SMARTY Mobile offers low-cost SIM cards such as 2GB data for £5, 12GB data for £8 and unlimited data for £16.

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

SMARTY’s latest price plans claim to give you “all the data you need for less”. For instance, you can get a SMARTY SIM card with 2GB data for £5/month, with 12GB data for £8/month or with 30GB data for £10/month. For heavy users, there’s also 50GB data for £15/month and unlimited data for £16/month.

See all SMARTY Mobile Offers →

In this article, we’ll review the SMARTY mobile network, including their latest SIM-only plans and the offers that are available on SMARTY. We’ll also compare SMARTY’s price plans to those available on other mobile networks like giffgaff. 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 currently offers SIM-only deals from £5 per month. Claiming to give you ‘all the data you need for less’, the plans range from 2GB of data for £5/month up to fully unlimited data for £16/month (this is normally £20/month but is discounted to £16/month when you order through this link).

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

2GB Data: £5 per month
(hidden deal)
4GB Data: £6 per month
8GB Data: £7 per month
12GB Data: £8 per month
30GB Data: £10 per month
50GB Data: £15 per month
Unlimited Data: £16 per month
(exclusive deal, reduced from £20)
Calls & Texts: Unlimited minutes and texts on all plans
Contract Length: 1-month rolling plan (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.

2GB Plan

SMARTY’s cheapest price plan is their hidden 2GB data plan which costs £5 per month. It gives you unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 2GB of data with no contract or credit check.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited2GB£5.00

You won’t find this plan when you buy directly on SMARTY’s website – you’ll need to buy it through this link instead. If you go directly to SMARTY’s website, the cheapest plan you’ll find is 4GB data for £6.

4GB Plan

SMARTY’s 4GB data plan launched in March 2021. Costing just £6 per month, the plan includes enough data for the average smartphone owner in the UK (in 2019, the average UK consumer used around 3GB of mobile data each month). You’ll also get unlimited minutes and unlimited texts included with no credit check.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited4GB£6.00

Prior to March 2021, SMARTY offered a £6 per month data discount plan with 1GB of data.

8GB Plan

For £7 per month, you can get 8GB of data per month on SMARTY.

The 8GB data plan is available without the need for a contract or credit check. You’ll also get inclusive minutes and texts as on SMARTY’s other price plans.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited8GB£7.00

Prior to March 2021, SMARTY offered a £7/month data discount plan with 2GB data.

12GB Plan

SMARTY’s 12GB data plan is available for £8 per month. The 12GB plan is a cheaper alternative to the 30GB data plan which has historically been very popular on SMARTY.

The 12GB plan is available on a one-month rolling basis with no contract and no credit check, and you’ll get unlimited minutes and unlimited texts included with it.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited12GB£8.00

Prior to March 2021, SMARTY offered a £8 per month data discount plan with 3GB of data.

30GB Plan

Historically, SMARTY’s 30GB data plan has been one of their most popular options. Costing just £10 per month, you’ll get a lot more data than you’d normally get for the same price on other mobile networks.

On the 30GB plan, you’ll also get 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.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£10.00

For comparison, giffgaff only offers 9GB of data for the same price on their £10 golden goodybag.

50GB Plan

SMARTY’s £15 plan comes with 50GB of data per month.

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

The 50GB data plan is just £1 per month less than the unlimited data plan so you may find it worthwhile upgrading to get the extra peace of mind.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited50GB£15.00

Unlimited Plan

As a special offer for June 2021, SMARTY is offering their unlimited data plan for £16 per month with no contract. This is reduced from the normal price of £20 per month and is only available at the discounted price when you order through this link. It’ll be priced at £20 per month if you go directly to SMARTY’s website.

SMARTY’s unlimited data plan gives you unlimited 4G data with no speed restrictions or hidden fair usage limits. 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£16.00

In the past, there was a fair usage limit of 1,000GB per month which was used to identify non-permitted commercial usage of the service. This fair usage limit is no longer in place for SMARTY customers. However, if 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.

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 mobile data at up to 4G speeds.

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
4GB Plan £6/month £5.40/month
8GB Plan £7/month £6.30/month
12GB Plan £8/month £7.20/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 data plan and another person has the unlimited data plan, you’d pay a total of £27/month (£9 for the 30GB plan plus £18 for the unlimited plan).

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

Comparison to Alternatives

£5 per month plans

For £5 per month, SMARTY offers a hidden price plan on their network with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 2GB data. This can be upgraded to 4GB of data for £6 per month and to 8GB of data for £7 per month.

