EE offers Subscription Packs from £10 per month on Pay As You Go. You’ll get 4G coverage with download speeds of up to 25Mbps, Data Rollover & Free Boosts.

In the UK, EE currently offers Subscription Packs from £10 per month. Available on a Pay As You Go basis with no contract and no credit check, the 30-day packs give you 4G coverage from EE and a maximum download speed of 25Mbps. You can also benefit from data rollover, along with a Free Boost every 2 months.

At present, you can get 8GB of data on EE’s £10 Subscription Pack. This increases to 25GB data for £15, 50GB data for £20, and 125GB data for £30.

If you want access to faster download speeds (more than 25Mbps), you’ll need to choose an EE Pay Monthly SIM card instead. Alternatively, there are 5G-ready Pay As You Go deals from Lyca Mobile and 1pMobile – both of which offer 4G & 5G coverage on the EE network.

In this article, we’ll review EE’s Pay As You Go service including the Subscription Pack bundles and how they compare to those available on other networks. We’ll also look at the coverage available and how you can keep your current phone number when you switch to EE.

Plans From: £10 per month
EE Pay As You Go Packs:

EE’s Pay As You Go plans are restricted to 4G coverage (25Mbps max speed).

Key Features:
Lyca Pay As You Go Plans:
(5G coverage from EE)

Lyca Mobile offers 5G coverage from EE, with no contract & no credit check.

EE Pay As You Go Rates: 40p/minute
20p/text
Mobile data requires a pack
Coverage:
  • 99% population coverage on 2G, 3G & 4G (max speed of 25Mbps)
  • 5G coverage is not available on EE Pay As You Go

EE Pay As You Go Plans

In the UK, EE currently offers a range of Pay As You Go plans with no contract and no credit check. You can buy one of their Subscription Pack bundles from £10 for 30 days usage, giving you an inclusive allowance of minutes, texts and mobile data.

If you don’t want to top-up your phone every month, you can also use EE’s Pay As You Go service without buying a pack. Calls will cost 40p/minute and texts will cost 20p each. However, mobile data is only available when you buy a pack. For this reason, you’ll probably be better off getting a different SIM card for low usage.

Monthly Bundles

In the UK, EE currently offers a choice of four Pay As You Go bundles. These are normally referred to as Subscription Packs.

With Subscription Packs, you’ll need to top-up your SIM card every month. Your Pay As You Go credit will then be exchanged automatically for a 30-day allowance of minutes, texts and mobile data.

The following table shows EE’s current Pay As You Go bundles:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
EE500Unlimited8GB£10.00
EEUnlimitedUnlimited25GB£15.00
EEUnlimitedUnlimited50GB£20.00
EEUnlimitedUnlimited125GB£30.00

All four Pay As You Go bundles are restricted to 4G coverage. This means you won’t be able to access EE’s 5G network. In addition, download speeds are capped at a maximum of 25Mbps on EE Pay As You Go. Although this will still allow you to do things like streaming ultra-HD video online, larger downloads such as apps and games may take longer to download.

You can get a 10% discount on your bundle when you take advantage of EE’s Subscribe to Save feature. With this feature, you’ll need to provide EE with your bank card details. You’ll then need to set-up an automatic top-up each month which goes towards the cost of your Subscription Pack plan.

Lyca Mobile Bundles

As an alternative to EE’s Pay As You Go Subscription Packs, consider getting a Pay As You Go bundle from Lyca Mobile instead.

On Lyca Mobile, you’ll get access to 4G and 5G coverage from EE. You’ll also get a lot more data than you would on EE’s Subscription Packs. For instance, Lyca Mobile offers 20GB data for £2.39 per month for 3 months (£7.90 per month thereafter). This compares to £10 per month for just 8GB data on EE’s Pay As You Go service.

The following table shows Lyca Mobile’s best value plans in March 2024, with 4G & 5G coverage from EE:

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

Unlike EE’s Pay As You Go Subscription Packs, there are no download speed restrictions on the Lyca Mobile plans using EE coverage. This means you’re able to access download speeds that are faster than 25Mbps, including super-fast 5G speeds if you have a compatible handset and coverage.

Out Of Bundle Charges

Top Up Logo

If you don’t have an active Subscription Pack on your account, you’ll pay EE’s standard Pay As You Go rates instead.

The following table shows EE’s current Pay As You Go rates:

Calling Rates:
Voice Calls 40p/minute (any network, any time)
Calls to Voicemail 40p/minute
Calls to Special Rate Numbers 44p/minute access charge
+ service charge from the company you’re calling
Messaging Rates:
Text Message (SMS) 20p
Picture Message (MMS) 40p
Internet Rates:
Mobile Data Not available: a pack is required.

