Lycamobile offers Pay As You Go bundles from £5/month with inclusive international calls and O2 coverage.
In the UK, Lycamobile offers low-cost SIM cards with Pay As You Go bundles available from just £5/month. All of their one-month bundles come with an allowance of UK minutes, texts and data. You’ll also get international minutes included on most Lycamobile bundles.
As a special offer for January 2023, you can get even lower prices when you order a new Lycamobile SIM card. For instance, you can get 6GB data for £1 on Lycamobile’s Saver Plan, 15GB data for £5 (on National Plus), 25GB data for £6 (on National Plan Extra) and 100GB data for £10 (on the UK Plan Mega Plus). You’ll benefit from these discounted rates for 3 months on a new Lycamobile SIM.
In this article, we’ll review Lycamobile’s UK network including the 30-day bundles and the bundle codes that can be used to buy them. We’ll also look at how Lycamobile compares to other UK networks including Lebara Mobile, Smarty and giffgaff.
| Prices From: | £5 per month |
|---|---|
| Special Offers (with Lycamobile SIM): |
Discounted price is valid for 3 months when you order a new Lycamobile SIM. |
| Lycamobile Bundles: |
The £5 bundle includes 1000 UK minutes, 1000 UK texts & 100 international minutes. |
| Coverage: |
|
Contents
Lycamobile Bundles
In the UK, Lycamobile is a low-cost mobile network that specialises in providing international calls. You can buy a 30-day bundle with inclusive international phone calls to 41 destinations, or you can call abroad at Lycamobile’s standard Pay As You Go rates.
Monthly Bundles
Most Lycamobile customers now choose to buy a 30-day bundle. Here, you’ll convert your Pay As You Go credit into a 30-day allowance of UK minutes, texts and mobile data. You’ll also get some international minutes included for calling phone numbers in 41 international destinations.
When you buy a Lycamobile bundle, it’s important to be aware that there are different allowances for bundles purchased online and offline. For the best value usage, it’s always best to buy your bundle online. This will give you the largest possible amount of data.
If you buy your Lycamobile bundle in a shop, by phone call or by text message, you’ll often get a smaller data allowance included. In the table below, we’ve listed the online data allowances. Where it differs, the offline data allowance is shown below it in brackets. You can read on for the relevant SMS bundle code for buying your bundle offline.
Special Offers (with a new Lycamobile SIM)
As a special offer for January 2023, Lycamobile is currently offering a range of discounted bundles when you order a new Lycamobile SIM. The discounted plans start from just £1 per month for 1,000 UK minutes and 6GB of UK data. After the first 3 months, it will cost you £5 per month if you’d like to continue using the plan.
There are also a range of discounted plans available with more data:
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Saver Plan |
1,000 | 0 | 6GB | £1.00 for 3 months, then £5 |
National Plus |
Unlimited +100 intl. |
Unlimited | 15GB | £5.00 for 3 months, then £10 |
National Plan Extra |
Unlimited +100 intl. |
Unlimited | 25GB | £6.00 for 3 months, then £12 |
UK Plan Super Extra |
Unlimited +100 intl. |
Unlimited | 35GB | £7.50 for 3 months, then £15 |
UK Plan Mega Plus |
Unlimited +100 intl. |
Unlimited | 100GB | £10.00 for 3 months, then £20 |
Order a new Lycamobile SIM Card →
These special offers are only available when you sign up when you sign up for a new Lycamobile SIM card online.
National Bundles
Most Lycamobile customers now choose to buy one of their national bundles. This will give you the largest UK data allowance, along with 100 international minutes for calling 41 destinations (unlimited international minutes on the £30 plan):
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
UK Plan Smart | 1,000 +100 intl. | 1,000 | 3GB (1GB offline) | £5.00 |
National Plus | Unlimited +100 intl. | Unlimited | 15GB (7GB offline) | £10.00 |
National Plan Extra | Unlimited +100 intl. | Unlimited | 25GB (7GB offline) | £12.00 |
UK Plan Super Extra | Unlimited +100 intl. | Unlimited | 35GB (30GB offline) | £15.00 |
UK Plan Mega Plus | Unlimited +100 intl. | Unlimited | 100GB | £20.00 |
Go Endless | Unlimited +100 intl. | Unlimited | Unlimited | £25.00 |
Go Endless Plus | Unlimited +unltd intl. | Unlimited | Unlimited | £30.00 |
International Bundles
As an alternative, you can choose one of Lycamobile’s international bundles. These are available from £9.90 per month. The international bundles come with more international minutes. However, you’ll get a smaller UK data allowance in return.