Around the same price point, you’ll normally get a smaller allowance of data on other networks. However, it can be worth considering a Vodafone Basics plan if you want 4G coverage from a big-name network. Alternatively, Three also has some very good SIM-only deals which will give you access to 5G coverage on their network.

The following table shows comparable SIM-only deals:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited2GB£5.00
1 month
Three200Unlimited2GB£5.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited4GB£6.00
12 months
iD MobileUnlimitedUnlimited4GB£6.00
1 month
TalkmobileUnlimitedUnlimited3GB£7.00
1 month
giffgaffUnlimitedUnlimited3GB£8.00
1 month

£10 per month plans

For £10 per month, you can get SMARTY’s 30GB SIM-only plan. Compared to other mobile networks like giffgaff, it’s a much larger allowance of data for the same price. You’ll also get it on a one-month rolling basis, giving you lots more flexibility compared to plans on other networks.

The following table shows a list of comparable SIM cards at this price point:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£10.00
1 month
iD MobileUnlimitedUnlimited30GB£10.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£10.00
12 months
Plusnet MobileUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£10.00
1 month
TalkmobileUnlimitedUnlimited15GB£10.00
12 months
giffgaffUnlimitedUnlimited9GB£10.00
1 month
VOXIUnlimitedUnlimited8GB£10.00
1 month
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited8GB£10.00
6 months half price
24 months

£15 per month plans

For £15 per month, SMARTY offers a 50GB SIM-only plan. This gives you unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 50GB of data on a one-month rolling basis.

The following table compares SMARTY’s £15 plan to what is available on other networks:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
iD MobileUnlimitedUnlimited100GB£15.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimited100GB£15.00
12 months
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimited50GB£15.00
1 month
TalkmobileUnlimitedUnlimited50GB£15.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited60GB£18.00
24 months

£20 per month plans

SMARTY has a £16 unlimited data plan 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£16.00
1 month
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£16.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£20.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£23.00
24 months
giffgaffUnlimitedUnlimitedAlways-On£25.00
1 month
Lebara MobileUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£25.00
£15 for 3 months
1 month
Virgin MobileUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£25.00
24 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£25.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£25.00
24 months
Tesco MobileUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£27.50
18 months
VOXIUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£35.00
1 month
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 same coverage as customers 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 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 experience limited functionality when using a SMARTY SIM card in some dual-SIM phones where the second SIM card slot is restricted to 2G.

On SMARTY, you can now access 4G Calling and Wi-Fi Calling as long as you have a compatible mobile phone.

For more information, see our guide to SMARTY’s mobile network coverage.

5G Coverage

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

If you have a 5G-ready phone and would like a 5G SIM-ready SIM card, 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 Live194 towns and cities are live on Three 5G (June 2021)
Aberdeen, Abingdon-on-Thames, Adlington, Aldershot, Aldridge, Ashford, Balloch, Barnsley, Barrow-in-Furness, Basildon, Bath, Bedford, Belfast, Belfast Airport, Billericay, Billingham, Birdwell, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Bishopthorpe, Blackburn, Blackpool, Borehamwood, Bournemouth, Bradford, Brentwood, Brighton, Brimington, Bristol, Bromsgrove, Brookmans Park, Broughton Astley, Burton upon Trent, Campton, Cannock, Cardiff, Carlisle, Castlereagh, Chatham, Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Chesham, Chorley, Christleton, Clayton-le-Woods, Clifton, Coedkernew, Colchester, Copmanthorpe, Corringham, Coventry, Crawley, Crook, Cullingworth, Danderhall, Delph, Denholme, Derby, Dewsbury, Dinnington, Doncaster, Dundee, East Kilbride, East Midlands Airport, Edinburgh, Egginton, Ellesmere Port, Exmouth, Falkirk, Gateshead, Glasgow, Gorebridge, Grays, Greenock, Grimsby, Guildford, Hamilton, Hartley, Hatfield, Heanor, Heathcote, Hedge End, Hemel Hempstead, Hertford, Heswall, Heywood, Horley, Horwich, Huddersfield, Hull, Huntingdon, Inchinnan, Ingleby Barwick, Ipswich, Irlam, Isle of Grain, Iver, Kings Hill, Kings Langley, Kinmel Bay, Kirkheaton, Kirknewton, Knowl Wall, Leeds, Leicester, Leyland, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Loughborough, Lower Stondon, Luton, Maidenhead, Maidstone, Manchester, Mansfield, Margate, Marlow Bottom, Marston Moretaine, Merthyr Tydfil, Middlesbrough, Milnrow, Milton Keynes, Motherwell, Neston, Newark-on-Trent, Newcastle, Newhall, Newport, Newquay, Newton Aycliffe, Newton-le-Willows, Newtownabbey, Normanton, Northampton, Nottingham, Nuneaton, Ottershaw, Oxford, Peterborough, Plymouth, Pontefract, Porthcawl, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Redcar, Redditch, Royston Yorkshire, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Shelly Green, Shrewsbury, Slough, South Heighton, South Kirkby, South Normanton, South Ockendon, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, Southport, St Albans, St Blazey, St Columb Road, Stafford, Stansted Airport, Stevenage, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent, Stratford-upon-Avon, Sunderland, Sunninghill, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Swadlincote, Swindon, Swinton, Tamworth, Telford, Thornaby-on-Tees, Ullesthorpe, Wakefield, Wallingford, Walton-on-Thames, Warrington, Washington, Westhoughton, Weybridge, Wickford, Wigan, Winterbourne, Worcester, Worksop, Writtle, York

