Get a free SIM card for your mobile phone: Pay As You Go offerings compared from 18 UK networks.
Whether you’re a smartphone fanatic or someone who only uses their phone on an occasional basis, there are some great deals to be had when you order a free Pay As You Go SIM card in the UK.
The best Pay As You Go SIM cards offer super-low rates that can even rival Pay Monthly SIM cards in terms of value for money. To take advantage of the best offers currently available, simply order a free SIM card below and slot it inside your mobile phone. There are no credit checks or upfront fees. There’s also no need to set up a direct debit: simply top-up your SIM card when you need credit to pay for your airtime.
In the table below, we’ve reviewed free SIM card offers from 18 of the UK’s most popular Pay As You Go networks. We’ve included mainstream providers as well as low-cost alternatives and specialist Pay As You Go mobile networks for calling another country. We’ve also compared the cost of each network to help you get the best value for money.
- Changing mobile network? If you’re keeping the same phone but changing to another network, it might be necessary to first unlock your handset. See our guides to unlocking an iPhone and unlocking a Samsung Galaxy handset.
- Coverage is identical on many mobile networks. Many networks share the same coverage provider: you’ll get identical levels of coverage when using any of these networks. To give an example, giffgaff uses coverage from O2 and ASDA Mobile uses coverage from EE.
- Keeping your mobile number. If you’re changing mobile networks, it’s super easy to keep your current phone number. Once you’ve ordered your new SIM card, contact your current network and ask them for a PAC Code. You can then pass this on to your new mobile network and your phone number will be moved over on the next working day. For more information, see our guide to transferring your mobile phone number.
Free Pay As You Go SIM Card Offers
At present, giffgaff is our top pick amongst the UK’s Pay As You Go offerings. They offer competitive 30-day bundles and 99% coverage from the O2 network.
| giffgaff 9% of our readers choose to join giffgaff*
Most giffgaff members choose to buy a goodybag bundle. On giffgaff’s £10/month goodybag, you’ll get a massive 3GB of internet along with unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. Goodybag allowances can be used in both the UK and Europe. For lighter users, giffgaff’s £7.50 goodybag can give you even bigger savings (you’ll get 250 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of internet for £7.50/month). Alternatively, if you’d like even more data, you can get 6GB of data for £15/month or Always-On data for £20/month (unlimited downloads with the first 9GB per month at full 4G speeds). On giffgaff, you’ll get free calls and texts to other members (to qualify, you just need to top-up your phone at least once every 3 months). giffgaff also offers discounted rates for international calling. |
Amongst readers of our website, ASDA Mobile and 1pMobile are also highly popular choices. They all offer low Pay As You Go rates with a number of different advantages.
| ASDA Mobile Most Popular: 49% of our readers choose to join ASDA Mobile*
For light users, ASDA Mobile charges 8p/minute and 4p/text. There are no regular monthly charges and your Pay As You Go credit won’t expire (you just need to use your phone at least once every 180 days to keep it active). The minimum top-up amount on ASDA Mobile is just £1 each time. For regular users, ASDA Mobile has a competitive range of 30-day bundles. For instance, £10/month will buy you 600 minutes, unlimited texts and 2GB of internet. To take advantage of the offer, you should order a free SIM card from the ASDA Mobile website. |
| 1pMobile 13% of our readers choose to join 1pMobile*
A unique requirement of 1pMobile is you’ll need to top-up your phone at least once every 120 days. As the minimum top-up is £10 each time, this means you’ll need to top-up your phone with at least £30 of credit per year. 1pMobile offers automatic top-up functionality which you can use to make sure you meet the minimum top-up requirement. |
ASDA Mobile offers a free Pay As You Go SIM card with 
Other major Pay As You Go providers include:
| EE 4% of our readers choose to join EE*
For light users not buying a pack, calls will cost 30p/minute and texts will cost 12p each. Access to mobile internet is only available when you buy a Pay As You Go pack. The cheapest available pack is the £1/week Data Pack which gives you 100MB of internet to use on your phone (100MB = 0.1GB). For more information, please see our full review of EE Pay As You Go. Order EE SIM card (Free with top-up) → Tip: For £10/month, ASDA Mobile gives you 600 minutes, unlimited texts and 2GB of internet. Compared to EE’s £10 Everything Pack, this is more than double the number the minutes and twice as much data. The coverage on ASDA Mobile is provided by EE. Find out more about ASDA Mobile. |
