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Find a SIM only plan guaranteed to accept you, even if you have bad credit history. Join mobile networks direct, with no dodgy middleman.
These plans will accept anyone, even with bad credit history
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✔ Unlimited mins and 1GB data See full deal
at spusu.co.uk
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spusu are one of our top choices for providers that let you join without passing a credit check. This is largely because they give you access to EE’s full 5G network on low-cost, 1-month rolling contracts.
There’s no risk of damaging your credit score as you’re paying on a month-to-month basis. If you miss a payment your plan simply won’t renew. But being on spusu won’t build up your credit score either.
They also include quite a few features for a smaller provider. They offer WiFi/4G calling on all their plans at no added cost and offer inclusive EU roaming in these destinations as standard.
In all, they’re the best alternative to joining EE if you haven’t got a great credit score. Their mix of excellent benefits on top of cheap prices will make them a really appealing choice for most.
Useful link: See spusu’s full range of SIM only deals
✔ Unlimited mins and 5GB data See full deal
at lycamobile.co.uk
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As long as you take one of Lyca Mobile’s pre-paid SIMs, you won’t need to pass a credit check. But be careful, because their newer pay monthly deals do, so you should avoid them if you have bad credit.
The good news is Lyca are one of the cheapest networks around. Their 1-month SIMs get you full coverage through EE, fast 5G and even benefits like roaming in these 42 EU/EEA destinations plus India.
If you never top up with credit, you can never overspend too. It’s also possible to pause your plan temporarily without cancelling it - if money is tight at the end of the month or you need to take a break for any other reason.
Useful link: Our full Lyca Mobile review
✔ Unlimited mins and 3GB data See full deal
at talkmobile.co.uk
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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 do require you to share some details with them, just so they can confirm who you are. You’ll only be rejected if you enter incorrect info. Otherwise you should have no issue joining them.
And they now offer much more in terms of features. They’ve got 5G data, they offer WiFi calling and 4G calling, and their deals are great value.
The upside of paying via direct debit is that you can build your credit score as long as you pay on time. So Talkmobile are great for building up your score to potentially join another network on a contract later.
Useful link: Talkmobile’s terms and conditions
✔ Unlimited mins and 40GB data See full deal
at smarty.co.uk
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SMARTY are another excellent choice for joining without credit checks as all their plans are on 1-month deals. They’re a sub-brand of Three and offer full access to their 5G network at much lower prices.
You pay for your monthly allowance of minutes, texts and data up front, by registering a UK debit or credit card (read full details here). To do anything that would cost extra, you buy credit or an add-on.
As you’re paying month-to-month you also have the option to pause your plan at any point without issue. Just bear in mind you will lose any promotional deals if you don’t renew your plan each month.
Not only do SMARTY offer great value deals compared to the larger networks, they also include benefits like WiFi calling and EU roaming that you’d expect. In all, it’s hard to go wrong with them.
Useful link: Read our full SMARTY review here
✔ Unlimited mins and 1GB data See full deal
at 1pmobile.com
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1pMobile are another budget provider on EE’s full 5G/4G network and won’t make you pass a credit check for any of their SIM only deals. They tend to offer some of the best mid-range and larger SIM only plans around.
On top of their low costs, 1p offer a good number of benefits. You get inclusive EU roaming in these destinations on all their plans and a great WiFi calling scheme that’s very similar to EE’s.
You’ll also pay for your plan up front, so if you need to pause your payment for a while you can simply switch off auto-renew and let your plan run out. This won’t affect your credit score at all.
That does mean you won’t build your credit score being on 1p either. Still, they’re a really good option if EE rejected you for a credit check.
Useful link: See 1pMobile’s full range of SIM only deals
✔ Unlimited mins and 2GB data See full deal
at giffgaff.com
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You don’t need to pass a credit check to join on a 1-month deal with giffgaff and the same goes for their longer 18-month contracts. But you do need to pass a credit check to join on a phone contract.
They’re usually one of the cheapest providers on O2’s reliable network, with full access to their 5G and 4G (check their map). You get an identical network experience to O2 without needing good credit history.
The added benefit of joining on a 1-month plan is that you can pause your plan when you need by turning off auto-renew. This isn’t something you can do on their longer contracts, so it’s something to bear in mind.
Using our SIM only comparison tool, you can see giffgaff are usually one of the cheapest networks. They also include EU roaming and offer £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
✔ Unlimited mins and 8GB data See full deal
at voxi.co.uk
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VOXI were set up by Vodafone as a cheaper way onto their network for those looking for a cheaper on 1-month SIM only deals
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.
Every VOXI plan includes Unlimited Social Media, so you won’t use up your data on these social media apps. VOXI’s higher end plans give you Unlimited Music/Video to stream these apps without eating up your data.
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
✔ 1000 mins and 5GB data See full deal
at lebara.co.uk
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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 for their 1-month SIM only plans up front, so you won’t need to pass a credit check for these. And you also don’t need to pass a credit check for their longer, better value 12-month contracts either.
You get the benefit of being able to pause your plan by turning off auto-renew whenever on their 1-month deals, which you can’t do on their long contracts. That can be handy if you struggle to keep up with bills.
