SMARTY Mobile offers low-cost SIM cards such as 30GB data for £10, 50GB data for £12 and unlimited data for £15.

In the UK, SMARTY is a low-cost mobile network, offering SIM-only deals with 4G coverage from Three.

The most popular SIM card plans on SMARTY claim to give you “all the data you need for less”. For Black Friday 2020, SMARTY is offering 50GB data for £12/month (20% off the normal price) and unlimited data for £15/month (25% off the normal price).

You can also get 30GB data for £10/month or you can choose from a range of data discount plans from £6/month.

See all SMARTY Mobile Offers →

In this article, we’ll review the SMARTY mobile network, including their SIM-only plans and Black Friday 2020 offers. We’ll then compare SMARTY’s plans to those available on other mobile networks including giffgaff and VOXI. Finally, we’ll look at the coverage you can expect on SMARTY and how you can keep your current phone number when moving to the network.

SMARTY SIM Only Plans

In the UK, SMARTY Mobile offers two types of SIM-only plan:

  • SIM cards with ‘all the data you need for less’ (from £10/month): The most popular SIM cards on SMARTY start from £10/month and give you significantly more data than what is available on other networks. For instance, you’ll currently get 30GB data for £10/month, 50GB data for £12/month or unlimited data for £15/month.
  • SIM cards with a ‘data discount’ (from £6/month): If you’re a light mobile user, SMARTY offers data discount plans from £6/month. On these plans, you’ll get money back for data that you don’t use at a rate of £1 per gigabyte (GB).

The following table shows a summary of these plans from SMARTY Mobile:

30GB Data: £10 per month
50GB Data: £12 per month
(20% off for Black Friday, was £15)
Unlimited Data: £15 per month
(25% off for Black Friday, was £20)
Data Discount: From £6 per month
(with £1 per GB unused data discount)
Contract Length: 1-month rolling (no credit check)
Network Coverage: 99% coverage from Three (3G & 4G)

You can see all of the latest plans and offers on the SMARTY website.

30GB Plan

SMARTY’s £10 plan comes with 30GB of data per month along with unlimited UK minutes and unlimited UK texts. It’s available on a 1-month rolling basis with no credit check required, and with 3G & 4G speeds on the Three network.

At the £10 per month price point, SMARTY’s 30GB plan stands out from other networks in giving you much more data or the same price. On other networks, the most you’re normally able to get for £10 is 15GB of data (12GB if you want a one-month rolling plan). For instance, giffgaff only offers 9GB of data for the same price on their £10 golden goodybag.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£10.00

50GB Plan

For Black Friday 2020, SMARTY has discounted their 50GB plan to £12 per month (a discount of £3 per month from the normal price of £15 per month). This discount is available for customers who sign up for the plan before the 8th December 2020.

As before, you’ll get unlimited UK minutes and unlimited UK texts included on SMARTY’s 50GB plan. You can also get it on a one-month rolling basis with no credit check required.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited50GB£12.00

Unlimited Plan

At present, SMARTY’s unlimited data plan costs £15 per month (discounted from the normal price of £20 per month). This offer is for Black Friday 2020 and is available for customers who sign up before the 1st December 2020.

SMARTY’s unlimited data plan gives you unlimited 4G data with no speed restrictions and a fair use policy of 1,000GB per month. Because it’s the cheapest way of getting unlimited data on a one-month rolling plan, this tends to be a popular choice for heavy smartphone users. You can also use it as an unlimited data SIM card in other devices like your tablet, mobile broadband dongle or 4G home broadband router.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£15.00

On SMARTY, there’s a fair use limit of 1,000GB per month inside the UK. In addition, when you’re travelling abroad to one of 35 European destinations, you’ll only be able to use up to 20GB of data abroad at no extra cost each month.

Data Discount Plans

For customers not needing as much data each month, SMARTY also offers Data Discount plans from £6/month.

On Data Discount plans, you’ll still get unlimited UK minutes and unlimited UK texts. The inclusive data allowance, however, is much smaller: between 1GB per month on the £6 plan and 4GB per month on the £9 plan.

