EE offers a 5G unlimited data plan with inclusive Smart Benefits like Apple Music or BT Sport. There’s a 600GB fair use limit and personal hotspot on 12 devices.
In the UK, EE now offers an unlimited data plan with access to 5G coverage from £27/month. Available on a choice of SIM-only plans and Pay Monthly phones, it allows you to use as much data as you like without the need to worry about running out of data mid-month.
On EE’s unlimited data plans, you’ll now get a Smart Benefit included in the price (e.g. an inclusive subscription to Apple Music or the BT Sport app). You’ll also get a shareable data allowance of up to 120GB that you’re able to share with another SIM card on your EE account.
Things to watch out for on EE’s unlimited data plan include a fair usage limit of 600GB per month and a limit of 12 devices for tethering and personal hotspot.
In this article, we’ll review EE’s unlimited data plans. We’ll start by looking at the plans that are available and what you’ll get on each one. We’ll also look at the fair usage policies and download speeds before comparing EE’s unlimited data SIM card to other networks. Finally, we’ll look at the coverage that’s available on EE and how you can keep your current phone number.
| Prices From: | £27 per month |
|---|---|
| Contract Length: | 24 month contract |
| Inclusive Features: |
|
| Fair Usage: | 600GB per month fair use limit. Maximum of 12 devices on tethering & personal hotspot. |
| Coverage: |
Contents
EE Unlimited Data Plans
In the UK, EE now offers a choice of unlimited data plans, allowing you to download as much as you like. You’ll get access to EE’s 5G network included along with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and up to 3 Smart Benefits.
The following table shows EE’s unlimited data SIM cards:
| Tariff | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Frills | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £27.00 24 months |
| No Frills | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £29.00 12 months |
| Essential | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £30.00 6 months half price 24 months |
| Essential | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £32.00 12 months |
| No Frills | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £32.00 1 month |
| Essential | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £35.00 12 months |
| Essential | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £35.00 1 month |
| All Rounder | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £36.00 6 months half price 24 months |
| All Rounder | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £38.00 12 months |
| Essential | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £38.00 1 month |
| Full Works | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £43.00 24 months |
| Full Works | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £45.00 12 months |
It’s also possible to get unlimited data on a range of Pay Monthly phones including those from Apple and Samsung.
Smart Benefits
Depending on whether you choose an EE Smart or an EE Full Works price plan, you’ll have either 1 Smart Benefit or 3 Smart Benefits included with it. The Smart Benefits you’re able choose from will depend on the type of plan you’re buying.
The following table shows how the Smart Benefit options compare across the two plans:
| EE Smart Plan | EE Full Works Plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price: | From £36/month | From £43/month |
| Inclusive Smart Benefits: | 1 Smart Benefit | 3 Smart Benefits |
| Smart Benefit Options†: |
|
|
| Availability: | SIM Only Pay Monthly Android |
SIM Only Pay Monthly iPhone |
† If you’re buying an iPhone on a Pay Monthly contract from EE, you’ll be offered the Smart Benefit options for an iPhone regardless of whether you choose an EE Smart or EE Full Works plan.
In terms of overall value, you’ll be better off choosing the Full Works plan if you’re able to use the extra Smart Benefits you’ll receive with it. For instance, BT Sport Ultimate is worth £10 per month and Apple Music is worth £9.99 per month. This means you can potentially be getting almost £20 of additional value by choosing a Full Works plan.
Shareable Data Allowance
If you have multiple lines on your EE account, you can share up to 120GB of data with them every month. You’ll get a 100GB shareable data allowance on most EE unlimited data plans, or a 120GB shareable data allowance if you buy a 5G phone on an EE Smart plan. You’ll also get a 10% discount on additional lines that you add to your EE account.
The inclusion of shareable data on this plan can actually make it very worthwhile to get another SIM card from EE (even if it’s one with a fairly small data allowance). For instance, you can share 100GB from your unlimited data plan onto a 250MB plan. This would increase the data allowance on it to 100.25GB per month.
