Tesco Mobile offers 30-day ‘Pay as you go Essentials’ plans with no contract & no need for a credit check.

With Tesco Mobile’s new ‘Pay as you go Essentials’ plan, you can use your mobile phone with no contract & no need for a credit check. Plans start from just £5 for a 30-day bundle of data, minutes and texts. You’ll get 99% UK coverage, and inclusive EU roaming on your plan.

As a special offer for Christmas 2025, you can get £5 of Clubcard points when you sign up on Tesco’s 25GB Pay as you go Essentials plan. It’s the perfect choice for festive gifting as there’s no need to take out a contract in your own name, and you’ll get £5 back to spend on your groceries in the new year.

In this article, we’ll review Tesco Mobile’s Pay As You Go service, including all of the deals available and what’s included on each one. We’ll also look at the features included, and how you can keep your current phone number when you move to Tesco Mobile.

What is Pay as you Go Essentials?

In the UK, Tesco Mobile has launched their new range of ‘Pay as you go Essentials’ plans.

Starting from just £5, these are designed to be simple 30-day bundles that will allow you to use your mobile phone with no contract and with no need for a credit check.

Network Data Monthly Cost
Tesco Mobile
  • O2 coverage
  • 500 mins
  • 500 texts
500MB
data
£5.00
per month
No contract
See deal  
Tesco Mobile
  • O2 coverage
  • Unlimited mins
  • Unlimited texts
10GB
data
£10.00
per month
No contract
See deal  
Tesco Mobile
  • O2 coverage
  • Unlimited mins
  • Unlimited texts
25GB
data
£15.00
per month
£5 reward card
No contract
See deal  
Tesco Mobile
  • O2 coverage
  • Unlimited mins
  • Unlimited texts
50GB
data
£20.00
per month
No contract
See deal  
Tesco Mobile
  • O2 coverage
  • Unlimited mins
  • Unlimited texts
100GB
data
£30.00
per month
No contract
See deal  

Each plan lasts for 30 days, and can be set to renew automatically so you don’t need to remember to do it yourself. However, there’s no obligation to keep renewing – you can change or cancel your plan whenever you like.

What are the benefits?

  • There’s no contract. Because there’s no need to sign up for a contract, it’s perfect for gifting this Christmas (e.g. if you’re buying a phone for your friends or your kids). All of the plans are flexible so can easily pause, change or cancel your plan at any time.
  • There’s no credit check. It’s easy to sign up for these plans, without the need to provide lots of detailed information. You can easily top-up your SIM with any debit card or credit card to get started.
  • You’ll get 99% population coverage. This is provided by O2’s 4G and 5G network across the UK.
  • There are no EU roaming fees. You can use the minutes, texts and data from your plan at no extra cost in 48 Home from Home destinations.
  • You’ll collect Clubcard points. You’ll earn 1 Clubcard point for every £1 that you spend on Tesco’s Pay as you go Essentials plan.

What are the drawbacks?

  • Heavy users may prefer a Pay Monthly contract with more data. If you need lots of data for your phone, you might be better off getting a Pay Monthly contract from Tesco. For instance, it’s currently possible to get 30GB data for £11 on Tesco’s Pay Monthly SIMs (versus 25GB data for £15 on Pay As You Go). In addition, there are unlimited data plans available on Pay Monthly, whereas the Pay As You Go plans stop at 100GB per month.
  • There’s a bigger upfront cost if you want a new phone. If you choose one of Tesco’s Pay Monthly plans, you’ll be able to get a new mobile phone with no upfront cost, or with a reduced upfront cost.

Tesco Mobile Pay As You Go Features

No Contract & No Credit Check

There’s no contract on Tesco Mobile’s ‘Pay as you go Essentials’ plan. This means you have ultimate flexibility to change, pause, or cancel your plan at any time. For instance, you can move upwards to get a plan with more data, downwards to save some money on your phone bill, or you can pause (e.g. if you’re travelling outside the UK).

Because there’s no credit check, it’s also fast and simple to sign up, as well as being open to everyone (e.g. as a SIM card for your kids).

Earn Clubcard Points

You’ll earn 1 Clubcard point for every £1 that you spend on Tesco’s Pay As You Go service. You can save these up to get a discount on your groceries, or you can convert them into Partner Vouchers to spend elsewhere (e.g. on days out).

As a special offer for Christmas 2025, you’ll get a ‘welcome bonus’ of £5 in Clubcard points when you sign up on Tesco’s 25GB Pay as you go Essentials deal.