The twist with Data Discount plans is you’ll get money back for data that you don’t use. This is a discount on the following month’s plan, and it’s calculated at the rate of £1 per gigabyte. For instance, if you have the 2GB plan costing £7/month and you only use 0.8GB of data, the following month’s plan will be discounted to £5.80 (as you’ll get a discount of 1.2GB x £1 = £1.20 for data you didn’t use).

The following Data Discount plans are currently available from SMARTY Mobile:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited1GB£6.00
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited2GB£7.00
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited3GB£8.00
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited4GB£9.00

The unused data discount is calculated based on the number of megabytes you have remaining unused at the end of each month (1MB = 0.001GB). This means you’ll get a discount for the exact amount of data that you have unused.

In general, you’ll be better off using one of SMARTY’s newer price plans if you normally use more than 5GB of data per month. If you’re a light user needing less than 5GB of data per month, the data discount plans will allow you to benefit from a lower monthly price.

Pay As You Go Rates

All of SMARTY’s price plans include unlimited UK minutes and unlimited UK texts. You’ll also get an inclusive allowance of 4G data (between 1GB per month and fully unlimited data).

For anything else that’s not included in your SMARTY plan allowance, you’ll need to top-up your SMARTY account with a cash add-on. This add-on can then be used to pay for your out-of-plan usage:

Calling Rates:
Calls to UK landline & mobile Included with base plan
Calls to Voicemail Included with base plan
Calls to International Numbers 3p/minute to £2/minute
Calls to Special Rate Numbers 3p/minute access charge
+ service charge from the company you’re calling
Messaging Rates:
Text Message (SMS) Included with base plan
Picture Message (MMS) Included with base plan
Data Rates:
Mobile Data £1/GB

Prior to the 4th February 2020, SMARTY charged £1.25/GB for additional mobile data. This was reduced to £1/GB on the 4th February 2020.

It isn’t possible to use SMARTY on a purely Pay As You Go basis. This is because you’ll need to maintain an active plan at all times to be able to make and receive phone calls on your SIM card.

SMARTY Group Plans

You can get a 10% discount on all of SMARTY’s price plans by setting up a Group plan. There needs to be at least 2 SIM cards to create a group on SMARTY. Each person on the plan continues to have their own individual data allowance but all payments will be made from one account. You’ll also be able to manage all of the SIM cards from one login.

You can have up to 8 members in your SMARTY Group, which can include friends, family members or additional SIM cards for yourself (e.g. a data SIM for your tablet, dongle or router). It’s possible to start a Group as long as you’re aged 18 or over and as long as you’re happy to pay for all of the plans.

SMARTY Plan Standard Price Group Plan Price
1GB Data Discount Plan £6/month £5.40/month
2GB Data Discount Plan £7/month £6.30/month
3GB Data Discount Plan £8/month £7.20/month
4GB Data Discount Plan £9/month £8.10/month
30GB Plan £10/month £9/month
50GB Plan £15/month £13.50/month
Unlimited Plan £20/month £18/month

Each member of your group can choose a different price plan. For instance, if one person has the 30GB plan and another person has the unlimited plan, you’d pay a total of £27/month (£9 for the 30GB plan plus £18 for the unlimited plan).

If you’ve chosen a Data Discount plan, the 10% group plan discount is applied after the Unused Data Discount. For instance, in the scenario for a customer using 0.8GB of data, you’d normally pay £5.80/month. This would be discounted by 10% to £5.22 per month.

For more information, see the page about Group Plans on SMARTY’s website.

Comparison to Alternatives

£5 per month plans

In the £5 to £9 price range, SMARTY offers a choice of four data discount plans (1GB for £6, 2GB for £7, 3GB for £8 and 4GB for £9). All four plans come with unlimited minutes and texts, plus a discount for unused data at the rate of £1 per GB.