The following table shows some of the other SIM cards you can get from EE:
| Tariff | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Frills | Unlimited | Unlimited | 1GB | £14.00 24 months |
| No Frills | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB | £15.00 24 months |
| No Frills | Unlimited | Unlimited | 25GB | £18.00 24 months |
| No Frills | Unlimited | Unlimited | 125GB | £22.00 12 months |
| No Frills | Unlimited | Unlimited | 125GB | £22.00 24 months |
| Essential | Unlimited | Unlimited | 150GB | £26.00 3 months half price 24 months |
| No Frills | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £27.00 24 months |
One thing to note is you’ll need to manually share your data allowance every month. This is because it isn’t possible to share it automatically every month.
In addition, data usage on your unlimited data plan will reduce the shareable allowance. For instance, if you’ve already used 40GB of data in the current month, you’ll only have 60GB left to share (or 80GB if you have a 5G Smart handset plan). For this reason, it’s normally best to gift your data as soon as your allowances refresh at the start of the month. This will allow you to get the maximum benefit from the Data Gifting feature.
Fair Usage Policy
EE says their unlimited data plans are for “personal, non-commercial use only”. As such, there are three important fair use restrictions worth being aware of:
1. There’s a fair usage limit of 600GB per month.
Since the 2nd September 2020, EE has had a 600GB per month fair usage limit. This applies on all unlimited data plans for consumers. Customers using more than 600GB of data in one month may have their speeds reduced, or may be moved onto a business plan:
We will consider usage above 600GB/month to be non-personal use and have the right to apply traffic management controls to deprioritise your mobile traffic during busy periods or to move you to a business plan.
Although the 600GB threshold is far more data than the average user will consume, it’s also the lowest fair usage limit of any network in the UK. On many other networks, you’ll get unlimited data without hidden fair usage limits.
2. Tethering and personal hotspot is limited to 12 devices.
It’s possible to use tethering or personal hotspot on your phone to share your unlimited data allowance with other devices. However, EE has limited this to a maximum of 12 devices. They say that regular usage beyond this limit will be considered non-personal use:
If you regularly tether 12 or more devices, we will consider this non-personal use and have the right to move you to a more suitable plan.
3. International roaming is limited to 50GB per month.
If you’re travelling abroad to another European country, you can use up to 50GB of your data allowance abroad each month. Further usage beyond this 50GB limit will be surcharged at 0.36p/MB (£3.60 per GB).
If you have the Roam Further Pass as a Smart Benefit, the 50GB fair usage allowance will also apply in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. Further usage beyond the 50GB limit will be charged at the standard roaming rates for that country (e.g. £4.80/day for 500MB of data in the USA).
Download Speeds
According to EE, all of their unlimited data plans are “un-throttled so you can access the fastest speeds that are available in the area”.
If you’re connected to EE’s 5G network in 160 UK towns and cities, you can expect an average download speed of about 135Mbps on EE’s unlimited data plan. In some cases, peak download speeds can be even faster than this (up to 1Gbps in some cases).
If you’re connected to EE’s 4G network, the average download speeds available are 43Mbps. However, this can vary depending on your location and depending on the device you’re using on EE’s network.
If you use more than 600GB of data in one month, EE says they reserve the right to “apply traffic management controls to deprioritise your mobile traffic during busy periods”. Unfortunately, they haven’t given any concrete figures on what this is likely to mean for the download speeds on your plan.
Comparison to Alternatives
At present, EE is one of the most expensive networks if you’re simply looking for an unlimited data plan in the UK. They charge at least £27/month for unlimited data whereas other networks charge as little as £16/month.
Despite this, it can still make sense getting EE’s unlimited data plan if you’re able to utilise the Smart Benefits and the shareable data allowance that’s included. For instance, a customer choosing Apple Music, BT Sport and Apple TV+ as their Smart Benefits would get £25/month of value from it. In addition, you could get another EE SIM card for as little as £14/month with which you’re able to share 100GB of data per month.
EE vs BT Mobile Unlimited Data
If you’re a BT Broadband customer with a BT Halo plan, you’ll normally be better off getting unlimited data from BT Mobile instead.
For just £20/month on BT Mobile, you’ll also get unlimited data with 5G coverage from EE. There’s also inclusive access to the BT Sport app, though without the ability to cast to a TV. You’ll also get unlimited UK calls on your BT landline as well.
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No price plans could be found matching this criteria. | ||||
You’ll need to be a BT Halo customer to get this exclusive unlimited data deal from BT Mobile.