No EU Roaming Fees

On Tesco Mobile, you’ll get inclusive EU roaming on your plan. This means you can use your UK minutes, texts and data at no extra cost when travelling in the following 48 ‘Home From Home’ destinations:

  1. Austria
  2. Azores
  3. Belgium
  4. Bulgaria
  5. Canary Islands
  6. Croatia
  7. Republic of Cyprus
  8. Czech Republic
  9. Denmark
  10. Estonia
  11. Finland
  12. France
  13. French Guiana
  14. Germany
  15. Gibraltar
  16. Greece
  17. Guadeloupe
  18. Guernsey
  19. Hungary
  20. Iceland
  21. Ireland
  22. Isle of Man
  23. Jersey
  24. Italy
  25. Latvia
  26. Liechtenstein
  27. Lithuania
  28. Luxembourg
  29. Madeira
  30. Malta
  31. Martinique
  32. Mayotte
  33. Monaco
  34. Netherlands
  35. Norway
  36. Poland
  37. Portugal
  38. Reunion
  39. Romania
  40. San Marino
  41. Slovakia
  42. Slovenia
  43. Spain
  44. St. Martin
  45. St. Barts
  46. Sweden
  47. Switzerland
  48. Vatican City

99% Coverage From O2

On Tesco Mobile’s Pay As You Go service, you’ll have access to 99% network coverage, powered by the O2 network. In addition to their 4G coverage, you’ll also get access to 5G, as long as you’re using a 5G-ready phone in a 5G coverage area.

If you’d like to check the coverage in your area before you sign up, you can do this by entering your postcode on Tesco Mobile’s online coverage map:

Check Tesco Mobile Coverage (tescomobile.com) →

Keeping Your Phone Number

If you’re switching to Tesco Mobile from another UK mobile network, it’s a straightforward process transferring your phone number.

To start, you should get a PAC Code from your current mobile network. You can get one by contacting your current provider, or by texting PAC to 65075. Once you’ve done that, you can order your new phone or SIM card from the Tesco Mobile website.

Once your new Tesco Mobile phone or SIM card has arrived, text PORT to 23424. You can then follow the instructions provided and your phone number will be transferred over.

For step-by-step instructions on transferring your phone number to Tesco Mobile, please select your current mobile network from the drop-down menu below:

PAC Code Finder: Transfer Your Phone Number to Tesco Mobile

Select your current mobile network:

  More Options

More Information

For more information about Tesco Mobile’s Pay as you go Essentials, please see their official website.

Your Comments 37 so far

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. So far, we've received 37 comments from readers. You can add your own comment here.

  • MR ROBERT JACKSON said:

    I seem to be getting a reduced amount each time I check my tesco payg balance by about 20pence per day. I changed an old phone to a new Alcatel one on Wednesday.
    I don’t have an any rocket deals in place

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Robert,
      Thanks for your comment. It sounds like the “mobile data” option might be switched on on your phone. This means if your handset has gone out of the range of Wi-Fi, it will connect to 3G or 4G and this will cost you 10p/MB. You can switch off mobile data within the Settings menu on your phone, which will stop your phone from connecting to 3G or 4G data.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

  • Kathy OHea said:

    I’m on my UK contract with Tesco, but I’m in southern Ireland and need bundles from Tesco. How do I do this as the phone numbers I’m calling from aren’t being answered.

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Kathy,
      Thanks for your comment. Are you trying to buy a Rocket Pack bundle? If so, it should be possible to buy one by texting the relevant shortcode to 28949.
      Ken

  • John Bratchell-Hunt said:

    Today I bought a Tesco mobile sim with a £10 Rocket Pack not realising that, in fact, the Rocket Pack is a form of contract as you are required to top up monthly or loose service. All I wanted was some credit on a phone to act as a backup, credit that I could top up as and when needed. The package containing the sim clearly stated “no-contract sim”. I think this is miss representation and should be investigated. Not happy Tesco and will be ditching the sim card.

    • Ken replied:

      Hi John,
      Sorry to hear about the confusion with Rocket Packs. I’d consider giving Tesco Mobile Customer Services a call. First of all, they should be able to switch you to either their Lite plan (8p/minute & 4p/text) or their Triple Credit plan (25p/minute & 10p/text). On both of those plans, there’s no need to top-up every month and you simply need to pay for what you actually use. On the second part, it might be worth putting in a complaint with them (and letting them know about the confusion) – they might be able to cancel the Rocket Pack and to refund the credit to you.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

    • Joe replied:

      Hi John,
      You shouldn’t lose service at the end of the thirty days. I just started up with the same deal in January too. My first 30 days runs out tomorrow. When it does I expect to still have incoming service and voicemail, until I choose to add some credit to buy another Rocket pack at a later date.
      As long as I do that within at least 90 days , maybe longer, I expect the service to continue.

