Plusnet Mobile is due to close in the UK. Find out how to transfer your mobile service to EE, and discover alternative deals with EE coverage.

In the UK, Plusnet is due to close their mobile service over the next few months. This means all Plusnet Mobile customers will need to move to another network, with Plusnet teaming up with EE to offer a discounted range of 5G SIM-only deals.

In this article, we’ll look at the upcoming closure of Plusnet Mobile in the UK. We’ll also look at EE’s range of discounted 5G SIM-only deals for Plusnet Mobile customers, along with the other providers that also offer coverage from EE.

What’s Happening To Plusnet Mobile?

Plusnet Mobile originally launched in 2016, taking over from the LIFE Mobile network that was previously operated by Phones4u. Since then, they’ve offered low-cost SIM-only deals with access to 4G coverage on the EE network. Alongside BT and EE, Plusnet is part of the BT Group.

In 2022, BT announced that EE would become their flagship consumer brand. For instance, they previously operated three different mobile networks: BT Mobile, EE and Plusnet Mobile. However, to simplify things, they’ll only be offering mobile plans through EE going forwards. That’s the reason why Plusnet Mobile is due to be closed.

In recent years, Plusnet Mobile has fallen a little behind the times. For instance, Plusnet’s mobile customers have never had access to 5G coverage, or features like Wi-Fi Calling or 4G Calling. One advantage of moving your plan to EE is that all of these extra features will become available on your phone.

Over the next few months, existing Plusnet Mobile customers will be offered a 5G-ready SIM-only deal from EE. Alternatively, it’s also possible to switch to a different mobile network without incurring any exit fees from Plusnet.

There are no changes to the Plusnet Broadband service, which continues to operate with any changes.

EE Deals for Plusnet Customers

If you’re a Plusnet Mobile customer, you’ll be able to get a discounted 30-day SIM-only plan when you move to EE. To unlock the special EE deals, you’ll need to get a verification code, either from the Plusnet Mobile app or website.

The following table shows EE’s 30-day rolling SIM-only plans for existing Plusnet Mobile customers:

Tariff Minutes Texts Data Monthly
Cost
Essential Unlimited Unlimited 5GB £6.00
1 months
Essential Unlimited Unlimited 10GB £10.00
1 months
Essential Unlimited Unlimited 20GB £12.00
1 months
Essential Unlimited Unlimited 125GB £15.00
1 months

If you’re looking for unlimited data or Inclusive Extras with your plan (e.g. Apple Music or Netflix), you can choose one of EE’s other SIM-only plans instead. This may come with a longer contract (e.g. a 12 month contract or 24 month contract).

Once you’ve moved from Plusnet Mobile to EE, you’ll get access to 5G coverage with a maximum download speed of 100Mbps. To access 5G, you’ll need a 5G-ready phone and to be using it in a 5G coverage area. You’ll also get Wi-Fi Calling and 4G Calling on compatible devices. There’s also Stay Connected Data, along with Data Gifting if you have multiple lines on your EE account.

One thing that you’ll lose after moving to EE is the inclusive European roaming that Plusnet previously offered on their service. Instead, you’ll need to pay an extra £2.29 per day to use your phone in Europe on EE. That’s something to bear in mind if you’re planning a trip abroad very soon (e.g. you could delay moving to EE until you get back from your trip).

Alternative Deals with EE Coverage

If you’re looking at other mobile networks that also offer coverage from EE, you could consider getting a SIM card from Lyca Mobile, Talk Home Mobile or 1p Mobile. All of them offer 4G & 5G coverage from EE, with no contract and no credit check required for their plans.

At present, our recommendation is to join Lyca Mobile, who offer 4G & 5G coverage from EE on their plans. When you sign up as a new Lyca Mobile customer, you can benefit from an introductory price of as little as 99p per month for 3 months:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£1.29
for 3 months, then £5.90/month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited10GB£1.49
for 3 months, then £5.90/month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited15GB£1.80
for 3 months, then £8.50/month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£2.39
for 3 months, then £7.90/month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£5.99
for 6 months, then £12/month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited88GB£8.00
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£9.99
for 6 months, then £25/month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited200GB£9.99
for 12 months, then £25/month
LycamobileUnlimitedUnlimited100GB£10.00
for 6 months, then £20/month

There’s no contract and no credit check on all of Lyca Mobile’s plans, so you can easily change or cancel at any time.