If you’re currently a BT Broadband customer without BT Halo, you can check online to see how much it’ll cost you to upgrade.
Other Mobile Networks
If you’re looking for more of a no-frills unlimited data plan without extras like Smart Benefits, you can get unlimited data on other networks for as little as £16/month.
The following table shows a side-by-side comparison of unlimited data plans on UK mobile networks:
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £16.00 1 month |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £16.00 1 month |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £18.00 24 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £22.50 12 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £25.00 24 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited 2Mbps max | £26.00 24 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £27.00 24 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £30.00 1 month |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £30.00 24 months |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited 10Mbps max | £30.00 24 months |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £33.00 24 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £35.00 1 month |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £35.00 1 month |
For more information, see our full guide to unlimited data plans in the UK.
Coverage
2G, 3G & 4G Coverage
EE offers 99% population coverage on their 2G, 3G and 4G networks in the UK. You can access uncapped download speeds on EE’s unlimited data plan, with an average speed of 43Mbps when your phone is connected to 4G.
Before you sign up for an unlimited data plan on EE, we’d strongly recommend using EE’s online coverage map to check the coverage in your area.
Check EE Coverage (ee.co.uk) →
For more information, see our full guide to EE’s network and coverage.
5G Coverage
It’s also possible to access EE’s 5G coverage in a total of 160 UK towns and cities if you have a 5G-ready device.
On EE’s 5G network, you can access download speeds of up to 1,000Mbps (1Gbps). The average download speed available is 135Mbps. You’ll also benefit from more network capacity and a lower amount of latency.
At present, EE’s 5G network is available in the following UK towns and cities:
| Now Live | 160 towns and cities are live on EE 5G (May 2023) Aberdeen, Aldershot, Aldridge, Alexandria, Altrincham, Ashford Surrey, Ashton-under-Lyne, Aylesbury, Ayr, Barnsley, Barrhead, Bath, Belfast, Belshill, Biggleswade, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Blackburn, Blackpool, Bolton, Borehamwood, Bransholme, Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Burton upon Trent, Bury, Cannock, Cardiff, Castleford, Castlereagh, Chatham, Chelmsford, Cheshunt, Chester, Chester-le-Street, Chesterfield, Chorley, Clevedon, Clifton, Clydebank, Colchester, Coventry, Crawley, Cumbernauld, Dartford, Dinnington, Doncaster, Dudley, Dundee, Edinburgh, Epsom, Exeter, Gillingham, Glasgow, Grantham, Gravesend, Grays, Grimsby, Guildford, Halifax, Hamilton, Harlow, Harrogate, Hoddesdon, Huddersfield, Hull, Ilkeston, Inchinnan, Ipswich, Jarrow, Kimberley, Kingston-upon-Thames, Leeds, Leicester, Lichfield, Lincoln, Lisburn, Liverpool, London, Loughborough, Loughton, Maidstone, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Milnrow, Milton Keynes, Minster, Mirfield, Motherwell, Neath, Newcastle, Newton-le-Willows, North Shields, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Nuneaton, Oldham, Oxford, Paignton, Paisley, Plymouth, Pontefract, Poole, Porthcawl, Portishead, Portsmouth, Potters Bar, Rickmansworth, Rochdale, Rochester, Romford, Rotherham, Royal Leamington Spa, Rugeley, Runcorn, Salford, Sheffield, Shipley, Solihull, South Shields, Southend-on-Sea, Southport, St Albans, Stafford, Staines-upon-Thames, Stevenage, Stirling, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent, Stratford-upon-Avon, Sunbury, Sunderland, Sutton Coldfield, Swadlincote, Swansea, Swindon, Swinton, Sydenham, Tamworth, Wakefield, Walsall, Waltham Abbey, Waltham Cross, Walton-on-Thames, Warwick, Washington, Watford, West Bromwich, Westhoughton, Weston-Super-Mare, Weybridge, Wickford, Widnes, Wigan, Wolverhampton, Worcester, York |
For more information, see our guide to EE’s 5G network. You can also read our full overview of 5G coverage in the UK.
Tethering & Personal Hotspot
Tethering or personal hotspot refers to the process of sharing your smartphone’s internet connection with another device (e.g. with your laptop or tablet).
