You can get a 5G SIM Only Deal from £5/month in the UK. We compare 5G SIM cards from BT, EE, O2, Sky, Three, Vodafone and VOXI.

In the UK, it’s now possible to get a SIM-only deal with 5G coverage from as little as £5/month. Compared to older 3G and 4G SIM cards, this gives you access to faster 5G download speeds. You’ll also benefit from greater network capacity and reduced latency when using 5G.

At the moment, 5G SIM-only deals are available to buy from EE, O2, Three, Sky Mobile, Vodafone and VOXI. It’s also possible to get 5G on BT Mobile but this is currently limited to 24 month contracts with a new 5G device.

In this article, we’ll compare the 5G SIM Only Deals currently available in the UK. We’ll look at the 5G price plans available on each mobile network before summarising the benefits of 5G and the handsets you can use. We’ll also look at the 5G coverage that’s currently available on different networks.

Compare 5G SIM Only Deals

At the moment, you can get a 5G-ready SIM-only deal from six UK mobile networks: EE, O2, Three, Sky Mobile, Vodafone and VOXI.

The following table shows a list of these 5G SIM card deals:

How much data do you want on your plan each month?

How long are you willing to commit for on a contract?

Which networks would you be happy to take a plan from?

Showing 48 of 48 price plans that match your criteria

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
Three600Unlimited1GB£5.00
12 months
Sky MobileUnlimitedUnlimited1GB£6.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited8GB£8.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£10.00
12 months
Sky MobileUnlimitedUnlimited10GB£10.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited4GB£10.00
24 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£12.00
12 months
Sky MobileUnlimitedUnlimited2GB£12.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£13.00
24 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited4GB£13.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited10GB£15.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£15.00
18 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£16.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited4GB£16.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£17.00
1 month
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£18.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited100GB£18.00
24 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£18.00
24 months
Sky MobileUnlimitedUnlimited15GB£18.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£19.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£19.00
1 month
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£20.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£20.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited60GB£20.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited40GB£20.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited20GB£20.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£20.00
18 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£22.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£22.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£23.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£23.00
18 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£24.00
1 month
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£24.00
1 month
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£25.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£25.00
1 month
O2UnlimitedUnlimited100GB£25.00
18 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited100GB£25.00
12 months
Sky MobileUnlimitedUnlimited25GB£25.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£26.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£27.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£28.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£30.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited100GB£30.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£32.00
1 month
O2UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£33.00
18 months
VOXIUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£35.00
1 month
O2UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£35.00
12 months
EEUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£44.00
12 months

To benefit from the fastest 5G download speeds, you’ll need a 5G-ready handset and will need to be in a 5G coverage area. If you aren’t able to access 5G, you can still access older types of coverage like 3G and 4G on any of these SIM cards.

To get 5G coverage on Sky Mobile for the prices listed above, you’ll need to join the Sky VIP loyalty programme for free. Alternatively, if you don’t join the Sky VIP programme, it’ll cost you an extra £5/month for access to 5G.

5G SIM Cards: By Network

BT Mobile

BT Mobile offers 5G coverage from EE, but only to customers buying a 5G smartphone on contract from BT. 5G devices currently available on BT Mobile include the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G and the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G.

Unfortunately, BT Mobile doesn’t currently offer 5G coverage on their SIM-only deals. This means you’ll need to choose a different mobile network if you’d like a 5G SIM card for a mobile phone that you already own.

EE

EE was the UK’s first mobile network to offer 5G, having launched it all the way back in May 2019.

At the moment, EE’s 5G network covers more than 50 UK towns and cities. You can get EE’s 5G Smart SIM for £44/month which comes with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited data.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
EEUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£44.00
12 months

EE’s 5G Smart SIM comes on a 12-month contract, with three Swappable Benefits included in the price. Benefits include a free subscription to Amazon Prime Video and the ability to stream BT Sport in HDR on your phone. You’ll also get the Roam Further Pass which allows you to use your mobile phone abroad at no extra charge in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.