The data discount plans provide reasonable value for lighter mobile users, but there are some cheaper alternatives available elsewhere. This is particularly the case if you’re willing to sign up for a longer contract (e.g. some of the 12-month contracts in this price range offer more data for a lower monthly price):

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
TalkmobileUnlimitedUnlimited1GB£5.00
1 month
iD MobileUnlimitedUnlimited1GB£5.00
1 month
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited1GB£5.00
24 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited1GB£5.00
12 months
Three600Unlimited1GB£5.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited4GB£6.00
12 months
iD MobileUnlimitedUnlimited3GB£6.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited3GB£6.00
12 months
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited1GB£6.00
1 month
giffgaffUnlimitedUnlimited500MB£6.00
1 month
iD MobileUnlimitedUnlimited6GB£7.00
1 month
TalkmobileUnlimitedUnlimited3GB£7.00
1 month
TalkmobileUnlimitedUnlimited3GB£7.00
12 months
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited2GB£7.00
1 month
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£8.00
12 months
iD MobileUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£8.00
1 month
TalkmobileUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£8.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited10GB£8.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited8GB£8.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited8GB£8.00
12 months
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited3GB£8.00
1 month
giffgaffUnlimitedUnlimited2GB£8.00
1 month
To show you the most relevant plans, 15 similar but more expensive plans have been hidden. .

£10 per month plans

SMARTY offers a 30GB SIM-only plan at the £10 per month price point. This gives you a much larger data allowance than what is available on other mobile networks. It’s also available on a 1-month rolling basis, so gives you a lot more flexibility than on other networks:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£10.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£10.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited10GB£10.00
18 months
giffgaffUnlimitedUnlimited9GB£10.00
1 month
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited8GB£10.00
12 months
VOXIUnlimitedUnlimited6GB£10.00
1 month
TalkmobileUnlimitedUnlimited6GB£10.00
1 month
iD MobileUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£12.00
1 month
EEUnlimitedUnlimited250MB£13.00
12 months

£15 per month plans

SMARTY’s 50GB plan costs £12 per month (normally £15 per month without the Black Friday 2020 offer).

At this price point, SMARTY continues to offer the largest data allowance, beating the alternatives available from giffgaff and VOXI. It also beats the SIM-only offering on other major mobile networks, which tend to offer less data and on a longer contract.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited50GB£12.00
1 month
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£12.00
12 months
iD MobileUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£12.00
1 month
TalkmobileUnlimitedUnlimited15GB£12.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited15GB£12.00
18 months
VOXIUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£12.00
1 month
giffgaffUnlimitedUnlimited10GB£12.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited1GB£12.00
12 months
EEUnlimitedUnlimited250MB£13.00
12 months

£20 per month plans

SMARTY has a £15 unlimited data plan (normally £20 per month) giving you unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited data.

The following table compares SMARTY’s unlimited data plan to what is available on rival mobile networks:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£15.00
1 month
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£16.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£20.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£22.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£23.00
24 months
giffgaffUnlimitedUnlimitedAlways-On£25.00
1 month
VOXIUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£30.00
1 month
O2UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£33.00
18 months
EEUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£37.00
24 months

For more information, see our full guide to unlimited data plans in the UK.

Handsets

SMARTY is a SIM-only mobile network, so you’ll need to provide your own unlocked phone to use with the service. You can use any compatible 3G or 4G smartphone, including your existing mobile phone or one that you’ve purchased SIM-free.

If you’re planning to use your existing smartphone, it might be necessary for you to first unlock it before using it on SMARTY. For more information, see our step-by-step guides to unlocking an iPhone and unlocking a Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

If you’re looking to buy a new unlocked smartphone, there are a number of online retailers where you can buy a SIM-free smartphone.

Network & Coverage

3G & 4G Coverage from Three

Smarty Coverage Map

SMARTY is a low-cost sub-brand of Three. As Three provides the underlying coverage for SMARTY, customers will receive the exact same coverage they would on Three.

At the time of writing, SMARTY offers 98.7% population coverage on 3G and 99.8% population coverage on 4G. You can check the coverage in your area by entering your postcode on SMARTY’s online coverage map:

Check SMARTY Coverage Map (smarty.co.uk) →

Like Three and the other mobile networks that use coverage from Three, SMARTY doesn’t provide any 2G coverage. This means a SMARTY SIM card won’t work in a 2G-only phone. You may also have limited functionality when using a SMARTY SIM card in some dual-SIM phones where the second SIM card slot is restricted to 2G.