On EE’s unlimited data plans, you’re welcome to share your unlimited data allowance with other devices through tethering or personal hotspot. However, EE says this is for “personal use only”. There’s also a limit of 12 tethered devices within the terms and conditions of the plan. If you regularly tether more than 12 devices, this would be considered “non-personal use”.
For more information, see EE’s unlimited data terms and conditions.
International Roaming
On EE’s unlimited data plans, you can use up to 50GB of data abroad at no extra charge each month.
For most EE customers, inclusive roaming is available in 48 European destinations. However, customers choosing the Roam Further Pass as their Smart Benefit will get another 5 destinations added to this list (the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand).
If you use more than 50GB of data abroad in one month, a surcharge of 0.36p/MB (£3.60 per GB) will apply for your usage in Europe. In destinations outside of Europe, the standard roaming rates for that country will apply (e.g. £4.80/day for up to 500MB of data in the USA).
According to EE, 4G roaming is currently available in 77 destinations. In other places, international roaming may be limited to 2G or 3G.
For more information, see the EE website or read our full guide to using your mobile phone abroad.
Keeping Your Phone Number
If you’re leaving another mobile network to join EE’s unlimited data plan, it’s a straightforward process to keep your current phone number.
Start by ordering your new unlimited data plan from EE’s website. Once you’ve done that, you can request a PAC Code from your old network. This can normally be obtained through your mobile network’s website or app, or by texting PAC to 65075.
When your new phone or SIM card arrives from EE, head over to this online form. Here, you’ll be able to submit the PAC Code from your old mobile network. After doing this, your phone number transfer will normally be scheduled for the next working day.
For a step-by-step guide on how to move your phone number to EE, please select your current mobile network from the dropdown menu below:
Frequently Asked Questions
| How much do unlimited data plans cost on EE? | You can get unlimited data on EE from £27/month. It’s also possible to get unlimited data with a new Pay Monthly phone (e.g. from Apple or Samsung).
EE’s unlimited data plans include access to 5G, along with one Smart Benefit or three Smart Benefits depending on your plan. |
|---|---|
| Can I use tethering or personal hotspot with unlimited data on EE? | Yes. You can use tethering and personal hotspot on EE’s unlimited data plan. However, as per EE’s terms and conditions, this is limited to a maximum of 12 devices on a regular basis. The use of tethering or personal hotspot on more than 12 devices would be considered by EE to be “non-personal use”. |
| Is there a fair usage limit for unlimited data on EE? | Yes. There’s a fair usage limit of 600GB per month on all of EE’s unlimited data plans. Customers exceeding this 600GB fair use limit may see their download speeds being reduced, or may be moved onto a business plan instead. |
| What download speeds will I get? | According to EE, you’ll get unthrottled download speeds on their unlimited data plan. You can expect an average download speed of 135Mbps on EE’s 5G network and an average download speed of 43Mbps on EE’s 4G network. |
| Can I use my unlimited data allowance abroad? | You can use up to 50GB of data abroad each month when travelling to one of 48 European destinations. Beyond this, a surcharge of 0.36p/MB (£3.60 per GB) will apply. Customers with the Roam Further Pass can also use 50GB of data each month when travelling to the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. |
| What coverage will I get on EE’s unlimited data plan? | EE offers the following coverage on their unlimited data plan in the UK:
|
| Can I keep my current phone number? | Yes. It’s easy to keep your current phone number. Simply ask your current mobile network to provide you with a PAC Code. This can be obtained through your mobile network’s website or app, or by texting PAC to 65075. You should then provide EE with the PAC Code once you’ve ordered your new unlimited data plan.
|
More Information
For more information about EE’s unlimited data plan, please see the official EE website. You may also find it of interest to read our full guide to unlimited data plans in the UK.
Stephen Sawyer said:
Hi Ken
I want to use EE for home broadband, phone tethering, and expect to use c1TB. My plan is to use 2 EE sims, eg to keep within the 600GB fair usage policy. Do you know if the fair usage policy will apply to an account, or to each sim?
