There are 15 mobile networks that offer a free Pay As You Go SIM card. Discover the UK’s best Pay As You Go SIMs.
In the UK, most mobile networks will offer a free Pay As You Go SIM card, allowing you to use your mobile phone with no contract and no long-term commitments. You simply need to top it up and put the SIM card inside your mobile phone: there are no credit checks required and there’s no need to set up a Direct Debit.
Alongside the four main networks that offer their own Pay As You Go SIM cards (EE, O2, Three and Vodafone), there are lots of other Pay As You Go providers that will give you the exact same coverage. For instance, giffgaff offers 4G & 5G coverage from O2 on a range of flexible Pay As You Go plans, with no need to top-up every month.
In this article, we’ve reviewed 15 mobile networks to find our best Pay As You Go SIM cards. Here’s an overview of our top picks:
giffgaff: Best Overall Pay As You Go SIM Bundles from £6 per month, or traditional Pay As You Go with no monthly top-up. With O2 5G coverage. Learn more. |
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1pMobile: Best for Light Users Pay As You Go for just 1p/minute, 1p/text and 1p/MB with EE 5G coverage. A minimum spend of £10 is required every 90 days. Learn more. |
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O2 Pay As You Go: Best for Rewards Get a free coffee and sausage roll each week with O2 Priority, plus access to priority gig tickets. Learn more. |
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Lyca Mobile: Best for International Travel & Calls Inclusive minutes for international calling, plus roaming at no extra cost in the EU & India. AloTurka plans include roaming in Turkey. |
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VOXI: Best for Social Media Addicts Unlimited data for social media and messaging apps on all Pay As You Go plans. |
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Lyca Mobile eSIM: Best for UK Visitors Get instant online delivery, with international calls & EE 5G coverage included. |
You can read on to find out more about each individual Pay As You Go provider.
Contents
Best Pay As You Go SIM Cards
Best Overall Pay As You Go SIM Card
Coverage: | Uses O2 network (5G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £6 per month (e.g. 5GB data for £8 and 20GB for £10) |
Pay As You Go Rates: | 25p/minute, 10p/text and 10p/MB |
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Reasons To Avoid: |
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Free SIM Card: | Order giffgaff SIM card (free) → |
giffgaff is one of the most popular providers when it comes to Pay As You Go SIM cards. They’re part of O2, but they’re run as a separate brand. As such, you’ll get access to the same coverage as O2 customers. In addition, you’ll also get the faster speeds available on 5G (which isn’t available to O2’s own Pay As You Go customers).
There are two ways to use a giffgaff Pay As You Go SIM card:
- You can buy a monthly goodybag with inclusive minutes, texts and data. With this option, you’ll top-up a fixed amount each month for unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and an allowance of data. For instance, there’s 2GB data for £6, 5GB data for £8 and 20GB data for £10.
- You can use traditional Pay As You Go with no need to top-up every month. The only requirement is that you’ll need to use your SIM card at least once every 6 months. With traditional Pay As You Go, you’ll pay 25p/minute, 10p/text and 10p/MB. You’ll get free calls and texts to other giffgaff members as long as you’ve topped up in the last 3 months.
On giffgaff, there are some extra features included such as EU roaming (up to 5GB per month) and access to WiFi on the London Underground. However, they’ve fallen a little behind on other features like WiFi Calling. This isn’t currently available to customers on giffgaff, even though it’s fairly commonplace on other mobile networks.
Best for Light Users
Coverage: | Uses EE network (5G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £10 per month (e.g. 10GB data for £10 and 50GB for £15) |
Pay As You Go Rates: | 1p/minute, 1p/text and 1p/MB |
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Free SIM Card: | Order 1pMobile SIM card (free with £30 top-up) → |
If you’re looking for the lowest possible Pay As You Go rates, 1pMobile offers a traditional Pay As You Go plan where you’ll pay just 1p/minute, 1p/text and 1p/MB. It’s also possible to buy a one-month bundle such as 10GB data for £10.
The main disadvantage of 1pMobile is their minimum spend requirement of £10 every 90 days. This requirement was introduced in February 2024. If, during a 90-day period, your total spend is less than £10, they’ll deduct the shortfall from your account. For this reason, it isn’t really that suitable for very light users spending less than £3.33 per month on average.