For more information, see our Lyca Mobile review. You can also read our in-depth guide to mobile networks that use EE coverage, along with our comparison of the UK’s best SIM-only deals.

Keeping Your Phone Number

If you’re moving away from Plusnet Mobile, it’s easy transferring your phone number to another network.

Start by texting PAC to 65075 on your Plusnet Mobile phone. You’ll get a nine-digit code in response from Plusnet (this will be TSL followed by six numbers). You can then give this nine-digit code to your new mobile network and they’ll transfer your service over once you’re signed up.

For step-by-step instructions on how to transfer your phone number, please select the mobile network you’re planning to join:

PAC Code Finder: Transfer Your Plusnet Mobile Phone Number To Another Network

Select your new mobile network:

  More Options

You’ll need to follow the same process for transferring your phone number, whether you’re moving to EE or to another mobile network.

All of Plusnet Mobile’s early cancellation fees have been waived as part of their service closure, whether you’re on a 12-month contract or on a 1-month rolling plan.

More Information

For more information about the upcoming Plusnet Mobile closure, please see Plusnet’s official website.

Your Comments 55 so far

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. So far, we've received 55 comments from readers. You can add your own comment here.

  • Sylvia Pilgrim said:

    Sadly having to move from Plusnet. If I move to Lyca mobile does their ‘roaming’ include Tenerife? Some companies include it some don’t due to Tenerife being an Island & not part of mainland Spain. Many thanks

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Sylvia,
      Thanks for your comment. Yes, Tenerife is covered by the normal Spanish mobile networks, so any usage there will just count as being roaming usage in Spain. Lyca Mobile’s EU roaming offer therefore includes Tenerife as well.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

  • Ken Sheppard said:

    I appreciate your summary of the Plusnet service. As you imply, it is an “EE lite” service. I would not rely on predictions of EE coverage for Plusnet service. As far as I can gather, EE do not allow MVNOs to use the 4G, 800MHz band 20 frequencies. This band gives far greater reach in rural areas and greater penetration in built up areas. I have found that plusnet 4G coverage is very patchy. I have no way of checking but I suspect that one would get better 4G coverage from an MVNO using O2 or even 3 which do allow access to band 20.
    I might add that call forwarding and short code SMS addresses are not supported on plusnet or any other EE MVNOs

  • Chris Langton said:

    Hi Ken
    interesting reading your articles , I was with Three PAYG and then swapped to Smarty , but this was before they had introduced roaming and as I was going on holiday I needed to be able to roam and changed to 1P mobile which was fine except outside the bundles the price per mb is actually expensive. I was looking to go back to Smarty but looking around I picked up a deal of unlimited calls & texts plus 1.5GB of data for £5 per month, on Plusnet which is actually cheaper than the Smarty plans. With both 1P mobile and Plusnet using the EE network, I don’t expect any issues & the Opensignal app tells be i am getting EE speeds on both networks. So far I am pleased with the price I am paying.

  • Sven said:

    I have switched from lycamobile to plusnet a year ago without any porting issues. Lately I have seen some issues and I’m looking to switch again.
    1) 4g availability even in Central London is flaky
    2) 4g when roaming in the EU (e.g. Germany is poor, even though it’s widely available)
    3) certain service texts do not come through (e.g. from the GETT app, my NHS practice etc) plusnet CS hasn’t been able to help

  • Richard said:

    I’ve just joined Plusnet Mobile (I’m not a Plusnet broadband/landline customer) from Asda Mobile and it was a relatively easy process.

    In June last year I nearly joined TalkMobile but they wanted far too much information, bank statement and letter proving I’m resident at my address and I simply didn’t wish to provide it as I felt it was none of their business. I wanted their £7.50 a month Sim Only plan. So I joined Asda Mobile (from 02 due to increasing cost and poor network) and they are a good provider but when it comes to data it can be on the expensive side. I mostly purchased their £5 Talk and Text bundle as I wasn’t both a regular and heavy internet user on my mobile phone.