Regards
Steve S
Ken replied:
Hi Steve,
Thanks for your comment. The FUP would apply to each individual SIM. Saying that, I don’t know how tightly they actually enforce this limit – I believe a few other people have been able to use more than 600GB per month.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Stephen Sawyer replied:
Hi Ken
I thought it would apply to the individual sim. We did a bit of testing, and the quality of video (eg Youtube) was not as good over 4g+ compared to cable/wire (we currently have VM 350megs), so we abandoned the 4g+ broadband idea. We get a great EE signal, 4g+, but compared to wire it just isn’t as good for video. So I started looking round for a full fibre deal…and clicked a link for EE full fibre on your website, and saved my self £240 over 24 months (it would have been more had I not been an existing EE customer). Openreach coming to do the honours next week…Thank you!
Ashley Slade said:
I’ve had two of these unlimited SIMs for a few months.
As suggested above, i use the mikrotik units, one LTE6 and the other 4.
The slower LTE4 one cost me £35 and i get upto 90mbps.
The LTE6, with a little reconfig to use both ports, i can get 150mbps.
Both are bonded into pfsense and i can achieve over 200mbps some days
I’m about 2 miles clear line of sight to a set of EE antennas so thats pretty good.
I’ve a total of 45 network devices (20 network lights for example) on this system and i’ve never had complaints from them about the amount of units.
You need to have a router or some scripts to check your usage as you cannot find out from EE how much of your 600GB of unlimited data you’ve used.
We’ve two boys who are heavily into gaming and we both woerk from home.
Two SIMS with 600GB each is only just enough!
Paul Martin replied:
Hi Ashley
This is really good to know. I suppose from EE’s point of view they have to make some difference in their plans to justify the difference in price between unlimited phone sims & broadband sims. The 12 device limit is a means to do this & to cover themselves as such with the regulator. I’m lucky enough when I signed up to have got the 1TB fair usage policy & will never reach it lol so no need to keep tabs on it. Thanks for the input 👍
Paul
Alex replied:
Hi Ashley.
Could you tell me the specific Micrtotic models, and a whether they are mounted outside with antennas?
Thank you
Alex replied:
Hi Ashley.
Could you tell me the specific Mikrotic models, and a whether they are mounted outside with antennas?
Thank you
Ashley replied:
They are called Mikrotik SXT LTE and also a CAT6 version.
On the CAT4 model i can get 120mbps, on the CAT6 i can get upto 180mbps.
They are self contained routers so you attahc them to your wall or pole outside and run a cable into the househttps://mikrotik.com/product/sxt_lte_kit
One thing to bear in mind is that they only have 100mbps NICS, so to achieve upto 200mbps speed (if you are really close to the EE mast) you need to bond the connection
Mark said:
Update – I signed up with EE mobile broadband a few months ago after I got to speak to someone at EE who actually knew what they were talking about. I’ve got an unlimited download year contract for under £30/month. I’ve kissed goodbye to an appalling fixed line with BT with under 2mb/s download and equally poor BT/Openreach customer service. Using a booster and external antenna, (weak signal inside, good outside – just less than1/2 mile from mast!). A small investment for a decent service. I get average EE speeds 15mb/s up and down (peaking at 23) and only a few brief issues with slow speed from the local mast that EE sorted quite quickly after I reported it to them. In big contrast to sloppy BT. All in all, pleased with EE mobile BB.
Mark
Paul Martin replied:
Hi Mark, if you’re getting a good outdoor signal you might want to take a look at a Mikrotik LTE6 outdoor router. I can highly recommend & you may be able to avail of the carrier aggregation & seriously increase your speed further. It’s POE & subsequently no signal loss like other antennas. Worth taking a look at 🙂
Paul…
Mark replied:
Hi Paul
I had a look at the Mikrotik device. I believe the maximum I would get out of the local EE mast would be around 25mb/s up and down. There’s a reported 35mb/s when I just checked on the web for EE but it sounds a little optimistic. I say this because at work they use EE mobile with a MIMO panel antenna. The mast is a similar, unobstructed distance away to where I live. When I took my tablet in and did speed tests they were in this region (25mb/s).
I did think about putting two log periodic antennas up and feeding the EE router to make use of more bands (if the local mast transmits other than the 1800Mhz band the amp is currently running on) to see if it improves it, but feel the advantage will be minimal.
Mark