As a special offer for readers of this website, you can get a 4GB Data Boost for free when you activate a new 1pMobile SIM card. Simply order your SIM card through this link and enter VAKTT4GB as your voucher code at the checkout.
1pMobile has been around since 2016. It’s a sister company of the Utility Warehouse and is also part of the FTSE 250-listed Telecom Plus PLC. According to their latest report, they have 420,000 mobile customers, split across the 1pMobile and Utility Warehouse brands. This makes them a medium-sized provider, with a track record over the last 8 years.
Best for Rewards
Coverage: | Uses O2 network (4G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £10 per month (e.g. 10GB data for £10 and 30GB for £15) |
Pay As You Go Rates: | 55p/minute, 30p/text and £2/day for data |
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Free SIM Card: | Order O2 SIM card (free) → |
If you’re looking for a Pay As You Go SIM card with access to exclusive customer offers, our top pick is O2’s Pay As You Go SIM. With it, you’ll get access to their O2 Priority rewards such as a free coffee and sausage roll from Greggs each week. There are also savings available on dining outside, plus early access tickets to lots of gigs and events across the UK.
The disadvantage of O2’s Pay As You Go service is that it’s relatively expensive, compared to a giffgaff SIM card. You’ll generally pay more each month for a smaller data allowance that’s also restricted to 4G. On the other hand, the savings with O2 Priority can make this a worthwhile choice (e.g. you can ‘earn back’ your £10 per month from freebies in the app).
Alternative: Vodafone also has some good customer rewards, when you take advantage of ‘VeryMe Rewards’ on Vodafone Pay As You Go. For instance, there’s a weekly #FeelGoodFriday freebie. You can also get discounted meals, coffees and days out with the family (powered by the Gourmet Society, Coffee Club and Kids Pass membership). Having said that, we prefer O2 as their offers are generally easier to redeem.
Best for International Calls & Travel
Coverage: | Uses EE network (5G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £5 per month |
Pay As You Go Rates: | 23p/minute, 23p/text and 15p/MB |
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Free SIM Card: | Order Lyca Mobile SIM card (free with top-up) → |
If you’re looking for a Pay As You Go SIM card that allows you to call abroad and to travel at no extra cost, Lyca Mobile is currently our recommended option.
On all of the Lyca Mobile plans, you’ll get inclusive roaming in Europe and India, with a generous limit on the amount of data you can use abroad each month (12GB on limited data plans and 35GB on unlimited data plans). For comparison, you’ll get just 5GB per month on giffgaff. You can also choose an AloTurka plan with inclusive roaming in Turkey.
You can sign up to Lyca Mobile on a one-month rolling Pay As You Go bundle from £5 per month.
Alternative: Depending on where you’re travelling to, there could be better value options. For instance, VOXI can be a good option if you’re travelling to the USA, Canada or the Caribbean with your mobile phone.
Best for Social Media
Coverage: | Uses Vodafone network (5G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £10 per month (e.g. 15GB data for £10 and 20GB for £12) |
Pay As You Go Rates: | 30p/minute and 14p/text. Bundle required for data. |
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Free SIM Card: | Order VOXI SIM card (free with £10 top-up) → |
If you’re looking for a Pay As You Go SIM card that allows you to stay in touch with your friends and family without worrying about data, VOXI offers Unlimited Social Media on all of their Pay As You Go plans. This means you can use Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram and more without it counting towards your download limit. There are also plans available with Unlimited Music and Unlimited Video.
The main disadvantage to be aware of is that VOXI’s plans can be relatively expensive, when you take them outside of a special promotion. For instance, you might be better off choosing a cheaper plan elsewhere, if the extra data you get easily covers all of your social media use. In addition, international roaming will cost extra on VOXI so you’ll need to budget extra for this if you’re planning to travel abroad very soon.
You’ll get 5G coverage from the Vodafone network on all of VOXI’s Pay As You Go plans. This is because they operate as a sub-brand of Vodafone (in the same way that giffgaff is actually owned and operated by O2).
