You can get a SIM Only Deal that’s compatible with eSIM from £6/month in the UK. We compare eSIM-only deals.

If you have a mobile phone that supports eSIM technology, you can get an eSIM-ready SIM only deal from just £6/month. This will allow you to use the eSIM functionality on your phone, including the dual-SIM capabilities of an iPhone, Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel smartphone.

In this article, we’ll compare the eSIM-ready SIM Only deals currently available in the UK. We’ll also look at how to set up the eSIM on your phone as this will sometimes requires an extra step to move your plan onto eSIM.

Best eSIM Ready Plan

In the UK, it can be useful having an eSIM for your mobile phone. Having an eSIM will allow you to access the dual-SIM functionality on newer iPhone, Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones. For instance, you might be able to have two phone numbers and two plans on your phone at the same time (e.g. having both your work phone number and your personal phone number on the same device).

With eSIM, you can also benefit from greater flexibility and lower prices when you travel abroad. This is because the eSIM may give you cheaper international roaming than on your regular SIM card.

At present, Vodafone is our recommended network if you’re looking for an eSIM plan in the UK:

Vodafone

  • Get your eSIM straight away. Just choose the “eSIM” option during checkout.
  • eSIM plans with unlimited calls from £6/month: Plus unlimited data from £22.
  • 5G coverage in 100 towns & cities. Available on 5G plans from £15. Learn more.
  • Compatible with iPhone, iPad, Galaxy & Pixel. See all Vodafone eSIM compatible devices.

If you’re looking to get an eSIM plan with the least amount of hassle, we’d recommend ordering an eSIM from Vodafone. You can choose any of Vodafone’s SIM cards online. Just choose the “eSIM” option during checkout and you’ll be sent an eSIM that you can start using the same day.

You can get a eSIM plan from just £6/month on Vodafone with unlimited minutes & an allowance of data included for use in the UK. For faster speeds, you can choose a SIM card with 5G coverage from £15 per month. Vodafone unlimited data plans are also available from £22 per month.

Unlike the other major networks, there’s no need to get a physical SIM card first to convert into an eSIM.

Get a Vodafone eSIM online →

Note that eSIM support is currently still limited on UK networks. Many mobile networks are still yet to offer eSIM functionality and those that have it only offer eSIM on a selection of plans at present (normally only on their Pay Monthly phone and SIM plans).

Compare SIM Only Deals with eSIM

At present, you can buy an eSIM-ready plan from EE, O2 and Vodafone.

The following table shows a list of these eSIM-ready plans. You can use the filters to narrow down the list of available options.

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 50 of 50 price plans that match your criteria

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited4GB£6.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£8.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£10.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited5GB£10.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited1GB£11.00
24 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited12GB£12.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited1GB£12.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited1GB£12.00
12 months
EEUnlimitedUnlimited250MB£13.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited4GB£14.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£15.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited8GB£15.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£15.00
24 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited30GB£16.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£16.00
12 months
EEUnlimitedUnlimited1GB£16.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited60GB£18.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£18.00
24 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited20GB£18.00
12 months
EEUnlimitedUnlimited3GB£19.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited160GB£20.00
24 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited150GB£20.00
24 months
EEUnlimitedUnlimited120GB£20.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited100GB£20.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited100GB£20.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£21.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£22.00
24 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited250GB£23.00
24 months
EEUnlimitedUnlimited200GB£23.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£24.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited150GB£24.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited1GB£24.00
1 month
O2UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£25.00
24 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited250GB£25.00
24 months
EEUnlimitedUnlimited200GB£25.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£26.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£28.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited250GB£28.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£28.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£30.00
24 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£30.00
24 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£33.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£33.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£33.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£36.00
1 month
EEUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£37.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£37.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£40.00
1 month
EEUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£41.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£45.00
1 month

On EE and O2, you’ll initially be sent a plastic SIM card in the post. You’ll then need to exchange your plastic SIM card for an eSIM.

How To Order & Set Up An eSIM

On Vodafone, you can order an eSIM online to start using straight away. Simply choose the “eSIM” option during checkout.

Order a Vodafone eSIM Plan →

On other mobile networks like EE and O2, you still aren’t able to order an eSIM directly. This is mostly due to how their internal systems are set up and partly also for security (so they can verify your address when the SIM card is delivered).

If you’re sent a plastic SIM card to begin with, you can exchange it for an eSIM as soon as you receive it. You can follow the steps below to do this:

  1. Start by ordering your new SIM-only deal. Make sure it’s an eSIM-ready plan before you order it.
  2. A plastic SIM card will be sent to you in the post. Put this SIM card inside your mobile phone to activate the new plan.
  3. You can now transfer your plan onto an eSIM. You can normally request a replacement eSIM pack online, at a local store or by calling the customer services team. In some cases, you might need to wait for an eSIM to be dispatched. It can also take up to 24 hours for your plan to moved to eSIM.
  4. Scan the QR code for the eSIM when you get it. Once your plan has been moved to an eSIM, you’ll be given a QR code (quick response barcode) to scan on your mobile phone. This will install the eSIM on it.

In the future, when the technology improves, it should be possible to sign up for a plan on any network and to receive it on an eSIM straight away. This would make it a lot faster and more convenient switching to another network.

More Information

For more information, see our in-depth guide to eSIM on UK mobile networks. It has further information about how eSIMs work and has a list of eSIM-ready phones.

Your Comments 5 so far

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. So far, we've received 5 comments from readers. You can add your own comment here.

  • Angie said:

    Thank you so much for this article. I have just signed up with an eSIM deal with three. They were exceedingly helpful.

    • Angie replied:

      Three’s sales department are not in touch with the rest of three’s workings. I phoned three and told them that I had just bought an eSim phone and I need an eSim contract. they said no problem went through all the preliminaries. I was told to phone when i get the physicl sim and they would be able to send me an eSIM.

      I phoned this morning to ask for my eSim and i was told that they do not do eSims because the shops are closed but if i can wait till the shops are open, i can get an eSim then. Then 3 minutes later i was told Three are not doing eSims as it was a trial and they don’t know when they will be doing eSims again even when the shops are open.

      • Leo replied:

        Absolutely true I have had this problem. Basically, they are in breach of contract. They have no idea when they will get the esims. They want to get your business fo esim but they don’t mind if you wait for it Time wasted!

  • Paul said:

    Three do not do eSim in the UK. I have been talking to there Customer service department for over a month about an eSim and despite advertising them they are not in a position to issue them they tell me.

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Paul,
      Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, Three only launched eSIM support on their network very recently. I believe you still need to go into a Three retail store to get an eSIM pack (though the lockdown in England might mean you’ll need to wait until stores re-open in December). Furthermore, only certain stores have stock of eSIM packs at the moment. I believe they started rolling it out in stores in the North of England in October, so hopefully we’ll see it more widely soon, including online and on their customer services line.
      Ken

Leave a Reply