Wi-Fi Calling and 4G Calling aren’t currently available to customers on SMARTY. However, SMARTY have said on their website that Wi-Fi Calling will be launching soon.

For more information, see our in-depth guide to the coverage on SMARTY.

5G Coverage

At present, 5G coverage isn’t available to customers on SMARTY. They’ve said that 5G will be launching soon but the current focus is on upgrading 3G and 4G coverage.

If you have a 5G-ready phone and would like a 5G SIM-only deal, consider getting a SIM card from Three instead.

On Three, you’ll get access to 5G at no extra cost, with 5G coverage available in all of the following towns and cities:

Now Live68 towns and cities are live on Three 5G (November 2020)
Aberdeen, Abingdon-on-Thames, Aldershot, Aldridge, Balloch, Barrow-in-Furness, Basildon, Bath, Bedford, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Blackpool, Borehamwood, Bradford, Brighton, Brookmans Park, Cannock, Cardiff, Chatham, Clayton-le-Woods, Coventry, Crawley, Cullingworth, Derby, Doncaster, Dundee, Glasgow, Gorebridge, Grays, Grimsby, Guildford, Heanor, Hedge End, Hemel Hempstead, Huddersfield, Inchinnan, Ipswich, Leeds, Leicester, Leyland, Liverpool, London, Lower Stondon, Luton, Maidstone, Manchester, Mansfield, Motherwell, Neston, Newquay, Nottingham, Nuneaton, Peterborough, Plymouth, Preston, Reading, Redcar, Royston, Sheffield, Slough, St Albans, Stevenage, Swadlincote, Swindon, Telford, Westhoughton, Wickford, Wigan

For more information, see our guide to 5G coverage in the UK.

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 useful for getting a mobile broadband connection on the go: for instance, sending e-mails on your laptop or watching YouTube videos on your tablet.

SMARTY allows the use of both tethering and portable hotspot. This is confirmed in the SMARTY help centre:

You’re entitled to use your data however you like, no matter which of the SMARTY plans you’re on, so you can tether and use your phone as a mobile hot spot with your full allowance if you want to.

The only exception to this is the Unlimited plan and if you’re roaming outside of the UK, where you’ll be limited to 20GB.

You can also use your SMARTY SIM card inside a data-only device such as your tablet, mobile broadband dongle and 4G broadband router. This is confirmed on SMARTY’s website.

International Roaming

On SMARTY, it’s possible to use your mobile phone abroad through international roaming.

Within Europe, you can use your SMARTY plan allowances at no extra cost. However, on price plans with more than 20GB of data, European roaming is capped at a maximum of 20GB per month.

Outside of Europe, you’ll need to top-up your account with a cash add-on before you depart. You’ll then pay SMARTY’s international roaming rates.

Between September 2017 and July 2018, international roaming was not available to customers on SMARTY. If you joined the SMARTY network before July 2018, you’ll need to make a change to your mobile phone settings to use your SIM card abroad.

Keeping Your Phone Number

If you’d like to keep your current phone number when moving to SMARTY, it’s a straightforward process to transfer it from your old mobile network.

To do so, start off by ordering a SIM card from SMARTY.

Once you’ve done this, ask your old network to provide you with a PAC Code. This can be obtained through your old mobile network’s website or app, or by texting PAC to 65075. Once you’ve done this, you’ll normally receive your PAC Code within 60 seconds of your request.

When your new SIM card from SMARTY arrives in the post, pop it inside your mobile phone and activate the service. To start with, it will come with a temporary phone number assigned to it, allowing you to test out SMARTY’s service before moving your phone number over.

Once you’re happy to continue, you can log in to your SMARTY account dashboard to provide your PAC Code and to have your phone number moved over.

For step-by-step instructions on how to move your phone number to SMARTY Mobile, please select your current network from the drop-down menu below:

PAC Code Finder: Transfer Your Phone Number to Smarty

Select your current mobile network:

  More Options

For more information about transferring your phone number between networks, see our guide to using a PAC Code.