Best for Visitors to the UK
Coverage: | Uses EE network (5G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £5 per month (e.g. 5GB data for £5 and 20GB for £10) |
Pay As You Go Rates: | 23p/minute, 23p/text and 15p/MB |
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Free SIM Card: | Order Lyca Mobile eSIM (free with top-up) → |
If you’re visiting the UK and looking for a Pay As You Go mobile plan, our recommendation is to get a Lyca Mobile UK eSIM. At the time of writing, they’re the only fully-featured Pay As You Go mobile network in the UK to offer their plans on an eSIM with instant online delivery. This means there’s no need to get a physical SIM card, and you’ll be able to use it alongside another SIM card through dual-SIM functionality.
If you’re using a Lyca Mobile eSIM, you’ll have access to 99% population coverage across the UK. This is powered by EE’s 4G and 5G network. You’ll also get some international minutes (which can be handy for calling back home), along with roaming at no extra cost in the EU and India.
If you no longer need to use your Lyca Mobile eSIM, you can cancel the automatic renewal of your plan at any time.
Alternative: If you still have a bit of time before your trip to the UK, you can order a giffgaff SIM card. On giffgaff, there’s free international delivery but it can take up to 5 business days or more for your SIM card to arrive. As you’re getting a regular SIM card, there’s no need to have an eSIM-ready phone.
Other Pay As You Go SIM Cards
Big provider but slow, expensive & few customer benefits
Coverage: | Uses EE network (4G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £10 per month (e.g. 8GB data for £10 and 25GB for £15) |
Pay As You Go Rates: | 40p/minute and 20p/text. Bundle required for data. |
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Free SIM Card: | Order EE SIM Card (free) → |
In the UK, EE still offers a Pay As You Go service, even though they haven’t really promoted it for a number of years (it’s mainly a carry-over from their old heritage brands of Orange and T-Mobile).
Although EE’s Pay As You Go service is still available, there are few good reasons to sign up for it today. That’s because it’s relatively expensive and you’ll only get a small amount of data. There’s also a maximum download speed of 25Mbps (this is a speed limit that no other mobile network has).
If you choose Pay As You Go from another major brand such as O2 or Vodafone, there are normally some special offers available that can make up for the higher price you pay (e.g. with O2 Priority and VeryMe Rewards). On EE, there isn’t really anything equivalent as most of their customer benefits are only available on Pay Monthly. All you’ll really get on EE Pay As You Go is the ability to earn up to 3GB extra data per month and the ability to connect to 150,000+ BT Wi-Fi hotspots.
Big name provider with VeryMe Rewards
Coverage: | Uses Vodafone network (4G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £10 per month (e.g. 7GB data for £10 and 20GB for £15) |
Pay As You Go Rates: | £1/day for unlimited minutes, unlimited texts & 50MB data. |
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Free SIM Card: | Order Vodafone SIM Card (free) → |
Vodafone is another big name mobile network with their own Pay As You Go service.
In our opinion, the main reason to choose Vodafone’s Pay As You Go service is VeryMe Rewards. This gives you access to exclusive offers from brands such as Costa Coffee, Just Eat, Sainsbury’s and Thortful. For instance, there’s a weekly #FeelGoodFriday freebie. You’ll also get discounted meals at independent restaurants, along with savings on coffee and days out with your family (in partnership with Eat Local from the Gourmet Society, Local Blend from Coffee Club, and the Kids Pass).
If you’re a regular mobile user, you’ll get 7GB data for £10 and 20GB data for £15 on Vodafone. Any unused data that you have at the end of the month can be rolled over automatically. For most people, Vodafone is a comparatively expensive option, especially as you’re restricted to 4G speeds (unless you’re spending at least £30 per month). However, this can be worthwhile if you fully utilise your VeryMe Reward offers.
If you’re a light mobile user, Vodafone has a seldom-advertised plan known as ‘Pay as you go 1’. On this plan, you’ll pay £1 per day for unlimited UK minutes, unlimited UK texts and 50MB data. Crucially, you’ll only pay this if you actually use your phone for calls, texts or data (receiving an incoming call or text doesn’t count). Therefore, this plan can be a good option if you’re getting a SIM card for emergency use, as you can call and text as much as you like for £1 per day.