    Anyway, I’ve purchased the £7.50 monthly plan (1,000 mins, unlimited texts and 1GB Data) from Plusnet Mobile and the sim arrived on Saturday and I’ve been using it since Monday (3 days) for all the services provided to me. The process of porting my number was easy and quick too – I was expecting the transfer to take ages but it took less than 24 hours. Also, I didn’t encounter nay of the nonsense that I did with TalkMobile regarding sending bank statements etc………Just did it over the phone and they accepted me straight away.

    I’d recommend Plusnet Mobile even though I’ve only been a customer of theirs for a short time!

  • MJalim said:

    I joined life mobile in August 2015, transferring my previous number to the new network. Since then I haven’t been able to receive all texts and calls from a variety of people. has been 5 MONTHS and the company hasn’t been able to find a solution. I have to try out a number of replacement sim cards and have had to give examples of the network issue on over 5 occasions. I have been promised to be called back and updated on the issue but instead have had to chase them up and continuously put in new requests for the SAME ongoing issue.

    Most recently, my phone installed new updates and upon restarting my phone, it has asked for a SIM Pin code. I called plusnet/lifemobile and they haven’t been able to provide me with the accurate PUK code to access my sim and use my phone.

    Lifemobile/Plustnot gives you little to zero leverage if you miss payment. They have cancelled my entire account after missing payment by a day and until full payment is made, where my phone only got reactivated a week later.

    The only thing I regret is not leaving this network. sooner.

  • Lin said:

    Dear Ken,

    Thank you for the very helpful article and an informative site. I got a question to ask you if you don’t mind. In an other article of yours, you’ve recommended the £10 per month asda mobile plan to be the best value sim only pay&go deal. It has 600mins, unlimited text and 1.5Gb data. But the plusnet £10 plan exceeds it in every aspect while also having EE as their network provider. Not to mention the flexible bolt ons. I want to know if there is any disadvantage of plusnet in this rivalry? I am looking for a budget pay&go/30days plan that has at least 1Gb data with good coverage (EE or O2 I think). Would you suggest me plusnet or asda and why? I am sorry for troubling you and Thank you very much again. Happy New Year.

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Lin,
      Thanks for your comment! Both ASDA Mobile and Plusnet Mobile are fine options. The key distinction, however, is that ASDA Mobile is a Pay As You Go network whereas Plusnet Mobile is a Pay Monthly (contract) mobile network.
      With ASDA Mobile, there’s no credit check or recurring Direct Debit payments, therefore giving you full control over how much you spend. You can also decide at any time either to change to another bundle, or to leave a gap before buying your next bundle (e.g. for instance, if you travelling somewhere else and didn’t need your bundle for a month).
      With Plusnet Mobile, it’s different as you will need to undergo a credit check process and you’ll be on a 30-day rolling Pay Monthly contract. You’ll need to set-up an automatic Direct Debit (and keep an eye out for additional charges as these can reach £10/month). Finally, as there’s a 30-day contract, you’ll need to call them in advance if you’d like to change or cancel your tariff.
      So I’d go for ASDA Mobile if you want the flexibility & control of Pay As You Go, and Plusnet Mobile if you want the value of a Pay Monthly contract.
      Hope this helps!
      Ken

      • Lin replied:

        Dear Ken,
        Thank you very much for your comprehensive and swift reply. Sincerely appreciated. The explanation was perfect. Guess I’d sacrifice that 500mb for the flexible asda paygo deal. Thanks a lot again. Keep the good work and I will definitely recommand this site to my friends. 🙂

  • Samuel said:

    I had a terrible experience with Lifemobile about porting my number some months ago. I was first given a PAC code that expired in April 2016 in August 2016. I called them thrice and they gave me a new PAC code which I used to join another network. They kept sending bills to me and billed me for 3 months. They eventually sent my detail to a debt collector. They found out later that my line was still on their system as live even though I was using another network. It was so much that I decided to contact the regulator to complain. A young lady eventually helped me and cancelled the debt. If you don’t want high blood pressure especially if you are thinking of porting your number to another network , please don’t use them.