You’ll get uncapped download speeds on EE’s 5G network. In theory, speeds can go all the way up to 1,000Mbit/s, but more realistically you’ll get closer to 150-200Mbit/s when connected to 5G. A fair usage policy applies to unlimited data on EE: see our full review of EE’s unlimited data plan for more information.

See EE’s website for a list of their 5G SIM cards and their 5G network coverage. You can also see a list of the 5G devices they sell, including the HTC 5G Hub router.

O2

O2 offers a choice of 5G SIM-only plans, starting from £20/month on a 12-month contract. You can choose from a range of data allowances, including unlimited 5G data on their most expensive plan.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
O2UnlimitedUnlimited40GB£20.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited20GB£20.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited100GB£25.00
18 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited100GB£25.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited100GB£30.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£33.00
18 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£35.00
12 months

At the time of writing, O2 offers 5G coverage in more than 20 UK towns and cities. See our guide to O2’s coverage and network for more information. Alternatively, O2 has a web page about their 5G rollout.

Sky Mobile

Sky offers 5G coverage on the Sky Mobile service at no extra cost to customers who enrol in the Sky VIP loyalty programme. This is free to join through the My Sky app and it’s our recommended way of getting access to 5G on Sky Mobile. Customers not wanting to enrol in Sky VIP will need to pay an extra £5/month to get access to 5G.

The following SIM-only deals from Sky Mobile have access to 5G coverage with Sky VIP:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
Sky MobileUnlimitedUnlimited1GB£6.00
12 months
Sky MobileUnlimitedUnlimited10GB£10.00
12 months
Sky MobileUnlimitedUnlimited2GB£12.00
12 months
Sky MobileUnlimitedUnlimited15GB£18.00
12 months
Sky MobileUnlimitedUnlimited25GB£25.00
12 months

Sky offers 5G coverage in the same UK towns and cities as O2. For more information, see our guide to the coverage on Sky Mobile or see Sky’s official website for information about their 5G service.

Three

Three offers 5G coverage at no extra cost on all of their price plans, with SIM-only deals currently starting from as little as £5/month.

At launch in February 2020, Three offers 5G coverage in 66 UK towns and cities. Compared to other UK mobile networks, they claim to have a lot more usable 5G spectrum. This has led them to say they’re building the UK’s fastest 5G mobile network.

The following SIM-only deals from Three will give you access to 5G coverage:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
Three600Unlimited1GB£5.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited8GB£8.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£10.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited4GB£10.00
24 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£12.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£13.00
24 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited4GB£13.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£16.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited4GB£16.00
1 month
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£18.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited100GB£18.00
24 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£18.00
24 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£19.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£19.00
1 month
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£20.00
24 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£22.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£24.00
1 month
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£24.00
1 month
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£25.00
1 month
To show you the most relevant plans, 12 similar but more expensive plans have been hidden. .

Three also offers 5G home broadband, allowing you to get your devices at home connected to the internet without the need for a phone line or cable.

For more information, see our guide to Three’s 5G network and Three’s UK mobile coverage. You can also see Three’s official website for information about their 5G service.

Vodafone

Vodafone offers 5G coverage on a range of price plans, either with unlimited data or with a data allowance from 5GB per month.

You can choose from the following 5G SIM-only deals on Vodafone from just £15/month:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited10GB£15.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£15.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£17.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£20.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited60GB£20.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£20.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£22.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£23.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£23.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£25.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£26.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£27.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£28.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£30.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£32.00
1 month
To show you the most relevant plans, 8 similar but more expensive plans have been hidden. .

On the Red 20GB, Unlimited and Unlimited Max price plans, you can optionally add a £6/month Entertainment package. This will give you inclusive access to Amazon Prime Video, NOW TV, Sky Sports Mobile TV or Spotify Premium. You’ll also get 100 UK-to-EU minutes each month.

On Vodafone’s Unlimited Lite and Unlimited price plans, there’s a restriction on the maximum download speeds you’re able to obtain (2Mbit/s on Unlimited Lite and 10Mbit/s on Unlimited). You’ll need to choose the Unlimited Max price plan for unlimited data without speed limits on 5G. Customers on the Unlimited Max plan will also get access to Vodafone Global Roaming Plus (with inclusive roaming in 77 destinations).