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
All In One 10 | Unlimited +500 intl. | Unlimited | 15GB (3GB offline) | £9.90 |
All In One Plus 20 | Unlimited +unltd intl. | Unlimited | 30GB (15GB offline) | £20.00 |
In addition, Lycamobile has a range of specialist international bundles for calling certain countries like India. You can find them listed on their website.
Inclusive International Minutes
If your bundle comes with an inclusive allowance of international minutes, you can use it for calling phone numbers in the following 41 destinations:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- China
- Croatia
- Cyprus Greek
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- United States
Bundle Codes
You can buy a 30-day bundle from Lycamobile by dialling or texting the relevant shortcode listed below.
One thing that’s worth noting, however, is that Lycamobile has special online-only promotions. These will give you more data for the same price. The promotions are only available when you buy the bundles through the Lycamobile website.
| Bundle Name | Bundle Code | Online Offer |
|---|---|---|
| £5 UK Plan Smart (with 1GB data) | Dial *139*5555# or text 5555 to 3535 | Extra 2GB online (3GB in total) |
| £10 National Plus (with 7GB data) | Dial *139*21544# or text 21544 to 3535 | Extra 8GB online (15GB in total) |
| £12 National Plan Extra (with 20GB data) | Dial *139*112# or text 112 to 3535 | Extra 5GB online (25GB in total) |
| £15 UK Plan Super Extra (with 30GB data) | Dial *139*115# or text 115 to 3535 | Extra 5GB online (35GB in total) |
| £20 UK Plan Mega Plus (with 100GB data) | Dial *139*2055# or text 2055 to 3535 | – |
| £25 Go Endless | Dial *139*3055# or text 3055 to 3535 | – |
| £30 Go Endless Plus | Dial *139*4055# or text 4055 to 3535 | – |
| International Bundles | ||
| £9.90 All in One 10 (with 3GB data) | Dial *139*2541# or text 2541 to 3535 | Extra 3GB online (6GB in total) |
| £20 All In One Plus 20 (with 15GB data) | Dial *139*545# or text 545 to 3535 | Extra 15GB online (30GB in total) |
Given the increased data allowances available when you buy your bundle online, we’d normally recommend doing this instead of buying your bundle via phone call or text message.
Voucher Code Offers
On Lycamobile, there are currently a number of voucher codes and special offers available.
When you buy your SIM card online, you’ll get £5 of bonus credit when you top-up by £20. This increases to £10 of bonus credit when you top-up by £30. The bonus credit is valid for 30 days.
For more information, see the Lycamobile offers page.
Unlimited Data
At present, Lycamobile offers a choice of two unlimited data plans:
- The £25 Go Endless bundle gives you unlimited UK minutes, 100 international minutes, unlimited UK texts and endless UK data.
- The £30 Go Endless Plus bundle gives you unlimited UK minutes, unlimited international minutes, unlimited UK texts and endless UK data.
Both plans have a fair use limit of 150GB per month. If you’ve use more than 150GB of data in one month, your download speeds will be reduced to a maximum of 384kbps (this is equivalent to the speed of a basic 3G connection).
On other mobile networks, it’s currently possible to get unlimited data from £16/month. In addition, this might not be subject to the same speed restrictions as on Lycamobile:
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £16.00 1 month |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £16.00 24 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £22.50 12 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited 2Mbps max | £23.00 24 months |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited 10Mbps max | £27.00 24 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £28.00 24 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £30.00 1 month |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £30.00 1 month |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £30.00 24 months |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £32.00 24 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £35.00 1 month |
For more information, see our full guide to unlimited data plans in the UK.
Pay As You Go Pricing
If you don’t have an active 30-day bundle, Lycamobile will charge you their standard Pay As You Go rates. This is 23p/minute for calling UK mobiles and 15p/minute for calling UK landlines. You’ll also pay 23p for every text message you send, and 15p for every megabyte of data you use.