    • Richard replied:

      Took me less than 24 hours to have mine ported from Asda Mobile.

      Sometimes it can be the provider releasing the number for transfer who is at fault.

  • Amir said:

    As mobile plans move fast this page is now quite out of date! Thanks though ken for your hard work! Plusnet have an offer so you get double data on their £7.50 and £10 plan!

    You never mention voicemail but it appears that they charge you 40p for the privilege and it’s not included in the allowance (just trying to confirm that) was looking for my wife but that is a no no i’m afraid!

    Also the BT plan has finished and has double data offer on now lol!

  • Barbara said:

    Hi Ken, I pay for my son’s mobile. He says that his current data allowance of 2 gb runs out after 3 days !
    He uses the mobile to watch a lot of tv etc as he lives in student digs.
    I am not prepared to pay more than about £12 ish so have been looking for the best deal with a proper cap. Initially chose talkmobile 12gb for £12 which is a cracking deal but have cancelled it as they don’t have a proper cap. I cant find anything else close. The best deal I can find is Tesco £12.50 for 6 gb which I am thinking may not be enough data.
    What is your suggestion?
    Many thanks

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Barbara,
      Thanks for your comment. I have two articles that might be of interest:
      1. Capped Contracts: This summarises the capping options available on each mobile network, so may be useful if you’re looking for a SIM card to give to your son.
      2. Pay As You Go bundles: If you’d like to look at pre-paid options instead, this covers how much you can get for different amounts per month.
      Given the situation you’ve described above, you’re probably looking for a data allowance of about 20GB per month. To be honest, it’s pretty difficult to get that for £12/month (though this £10 PAYG deal from ASDA Mobile should tide you over for the next two months). Realistically, on a long-term deal, you’re probably looking at about £25/month.
      Out of interest, is there any reason he isn’t able to get a home broadband connection? This will cost about £20/month and will give him unlimited data (also, the speeds are likely to be better and the cost can be shared with other people in the household).
      Ken

      • Barbara replied:

        Thank you Ken, I will have a look at the website . Talkmobile tried their hardest to convince me that they could cap the payment but fortunately I had read a lot of horror stories on the internet before ringing them. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

  • Daniel said:

    I don’t know if I should stick with the 5.95 Uswitch plan which gives me 1000 mins, 5000 texts and 1.5GB of data or upgrade it to the 4G special!

    Part of me wants access to 4G just because I have an excellent iPhone SE to go with it, but I have no idea what to expect from them in regards to speed I already get 15-20mbit on 3G in my area.

    Does anyone know what speeds MVMO’s get from EE?

    Is it worth the upgrade? Particularly, for the discounted price of the 4GB of data.

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Daniel,
      If you were to ask me for my honest opinion, I’d say there’s no need to upgrade to a 4G plan for higher speeds. From the sounds of it, you’re already getting very good speeds on 3G. For comparison, you only need about 4Mbit/s to stream HD video, so any further increase in speed will have negligible benefit.
      Saying that, it might be worth having a quick review to see how much data you’re currently using each month. Personally, I think it’s definitely worthwhile to upgrade to a 4GB allowance (but you’ll need to make your own decision on whether the 4GB allowance is of any use to you).
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

  • JoeChin13 said:

    Another useful review!

    I have Plusnet broadband at home so I am definitely interested. The Plusnet Mobile website is a bit light on information at the moment so I am hoping you can answer these questions…
    – The 4GB for £10/month pre-launch offer is compelling (esp. when combined with the Mates Rates). Will this be a standing offer or only for the first month (or few)? Is there a limit on how many SIMs at this rate per household?
    – Is there a limit on how many SIMs will get the Mates Rates per Plusnet household?
    – Is Double Speed 4G available? If so, what will be the cost?
    – Any Euro/overseas roaming packages?