| O2 8% of our readers choose to join O2*
For smartphone owners, the most popular option is O2’s Big Bundles tariff. For £10/month, you’ll get 250 minutes, 1000 text messages and 2GB of internet. For lighter users, the Classic Pay As You Go tariff will be a more attractive option (you’ll pay just 3p/minute, 2p/text and 1p/MB, with no need to top-up your phone every month). Alternatively, the International SIM card allows you to call other countries from 1p/minute. Customers joining O2 Pay As You Go will get access to discounts and offers through O2 Priority. For more information, read our full review of the Big Bundles and Classic Pay As You Go SIM cards. Tip: For £10/month, giffgaff offers unlimited minutes and an extra 1GB of data. giffgaff is owned by O2 and uses the O2 network for coverage. Find out more about giffgaff. |
| Three 8% of our readers choose to join Three*
Regular users can save money by buying an All-in-One bundle. Bundles start from £10/month for 3000 minutes, 3000 texts and 1GB of internet. The allowances in your All-in-One bundle can also be used in 71 Feel At Home destinations including most of Europe, the USA, Australia and more. Importantly, it isn’t possible to use a 2G-only handset on Three. This is because Three doesn’t provide any 2G coverage. Your handset will need to support at least 3G coverage to work on the Three network. |
| Vodafone 1% of our readers choose to join Vodafone*
For regular mobile users, it’s possible to buy a 30-day Big Value Bundle (e.g. 200 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of internet for £10/month). You’ll get 10% of your top-up back through Vodafone Rewards which can be saved up towards gifts like a free selfie stick. For occasional and light mobile users, Vodafone offers the Pay As You Go 1 tariff. On Pay As You Go 1, you’ll be charged 20p/minute, 20p/text and 20p per 5MB (capped at £1/day for unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and up to 500MB of data). If you’re under-25, it might be worth joining VOXI instead. VOXI is a sub-brand of Vodafone for people aged between 16 and 25. VOXI offers unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 2GB of internet for £10/month. You’ll also get unlimited data for use on selected social media and instant messaging applications. |
EE offers 250 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of internet on their 
O2 offers a choice of three tariffs on Pay As You Go.
Vodafone offers a choice of two different types of Pay As You Go tariff.The following virtual network operators also provide a Pay As You Go service:
| 1pMobile 13% of our readers choose to join 1pMobile*
1pMobile is a virtual network operator using coverage from EE. The network charges just 1p/minute, 1p/text and 1p/MB: the lowest Pay As You Go rates currently available on any network in the UK. Customers joining 1pMobile need to be aware that a top-up of at least £10 is required every 120 days. If no top-ups are added to your account for more than 120 days, it will be closed automatically and your phone number will be lost. Because of this, we’d only recommend choosing 1pMobile if your typical monthly spend will exceed £2.50/month (otherwise, a non-refundable balance will build up on your account). |
| ASDA Mobile 49% of our readers choose to join ASDA Mobile*
 For calling and texting, ASDA Mobile has competitive Pay As You Go rates of 8p/minute and 4p/text. Mobile internet is charged at 5p/MB with 4G speeds available from the EE network. There’s no need to top-up every month, and your credit won’t expire providing your account remains active (you just need to use your phone at least once every 180 days). Regular users can buy a bundle from ASDA Mobile for better value usage. For instance, £7/month will get you 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of internet. ASDA Mobile provides 2G, 3G and 4G coverage from EE. This gives them 99% population coverage. |
| Co-operative Mobile 0.8% of our readers choose to join Co-operative Mobile*
The Co-operative Mobile charges 8p/minute, 4p/text and 10p/MB when you’re browsing the internet (this works out to be around £1/day if you’re using 10MB of data). For regular users, it’s possible to buy an all-inclusive bundle from £10/month. The most popular bundle from Co-op costs £10/month and gives you 500 minutes, 1000 texts and 1GB of 3G internet. As the Co-operative Mobile is owned by its members, customers will receive an annual dividend payment. In the most recent financial year (2015-2016), the dividend payment was equal to 1.5% of your VAT-exclusive spend (this is equivalent to a £1.50 dividend if you were to spend £10 every month). In previous years, members earned a dividend of 1.5% (2014-2015), 1.5% (2013-2014) and 2.5% (2012-2013). |
