Tethering or personal hotspot allows you to share your mobile data connection with other devices. Find out the tethering policy for each UK network.
Tethering or personal hotspot refers to the process of sharing your smartphone’s internet connection with another device. It can be used as a convenient way to get your laptop, tablet or any other wi-fi enabled device connected to the internet through a mobile broadband connection. This is particularly useful whilst you’re on-the-go but it can also be used to get connected to the internet without a phone line at home.
In this article, we’ll explain how you can use the tethering or personal hotspot functionality on your device. We’ll also look at the best value SIM cards for tethering and personal hotspot and at how individual mobile networks treat the use of this feature.
Contents
How to Use Tethering & Personal Hotspot
You can use tethering or personal hotspot on your smartphone as follows:
- iPhone: Go to Settings > Personal Hotspot and tap the slider to switch it on. You can set a Wi-Fi password for your hotspot here. See the Apple website for more information.
- Android: Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Hotspot & tethering. Tap the Wi-Fi Hotspot feature to switch it on. You can also set your network name and password here. See the Google website for more information.
Most people will choose to tether by creating a personal wi-fi hotspot. However, it’s also possible to tether using Bluetooth or using a USB cable in some cases.
If you find yourself using tethering or personal hotspot regularly when at home, consider getting a 4G-based home broadband service instead. On some of these services, you can get unlimited data for as little as £22/month. You’ll also get better network performance compared to tethering with a stronger wi-fi signal and the ability to add things such as an external 4G antenna.
Overview of Policies By Network
The following table shows a summary of which mobile networks and tariffs you’re able to tether on. For further information, please select your mobile network for full details about their tethering policy.
Mobile Network | Is Tethering Permitted? |
---|---|
EE | ✔ Yes |
giffgaff | ✔ Yes |
O2 | ✔ Yes |
Tesco Mobile | ✔ Yes |
Three | ✔ Yes |
Vodafone | ✔ Yes |
1pMobile | ✔ Yes |
ASDA Mobile | ✔ Yes |
BT Mobile | ✔ Yes |
FreedomPop | ✔ Only with £3.99/month add-on |
iD Mobile | ✔ Yes |
Lebara Mobile | ✔ Yes |
Lycamobile | ✘ No |
Plusnet Mobile | ✔ Yes |
Sky Mobile | ✔ Yes |
Smarty | ✔ Yes |
Talkmobile | ✔ Yes |
TalkTalk Mobile | ✔ Yes |
The Phone Co-Op | ✔ Yes |
Vectone Mobile | ✔ Yes (up to 10GB per month) |
Virgin Mobile | ✔ Yes |
VOXI | ✔ Yes |
Cheapest Deals For Tethering
Pay As You Go
If you’re looking to tether on Pay As You Go, there are a number of different mobile networks you can choose from.
Currently, giffgaff is our recommended network for tethering on Pay As You Go. On giffgaff, a £10 top-up will give you unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 3GB of data (increased automatically to 4GB once you’ve been a customer for 3 months). You’ll get 99% population coverage from O2, including both 3G and 4G, and there’s no need to undergo a credit check.
Order giffgaff SIM Card (Free) →
The following table gives a quick summary of some of the bundles available for tethering on Pay As You Go:
Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 20GB | £10.00 |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 12GB | £10.00 |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 10GB | £10.00 |
![]() | 5,000 | 5,000 | 10GB | £10.00 |
![]() | 500 | Unlimited | 8GB | £10.00 |
With 2GB of Data
If you’re looking to tether from your smartphone, we’d typically recommend choosing a tariff with at least 2GB of data per month as a minimum. This will allow you to tether occasionally (e.g. a couple of times per month for when a wi-fi network isn’t available).
The following table gives an quick overview of currently available deals with at least 2GB of tetherable data each month:
Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 3GB | £5.00 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £6.00 1 month |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 3GB | £7.01 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £7.50 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £7.50 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 3GB | £14.00 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £14.00 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £14.00 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £15.00 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £16.00 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £17.00 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £18.00 1 month |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £19.00 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £21.00 1 month |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 3GB | £22.00 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £25.00 1 month |
To show you the most relevant plans, 10 similar but more expensive plans have been hidden. Tap here to show them. |
Please remember: the data allowance listed will need to cover your normal smartphone data usage as well as any data use through tethering or personal hotspot.