Pay As You Go SIM with Three+ rewards & inclusive Go Roam
Coverage: | Uses Three network (5G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £10 per month (e.g. 10GB data for £10 and 20GB for £15) |
Pay As You Go Rates: | 35p/minute, 15p/text and 10p/MB |
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Free SIM Card: | Order Three SIM Card (free) → |
Three currently offers a Pay As You Go SIM card, with a choice of bundles available from £10 per month. Although the coverage isn’t quite as good as on EE, O2 or Vodafone, you’ll get access to 5G at no extra cost on Three’s Pay As You Go plans.
There are two main benefits to choosing Three’s Pay As You Go SIM card.
Firstly, you’ll get access to their Three+ rewards such as a £1 coffee from Caffè Nero each week, or a cinema ticket for just £3 at Cineworld. This can go some way towards helping you ‘earn back’ the cost of your plan.
Secondly, you’ll get international roaming at no extra cost in 71 destinations. This can be beneficial if you’re travelling to certain destinations such as the USA. You’ll normally pay up to £5 per day extra for this on Three’s Pay Monthly plans.
Bundles from £4 with Vodafone coverage
Coverage: | Uses Vodafone network (4G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £4 per month (e.g. 3GB data for £5 and 10GB for £8) |
Pay As You Go Rates: | 15p/minute, 10p/text and 10p/MB |
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Free SIM Card: | Order ASDA Mobile SIM Card (free) → |
If you’d like a Pay As You Go SIM card with Vodafone coverage, it’s cheaper getting an ASDA Mobile SIM card.
On ASDA Mobile, you can choose from a range of one-month bundles that start from just £4 per month. The cheapest £4 per month plan gives you unlimited UK minutes & unlimited UK texts. You’ll then get an allowance of data included on the plans from £5 per month (e.g. 3GB data for £5, or 10GB data for £8). You’ll also get 5G coverage included on the plans from £10 per month.
If you don’t want to top-up your phone every month, you can use ASDA Mobile on a traditional Pay As You Go basis. With this option, you’ll pay 15p/minute, 10p/text and 10p/MB.
For customers with a connection to China or Hong Kong
Coverage: | Uses EE network (5G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £6 per month (e.g. 3GB data for £6 and 20GB for £9) |
Pay As You Go Rates: | 8p/minute and 6p/text. Bundle required for data. |
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Free SIM Card: | Order CMLink SIM Card (free) → |
If you have a connection to Mainland China or Hong Kong, you can consider a CMLink Pay As You Go SIM card. This is available from the UK arm of China Mobile International.
Some of the added features you’ll get include the ability to use some of your data at no extra cost in Mainland China and Hong Kong. There are also 1,000 international minutes included each month for calling China, Hong Kong and other selected destinations.
Customers with a China Mobile phone number in the mainland or Hong Kong can link that to their CMLink UK SIM for an extra £3 per month. This will allow you to receive incoming calls and texts on that number.
Expensive Pay As You Go SIM with Three coverage
Coverage: | Uses Three network (4G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £6 per month (e.g. 4GB data for £8 and 6GB for £10) |
Pay As You Go Rates: | 3p/minute, 2p/text and 1p/MB |
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Free SIM Card: | Order iD Mobile SIM Card (free) → |
iD Mobile is the own-brand mobile network from Currys and the Carphone Warehouse. They offer Pay As You Go plans from £6 per month, but these have barely changed over the last few years. As such, you’ll get very small amounts of data (e.g. only 6GB data for £10). Combine that with the limited customer benefits and poorer coverage, and there’s almost no good reason to choose an iD Pay As You Go SIM.
Pay As You Go with 3 months half price & Vodafone 5G coverage
Coverage: | Uses Vodafone network (5G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £5 per month (e.g. 5GB data for £5 and 20GB for £10) |
Pay As You Go Rates: | 25p/minute and 19p/text. Bundle required for data. |
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Free SIM Card: | Order Lebara Mobile SIM Card (free) → |
Offer: | Use KEN3 voucher code at checkout for 3 months half price |
In the UK, Lebara Mobile offers Pay As You Go bundles from £5 per month. All of their plans come with an inclusive allowance of international minutes, plus roaming in the EU and India at no extra cost.
As a special offer for readers of this website, you can get 3 months half price when you use the KEN3 voucher code at checkout. This makes it possible, for instance, to get 5GB data for just £2.50 per month for 3 months.