| giffgaff 9% of our readers choose to join giffgaff*
giffgaff is a low-cost mobile service running on the O2 network. They offer 3GB of internet along with unlimited minutes & texts for £10/month. Alternatively, heavy users can get 6GB of 4G data for £15/month or Always-On data for £20/month. For more information, please see the giffgaff website. |
| iD Mobile 2% of our readers choose to join iD Mobile*
iD Mobile is the own-brand mobile network from the Carphone Warehouse. Having launched in December 2016, the iD Mobile Pay As You Go service uses coverage from Three. Customers on iD Mobile Pay As You Go will pay 3p/minute, 2p/text and 1p/MB. Alternatively, customers can convert their credit into a one-month bundle such as 500 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of data for £10/month. It’s not possible to use a 2G-only handset on iD Mobile (as with Three, iD Mobile doesn’t have any 2G coverage). |
| Lebara Mobile 0.8% of our readers choose to join Lebara Mobile*
Lebara Mobile is a specialist provider of international calling. You can buy a 30-day bundle from £10/month with inclusive international calling (e.g. 100 international minutes, unlimited UK minutes and 3GB of UK internet). Alternatively, light users can use traditional Pay As You Go to call abroad from 1p/minute. Lebara Mobile offers 2G and 3G coverage from Vodafone. Unfortunately, 4G coverage isn’t yet available on Lebara. For more information, please read our full review of Lebara Mobile. |
| Lycamobile 0.5% of our readers choose to join Lycamobile*
Lycamobile is another specialist provider of international calling. They offer international calls from 1p/minute and international text messages for 19p each. Domestic calls to a UK mobile are 19p/minute and texts to a UK mobile are 19p each. You can read our full review of Lycamobile here. |
| Orange
As of February 2015, it’s no longer possible to order a SIM card from Orange. Customers are instead advised to join EE Pay As You Go. EE has 4G connectivity and allows you to browse the internet from £1/week. Alternatively, ASDA Mobile gives you coverage from EE but at a much lower cost (8p/minute, 4p/text and 5p/MB). Customers already on Orange Pay As You Go (e.g. on the Dolphin plan) can stay on the Orange network for as long as they like. |
| Tesco Mobile 1% of our readers choose to join Tesco Mobile*
For regular mobile users, it’s possible to buy a Rocket Pack bundle from £5/month. The most popular Rocket Pack costs £10/month and gives you 500 minutes, 5000 texts and 3GB of 4G internet. For lighter users not purchasing a Rocket Pack, Tesco Mobile has the Triple Credit tariff. Here, you’ll pay 25p/minute, 10p/text and 10p/MB. When you top-up your phone with £10, you’ll also get £20 of bonus free credit which will last for one month. For more information, please read our full review of Tesco Mobile Pay As You Go. |
| T-Mobile
As of February 2015, it’s no longer possible to order a T-Mobile SIM card. Customers wanting to join T-Mobile are instead advised to join EE. EE has 4G connectivity and offers Everything Pack bundles that are very similar to the Smart Packs previously offered by T-Mobile. Customers already on T-Mobile can stay on their existing plan for as long as they like. |
| Vectone Mobile 0.2% of our readers choose to join Vectone Mobile*
Vectone Mobile is a specialist provider of international calling. See our international calls price comparison table to see how Vectone Mobile compares to rival networks. |
| Virgin Mobile 0.6% of our readers choose to join Virgin Mobile*
Virgin Mobile offers a choice of two Pay As You Go tariffs. The ‘Big Data & Texts’ tariff will give you 3000 texts and 1GB of internet lasting for a month when you top-up by £10. You’ll also be able to keep your £10 of credit. The ‘Big Talk’ tariff gives you 120 mobile minutes and unlimited landline calls for the next 30 days when you top-up by £10. On Virgin Mobile Pay As You Go, you’ll only have access to 2G and 3G coverage from EE. 4G coverage is not currently available to Virgin Pay As You Go customers. |
| VOXI (Under-25s Only) 1% of our readers choose to join VOXI*
VOXI is a youth-orientated Pay As You Go mobile service from Vodafone. Available exclusively to customers aged between 16 and 25, VOXI offers a choice of three 30-day plans. Their cheapest is a £10/month plan with 2GB of internet, unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited social media usage. You can order a free SIM card from VOXI online after which you’ll need to submit proof of age to activate your SIM card (this can either be done online or in a Vodafone retail store). |
Tesco Mobile offers a choice of two Pay As You Go tariffs: there’s 
For more information about any of the tariffs listed on this page, please click through to the mobile network’s website. Our recommended deal is currently to order a free SIM card from giffgaff.