      Tesco’s Customer Service are always very helpful. Give them a ring and ask them to run through your options on renewing or not with you again.

  • lucy dollochin said:

    I have loaded my top up with £10 so that the rocket pack can renew . The £10 has disappeared
    please can you help

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Lucy,
      Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, it’s difficult for me to help out as I don’t work for Tesco and I can’t see the history on your account! However, this is something that Tesco Mobile should be able to investigate for you – you can contact them via live web chat by calling 4445 on your Tesco Mobile phone.
      Ken

  • lee said:

    the whole rocket pack is a rip off why do you loose your credit if you do not use your phone all the while, we bought a tesco mobile with £10 top up free registered it and that was it as the phone is used for emergencies but had a shock a month later to find out there was no credit as we had been put on the rocket pack ,, the whole thing is a con to make tesco more money ,,,and now it has happened again ,, so that is £20 to Tesco and 50p used,

  • christopher Wright said:

    I had a traditional pay as you go Tesco Nokia phone.(long term user).
    I have recently been persuaded to upgrade to a modern mobile by my children.
    I bought a Tesco moto e4 with a new sim card.
    I put £10 on the phone.
    Then when I went to use it (I only use mobiles on an occasional basis) I found all my credit gone.
    I asked my son what had happened .
    He thought I had apps playing in the background (which I knew nothing about) that were using up my credit, so with his help we have turned those off.

    I then topped up again and I rang into Tesco mobile to check my balance to see if I had stopped the drainage of my credit.
    It said I was on some Rocket policy,which I again didn’t understand.
    I thought I was on the old standard pack, but no, the new package apparently only lasts a month and all credit is wiped off at the end of the month. So not happy.

    I did go into Tesco (Exeter Extra) and tried to speak to the mobile rep,but he was more interested in a previous customer who he had called the manager to, as he thought there was a fraud going on.

    So I had a very bad customer experience, and felt treated like an old fool and fobbed of.
    The previous promise from the rep from whom I had bought my new phone, was that I could move my old contacts from my Nokia to the moto.I was told all I had to do was bring the two phones into Tesco.
    Not possible I was told by the second rep.
    I am not sure if that meant not possible or I can’t be bothered!
    So watch out if you upgrade.

    And yes Tesco, you can refund me my lost credit if you want to make me happier and put me back on a proper pay as you go, not rob as you like CON-tract.

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Christopher,
      I’m really sorry to hear about the negative experiences you’ve had on Tesco Mobile. Obviously, as I have nothing to do with them, I’m unable to answer on their behalf about what has gone wrong. However, I can offer two pieces of advice which I hope can be helpful in some way:
      1. You can change your Tesco Mobile tariff by dialling 282. You can switch to either the Triple Credit or Lite tariff, which may prove to be much more suitable for your usage. Alternatively, you can also take a look at my guide to the best Pay As You Go SIM cards for light usage.
      2. It’s worth making a formal complaint directly to Tesco Mobile if you’re not happy about the service they or their staff have provided. You can do this by calling them on 4455.
      Ken

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Muhammad,
      Thanks for your comment. This is probably something I’d recommended taking up directly with the Tesco Mobile team. You can reach them by calling 4455 on your Tesco Mobile handset.
      Ken

  • Tina Potter said:

    How come Vodaphone roll over data each month and also give you loyalty points, what benefit/s is/are there to join Tesco, to me it looks like the worst bundle to choose. I will be changing as soon as my remaining credit runs out.

    • Joe replied:

      Have you ever tried getting Vodafone’s Customer Service to sort a problem for you? That may be why they need to offer other things to attract and keep customers. I left them years ago and would never go back even if they were offering free, unlimited everything .

  • chris said:

    I purchased a £10 rocket pack on 18th January, which was supposed to be £5 for use in January and £5 to renew on 18th February. Why is it I have now had a text to say you could not renew the ‘rocket pack’ on 18th February and I would have to pay full charges. I purchased this pack from you as I am a very light user of my phone and was assured this was the best tariff on the market for me. What has gone wrong OR is this just yet another Tesco con.