If you’re looking for a Pay As You Go plan where you don’t need to top-up every month, there are far better options out there for light users. For instance, 1pMobile offers 4G & 5G coverage from EE. On 1pMobile, you’ll pay just 1p/minute, 1p/text and 1p/MB.

EE Pay As You Go Features

25Mbps Download Speeds

On EE’s Pay As You Go service, the maximum download speed is capped at 25Mbps. This is enough for browsing the web and watching videos online (including in 4K ultra-HD quality). However, larger downloads such as apps and games can take a longer time on your connection. You’re also limited to 4G coverage (it isn’t possible to access 5G).

For comparison, EE’s Pay Monthly customers will get access to both 4G and 5G coverage from EE. There are also faster download speeds available (up to 100Mbps on EE’s Essential plans, and uncapped download speeds on EE’s All Rounder and Full Works plans).

If you’re looking for faster download speeds and 5G coverage from EE on a Pay As You Go basis, consider getting a SIM card from Talk Home Mobile or 1pMobile instead. Both of them offer access to EE’s 5G network, along with lower prices compared to EE’s Pay As You Go service.

Data Rollover

Normally, any unused allowances remaining on your pack will expire at the end of your 30-day bundle. The exception to this is your mobile data allowance which can roll over into the following month if you qualify for data rollover.

To qualify for data rollover, you’ll need to renew your Pay As You Go pack within seven days of the previous pack expiring. Only your core data allowance will be rolled over into the following month’s bundle. Your unused data can only be rolled over for one month and it isn’t possible to roll over your Free Boost allowance.

To give an example, if you have 3GB of unused data on EE’s £10 Subscription Pack, you can roll it over to get 11GB data for £10 the following month (the original 8GB data, plus 3GB of rolled over data). For more information, see the EE website for further details about how data rollover works.

Free Boosts

For every two Subscription Packs you buy, you’ll earn a Free Data Boost (up to a maximum of six Free Boosts).

The Free Boosts will increase your monthly data allowance by 500MB per month (0.5GB per month) for all subsequent purchases.

To give an example, customers on the £10 Subscription Pack start off with 8GB data per month. This will increase to 8.5GB per month after two months, 9GB per month after four months, and so on. You can earn a maximum of six Free Boosts which equates to an extra 3GB data per month. This gives a total of 11GB on the £10 pack once you’ve been an EE Pay As You Go customer for 12 months.

Your Free Boost allowances cannot be rolled over.

How To Buy & Stop Packs

If you’re an existing EE Pay As You Go customer, the easiest way to buy a Pay As You Go pack is through the My EE website or app.

You can also buy a Pay As You Go pack by texting the relevant shortcode to 150 as follows:

Bundle Name Bundle Code
£10 Subscription Pack (with 8GB data) Text PACK10 to 150
£15 Subscription Pack (with 25GB data) Text PACK15 to 150
£20 Subscription Pack (with 50GB data) Text PACK20 to 150
£30 Subscription Pack (with 125GB data) Text PACK30 to 150

You’ll need to make sure you have enough credit remaining on your account before you buy a Pay As You Go pack. If you aren’t sure how much credit you have remaining on your account, you can check your balance by texting BALANCE to 150. This will also tell you the remaining allowances in your current pack.

To see a reminder of the Pay As You Go packs that are available to you, text ALL PACKS to 150.

If you set up monthly card payments with EE, you won’t need to manually purchase your pack every month. Instead, your pack will be purchased automatically every month, with the payment for it taken from your registered credit card or debit card. You’ll also benefit from EE’s 10% Subscribe To Save discount.

If you’d like to stop the automatic renewal of your EE Pay As You Go pack, text STOP PACK to 150. Alternatively, if you’d like to renew your Pay As You Go pack early, text NOW to 150.

Handsets

There are two ways of joining EE’s Pay As You Go service.

If you’d like a new mobile phone, you can buy one from the EE website. At present, you can buy a new Pay As You Go phone for as little as £15, plus a minimum top-up of £10.

If you already have an unlocked mobile phone that you’re happy to use, simply order a free Pay As You Go SIM card from EE’s website.

Coverage

2G, 3G & 4G Coverage

On EE’s Pay As You Go service, you’ll be able to access EE’s 2G, 3G and 4G network. At the time of writing, EE offers 99% population coverage and about 85% geographical coverage on 4G.

Before joining EE’s Pay As You Go service, we’d recommend double-checking the coverage in your area. You can do this by entering your postcode on EE’s website:

Check EE Coverage (ee.co.uk) →

The download speed on EE’s Pay As You Go service is capped at a maximum of 25Mbps. In addition, 5G coverage is not available to EE Pay As You Go customers. For alternative options that give you access to 5G, see our guide to 5G Pay As You Go plans.

If you’re using a compatible smartphone, you’ll get Wi-Fi Calling and 4G Calling on EE Pay As You Go. EE’s WiFi Coverage Boost is also available if you’ve topped up with at least £5 of credit in the past 30 days.