Vodafone’s 5G SIM cards can optionally be taken together with fibre broadband as part of a Vodafone Together bundle. If you choose Vodafone Together, you’ll get a discounted price for fibre broadband with your 5G SIM card.

VOXI

VOXI is a low-cost sub-brand of Vodafone, offering unlimited data with 5G coverage. This is commonly referred to as the “endless data plan” on VOXI. You’ll get 5G coverage in all of the same places where 5G coverage is available on Vodafone.

Endless 5G data is currently available for £35/month on VOXI:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
VOXIUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£35.00
1 month

For more information, read our full review of VOXI or see VOXI’s official website.

Other Networks

At the time of writing, other mobile networks are still yet to confirm the exact launch date for their 5G services.

Normally, lower-cost mobile virtual network operators will get 5G coverage later than their underlying coverage provider. This is because the four major networks (EE, O2, Three and Vodafone) like to keep 5G technology initially as an exclusive for their own customers. This pattern was seen when 4G launched in the UK, with smaller mobile networks getting it one or two years after the underlying coverage provider.

The following table keeps track of the 5G coverage provider for each mobile network and any announcements that have already been made around the launch date:

Mobile Network 5G Coverage Provider 5G Launch Date
1pMobile EE TBC – “as soon as we have access” (see announcement)
ASDA Mobile EE TBC – “not currently available” (see FAQ)
giffgaff O2 TBC – 5G trial currently in progress (see announcement)
iD Mobile Three TBC
Lebara Mobile Vodafone TBC
Lycamobile O2 TBC
Plusnet Mobile EE TBC – “no information regarding 5G” (see discussion)
SMARTY Three TBC – “coming soon” but no confirmed date (see website)
Tesco Mobile O2 “Early 2020” (see announcement)
Virgin Mobile Vodafone 2020-2021 using Vodafone coverage (see announcement)

For more information, see our full guide to mobile phone coverage in the UK.

Benefits of 5G

There are three main benefits to using a 5G mobile network:

  1. 5G has greater network capacity. 5G mobile networks have much more capacity for carrying data than older 3G and 4G networks. This means a lot more people can be using their phones before the mobile network gets congested in an area. This can be important in places like a sports stadium, a train station or other city centre locations where many people are using their phone at the same time.
  2. 5G has lower latency. Latency refers to the amount of time it takes for data to travel from your phone to the internet and back. On present-day 4G mobile networks, average latency is around 50ms (0.05 seconds). On 5G networks, this should drop to less than 10ms (0.01 seconds). This lower latency is important for online gaming, as well as new technologies like augmented reality.
  3. 5G offers faster download speeds. On 5G, it’s possible to get average download speeds of around 150-200Mbit/s. This compares to around 30Mbit/s for present-day 4G mobile networks. Maximum download speeds on 5G can be even faster than this (sometimes up to 1,000Mbit/s or 1Gbit/s) but it’s unlikely you’ll be able to access these download speeds at the start.

See our guide to mobile network download speeds for more in-depth information.

5G Handsets

To get the benefits of 5G technology, you’ll need a handset that supports the latest 5G mobile networks. At the time of writing, the following 5G handsets are available to buy in the UK:

You can also buy a 5G smartphone from various retailers on an unlocked basis.

All of the 5G-ready smartphones currently available on the market are powered by Google’s Android operating system. If you’re looking for an Apple iPhone that supports 5G coverage, the latest industry rumours suggest this will only become available around September 2020.

If your handset doesn’t support 5G technology, you’ll still be able to access 3G and 4G coverage on a 5G-ready SIM card.

5G Coverage

To benefit from 5G technology, you’ll need to be in a 5G coverage area. At the moment, there’s a phased rollout of 5G coverage across the UK, mainly starting from the largest towns and cities.