With 4GB of Data

If you’re likely to tether regularly on your smartphone (e.g. a couple of times per week), we recommend choosing a tariff with at least 4GB of tetherable data per month.
The following tariffs will allow you to tether up to 4GB per month:
Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 4GB | £6.00 1 month |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 6GB | £7.00 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 6GB | £8.00 18 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB | £8.00 1 month |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 4GB | £8.00 1 month |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 4GB | £8.80 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 4GB | £10.40 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 4GB | £11.00 £8.80 for 12 months 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 4GB | £13.00 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 4GB | £13.80 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 6GB | £15.00 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB | £15.00 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 4GB | £15.40 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB | £17.00 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 6GB | £18.00 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 4GB | £18.80 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 6GB | £19.00 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB | £19.00 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 4GB | £19.00 1 month |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB | £20.00 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB | £20.00 1 month |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 4GB | £20.40 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB | £22.00 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB | £23.00 1 month |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB | £23.00 1 month |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB | £26.00 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB | £28.00 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 6GB | £29.00 1 month |
To show you the most relevant plans, 22 similar but more expensive plans have been hidden. Tap here to show them. |
With 8GB of Data
If you’re likely to tether almost every day (e.g. on your commute into the office), we recommend choosing a tariff with at least 8GB of tetherable data per month. The following SIM-only contracts will be suitable for your usage:
Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 8GB | £7.00 1 month |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 8GB | £7.00 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 8GB | £8.00 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 8GB | £8.00 12 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 8GB | £25.00 24 months |
![]() | Unlimited | Unlimited | 8GB | £26.00 12 months |
To show you the most relevant plans, 2 similar but more expensive plans have been hidden. Tap here to show them. |
For larger monthly data allowances, see our in-depth guide to SIM-only deals in the UK. Alternatively, read on to see a list of the deals available on each network.
In Depth: Tethering Policies By Network
In the following section, we’ll discuss the tethering policies on each UK mobile network in more detail.
Popular Networks
![]() |
EEYou can tether on all types of price plan from EE as it’s an integral feature of both their Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go plans. The following SIM-only deals will allow you to tether on EE:
Source: EE Help Article: Tethering your device |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
giffgaffYou can tether on giffgaff’s Pay As You Go service or when using any of their goodybags. This is explained in more detail within giffgaff’s tethering policy:
The following giffgaff goodybags will allow you to tether from £8/month:
Prior to August 2017, the £20 goodybag didn’t allow you to tether once you’ve used 6GB of data per month. This restriction no longer applies to new goodybags, though data speeds on the Always-On goodybag are now reduced to 384kbps once you reach 20GB per month. Source: giffgaff Support: Tethering Policy |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
O2On O2, tethering and personal hotspot has been a standard feature of both Pay Monthly contracts and Pay As You Go tariffs since March 2011 (the rules may differ if you took out your contract before this). The following SIM-only deals will allow you to tether on O2:
If you’re a customer of O2 Pay As You Go with an older iPhone, it might be necessary for you to install a software update to enable the tethering functionality. We’d strongly recommend buying a Big Bundle if you’d like to tether on Pay As You Go (tethering on Classic Pay As You Go will very quickly deplete your balance). Source: O2 Help & Support: Personal Hotspot |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Tesco MobileOn Tesco Mobile, you can tether at no extra cost on all price plans with inclusive data. This includes both Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go tariffs. From the Tesco Mobile help pages:
The following SIM-only deals will allow you to tether on Tesco Mobile:
Source: Tesco Mobile Help: Using your phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