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Joe,
      Thank you for your kind comments! As you say, lots of details about Plusnet Mobile are still unclear but I’ll attempt to answer your questions where I’m able to:
      1. To get the 4GB for £10 offer, you’ll need to pre-register on the Plusnet Mobile website. Once you have it, I believe you’ll keep it (this isn’t an introductory offer or anything like that). One thing worth noting however is that Mates Rates (double data) can’t be combined with the £10 pre-launch offer. Instead, it’s only available on standard non-offer tariffs.
      2. I can’t see anything in the terms and conditions about a maximum number of SIM cards per household. However, it’s likely we’ll need to wait until the 29th November to get a definitive answer on this question.
      3. They haven’t yet provided any information about double-speed 4G. However, my guess is the answer will probably be no. This is because EE is keeping double-speed 4G as one of their value-add features (I believe the only MVNO offering this at the moment is BT Mobile who charge an extra £4/month for it).
      4. They’ve not yet announced anything with regards to international roaming. The good news, of course, is they’ll have a standard rates for travelling in the EU so whatever packages are available, it should be reasonably affordable (and it should be totally free from the 15th June 2017).
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

      • JoeChin13 replied:

        Thanks for the answers, Ken. I called last week about the number of Mates Rates SIMs per Plusnet broadband household, and was told it will be a maximum of 5.

        • Ken replied:

          Hi Joe,
          Thanks for letting me know and for the update on this! This is super useful, and I’ll update the article above to mention it.
          Ken

  • Michelle said:

    Do you know if you get charged for using emojis? Currently with ID mobile and they charge a picture message fee for any text that you send including an emoji

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Michelle,
      Thanks for your comment. This is actually a general problem which applies to all mobile networks – some handsets will automatically convert your SMS message into a MMS picture message when you use an emoji. You should try and turn this off on your phone and then you won’t be charged for using emoji whichever network you’re on 🙂
      If you don’t do this, LIFE Mobile also has a charge for MMS (they’ll charge you 40p per picture message).
      Ken

        • Ken replied:

          Hi Michelle,
          I’d also recommend using an instant messaging app such as WhatsApp. If you’d like to prevent yourself from accidentally running up a large bill for emojis, you can disable MMS by going to Settings > Messages > MMS Messaging and changing the setting to ‘Off’.
          Hope this helps,
          Ken

      • Tania Morris replied:

        Re the problem with charging for picture messages and emojis in texts, try using Whatsapp. Not tried with an emoji but don’t get charged extra for picture messages.

  • Mark said:

    Hi,
    After a lot of research I decided to take the plunge and sign up with Life. That was about a month ago, and I can say that I’ve had absolutely no problems. Switching my number over was done within a day and there was no interruption of service.
    Customer service is excellent, so is the signal and of course the price is amazing 🙂

    Anyone thinking of signing up…..do it !!

  • Lewis said:

    Great budget SIM. My mum got this for me cos i’m a child and so far the Mini Tariff is really good! Reliable texts and call. Fast 3G internet…
    YOU’LL HAVE THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE!
    (Pun inteended)

  • Stephen Shinwell said:

    After 18 years with Orange into the EE takeover..(now owned by BT of course) I finally left and took a punt on LIFE. I had read they were owned by EE and 3G suits my needs. I used the USWITCH exclusive offer of £5.95 for 1GB/1000mins/5000 Texts…and importantly, only tied into a rolling 30 day contract. Switch over was fine, porting number took about 2 days. I’ve phoned LIFE about 4 times. Each call was answered within 20 seconds from their call centre based on the Wirral near Liverpool. They speak English ( well kind of : )) and were friendly and sorted my query each time. How bloody refreshing is that. I’m just starting my 2nd 30 day contract. So from me it is a 100% thumbs up. We all complain on the net about bad service, contracts etc…So credit where it’s due to LIFE mobile. Couple of little things…1/ being in London the wifi link to the underground would be the cherry on the cake as they don’t offer that. There is no USAGE app as of yet to check your usage, but I believe these apps can be very slow with accurate info. You can check usage on your account online and I notice it gets updated within about half a day….and 3/ You have to enter user and password on your account every time..it can’t be saved as far as I can see. Other than that, if 3G is all you require, they have been excellent.

  • Mel said:

    Joined 4 days ago and service has been impeccable. Replies to questions made very quickly and old number ported within 24 hours. Great coverage and quick browsing. Some will experience glitches, but life (no pun) is like that.

