthly Bundles Without Credit Checks on O2

You also get data rollover, which is where you can keep your data you don’t use for your next month. It’s a great way of keeping what you paid for and pay monthly users don’t get it. Just remember to renew your bundle.

So with that, and the rest of O2’s nice benefits, we think this is a pretty decent option if you’ve failed a credit check but still want to be on O2.

Useful link: O2 SIMs with no credit check

Vodafone’s PAYG bundles include data rollover

You’ll need to pass a credit check on any of Vodafone’s pay monthly SIM only plans. But if you’ve failed a credit check with them, there are still ways of getting onto their network.

They offer a decent range of pay as you go bundles that get you the same benefits as being on Vodafone directly, while also giving you data rollover. So the data you don’t use will go into your next month so long as you renew your bundle.

Vodafone no credit check SIMs

Having data rollover means you have another chance to use the data you’ve paid for. However, you’ll have to renew with the same bundle as your last month for your data to rollover. Sometimes it’s better just to go with a smaller bundle.

You can pay as you go if you don’t renew your monthly bundle, but instead of topping up you’ll have to pay £1 a day to get unlimited minutes, texts and 50MB data. You’ll only be charged for a day if you use your SIM.

Useful link: Vodafone's SIMs with no credit check

EE's monthly bundles have some nice extra benefits

EE have the largest 4G network and are our number one pick for the best UK 5G network. But if you fail a credit check with them, there’s still a way of getting onto the EE network without having to pass a credit check.

They have a few monthly bundles to choose from that get you the same network features as being a pay monthly customer. But you also get data rollover, letting you keep your unused data for a month.

EE’s no credit check SIMs

That’s nice to have because EE are one of the pricier UK networks, so it’s good to get the most out of what you’ve paid for. You also get free data boosts for renewing your bundles.

And you get 10% off every time you buy your bundle directly rather than letting it auto-renew. So, EE’s bundles might be expensive, but they give you a little extra to add a bit of value.

Useful link: EE's no credit check SIM only plans