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.

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.

If you’re travelling outside Europe, you’ll be required 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.

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. This will allow you to test out SMARTY’s service before you move 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 the following seven SIM-only deals for your mobile phone:
  • £5 plan: 2GB data, unlimited minutes & unlimited texts.
  • £6 plan: 4GB data, unlimited minutes & unlimited texts.
  • £7 plan: 8GB data, unlimited minutes & unlimited texts.
  • £8 plan: 12GB data, unlimited minutes & unlimited texts.
  • £10 plan: 30GB data, unlimited minutes & unlimited texts.
  • £15 plan: 50GB data, unlimited minutes & unlimited texts (reduced from £15).
  • £16 plan: Unlimited data, unlimited minutes & unlimited texts (exclusive deal, reduced from £20).
Is it possible to get unlimited data on SMARTY?
Yes. SMARTY offers unlimited data for £16/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.
What are data discount plans on SMARTY?
Prior to March 2021, SMARTY offered a range of data discount plans on their mobile network (e.g. 1GB data for £6/month, 2GB data for £7/month and 3GB data for £8/month). You’d get a discount on the following month’s bill at the rate of £1 per GB for any data that you don’t use.

Nowadays, SMARTY’s newer price plans offer much better value. This is even without the data discount feature. For instance, you can get 2GB data for £5/month or 4GB data for £6/month on the new plans.
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 12GB 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 offer any 5G coverage at present. 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 current 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 given to SMARTY once you’ve activated your SIM card.

More Information

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

Your Comments 135 so far

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. So far, we've received 135 comments from readers. You can add your own comment here.

  • Sean said:

    Just to let you know, it looks as if Vodafone has amended some of the deals in your tables and reduced them considerably:

    £5 per month plans
    – the Vodafone £6 per month link takes you to an offer that’s for 500MB, not 4GB

    £10 per month plans
    – the Vodafone £10 per month link goes to an offer for 3GB, not 14GB

    £15 per month plans
    – the Vodafone £15 per month link goes to a 25GB plan, not 30GB

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Sean,
      Thanks for this! Unfortunately, Vodafone’s checkout flow is rather confusing. Take the £6 plan for instance – that used to have a base amount of 500MB data. However, they offer three inclusive data add-ons with it (2GB + 500MB + 1GB = 3.5GB) to give a total of 4GB data per month. These add-ons are only listed when you scroll down to the bottom of the page.
      Ken

      • Sean replied:

        Ah, my mistake and my apologies. I’m surprised Vodafone would make it as confusing as that, since it makes their offer appear less generous than it really is to the casual shopper who is quickly scanning for the best deals.

        • Ken replied:

          Hi Sean,
          Agreed – it’s very confusing! That’s tripped me up on quite a few times as well. I’ll feed back the confusing checkout page to them so they can hopefully make it clearer in the future.
          Thanks again,
          Ken

  • PaulD said:

    I changed to Smarty’s unlimited plan when it was on offer at £15 per month. I have a message from Smarty’s customer service confirming this. Yet for the past two months, they have incorrectly renewed this package at £20 per month. I opened my first account with them within their first three weeks of operation and there has been a very noticeable decline in their interest in providing decent customer service. They’ve lost me as a customer.

  • 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.

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