Lycamobile Review: Cheap International Calls & 4G Internet on Pay As You Go
April 20th, 2016
On Lycamobile, you can make international phone calls from only 1p/minute. Lycamobile provides coverage from the O2 network and customers get 4G at no extra charge.
In the UK, Lycamobile is a specialist provider of international phone calls. With a free Lycamobile SIM card in your unlocked handset, you’ll be able to call abroad from as little as 1p/minute. Lycamobile uses O2 as their network coverage provider and customers get 4G internet at no extra charge.
In this article, we’ll review the Lycamobile service. We’ll start by looking at the costs of using Lycamobile: both for calling in the UK and for calling abroad. We’ll then compare Lycamobile to rival mobile networks, before looking at credit expiry, coverage and how to keep your existing phone number.
Order Lycamobile SIM Card (Free) »
Contents
Pricing & Tariffs
UK Rates
Lycamobile charges 19p/minute to UK mobiles, 12p/minute to UK landlines, 15p/text and 9p/MB.
For calling, texting and browsing within the UK, Lycamobile charges the following rates:
| Calling Rates: | |
|---|---|
| Voice Calls | 19p/minute to UK mobiles (07 numbers) 12p/minute to UK landlines (01, 02 & 03 numbers) |
| Calls to Voicemail | Free |
| Calls to Special Rate Numbers | 23p/minute access charge + service charge from the company you’re calling |
| Messaging Rates: | |
| Text Message (SMS) | 15p |
| Picture Message (MMS) | Not available. |
| Internet Rates: | |
| Mobile Internet | 9p/MB |
The prices in this table are stated for UK-to-UK only. If you’re roaming or making international phone calls, different rates will normally apply. Source for pricing information: lycamobile.co.uk.
Compared to other Pay As You Go networks, Lycamobile is actually relatively expensive for usage in the UK. For instance, ASDA Mobile charges only 8p/minute, 4p/text and 5p/MB (they have 2G and 3G coverage from the EE network). Three charges an even lower rate: 3p/minute, 2p/text and 1p/MB.
Of course, rival mobile networks such as ASDA and Three often lack the low-cost international calling offered by Lycamobile. Ultimately, this means you’ll need to weigh up the higher UK calling rates against the lower international rates when choosing Lycamobile.
International Rates
Lycamobile’s motto is “call the world for less”.
The key selling point of Lycamobile’s service is the low rates for international calling. Whereas other mobile networks can sometimes charge you up to £1.50/minute for calling another country, Lycamobile allows you to call abroad from as little as 1p/minute.
The cost of international phone calls on Lycamobile will depend on the country you’re calling and whether you’re calling a mobile or a landline. The following table shows the per-minute rates for calling some common destinations:
| Country | Calls to Mobile | Calls to Landline | Text Message |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3p/minute | 1p/minute | 19p/message | |
| 2p/minute | 2p/minute | 19p/message | |
| 19p/minute | 7p/minute | 19p/message | |
| 19p/minute | 7p/minute | 19p/message | |
| 8p/minute | 8p/minute | 19p/message | |
| 5p/minute | 1p/minute | 19p/message | |
| 4p/minute | 1p/minute | 19p/message | |
| 15p/minute | 12p/minute | 19p/message | |
| 12p/minute | 3p/minute | 19p/message | |
| 6p/minute | 6p/minute | 19p/message |
Cost of international calls & international text messages on the Lycamobile network (calls & texts made to a phone number in another country whilst you're in the UK). Last updated on 12th May 2017. Source: lycamobile.co.uk.
If the country you’d like to call isn’t listed above, you can find the price by entering the name of the country on Lycamobile’s website.
To get the best value rates for calling on Lycamobile, you’ll need to opt-in to Saver International. You can do this by texting SAVE to 2525. Your opt-in is valid for 30 days, after which you’ll need to opt-in again to get the lowest rates.
Order Lycamobile SIM Card (Free) »
UK Bundles
For frequent mobile users, the best way to use Lycamobile is often to convert your Pay As You Go credit into a 30-day bundle. Here, you’ll be buying airtime in bulk. For a fixed price, you’ll get a certain amount of minutes, texts and internet to use at any time over the next 30 days.
