Most UK mobile networks now offer an unlimited data plan, allowing you to download as much as you like. We compare unlimited data plans in the UK.
Whether you’re a heavy smartphone user or whether you just want the reassurance of never running out of data, most UK mobile networks now offer an unlimited data plan.
At present, it’s possible to get an unlimited data plan from eleven UK mobile networks: BT Mobile, EE, giffgaff, iD Mobile, Lebara Mobile, O2, SMARTY, Three, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone and VOXI. On all of these plans, you can stop worrying about how many gigabytes you’re using as you’ll never run out of data again in the middle of the month.
As a cheaper alternative to unlimited data plans, you can also consider a zero-rated data plan that gives you unlimited data for use on certain services. These are available in the form of EE’s Swappable Benefits, Three’s Go Binge, Virgin Mobile’s Data-Free Messaging and VOXI’s Endless Passes.
In this article, we’ll review and compare your options for an unlimited mobile data plan in the UK.
Contents
Overview of Unlimited Data Plans
Unlimited Data Plans
In the UK, there are currently eleven mobile networks offering an unlimited data plan:
| Mobile Network | Monthly Price | Unlimited Data Plan | Limitations & Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|
| BT Mobile | £20/month | No Limits | Only available if you have Halo (BT’s flagship fibre broadband plan). 50GB data roaming limit. |
| EE | £35/month | Unlimited Data | A fair usage policy of 1000GB per month applies. Maximum of 12 devices using tethering & personal hotspot. 50GB data roaming limit. |
| giffgaff | £25/month | Always-On Data | 4G speeds are only available on the first 80GB per month. After this, speeds are restricted to 384kbit/s between 8am-midnight. 20GB data roaming limit. |
| iD Mobile | £20/month | Unlimited Data | No fair usage policy, but for personal use only. |
| Lebara Mobile | £35/month | Unlimited Data | No fair usage policy, but for personal use only. Data roaming limit of 16.6GB in Europe and 10GB in India. |
| O2 | £33/month | Limitless Data | A fair usage policy of 650GB per month applies. Maximum of 12 devices using tethering & personal hotspot. 20GB roaming data limit. Usage is only permitted in a battery-operated mobile device. |
| SMARTY | £20/month | Unlimited Data | A fair usage policy of 1000GB per month applies. 20GB roaming data limit. |
| Three | £18/month | All-You-Can-Eat Data | No fair usage policy, but commercial usage isn’t permitted. Roaming data limit of 20GB in Europe and 12GB in the rest of the world. |
| Virgin Mobile | £27/month | Unlimited Data | Only available to Virgin Media TV and Broadband customers. Roaming data limit of 14.95GB to 16.61GB. |
| Vodafone | £22/month | Unlimited Data | Speed restrictions apply to the Unlimited Lite (2Mbit/s) and Unlimited (10Mbit/s) plans. Unlimited Max has uncapped speeds. 25GB roaming data limit. |
| VOXI | £35/month | Endless Data | “Excessive usage” or commercial usage of endless data is not permitted. 25GB roaming data limit. |
It’s possible to get unlimited data with 5G coverage on BT Mobile, EE, O2, Three, Vodafone and VOXI. The other five mobile networks offer 3G and 4G coverage (giffgaff using coverage from O2, iD Mobile and SMARTY using coverage from Three, Lebara Mobile using coverage from Vodafone and Virgin Mobile using coverage from EE).
Normally, Three has the cheapest available unlimited data SIM cards in the UK. They currently charge £18/month for a SIM card with unlimited data and offer 99.8% population coverage on 4G. Customers with a compatible 5G smartphone can access 5G coverage in 66 UK towns and cities.
In the following table, we’ve compared the cheapest available unlimited data plan on each UK mobile network. To see a full list of all unlimited data plans, tap the link at the bottom of the table.
