Lyca Mobile offers eSIM Pay As You Go plans in the UK. You can get an eSIM from just £1.29/month with no contract & no credit check.

In the UK, Lyca Mobile is currently the only Pay As You Go network to offer eSIM on all of their SIM-only deals. Their eSIM plans start from just £1.29 per month and give you access to 4G & 5G coverage from EE.

When you get a Lyca Mobile eSIM for your phone, you can enable the dual-SIM function on many modern smartphones (this includes the iPhone 11, the Galaxy S20, the Pixel 3 and newer versions of each device). This allows you to have two phone numbers at the same time on your phone. You can also save money and improve your coverage using a Lyca Mobile eSIM.

In this article, we’ll look at Lyca Mobile’s eSIM plans in the UK, including how they work and what you’re able to do with them. We’ll also look at the best Lyca Mobile eSIM deals, along with the coverage you’re able to expect on a Lyca Mobile eSIM.

Plans From: £1.29 per month
Best Deals:

All Lyca Mobile eSIMs have no contract & no credit check. Cancel anytime.

Compatible Devices:
  • Apple iPhone 11 and newer
  • Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer
  • Google Pixel 3 and newer
  • see more…
Coverage: 4G & 5G coverage from EE
Free eSIM: Get a free Lyca Mobile eSIM →

What is Lyca Mobile eSIM?

In the UK, eSIM is a new technology that allows you to get a 4G or 5G network connection on your phone without the need for a traditional plastic SIM card.

With eSIM, all you need to do is to scan a QR code with your phone. This will download the eSIM directly to your phone, allowing you to get connected to your mobile network straight away. There’s no need to wait around for a plastic SIM card to arrive in the post.

On the vast majority of eSIM compatible phones (including the iPhone, Samsung Galaxy & Pixel devices), having an eSIM will also allow you to activate the dual-SIM functionality. This allows you to have two mobile network connections at the same time. There are numerous benefits to doing this:

  1. You can have two phone numbers at the same time on your device. For instance, you can have both your work phone number and your personal phone number on the same device, alleviating the need to carry around two separate phones.
  2. Save money on extra data & international calls. When you run out of data on your main SIM card, your mobile network is likely to charge you quite a lot extra. For instance, adding 1GB of additional data will cost you £10.43 on EE, £10.50 on O2, and £8 on Vodafone. As an alternative, you could simply pick up an eSIM to get more data (e.g. 5GB data for £1.29 on a Lyca Mobile eSIM). With Lyca Mobile, you can also add international minutes for a lower price than what you’ll pay on the major mobile networks.
  3. Save money when you travel abroad. If your mobile network charges you for European roaming, it might be cheaper to add a Lyca Mobile eSIM with inclusive allowance of EU data. Lyca Mobile also offers the AloTurka plan with inclusive roaming in Turkey.
  4. Boost your mobile coverage with access to more masts. Your Lyca Mobile eSIM will give you 4G & 5G coverage from the EE network. This can boost the amount of coverage that’s available to you if your current SIM card uses coverage from O2, Three or Vodafone.
  5. Try out a new network, without switching straight away. You can use a Lyca Mobile eSIM to test out their network, without the need to make any changes to the plan on your current mobile network.

At present, Lyca Mobile is the only Pay As You Go network in the UK to offer eSIMs with no contract and no need for a credit check.

To get a Lyca Mobile eSIM, start by choosing your new plan from the table below. When you’re placing your order online, you’ll need to choose the ‘eSIM’ option as pictured below:

The eSIM option looks a little bit different when you order a plan from the main Lyca Mobile website, as shown in the screenshot below:

 

Once you’ve paid for your plan, the eSIM will be sent to you straight away in an email from Lyca Mobile. Unlike most other UK mobile networks, there’s no need to get a plastic SIM card before you can get an eSIM. There’s also no need to faff around with different SIM swap processes.