The following table shows Lycamobile’s standard Pay As You Go rates:
| Calling Rates: | |
|---|---|
| Voice Calls | 23p/minute to other UK mobile phones 15p/minute to UK landlines |
| 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) | 23p |
| Picture Message (MMS) | Not available. |
| Internet Rates: | |
| Mobile Data | 15p/MB |
Each time you top-up your Lycamobile SIM card, you’ll get unlimited calls and texts to other Lycamobile UK customers. This is available for the next 30 days.
Alternatives to Lycamobile
If you’re looking for an alternative mobile network that also gives you inclusive international calling, we’d currently recommend getting a SIM card from Lebara Mobile instead.
On Lebara Mobile, you can get a SIM-only bundle with inclusive international calls to 42 destinations. Lebara offers 4G & 5G coverage from Vodafone.
As a special offer for January 2023, you can use the KEN3 voucher code at checkout to get yourself 3 months half price on all of Lebara’s Pay As You Go bundles. This allows you to get the following plans from just £2.50 per month:
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 +100 intl. | 1,000 | 3GB | £2.50 for 3 months, then £5/month |
| Unlimited +100 intl. | Unlimited | 4GB | £3.00 for 3 months, then £6/month |
| Unlimited +100 intl. | Unlimited | 8GB | £3.50 for 3 months, then £7/month |
| Unlimited +100 intl. | Unlimited | 15GB | £4.50 for 3 months, then £9/month |
| Unlimited +100 intl. | Unlimited | 15GB | £5.00 for 3 months, then £10/month |
| Unlimited +500 intl. | Unlimited | 6GB | £5.00 for 3 months, then £10/month |
| Unlimited +unltd intl. | Unlimited | 30GB | £7.50 for 3 months, then £15/month |
| Unlimited +unltd intl. | Unlimited | 30GB | £10.00 for 3 months, then £20/month |
| Unlimited +100 intl. | Unlimited | Unlimited | £12.50 for 3 months, then £25/month |
| Unlimited +unltd intl. | Unlimited | Unlimited | £15.00 for 3 months, then £30/month |
Order Lebara Mobile SIM Card →
If you’re not concerned about having international minutes on your plan, you can also consider SMARTY’s SIM-only deals. SMARTY offers 4G & 5G coverage from Three, with very competitive allowances of data from £5 per month:
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 4GB | £5.00 1 month |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 16GB | £7.00 1 month |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 30GB | £8.00 1 month |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 200GB | £14.00 1 month |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £16.00 1 month |
For more information, see our guide to the best SIM-only deals in the UK.
Network & Coverage
2G, 3G & 4G Coverage From O2
In the UK, Lycamobile offers coverage from the O2 network. You’ll get access to O2’s 2G, 3G and 4G networks, with around 99% population coverage. This is the same coverage that’s available to customers on O2.
Before you order a SIM card from Lycamobile, it’s important to double-check the coverage in your area. You can do this by entering your postcode on Lycamobile’s online coverage map:
Check Lycamobile Coverage (lycamobile.co.uk) →
Unfortunately, Wi-Fi Calling and 4G Calling are not available to Lycamobile customers.
For more information, see our in-depth guide to O2’s network and coverage. You can also see our list of mobile networks using O2 coverage.
5G Coverage
If you’re using selected 5G-ready Android smartphones, you’ll get access to O2’s 5G network on your Lycamobile SIM card. This is available in more than 500 UK towns and cities. It can give you download speeds around five times faster than 4G.
Unfortunately, 5G coverage isn’t currently available if you’re using an iPhone on Lycamobile. However, this is something that Lycamobile says they’re currently working to offer.
For more information, see our guide to 5G SIM-only deals and 5G Pay As You Go deals.
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). It’s often used as a convenient way to get your other devices connected to the internet.
Unfortunately, Lycamobile’s UK plan terms and conditions prohibit the use of tethering or personal hotspot on their network. This restriction can be found in the terms and conditions of their UK plans:
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.
For more information, see our guide to tethering on UK mobile networks.
International Roaming
You can use your Lycamobile UK SIM card when you travel abroad to other countries. This is possible through Lycamobile’s international roaming service.