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £18.00 12 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £20.00 1 month |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £20.00 1 month |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £22.00 24 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited 2Mbps max | £22.00 24 months |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £24.00 1 month |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited 2Mbps max | £24.00 12 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Always-On | £25.00 1 month |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £25.00 1 month |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £26.00 1 month |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £26.00 12 months |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited 10Mbps max | £26.00 24 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £27.00 24 months |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited 2Mbps max | £28.00 1 month |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited 10Mbps max | £28.00 12 months |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £30.00 12 months |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £30.00 24 months |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited 10Mbps max | £32.00 1 month |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £33.00 12 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £33.00 18 months |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £35.00 12 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £35.00 1 month |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £35.00 1 month |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £35.00 18 months |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £37.00 1 month |
| To show you the most relevant plans, 15 similar but more expensive plans have been hidden. Tap here to show them. | ||||
Zero-Rated Data Plans
As an alternative to the unlimited data plans above, you can also choose a zero-rated data plan. This gives you unlimited data, but only for use on certain selected services:
| Mobile Network | Zero-Rated Data Plan | Services Included |
|---|---|---|
| EE | Swappable Benefits | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, MTV Play, TV Player and BT Sport (Video Data Pass). |
| Three | Go Binge | Netflix, Snapchat, Apple Music, TV Player, Deezer and Soundcloud. |
| Virgin Mobile | Data-Free Messaging | WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Twitter. |
| VOXI | VOXI Endless Passes | Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook Messenger. Video and music providers available at extra cost. |
In the rest of this article, we’ll review each of the unlimited data plans and zero-rated data plans in more detail.
Unlimited Data Plans
At present, you can get an unlimited data plan from 11 UK mobile networks (BT Mobile, EE, giffgaff, iD Mobile, Lebara Mobile, O2, SMARTY, Three, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone and VOXI):
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BT Mobile
Halo is available from an extra £3/month above the cost of your normal BT Broadband plan and gives you access to tech support at home along with an upgraded BT Smart Hub 2 router and BT’s Keep Connected promise. You’ll also unlock the ability to buy the following “No Limits” SIM card with unlimited data and access to 5G:
If you’re not currently a BT Halo customer, you’ll need to sign up for Halo at the same time as ordering your BT Mobile No Limits SIM card. A 12 or 18 month contract applies on your BT Mobile SIM card whereas a longer 24-month contract may apply to the broadband service. On BT Mobile’s No Limits SIM card, there is no fair usage limit for the service. This is confirmed in BT’s help centre:
The only exception to this is if you’re travelling abroad to another European country that’s part of BT’s Roam Like Home offer. In these 47 European Roam Like Home destinations, you’ll only be able to use 50GB of data abroad at no extra cost. Source: BT Website: No Limits on Halo |
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EE
The following table shows a list of EE’s unlimited data plans. On the more expensive EE Smart plans, you’ll get inclusive Swappable Benefits. For instance, you can choose inclusive Amazon Prime Video, BritBox or access to the BT Sport app. Alternatively, the Roam Further Pass gives you inclusive roaming in 5 countries outside of Europe.
There are three key restrictions on EE’s unlimited data plans. Firstly, there’s a fair usage limit of 1,000GB per month, above which EE reserves the right to “move you to a business plan”. Secondly, tethering and personal hotspot usage is limited to a maximum of 12 devices. Thirdly, a data roaming limit of 50GB per month applies when you’re travelling abroad outside the UK. If you’re using the Data Gifting feature on an EE Family account, you’ll be able to gift 100GB of data to other users on your plan (or 120GB if you’re on a 5G handset plan with unlimited data). See our full guide to EE’s unlimited data plans for more detail. Source: EE Website |
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giffgaff
With Always-On data, you’ll get 4G download speeds on the first 80GB of data usage each month. After this, your speeds will drop down to a maximum of 384kbps between 8am and midnight each day. This is a little bit slower than 0.4Mbit/s and is equivalent to a basic 3G connection. The download speed reduction may stop you from steaming online video but shouldn’t prevent you from browsing the internet or using instant messaging services. Because of the large speed reduction after the first 80GB per month, giffgaff’s Always-On data isn’t that suitable for very heavy data users. It is, however, a good option if you’re mainly looking for peace of mind about never running out of data in the middle of the month. It’s also available on a one-month rolling basis with no credit check required. Prior to the 26th February 2020, only the first 40GB of data each month was at full-speed 4G. Customers travelling abroad to another European country can use up to 20GB of their Always-On data allowance each month. Beyond this, a surcharge of 0.36p/MB will be charged against your Pay As You Go balance on giffgaff. For more information and for a full in-depth review, see our guide to Always On data and giffgaff’s £25 goodybag. Source: giffgaff Website |
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iD MobileiD Mobile is the own-brand mobile network from the Carphone Warehouse. Offering 3G & 4G coverage from Three, iD Mobile offers the following unlimited data plan for £20/month:
iD Mobile haven’t published a fair usage policy for their unlimited data plan, but their terms and conditions state the plan is for “personal use only”. You’ll need to undergo a credit check when joining the iD Mobile network. Source: iD Mobile Terms and Conditions |
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Lebara Mobile
You’ll get access to 4G coverage from the Vodafone network on a Lebara Mobile SIM card.