On any Lebara plan you get full access to Vodafone’s 5G/4G/3G/2G network and they also include WiFi calling. They’re a great value choice for those who want to join without having to pass a credit check.
Useful link: All Lebara SIM only plans
✔ Unlimited mins and 60GB data See full deal
at three.co.uk
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Even if Three have rejected you for a contract based on your poor credit history, you can still join on one of their great value Pay As You Go monthly bundles, which are still better value than most network’s pay monthly:
You can also choose to pause your plan on these, by turning off auto renew. This is handy if you’re struggling for money at the end of the month and need to take a break. Don’t top up and it’s impossible to overspend too.
These come with some decent benefits. You’ll get inclusive roaming in over 70 worldwide destinations with Three’s Go Roam. Each plan has a different data limit abroad, but these tend to be quite generous.
Useful link: Three's no credit check SIM only plans
✔ Unlimited mins and 3GB data See full deal
at mobile.asda.com
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ASDA Mobile are a smaller provider on Vodafone’s network and offer great value on 1-month SIM only deals. You pay for your mins, texts and data up front so there are no credit checks to pass to join on these.
These are a bit higher in price than their longer SIM only contracts (which do require you to pass a credit check) but are still cheaper than what a lot of other networks offer.
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.
It’s good to know their unlimited data bundles don’t have any built-in speed caps. Overall, ASDA’s monthly bundles are excellent choices if you’ve been rejected for a contract.
Useful link: Our guide to the cheapest pay as you go networks
✔ Unlimited mins and 8GB data See full deal
at o2.co.uk
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O2, Vodafone, Tesco Mobile and EE all offer a range of PAYG monthly bundles that won’t require you to pass credit checks to join, unlike their SIM only contracts. But these tend to be expensive compared to the rest.
But these do come with some nice benefits. O2, Vodafone and EE include data rollover on their monthly bundles, giving you another month to use up any data you didn’t get through.
And EE give you 10% off and extra data if you keep your plan on auto-renew. That means you’ll have to keep up with payments and their plans are still more expensive than the networks above, even after the discount.
EE also cap speeds on their monthly bundles at just 25 Mbps, which isn’t ideal. These can be decent options if you don’t mind spending a bit extra, but we still think the networks above will appeal to more people.
Useful link: See O2’s range of PAYG monthly bundles
✔ A green light for anyoneCompare these plans
The reason mobile networks run a credit check on pay monthly SIM only contracts is that they let customers pay for extra things like roaming, international minutes or premium services at the end of the month.
The mobile networks see the risk of potentially letting customers wrack up huge bills that they can’t or won’t pay. That’s why they look to check your history of paying bills, before deciding whether to accept you.
But there is a way round this. Most networks offer SIMs where you pay for a plan up front each month, and if you want to do anything else that would cost money, you have to top up with credit first.
By paying for your plan up front, there’s no risk to the network that you won’t pay them. So they don’t need to run a credit check. And you get the convenience of a monthly deal. It’s win win.
Useful link: Compare this type of plan above
✔ Register your card, no direct debitsFind a plan for you
When you click on any of the deals above, you'll be taken to the mobile network's website, where you can buy a SIM with a monthly bundle of minutes, texts and data that lasts a month at a time.
All you have to do is register a debit or credit card (or Paypal account) with the network, and your plan’s cost will be taken from that. You can set your plan to auto-renew or buy it manually each month.
You won't be able to do anything else on the SIM that would cost extra, without first topping up with credit or buying an add-on for data/calls etc. So it means it's hard to accidentally overspend.
If you let your plan renew itself, then it works basically the same as being on a contract, just that you can have a bad credit score and still be accepted for one of these kinds of plans.
Useful link: Find a deal that works for you
✔ The main networks have no contract SIMsSee best networks
These kinds of SIM only plans are great for users with bad credit history. If you’re young, you’ve just come to the UK or have been refused for a SIM only contract in the past, then these are a good choice.
But they're not just for bad credit, more and more networks are starting to offer all their SIM only deals on this basis, just because people like the simple, flexible nature of the plans.
The four main UK networks (Three, Vodafone, O2 and EE) all offer no credit check SIMs. But to find the best value deals with no credit checks have a look at our rankings for each network below.
Useful link: Find the best-priced deals here
Yes. With all the SIMs on this page, you pay up front, so the network doesn't need to run a credit check on you.
Mostly yes. But there's a very good selection of networks here that don't run a credit check and their SIMs are good value too.
On SIM only, there's no credit check at all on 1pMobile, ASDA Mobile, giffgaff, Honest Mobile, Lebara, Lycamobile, SMARTY, Talkmobile and VOXI. Three, EE, iD Mobile, O2, Tesco and Vodafone have pay as you go bundles with no credit check. Every phone contract requires a credit check.
Yes. Though most networks will run a credit check even on SIM only, there are now loads of high quality, low cost providers we list on this page that don't make you pass a credit check.
In simple terms, a mobile network will use a credit referencing agency to look at your record of paying other bills, like utilities, broadband etc, to see if you'll be a reliable customer with them.