Frequently Asked Questions

What SIM-only deals are currently available from SMARTY Mobile?
SMARTY currently offers a choice of seven SIM-only deals. Their most popular SIM cards claim to give you “all the data you need for less”. You can get 30GB of data for £10/month, 50GB of data for £12/month or unlimited data for £15/month. Alternatively, you can get one of SMARTY’s data discount plans from £6/month.
What’s the difference between SMARTY’s new plans and their old data discount plans?
On SMARTY’s latest price plans, you’ll get a lot more data for your money (e.g. 30GB data for £10). On the older data discount plans, you’ll get a smaller allowance of data (e.g. 4GB data for £9). You will, however, get a discount for unused data at the rate of £1 per gigabyte. Typically, you’ll be better off choosing one of the newer price plans if you use more than 5GB of data per month.
Is it possible to get unlimited data on SMARTY?
Yes. SMARTY offers unlimited data for £15/month. It’s available on a one-month rolling basis with no credit check required. You’ll also get unlimited minutes and unlimited texts included in the price.
How does SMARTY compare to giffgaff and VOXI?
On SMARTY, you’ll get a lot more data than you would on giffgaff or VOXI. For instance, you can get 30GB of data for £10/month on SMARTY. This compares to 9GB of data on giffgaff and 6GB of data on VOXI. SMARTY uses coverage from Three, whereas giffgaff uses coverage from O2 and VOXI uses coverage from Vodafone.
What coverage will I get on SMARTY?
On SMARTY, you’ll get 3G & 4G coverage from Three. This covers around 99.8% of the UK population, but it’s worth checking the coverage in your area on SMARTY’s website.
Does SMARTY offer 5G coverage?
No. SMARTY doesn’t currently offer any 5G coverage. According to their website, they’re currently focussed on upgrading their 3G and 4G services. If you need access to 5G, consider getting a SIM-only deal from Three instead.
Can I keep my current phone number?
Yes. It’s a straightforward process to keep your current phone number. Ask your existing mobile network to provide you with a PAC Code. You can get one free of charge through your mobile network’s app or website, or by texting PAC to 65075. This PAC Code should be provided to SMARTY once you’ve activated your SIM card.

More Information

For more information, please see the official SMARTY Mobile website.

Your Comments 130 so far

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. So far, we've received 130 comments from readers. You can add your own comment here.

  • Christopher Pugh said:

    Hi Ken, I joined Smarty in September. I bought a SIM card and top-up at a Paypoint because I don’t like using my payment card over the internet. Setting up my account and 30GB data plan was easy and I have found the network performance satisfactory and consistent. I topped up again at a Paypoint to renew my plan when it expired. I received a reminder email telling me to go to my dashboard to renew. Doing so did not allow me to do this. A message said “Just crunching the numbers. Hang tight”. I reported this on web chat. I was told that, although I had a cash balance, I would need to register a payment card before I could use my credit balance. I stated the Smarty terms and my dissatisfaction. Later, my dashboard allowed me to use my credit balance, without registering a card. The webchat team apologised for the incorrect information given. I felt that they were genuinely keen to help. Despite this problem, I think that Smarty gives very good value for money. I do not regret choosing them.

    I also bought a Huawei B311-221 router, which you have reviewed in the past. I have found this reasonably priced device very satisfactory for my needs.

  • Jack P said:

    I use SMARTY for a few years and I’m super satisfied, mainly because I have unlimited calls and the same Data limit in all EU countries.

    I ordered SIM and got it after 2 days. It works perfectly. Coverage and Internet speed is really fine. I’ve been using it in many European countries – no problem with roaming and internet.

  • Charlotte said:

    I’m starting my Daughter on a £10 / month rolling PAYG, how do I make it so she can’t go above the allowance which is 30Gb of data? Is she able to exceed it?

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Charlotte,
      Thanks for your comment. SMARTY works on a prepaid basis so she won’t be able to go over the 30GB allowance unless you add a cash add-on to pay for extra data. For that reason, there’s no possibility of running up unexpected charges.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

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