ThreeThree now allows you to tether on all of their price plans. This is possible when you’re inside the UK or travelling within Europe. If you’re travelling to a Go Roam Around The World country such as the USA or Australia, tethering isn’t permitted unless you first buy a Data Passport add-on. The following SIM-only deals allow you to tether on Three:
Prior to October 2018, Three had a number of different restrictions on tethering and personal hotspot. For instance, Essential Pay Monthly contracts that were sold between July 2016 and September 2018 didn’t allow the use of tethering. Advanced Pay Monthly SIM cards with 100GB or all-you-can-eat data also had a separate 30GB monthly allowance for tethering. All of these restrictions have now been removed as a result of Ofcom’s net neutrality investigation in 2018. Prior to April 2018, tethering also wasn’t possible on Three Pay As You Go. As of 2019, restrictions on tethering now only apply when you’re travelling in a Go Roam country outside of Europe. Source: Three FAQ: Personal Hotspot on your phone |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
VodafoneVodafone has allowed tethering on all of their Pay Monthly plans since June 2011. The following SIM cards from Vodafone will allow you to tether:
On Vodafone Pay As You Go, it should normally be possible to tether. However, a number of readers have fed back in the comments and elsewhere online that they sometimes experience problems doing so. Source: Vodafone Website |
Other Mobile Networks
![]() |
1pMobileTethering is permitted on 1pMobile, either on the normal 1p/MB rate or on a 30-day Data Boost bundle. If you’re a regular user of tethering or personal hotspot on 1pMobile, buying a Data Boost would probably be our recommended option. This is because the data charges for tethering can very quickly add up at the normal 1p/MB rate. Source: 1pMobile: Data & Internet FAQs |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
ASDA MobileASDA Mobile allows tethering and portable hotspot on all of their Pay As You Go bundles. You can also tether at their standard Pay As You Go rate of 5p/MB but the charges are likely to add up quickly if you do this. ASDA provides coverage from EE, including both 3G and 4G internet. The following Pay As You Go bundles from ASDA Mobile are suitable for tethering:
Source: ASDA Mobile: Frequently Asked Questions |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
BT MobileBT Mobile has allowed the use of tethering and personal hotspot for all customers of their mobile network since June 2016. This includes customers with a Pay Monthly contract, with a Family SIM package or with a normal SIM-only contract. The following SIM-only deals will allow you to tether on BT Mobile:
The prices shown in the table above include a discount for customers living in a BT Broadband household. Prior to June 2016, clause 25b of the BT Mobile terms and conditions prohibited the use of tethering on their network:
For more information, see the thread on BT’s Community Forums. Source: BT Mobile |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
FreedomPopOn FreedomPop, tethering is not permitted unless you buy the FreedomPop Premium add-on. This has a monthly cost of £3.99, with a free trial available for the first month. Tethering is only supported on Android devices at present. Source: FreedomPop Website |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
iD MobileAs of 2019, tethering is now permitted for customers on iD Mobile. This is stated on the iD Mobile frequently asked questions page:
Prior to 2019, tethering was not permitted for customers on iD Mobile. iD’s terms and conditions are still yet to be updated to reflect this change in policy. Clause 5.3.4 of the iD Mobile terms and conditions still contains the following restriction on tethering:
Source: iD Mobile Terms & Conditions |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Lebara MobileLebara Mobile allows the use of tethering on their network, but typically advises customers against doing so. According to an FAQ posted on their website in January 2017:
Previously, the use of tethering was explicitly prevented in the Lebara Mobile terms and conditions, but this clause has now been removed from the contract. Source: Lebara Mobile Terms & Conditions |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
LycamobileLycamobile doesn’t allow tethering on their network. The terms and conditions pertaining to tethering can be seen on the Lycamobile bundles page (scroll to the bottom and click the small link saying ‘Terms and Conditions’):
Source: Lycamobile Bundles Page |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Plusnet MobileOn Plusnet Mobile, it’s possible to tether on all SIM-only plans. The following SIM-only deals will allow you to tether on Plusnet Mobile:
If you’re a Plusnet home broadband customer, you can benefit from double data through the Plusnet Mates Rates offer. Source: Plusnet Mobile: Tariff FAQs |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Sky MobileOn Sky Mobile, it’s possible to tether on all tariffs at no extra charge. A unique feature of the network is you can also save unused data allowances in a data piggybank, which can be useful if you only want to tether very occasionally. The following SIM-only deals will allow you to tether on Sky Mobile:
Source: Sky Mobile website |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
SMARTYCustomers of SMARTY are able to tether or use personal hotspot at no extra charge. The only limitation to this is SMARTY’s fair usage policy of 19GB/month on their unlimited plan when you’re travelling in Europe. This is detailed in the SMARTY Support Centre:
The following 30-day plans from SMARTY will allow you to tether from £6.25/month:
Source: SMARTY Help – Tethering and mobile hotspots |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
TalkmobileWith Talkmobile, you can tether on any of their plans. For more information, go to their help pages and search for ‘tethering’. This will give you the tethering policy for their network:
As of April 2017, the Talkmobile brand is being gradually phased out. The mobile network is no longer available to new customers. Source: Talkmobile Help Pages |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
TalkTalk MobileYou can tether on most tariffs from the legacy TalkTalk Mobile service. There’s a FAQ page on TalkTalk’s website explaining how to tether on their network. Please note that TalkTalk Mobile is in the midst of being closed down, as of January 2018. In 2015, TalkTalk Mobile offered an All-in SIM card where tethering was prohibited. The All-in SIM card is no longer available to TalkTalk Mobile customers. Source: TalkTalk Help: Mobile Tethering |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
The Phone Co-OpOn The Phone Co-Op, it’s possible to tether on both Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go plans. This was confirmed by an Internet & Data FAQs page on their old website (the page has since been removed during a website redesign):
You can use the following Pay As You Go bundles to tether on The Phone Co-Op:
Source: The Phone Co-Op: Internet & Data FAQs |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Vectone MobileVectone Mobile allows tethering, but only up to a maximum of 10GB per month. If you exceed this 10GB limit, your services might be suspended. This is stated in clause 4e of their network terms and conditions:
Source: Vectone Mobile Terms & Conditions |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Virgin MobileVirgin Mobile allows the use of tethering and personal hotspot on all price plans since April 2018. The following SIM-only deals from Virgin Mobile will allow you to tether:
Prior to April 2018, it wasn’t possible to tether on Virgin Mobile contracts taken out after the 24th January 2013. This was stated in the old terms and conditions for the Virgin Mobile service:
Source: Virgin Media: Terms and conditions of service |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
VOXI by VodafoneVOXI is a low-cost sub-brand of Vodafone offering SIM-only deals with unlimited social media data. You can tether or use personal hotspot on VOXI without any restrictions. This is stated on the “Why VOXI?” web page:
The following SIM cards from VOXI will allow you to tether from £10/month:
Source: VOXI Website – Why VOXI? |
More Information
For more information, see our in-depth guide to mobile broadband. Alternatively, get in touch with your mobile network to find out how you can use tethering functionality.
Mr Blues said:
It seems Lycamobile have revised their policy about tethering. Now terms and conditions read:
Lycamobile reserves the right to withdraw or suspend the offer or to disconnect you if we suspect that offer is being used for commercial purposes, for conferencing, or if it is not being used in a handset (in a SIM box for example).
Tethering is no longer mentioned. Have a look. Thanks.
Mark G replied:
Duh, thats still a fancy way to say YOU CAN’T TETHER.
Richard Ward said:
Hi Ken can you help
I would like to tether my iPhone 4s to my sky + box (old type) in my Motorhome while we are away traveling, can it be done using my phone as a modem?
We have 110v + 240v and have a sky dish on the roof which gives us the sky Chanel’s but we can’t access catch up / planner etc without wifi
We also have a sky phone which can tether if that would help
Regards
Richard
Ken replied:
Hi Richard,
Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with the Sky+ box but assuming it just requires a wi-fi connection, and assuming your iPhone 4s is able to create one using personal hotspot, it should be possible to do this. Do, however, keep a very close eye on how much data you’re using and consider getting an unlimited data plan if necessary. You could alternatively decide to get a home broadband service like Three’s HomeFi Plus which costs £20/month with unlimited data.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Kami said:
I have been with Lebara for 3 years due to there plans with unlimited international calls to many countries. I used a lot of data and I need to share some of it with other devices especially when i have no access to wi fi. Since i own a smartphone I’m using a hot spot. 2-3 weeks ago i updated my Android mobile and received new inet settings. After that i can not use my data to other devices anymore. I feel like if it is restricted from my provider. I contacted few times Lebara help line and nothing change. I have read your articles and I’m thinking to switch to Smarty. The information you gather and put together with your explanation will be useful for many people. Thanks a lot.