Presently, you can buy the following UK Plan bundles (the minutes, texts and internet are for usage only in the UK):
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Internet | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 150 | 150 | - | £5.00 |
| 150 | 150 | 500MB | £7.50 |
| 1,000 | Unlimited | 2GB | £10.00 |
| 1,000 | Unlimited | 2GB | £12.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 6GB | £15.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 11GB | £20.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 15GB | £25.00 |
Along with your UK Plan bundle, you’ll get discounted rates for calling abroad. Bundles can be purchased at any time through the Lycamobile website.
In the past, Lycamobile has offered a bundle with unlimited data but this is no longer available to buy.
International Bundles
If you’re likely to call abroad fairly often, Lycamobile also has a range of International Bundles. These will give you an inclusive allowance of international minutes. You may also get some inclusive text messages and UK data. Lycamobile also has a range of country-specific plans (e.g. for people regularly calling Bangladesh, China, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland or Romania).
Comparison to Alternatives
In the following section, we’ll compare the Lycamobile offering against what is currently available on rival mobile networks:
International Calling
In general, Lycamobile compares fairly well against rival mobile networks for international calling. The following table shows a side-by-side comparison of per-minute rates on giffgaff, EE, O2, Vodafone, Lebara and Lycamobile:
| Country | Cost of calling abroad from the UK (per minute) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  | |  |  | |
| 2p (2p to landline) | 2p (2p to landline) | 2p (1p to landline) | 3p (1p to landline) | 2p (1.5p to landline) | 1.5p (1.5p to landline) | |
| 2p | 2p | 2p | 2p | 2p | 1.5p | |
| 8p (1p to landline) | 5p (2p to landline) | 9p (5p to landline) | 19p (7p to landline) | 5p (1p to landline) | 25p (5p to landline) | |
| 7p (2p to landline) | 7p (3p to landline) | 9p (5p to landline) | 19p (7p to landline) | 10p (2p to landline) | 25p (5p to landline) | |
| 10p (10p to landline) | 8p (8p to landline) | 8p (4p to landline) | 8p (8p to landline) | 6p (6p to landline) | 30p (12p to landline) | |
| 5p (1p to landline) | 5p (2p to landline) | 5p (2p to landline) | 5p (1p to landline) | 5p (1p to landline) | 25p (5p to landline) | |
| 5p (1p to landline) | 2p (2p to landline) | 5p (2p to landline) | 4p (1p to landline) | 4p (1p to landline) | 25p (5p to landline) | |
| 20p (10p to landline) | 14p (14p to landline) | 15p (12p to landline) | 15p (12p to landline) | 18p (15p to landline) | 30p (12p to landline) | |
| 15p (5p to landline) | 11p (3p to landline) | 9p (3p to landline) | 12p (3p to landline) | 12p (3p to landline) | 25p (5p to landline) | |
| 3p | 2p | 5p | 6p | 2p | 1.5p | |
Cost of calling abroad from a UK mobile network (per minute). As the headline figure, we've shown the per-minute cost of calling a mobile phone number. Where a lower price applies for calling landline numbers, this is shown separately in brackets. Last updated on 12th May 2017. Source: ee.co.uk, giffgaff.com, mobile.lebara.com, lycamobile.co.uk, o2.co.uk, vodafone.co.uk.
The comparison table assumes you’re using Pay As You Go and assumes you’ve opted in to international calling offers. For more information and for a full comparison that includes many other countries, please see our in-depth comparison of international calling rates.
£10 per month bundles
For £10/month, Lycamobile provides 500 UK minutes, unlimited UK texts and 1GB of UK internet.
For £10/month, Lycamobile offers the UK Plan M bundle with 500 UK minutes, unlimited UK texts and 1GB of UK internet. This is identical to giffgaff’s £10 goodybag offering.