A Welsh mobile network with EE coverage & Welsh support
Coverage: | Uses EE network (5G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £2 per month (e.g. 5GB data for £5 and 20GB for £10) |
Pay As You Go Rates: | 5p/minute, 5p/text and 1p/MB. |
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Free SIM Card: | Order RWG Mobile SIM Card (free) → |
Also known by its full name of ‘Red White & Green’, RWG Mobile calls itself the “mobile network for Wales”. They offer cheap Pay As You Go plans with UK-wide coverage, provided by EE’s 4G and 5G network. Their customer support is available in both English and Welsh.
Pay As You Go plans with EE 5G coverage
Coverage: | Uses EE network (5G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £5 per month (e.g. 3GB data for £5 and 15GB for £10) |
Pay As You Go Rates: | 1p/minute, 1p/text and 1p/MB (monthly opt-in required) 18p/minute, 5p/text and 1p/MB (standard rate) |
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Free SIM Card: | Order Talk Home SIM Card (free) → |
In the UK, Talk Home Mobile offers Pay As You Go plans with 4G & 5G coverage from EE. Most notably, they have a Penny Pro plan where you’ll pay just 1p/minute, 1p/text and 1p/MB. This is similar to the rates on 1pMobile. However, the catch is you’ll need to manually opt-in every 30 days to benefit from this rates (otherwise, you’ll pay their standard rates of 18p/minute and 5p/text).
Earn Clubcard points on your mobile spend
Coverage: | Uses O2 network (5G) – check postcode |
Monthly Bundles: | From £7.50 per month (e.g. 10GB data for £10 and 25GB for £15) |
Pay As You Go Rates: | 25p/minute, 10p/text and 10p/MB |
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Free SIM Card: | Order Tesco Mobile SIM Card (free) → |
When you join Tesco Mobile’s Pay As You Go service, you’ll be able to earn Clubcard points on all of your Tesco Mobile spend.
Regular mobile users can get a Rocket Pack bundle from £7.50 per month. Alternatively, light users can choose the Triple Credit plan. With this, you’ll get some bonus credit that lasts for one month, every time you top-up your phone.
For most people, it’s difficult to recommend Tesco’s Pay As You Go service as you’ll generally get more data for less elsewhere. Although it’s a nice bonus being able to get some Clubcard points on your spend, this amounts to just 1% back (e.g. you’ll get Clubcard points that are worth just 10p, when you top-up by £10).
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the coverage compare across different Pay As You Go SIMs? | In the UK, all Pay As You Go networks use one of the four following coverage providers:
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What are the best Pay As You Go SIM cards for light usage? | There are a number of important considerations for light mobile users which are discussed in more detail here. However, for most people, we think the following Pay As You Go networks are worth considering:
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Are there any Pay As You Go SIM cards that don’t expire? | Yes. If you choose a traditional Pay As You Go plan, there’s no need to top-up your phone every month. You’ll just need to keep your SIM card active. This normally means using it for a chargeable activity at least once every 180 days. |
Will I need to undergo a credit check for Pay As You Go SIM cards? | No. You can get a free Pay As You Go SIM card without the need for a credit check. |
Can I keep my current phone number when changing network? | Yes. It’s easy keeping your current phone number. Simply get a PAC Code from your current network, and then give it to your new mobile network once you’ve signed up. |
More Information
For more information, see our guide to Pay As You Go deals in the UK. You can also read our in-depth mobile network reviews and our guide to the best SIM-only deals (including Pay Monthly SIMs).
Graham said:
An interesting and Informative but I had hoped that the comparison would show which sims supported wifi calling, which is needed when living in the sticks.
Ken replied:
Hi Graham,
Thanks for your comment. Take a look at my guide on Wi-Fi Calling & 4G Calling for more information about this 🙂
Hope this helps,
Ken
Gray said:
Hi Ken, can i get a free sim, pay for one month and only use free text and calls without having to top up again?
Ken replied:
Hi Gary,
Thanks for your comment. Most mobile networks impose a condition on the free calls and texts (e.g. you’ll need to have topped up in the last 3 months to get the free calls and texts to other customers on the same network).
Hope this helps,
Ken
William Hodgson said:
ASDA Mobile are increasing their PAYG prices from 16 September:
calls 15p per minute (currently 4p)
texts 10p (currently 4p)
data 10p per MB (currently 4p)