The following table shows a list of towns and cities where 5G coverage is available at present on different networks. It also shows other towns and cities that already have a confirmed launch date for 5G:

5G NetworkCurrently LivePlanned & Announced
EE
(check coverage)		47 towns and cities live
Ashton-under-Lyne, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Castlereagh, Chatham, Clifton, Coventry, Dudley, Edinburgh, Gillingham, Glasgow, Grays, Guildford, Hamilton, Harlow, Hoddesdon, Huddersfield, Hull, Kimberley, Kingston-upon-Thames, Leeds, Leicester, Lichfield, Lisburn, Liverpool, London, Maidstone, Manchester, Milnrow, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oldham, Potters Bar, Rochdale, Romford, Salford, Sheffield, Solihull, Sunderland, Sutton Coldfield, Sydenham, Walsall, Watford, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton		9 towns and cities planned
Aberdeen, Cambridge, Derby, Gloucester, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southampton, Worcester
O2
(check coverage)		21 towns and cities live
Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Lisburn, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Sheffield, Slough, Stoke-on-Trent		21 towns and cities planned
Aberdeen, Birkenhead, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Brighton, Cambridge, Eton, Guildford, Hove, Luton, Milton Keynes, Newbury, Northampton, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Sunderland, Warrington, Windsor, Wolverhampton
Three
(check coverage)		1 towns and cities live
London		65 towns and cities planned
Aberdeen, Abingdon-on-Thames, Aldershot, Balloch, Barrow-in-Furness, Basildon, Bath, Bedford, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Blackpool, Borehamwood, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Brookmans Park, Cannock, Cardiff, Chatham, Clayton-le-Woods, Coventry, Crawley, Cullingworth, Doncaster, Dundee, Glasgow, Gorebridge, Grimsby, Guildford, Heanor, Hedge End, Hemel Hempstead, Huddersfield, Inchinnan, Ipswich, Leeds, Leicester, Leyland, Liverpool, Lower Stondon, Luton, Maidstone, Manchester, Motherwell, Neston, Newquay, Nottingham, Nuneaton, Peterborough, Plymouth, Preston, Reading, Redcar, Royston, Sheffield, Shelly Green, Slough, St Albans, Sunderland, Swadlincote, Swansea, Swindon, Westhoughton, Wickford, Wigan
Vodafone
(check coverage)		38 towns and cities live
Bebington, Belfast, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Bolton, Bootle, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheadle, Droylsden, Eccles, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Horwich, Huyton-with-Roby, Isle of Scilly, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Llandudno, London, Manchester, Mangotsfield, Newbury, Paisley, Penarth, Plymouth, Prestwich, Rochdale, Salford, Solihull, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent, Stretford, Wallasey, Warrington, Wolverhampton		6 towns and cities planned
Blackpool, Bournemouth, Guildford, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton

If 5G coverage hasn’t yet launched in your area, you’ll still be able to receive coverage from older 3G and 4G mobile networks. See our full guide to 5G mobile coverage in the UK for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which mobile networks offer 5G SIM only deals?
You can currently get a 5G SIM only deal from the following mobile networks:

BT Mobile also offers 5G coverage but only to customers buying a new 5G phone on a 24-month contract from BT.
What’s the cheapest 5G SIM only deal in the UK?
The UK’s cheapest 5G-ready SIM only deal currently costs £5/month. The cheapest 5G price plans by mobile network are as follows:
Can I get unlimited data on a 5G SIM card?
Yes, it’s possible to get unlimited data with 5G coverage on EE, O2, Three, Vodafone and VOXI. Prices start from £20/month for unlimited data on 5G.
What are the benefits of 5G coverage?
5G coverage offers greater network capacity so download speeds are much less likely to slow down in busy or congested areas. It also offers lower latency (~10ms) and faster download speeds (around 150-200Mbit/s on today’s 5G networks).
Where is 5G coverage currently available?
5G coverage is currently available in more than 70 UK towns and cities. The towns and cities that are covered by 5G differ depending on the mobile network you’re using. See our guide to 5G mobile coverage in the UK.

More Information

For more information about 5G, please see the BT Mobile, EE, O2, Sky Mobile, Three or Vodafone websites.

Your Comments 9 so far

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. So far, we've received 9 comments from readers. You can add your own comment here.

Leave a Reply