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Chris,
      Thanks for your comment. Based on your message, I wasn’t quite clear on which Rocket Pack you’d bought from Tesco Mobile. Assuming it was the £10 Rocket Pack, this would be £10 for a 30-day period (the cost & allowances are not split up on a month-by-month basis). Upon the expiry of your bundle, it will cost another £10 to renew for 30 days.
      Ken

    • chris replied:

      The rocket pack was £10, £5 for January and £5 for February. I have been to tesco this morning and they admitted it was a fault on their part and have now put the outstanding amount onto my phone. I shall use this for the next month and then shall be changing to another companies tariff as I really can’t have the hastle of having to go your store every month just to get the service I have paid in advance for.

      • Rober replied:

        Hi cris just to make it clear.you said you toped up £10 and you bought a £10 rocket pack it does not split it in to two month’s that €10 would of been for 1 month .what you should of done is topped up £10 and got the £5 rocket pack then you would of had £5 credit for the next month then bought the £5 for the next month it was not tesco folt

  • Jeananne Evans said:

    Have just received new Microsoft mobile on monthly contract from Tesco, how do I keep my old Motorola phone number which was on Tesco pay as you go? I don’t need a PAC number it says but no other info’ Sorry I am a bit of a technophobe!

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Jeananne,
      Yes – you can keep your current phone number and there’s no need to get yourself a PAC Code. To do this, you just need to call Tesco Mobile Customer Services on 4445. They’ll handle the transfer for you. More information here in case it’s of interest.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

  • Stefan said:

    Hi Ken,

    If you buy a new rocket pack sim from Tesco and you do a first top-up with at least £10, then Tesco will give you a £10 gift card until 04/09/16. The first top-up is automatically converted to a rocket pack, so basically you can have 500 minutes, 5000 texts and 500 Mb for free! The terms and conditions for the gift card offer are here: http://www.tescomobile.com/about-us/terms-and-conditions/general/promotional-terms-conditions#sectionS) . The rocket pack sim is normally £0.99 in the store but if you top up with £10 it is free.

    This summer Tesco is also offering free European roaming (until 03/09/16) in 31 countries so you effectively get 500 minutes to phone the UK from Europe and 500 Mb to use abroad for free! For more information see here: https://shop.tescomobile.com/homefromhome.

    Stefan

  • Lynsay Carney said:

    Hi ken thank you for such an informative site x im looking for pay as you go my tesco mobile app to install on my mob. When i try to install it either puts me on tescos Ireland…..or tells me i cant instal because im not a pay monthly customer!!!?? Any suggestions plz Ken as id like to see if i can upgrade my mob(Samsung Galaxy 3) on a monthly plan . Much appreciated x

  • chris miller said:

    Hi Ken,
    Many thanks for your prompt reply to my original query.
    I now have another one.
    I worked in the Republic of Ireland for a number of years,and i ended up using the 3 Ireland network,which only covers the Republic and not Northern Ireland.The phone is nothing special,i just lked using it,and would be interested to find out if i can unlock it and use it in the UK.
    The phone is a SONY ERICCSON J108i CEDAR.
    I have tried to contact 3 Ireland,but to no avail.they were not interested in helping me at all.
    Any suggestions ? I have thought of having a day out in Dublin,taking the phone with me,buying some credit,and then seeing if i can receive a PAC code,whilst i am in Ireland.
    Thanks.

    Chris.

  • Jonny Terry said:

    Ken

    Hoping you know more than Tesco tech support. I’m on the PAYG Lite tarrif with an old tech Nokia Asha 201, which doesn’t have 3G but in principle should allow access to email via an email client (built-in). I can access the internet, which I don’t need, but haven’t been able to get either the email or social media clients to work (just get a communication error message), despite trying all the settings I can find online. I had read that this may be because Tesco only offers WAP access. Can you comment on this?

    Thanks
    Jonny

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Jonny,
      Thanks for your comment. I’m afraid I don’t know the Asha 201 in very much detail. I did come across this page on Tesco’s website – I assume you’ve already tried following the instructions there? According to the guide, e-mail should be supported so I’m not sure why it doesn’t work on your handset.
      Ken

  • Hussein Mohamed said:

    Would you please update me if you are offering unlimit internet service (eat data as u go) and how much will be cost in both type pay as you go or contract

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Hussein,
      Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, Tesco Mobile doesn’t have any tariffs with unlimited internet. The only networks with unlimited internet are giffgaff (£20/month for unlimited 3G), Three (from £17/month for unlimited 4G) and TalkTalk (£12/month for unlimited 3G, only available to TalkTalk broadband customers).
      Ken

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