The following table shows rival Pay As You Go bundles available for £10/month:
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Internet | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 100 | 2GB | £10.00 |
| 1,000 | Unlimited | 2GB | £10.00 |
 | 600 | Unlimited | 2GB | £10.00 |
| 500 | Unlimited | 2GB | £10.00 |
| 100 | Unlimited | 2GB | £10.00 |
 | 3,000 | 3,000 | 1GB | £10.00 |
| 200 | Unlimited | 1GB | £10.00 |
| 100 | 100 | 1GB | £10.00 |
£15 per month bundles
For £15/month, Lycamobile provides 1000 UK minutes, unlimited UK texts and 6GB of UK internet.
For £15/month, Lycamobile has a UK Plan XL bundle with 1000 UK minutes, unlimited UK texts and 6GB of UK internet. This compares incredibly well to what is available on other networks:
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Internet | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 6GB | £15.00 |
| 3,000 | 3,000 | 5GB | £15.00 |
| 1,000 | Unlimited | 5GB | £15.00 |
| 1,000 | Unlimited | 5GB | £15.00 |
| 500 | Unlimited | 5GB | £15.00 |
| Unlimited | 100 | 4GB | £15.00 |
| 250 | 250 | 4GB | £15.00 |
£20 per month bundles
For £20/month, Lycamobile provides unlimited UK minutes, unlimited UK texts and 9GB of UK internet.
Finally, for £20/month, Lycamobile offers their flagship bundle which is known as UK Plan UL. This comes with unlimited UK calling, unlimited UK texting and 9GB of high-speed 4G internet in the UK.
Comparable tariffs includes the £20 goodybag from giffgaff with Always On data (unlimited UK calls, unlimited UK texts and unlimited UK data with 4G speeds and tethering on the first 6GB/month):
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Internet | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Always-On | £20.00 |
| 3,000 | 3,000 | 12GB | £20.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 11GB | £20.00 |
| Unlimited | 100 | 10GB | £20.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 8GB | £20.00 |
| 1,000 | Unlimited | 6GB | £20.00 |
| 250 | 250 | 6GB | £20.00 |
| 1,500 | Unlimited | 4GB | £20.00 |
For more information, please see our full comparison of Pay As You Go bundles. Additionally, you may also want to consider Pay Monthly SIM cards which offer even better value if you’re happy to sign a contract.
Credit Expiry & Inactivity
On Lycamobile, top-ups will expire after 90 days.
On Lycamobile, your Pay As You Go credit will expire 90 days after the relevant top-up. If your credit isn’t used within the 90-day window, it will expire and will no longer be available for you to use.
In addition, to keep your SIM card active, you should make a chargeable event at least once every 120 days. Alternatively, topping up your SIM card will also keep it active. A chargeable event will typically include making an outgoing phone call, sending a text message or accessing the mobile internet. You’ll receive a reminder from Lycamobile if you haven’t used your SIM card for a period of 90 days.
For more information, please see our in-depth guide on Pay As You Go inactivity & credit expiry.
Handsets
Lycamobile is a SIM-only mobile network. This means you’ll need to provide your own unlocked smartphone to use with Lycamobile. You can either unlock an existing smartphone (e.g. an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy) or you can buy a brand new unlocked smartphone.
When you fill out the form on the Lycamobile website, you’ll be sent a Lycamobile SIM card that slots inside your unlocked smartphone. When you order your SIM card, you’ll be asked to choose the right “SIM Type” for your phone. If you aren’t quite sure which size of SIM card you require, see our guide to smartphones and the required SIM card size in each one.
Order Lycamobile SIM card (free) »
Network & Coverage
2G, 3G & 4G Coverage from O2
Lycamobile is a virtual network operator that uses O2 as their coverage provider. Customers using Lycamobile should therefore receive the same level of coverage as customers on O2. At the time of writing, this is 99% population coverage. There’s also 78% population coverage for high-speed 4G internet.
Before ordering a SIM card from Lycamobile, we strongly recommended checking the coverage in your area. You can do this by entering your postcode on the Lycamobile coverage checker:
Check Lycamobile Coverage (lycamobile.co.uk) »
giffgaff and Tesco Mobile are two other mobile networks also using coverage from O2.
Tethering Isn’t Permitted
Tethering or personal hotspot
refers to the process of sharing your smartphone’s internet connection with other devices (e.g. with your laptop or tablet).