Lyca Mobile eSIM Plans

At present, Lyca Mobile offers the following plans on eSIM from just £1.29 per month:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
Lycamobile
5GB Data
Unlimited
+100 intl.
Unlimited5GB£1.29
for 3 months, then £5.90/month
Instant eSIM
Lycamobile
10GB Data
Unlimited
+100 intl.
Unlimited10GB£1.49
for 3 months, then £5.90/month
Instant eSIM
Lycamobile
15GB Data
Unlimited
+100 intl.
Unlimited15GB£1.80
for 3 months, then £8.50/month
Instant eSIM
Lycamobile
20GB Data
Unlimited
+100 intl.
Unlimited20GB£2.39
for 3 months, then £7.90/month
Instant eSIM
Lycamobile
30GB Data
Unlimited
+100 intl.
Unlimited30GB£5.99
for 6 months, then £12/month
Instant eSIM
Lycamobile
88GB Data
Unlimited
+100 intl.
Unlimited88GB£8.00
Instant eSIM
Lycamobile
Unlimited Data
Unlimited
+100 intl.
UnlimitedUnlimited£9.99
for 6 months, then £25/month
Instant eSIM
Lycamobile
200GB Data
Unlimited
+100 intl.
Unlimited200GB£9.99
for 12 months, then £25/month
Instant eSIM
Lycamobile
100GB Data
Unlimited
+100 intl.
Unlimited100GB£10.00
for 6 months, then £20/month
Instant eSIM

See all Lyca Mobile eSIM deals →

There’s no contract and no credit check required on Lyca Mobile. This means you can easily change or cancel your plan at any time.

If you cancel your one-month bundle, you’ll move to Lyca Mobile’s standard Pay As You Go rates instead. With this, there’s no monthly fee required to maintain your Lyca Mobile eSIM. However, you’ll need to use it at least once every 120 days to keep the service active.

Network & Coverage

4G & 5G Coverage From EE

Your Lyca Mobile eSIM will give you access to 99% population coverage across the UK. This is provided by EE’s 4G and 5G network, with Lyca Mobile customers getting the same coverage as customers on EE.

If you’d like to double-check the coverage in your area, you can do this by entering your postcode on Lyca Mobile’s online coverage map:

Check Lyca Mobile Coverage (lycamobile.co.uk) →

In our opinion, it’s particularly beneficial getting a Lyca Mobile eSIM if your primary SIM card gives you coverage from O2, Three or Vodafone. That’s because the Lyca Mobile eSIM will give you access to different masts, boosting the total amount of coverage that’s available to you.

International Roaming

You can use your Lyca Mobile eSIM through international roaming when you travel abroad to other countries.

All Lyca Mobile plans come with an allowance of EU roaming data. You’ll be able to use up to your plan allowance or 12GB per month in Europe (whichever one is less). Alternatively, you can use up to 35GB data per month in Europe if you’re using Lyca Mobile’s unlimited data plan.

If you’re travelling to Turkey, it can beneficial choosing an AloTurka plan from Lyca Mobile. That’s because you’ll also be able to use part of your data allowance when you travel to Turkey.

More Information

For more information about eSIMs on Lyca Mobile UK, you can read the FAQs on the Lyca Mobile website. There’s also more information within our guide to eSIMs on UK networks and our comparison of the UK’s best eSIM deals.

Your Comments 4 so far

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. So far, we've received 4 comments from readers. You can add your own comment here.

  • Hi Ken.

    Great site. Many thanks. If I order an esim directly from Lyca can I also port my old number to it or do I have to order a physical SIM first?

    Many thanks

    Robin

  • Cassandra Hanson said:

    I’m going to be travelling from Canada to the UK soon, and will be staying for 25 days. Would purchasing an e- SIM with a monthly plan, which includes international calling, and which I would cancel at the end of my visit, be a good way to go? I’m trying to find a plan that gives me a UK phone number, and allows for calling, texting, and international calling so I can call home.

    • Hi Cassandra,
      Yes, that would be a great option – just remember to turn off the auto-renew feature on the plan so you’re not charged for the eSIM after the first month is up 🙂
      Ken

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