  • Jasper Soul said:

    Please stay away from these people. I got a pac code to port my number. They told me it would be done in 48 hours .. They turned the original phone number off 2 days ago now is day 5 still they haven’t done anything I can’t use my phone . There is no customer service and the call handlers are rude. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE.

    • Bob Bennet replied:

      This is certainly not my experience of the Life customer service line.

      Ring them again on the 0800 number in Ken’s article. Then be nice and chatty like you would be if you were ringing your Mum. Explain the problem and they will move mountains in order to resolve the matter.

      If you get stroppy, they’ll just put you to the back of the queue while they deal with some nicer people. (This applies to almost all complaints to any supplier.)

      Bob

    • Jasper replied:

      It is day 6 I have tried to reason with them nobody at the company is competent enough to organise them selves to port the number. OnceI again i advice people to avoid this company. Web site said 1 day to port a number advisor 2 days supervisor said 5 days now it is 6 days. Can’t trust them

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Ps,
      As far as I know, LIFE Mobile customers don’t get access to wi-fi on the underground. On EE, you can only get it through the EE, Orange and T-Mobile brands. You can also get it from O2, Three, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

  • Nigel said:

    A helpful article, thanks.

    One factor that might be sensible to research is whether network operators (virtual or otherwise) will allow people to pay for a temporary boost to their allowances. For example, as I have a good connection at home I don’t use much of my mobile data allowance. However, if there was a problem with my home network it helps to know if I can buy extra mobile data capacity for a short-term need. Life Mobile offers this (albeit only at 3G speeds, of course), and this is one of the factors that means I shall be moving to them. (The other factors include price, roaming, and – in case things turn out wrong – short contract terms so I can escape cheaply.)

  • Tom said:

    Thanks for this article Ken – really helpful.

    Just a heads-up that USwitch are currently offering exclusive deals on Life Mobile – the Value (1GB) and Everyday (3GB) plans are discounted to £6 and £10 respectively which seems like fantastic value…

    • Tania replied:

      Just taken up the Value option via Uswitch after 13 years with Virgin, they couldn’t match it as Virgin no longer give the huge loyalty discounts they used to. Porting my number today and had to ring them once so far, very clear explanation of how it works and no waiting.

  • Alex said:

    Thanks for the article. What is the customer service of Life Mobile like? Are there long waits? Are they quick at sorting out problems?

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Alex! Thanks for your comment. The general feedback I’ve had so far from other readers is the customer service is pretty good at LIFE Mobile (e.g. see here). They have UK-based call centres according to their website. Does anyone here have any further feedback on LIFE Mobile’s customer service they’re able to share?
      Thanks,
      Ken

      • Humera replied:

        Hi, I’ve been with Life Mobile for 3 months now and have rang them quite a few times, there is absolutely no waiting times, just pick an option and you’re straight through to a UK based call centre. I ring them often as its quicker than logging in online to check my account 🙂

      • Bob Bennet replied:

        I’ve been talking to them today, at some length, about trying to get delivery receipts for SMS messages. Instantly through to a chatty adviser, who you can also speak to again if you have cause to ring back. I signed up for the £6 switch deal and my only reservation is the delivery receipts. (I tried the o2 version of *0# before the message but that doesn’t work.)

        One point to clarify, they categorically told me they have no connection to EE other than to use their network. Certainly the EE computer doesn’t recognise my ‘Life’ number, and the EE help number of 150 doesn’t work either. ‘Life’s number is 500.

        • Bob Bennet replied:

          Ownership of ‘Life’ – Correction:
          On the bottom of my initial invoice it says;

          “EE Limited (trading as LIFE Mobile) company registration number 02382161
          Registered Address: 1 Trident Place, Hatfield Business Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 9BW”

          which if it’s not EE is clearly ‘Passing off’ as the lawyers would say.

    • Quin replied:

      Hi Alex,

      I’ve been with them for nearly 2 years. Only had to call them a handful of times during this time including last week and have always been put through to a UK based advisor within seconds. Though this may change as Life Mobile becomes more popular!

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