Unfortunately, Lycamobile does not allow you to tether on their network. The restriction is stated within their bundle terms and conditions:
The offer is for non-commercial, private, personal use only – Lycamobile reserves the right to withdraw or suspend the offer or to disconnect you if we suspect that offer is being used for commercial purposes, for conferencing, or if it is not being used in a handset (in a SIM box for example), if it is being used for tethering or if any reason Lycamobile reasonably suspects that you are not acting in accordance with this policy where we consider that the usage was illegitimate.
If you’d like a mobile network on which you’re able to tether, please see our guide to the best tariffs for tethering in the UK.
Roaming & Travel Abroad
On Lycamobile, your account will be enabled automatically for international roaming when you travel abroad. The latest roaming rates can be found on the Lycamobile website.
As a special offer, Lycamobile currently offers limited free roaming in 18 other countries. To qualify, you’ll need a UK Plan bundle costing more than £10/month. The free roaming only applies for calling and texting, and there’s a hard limit of 1000 minutes, 1000 texts and 100 Lyca-to-Lyca minutes for use in the offer. Mobile data is not included in the offer: you’ll still need to pay the normal price for using data abroad. Also, you’ll need to configure your handset to only connect to the Lycamobile network when travelling in supported countries.
The offer is currently available when you’re travelling to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States of America.
For more information, please see the Lycamobile website. For a similar roaming offer that also includes data and that works in 18 other countries, we recommend having a look at Three’s Feel At Home offer.
Keeping Your Phone Number
Transfer your existing number to Lycamobile by submitting your PAC Code through this online form.
If you’re switching from another mobile network to Lycamobile, it’s a straightforward process to keep your current phone number.
As an incentive for moving your number over, you’ll receive up to £15 of free credit for doing this. This consists of £2.50 bonus credit immediately upon transferring your phone number. You’ll then get an additional £2.50/month in the following five months providing you top-up your SIM card each month (the minimum top-up is £5).
If you’d like to transfer your number to Lycamobile, start by contacting your old mobile network and asking them for a PAC Code. A PAC Code is nine-digits long and will authorise the transfer of your phone number to Lycamobile. It’s a legal requirement for your old mobile network to provide you with this.
Once you have the PAC Code from your old network, order your free SIM card from the Lycamobile website. After your new SIM card arrives in the post, fill out this online form to get your number transferred. You can schedule the transfer of your phone number for any working day in the next 8 weeks.
For step-by-step instructions on moving your number to Lycamobile, please select your current mobile network:
| PAC Code Finder: Transfer Your Phone Number to Lycamobile |
|---|
Please note that you can’t transfer Pay As You Go credit from another network to Lycamobile. For this reason, you should try to use up any remaining credit on your old mobile network before moving your number to Lycamobile.
More Information
For more information, please see the Lycamobile website. You can also order a free Lycamobile SIM card.
About Ken
My passion is helping people to get the most out of their mobile phone. I've been blogging at Ken's Tech Tips since 2005.
Aside from writing about mobile technology, my interests are in software development, digital marketing and physics. Outside of the blog, I work with numerous technology companies helping them to explain their product and helping them to market it to consumers. Please get in touch for more information.
I recently used a text code to activate a Lyca bundle after buying top up cards. I cant remember the text code, and Lyca themselves just want me to sign up on their site.
Where can I find those codes? I think it was something like 2020 or 4020 or something.
Why African nation like liberia and Guinea are not on lycamobile international bundles?
Hey Ken,
I’m travelling across Europe and I purchased my lycamobile data sim in the Netherlands. Unfortunately it stopped working upon leaving the country. I keep receiving SMSes to set my data limit by dialling *175# but when I do that it shows me an error saying that this is an invalid code. I’m not sure what to do in this case. I’ve tried all the possible APN settings and have now defaulted to the original ones as on using them I get “lycamobile” and “3G” in my status bar. Also, sometimes whatsapp works which makes me think that the issue is the data limit which is set at very low(as whatsapp uses very little data allowing it to get through). Do you know of a way in which I can resolve this situation? I would really appreciate the help as I’m very dependent on the internet whilst travelling.
Thanks,
Rahul