If you’re asked to specify the size of SIM card required in your phone (e.g. Standard SIM, Micro SIM or Nano SIM), please see our guide to smartphone SIM card sizes.
The “£10 top-up buys” calculation is based on a user who tops up by £10 every month. If you top up less regularly than once every month, your allowances may run out before the next top-up.
* Statistics on mobile network chosen by readers of this article. Based on the number of Free SIM click-throughs from the 1st November 2017 to 31st January 2017.
** Mobile internet charges. For networks that charge on a per-megabyte basis, we have given the average daily data cost for a smartphone user consuming 10MB of data. If you’d like to create a custom comparison using a different estimate, you can enter your own estimated data figure on our interactive Pay As You Go price comparison table.
Vicki Newton said:
Hi Ken,
We are travelling from Australia to the UK and Ireland in May and June for 9 weeks. We will need to buy 2 SIM cards for iPhone 6 & 8 (one for main use, one for light use). We would need to be able to tether our iPad to the main phone, make international calls to Australia & to/from Ireland & the UK. We!re thinking 1- 3GB data. As we are leaving soon, we would like to purchase the SIM cards from a shop when we reach the UK, rather than mail ordering. What would you recommend?
Ken replied:
Hi Vicki,
Many thanks for your comment. Your best bet would probably be to get a SIM card from giffgaff – the reasons being they offer a 3GB bundle for £10 along with fairly low-cost international calling, inclusive roaming in the EU (including Ireland) and the ability to top-up using a non-UK credit card. If you have a UK address you’re able to send the SIM card to (e.g. to a hotel or friend’s home), you can order a free SIM card online here. If you’re unable to do this (e.g. because the trip is too close), you can buy the SIM card from most supermarkets in the UK.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Vicki Newton replied:
Thanks for the prompt reply Ken. We had been looking at Giff Gaff after reading your article, but weren’t sure about ordering one by post so close to our trip. Great to know they are available in supermarkets in the UK. Do you happen to know whether it works on a cruise ship?
Ken replied:
Hi Vicki,
No problem! I think they do support limited roaming (mainly calling & texting) on some cruise ships – see here for more information. More generally, however, I’d probably recommend against using your mobile on a cruise ship as the cost of doing this is normally extortionate!
Ken
Vicki Newton replied:
Thanks, that’s what we found a few years ago when cruising, I was just hoping the situation might have improved!
Frank Mitchell said:
Hello Ken,
Just found your excellent site, and now looking for some help. Wife and I will be in the UK (from Australia) in May,June 2018 and we require 2 UK sim cards for 7 weeks. We both have iphones 5s and generally need phone calls and data for maps as we travel from London-Cornwall-Wales and Scotland 4 weeks (mainly Central belt.). We have wifi at night but need day time data. Probably 2/3Gb each per month would do.
Would you please advise us what the best options might be for our trip.
Regards Frank
Ken replied:
Hi Frank,
I think your best bet would be to get a SIM card from giffgaff. There are multiple reasons for this, discussed in my guide for visitors to the UK (namely, they offer international SIM card delivery and allow you to top-up with a non-UK credit card). You’ll also get coverage from O2, and 3GB of data is available for just £10/month (approx 17.8AUD).
Hope this helps,
Ken
Frank Mitchell replied:
Thank you Ken, your guide is very clear, I must have overlooked it earlier.
Giffgaff sounds perfect for our trip.
Regards
Frank
IanC said:
Ken.,
Great to have an RSS feed from you.
With so many now taking cruises there could be a very useful article on use of SIM cards from the UK. For example the USA corp Carnival Cruises use, when at sea, Telenor Maritime. But this only allows use of SIMs from certain telecos. P&O via TM exclude Virgin Media and others using the big telecos. Apart from the huge expense, the whole business is very confusing.