For more information, see our EE network & coverage review.

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).

On EE Pay As You Go, you can use tethering and personal hotspot without any restrictions. This means you can share a mobile broadband connection and your data allowance with other devices.

For frequent users of the tethering or personal hotspot feature, other mobile networks like giffgaff may be worth considering as an alternative to EE. For the same monthly price, giffgaff offers a larger data allowance which will normally be more suitable for sharing with other devices.

International Roaming

On EE’s Pay As You Go service, you’ll be able to use your mobile phone abroad at no extra cost in 48 European destinations. This includes the minutes, texts and data from your plan (up to a maximum of 50GB per month).

In July 2021, EE introduced a £2 daily charge for Pay Monthly customers to use their mobile phone in Europe. This £2 daily charge does not apply to EE Pay As You Go customers.

Outside Europe, it isn’t possible to use your Pay As You Go pack allowances. Instead, you’ll be charged additional fees for using your mobile phone abroad outside Europe. You can check the international roaming rates on the EE website.

Keeping Your Phone Number

If you’re switching from another mobile network to EE’s Pay As You Go service, it’s a straightforward process to keep your current phone number. This can save you the hassle of having to telling everyone a brand new phone number.

Start by ordering your SIM card on the EE website. You’ll need to have your EE SIM card before the number transfer can take place. After you order the SIM card, you can request a PAC Code from your old network.

Once you’ve received the new SIM card from EE, you can head over to this online form. In the form, you’ll be able to submit your PAC Code to EE. Your phone number transfer will then be scheduled, normally for the next working day.

For a step-by-step guide on moving your phone number to EE, please select your current mobile network from the drop down menu below:

PAC Code Finder: Transfer Your Phone Number to EE

Select your current mobile network:

  More Options

Frequently Asked Questions

What bundles & packs are available on EE Pay As You Go?
EE currently offers a choice of four Pay As You Go packs:
  • £10 Subscription Pack: 8GB data, 500 minutes & unlimited texts
  • £15 Subscription Pack: 25GB data, unlimited minutes & unlimited texts
  • £20 Subscription Pack: 50GB data, unlimited minutes & unlimited texts
  • £30 Subscription Pack: 125GB data, unlimited minutes & unlimited texts

In the past, EE also offered a £5 Pay As You Go Pack. However, this has now been withdrawn from sale.

What are the standard Pay As You Go rates on EE?
If you don’t have an active Pay As You Go pack or bundle, you’ll pay EE’s standard Pay As You Go rates of 40p/minute and 20p/text. Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to use 4G mobile data unless you have an active Pay As You Go pack.
What coverage will I get on EE Pay As You Go?
You’ll get 99% population coverage on EE’s 2G, 3G and 4G networks. You can check the availability of coverage in your area by entering your postcode on the EE website. There’s a maximum download speed of 25Mbps on EE’s Pay As You Go service.
Is 5G coverage available on EE Pay As You Go?
Unfortunately, it isn’t currently possible to access 5G coverage on EE’s Pay As You Go service. You’ll need to get an EE Pay Monthly SIM card for access to 5G. Alternatively, Talk Home Mobile and 1pMobile offer Pay As You Go plans with 5G coverage from EE.
Can I keep my current phone number?
Yes. It’s easy keeping your current phone number. Simply ask your current mobile network to provide you with a PAC Code. This can be obtained through your mobile network’s website or app, or by texting PAC to 65075. You should then provide the PAC Code to EE after you order your new Pay As You Go plan.

More Information

For more information about EE’s Pay As You Go service, please see the official EE website.

Your Comments 94 so far

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. So far, we've received 94 comments from readers. You can add your own comment here.

  • Hi Ken, I am a light user of a EE PAYG sim card. In order to keep the card “active”, I must use it once in a while. Recently, I can only make a call (a charge of 35p a minute), but strangely I can’t send out a text (15 p per message). Is that correct that I must now buy a pack in order to text? Or, the failure of texting is due to a technical issue?

    Thanks.

    Louis

    • Hi Louis,
      Thanks for your comment. As far as I know, it should still be possible to send text messages without having a pack. It might be worth double checking the SMS text messaging centre settings on your phone – more info here.
      Ken

  • Agreeing with Ten Yen’s observations here. After topping up the minimum of £5 and texting TALK01, I got a reply saying “just so you know, you’re currently on one of our older packs that aren’t available to buy anymore…” I definitely wasn’t informed before and why on earth would I have gotten the “you need £1 credit for you next £1 Talk Pack” prompt this morning if you stopped offering this? There’s no mention anywhere online that this was discontinued either. I am not happy.

  • Coincidental update? Or has EE silently (at least to my 3xSims on Talk01 (and previously dp1) dropped their 1ukp offering…. anyone else been left in the lurch by this un-announced change?

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