Some Lycamobile plans come with an inclusive allowance for EU roaming. This varies, depending on the plan you choose. For instance, the £5 UK Plan Smart gives you 1GB of data to use in the EU. This increases to 5GB on the £10 National Plus plan and 9.5GB on the £20 UK Plan Mega Plus.
If you’re travelling to any other country outside Europe, Lycamobile’s international roaming rates will apply.
Keeping Your Phone Number
If you’re switching from another network to Lycamobile, it’s a straightforward process to keep your current phone number.
Start by requesting a PAC Code from your old network. This is available free of charge through your mobile network’s website or app, or by texting PAC to 65075. Your old mobile network is legally obliged to provide you with a PAC Code free of charge within 60 seconds of your request.
Once you have the PAC Code from your old network, order your new SIM card from the Lycamobile website. When your Lycamobile SIM card arrives in the post, fill out this online form to get your phone number moved over.
For step-by-step instructions on how to move your phone number to Lycamobile, please select your current mobile network from the dropdown menu below:
It isn’t possible to transfer Pay As You Go credit from another network to Lycamobile. For this reason, you should try to use up any remaining Pay As You Go credit before moving your phone number to Lycamobile.
Frequently Asked Questions
| What Pay As You Go bundles are available on Lycamobile? | Lycamobile offers a range of Pay As You Go bundles from £5/month. For instance, you can get the following allowances if you purchase your bundle online:
If you purchase your bundle offline (e.g. by phone, by text message or in store), you may get a smaller data allowance and you may need to pay more for your bundle. |
|---|---|
| What is a Lycamobile bundle code? | You can buy a bundle from your Lycamobile Pay As You Go credit by dialling the relevant shortcode on your phone or texting a relevant bundle code to 3535. You can find the latest Lycamobile bundle codes here. |
| Which countries can I call using the international minutes? | If your Lycamobile bundle has an allowance of inclusive international minutes, you’ll be able to use them to call phone numbers in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus Greek, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand and the United States. |
| Does Lycamobile offer any unlimited data plans? | Yes. Lycamobile currently offers a choice of two unlimited data plans:
Both plans are subject to a fair use limit of 150GB per month. Once you’ve used this, the download speeds on your SIM card will be reduced to a maximum of 384kbps (this is equivalent to a basic 3G connection). On other mobile networks, it’s possible to get unlimited data from £16/month with no speed restrictions. |
| What’s the coverage like on Lycamobile? | You’ll get 99% population coverage from O2’s 2G, 3G and 4G mobile networks in the UK. You’ll also get 5G coverage on selected 5G-ready Android devices. To check the availability of coverage where you live, use Lycamobile’s online coverage map. |
| Can I keep my current phone number? | Yes. It’s easy keeping your current phone number when you join Lycamobile. Ask your current mobile network to give you a PAC Code. This can be obtained through your mobile network’s website or app, or by texting PAC to 65075. You can then submit this PAC Code on the Lycamobile website after you’ve ordered your SIM card.
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More Information
For more information, please see Lycamobile’s official UK website.
Peter said:
Am UK based and was looking forward to using my Lycamobile SIM during multi country holiday (EU). Is true that you can use your data in EU countries but you seem to only be able to get an E speed connection (between 2g and 3g) so actually unusable for apps / web browsing / any normal type of phone usage. Spent nearly 4 weeks trying to get support for the ‘issue’ but concluded it’s actually by design rather than something that can be resolved. Back in UK immediately have 4g access again. Is cheap so fair enough but won’t expect to use next time I travel. Ended up buying local SIM which worked well (dual SIM phone). SMS and calls worked as expected.
John said:
This is a bit out of date. Lycamobile now has a PAYG plan for £5.00 a month with 2GB data, 1000 minutes, 1000 texts and 100 international minutes. This is on their website.
Ranga Nayanajith Silva replied:
Not anymore…
Luis said:
Customer service and their website is really bad. I am happy with their bundles but I seriously considering to change to another provider. On internet, many times fails to make payments and customer services are quite poor.
When you explain them the facts, they just tell you it is a problem of your card and bank account. I paid to several sites with my card and in all of them is good. Just in Lycamobile, and in three months in a row, give me problems issues.
I spent £3 credit from my phone trying to make the payment of the bundle but as said, their website is not good.