There are no credit checks required to join Lebara Mobile and the plan is available on a one-month rolling basis. According to Lebara Mobile, there are no usage caps on this service, with exceptions for fraudulent usage and their general terms and conditions:
If you’re using your Lebara Mobile SIM card abroad, it’s possible to use up to 16.6GB of data at no extra charge in Europe. You can also use up to 10GB of data in India at no extra cost. Source: Lebara Mobile Terms and Conditions |
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O2
There are several fair usage limits worth being aware when getting unlimited data from O2. The most important is their 650GB per month fair usage limit. In addition, the use of tethering and personal hotspot is limited to only 12 devices. If you exceed these limits twice in a six-month period, O2 says they “reserve the right to transfer you to a more suitable plan”. O2’s terms and conditions also require the unlimited data SIM card to be used in a battery-operated mobile device. This is intended to prevent the SIM card from being used in a 4G or 5G home broadband router:
If you’re travelling outside the UK to another European country, you can use up to 20GB of data abroad in O2 Europe Zone countries. For more information, please see our full review of O2’s unlimited data plans. Source: O2 Website: Unlimited Plan Terms |
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SMARTY
According to SMARTY, tethering and personal hotspot usage are included in the plan and there are no speed restrictions for using too much data. There is, however, a usage cap of 1,000GB per month. There’s also a fair usage limit of 20GB per month when you’re using your mobile phone abroad in Europe:
SMARTY offers 99% population coverage, using 3G and 4G coverage from Three.
Source: SMARTY Blog Post |
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Three
On Three, there are no fair usage limits for unlimited data usage in the UK. However, it’s important to know that commercial usage of the service is not permitted:
A fair usage limit does apply when you’re using your mobile phone abroad in a Go Roam country. You can use up to 20GB of data abroad in other European countries and up to 12GB of data abroad outside of Europe. The following table shows SIM-only plans with unlimited data from Three:
As well as getting an unlimited data SIM card, you can also buy a smartphone from Three with unlimited data on a 24-month contract. Three also offers a 4G home broadband service with unlimited data. Prior to September 2019, Three had a fair usage policy of 1,000GB per month (1TB) on their unlimited data plans. They’ve confirmed that this fair usage policy no longer applies on their plans:
Prior to October 2018, Three’s unlimited data plans also had a restriction on tethering. During the time period when this restriction was in place, it was only possible to use up to 30GB of data through tethering each month. This restriction has now been removed for all new and existing customers as a result of Ofcom’s net neutrality rules. Source: Three Help: What is unlimited data? |
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Virgin Mobile
According to Virgin, there are no restrictions on “tethering, throttling, speed restrictions or caps”. Download speeds of up to 70Mbps are available on Virgin Mobile, currently using 4G coverage from the EE network. In May 2020, Virgin Media announced their intention to merge with O2. Following the merger which is expected to complete in 2021, Virgin Mobile is expected to migrate their mobile service to use coverage from O2. If you’re using your Virgin Mobile unlimited data SIM card in Europe, a fair usage limit currently applies. This limit is 14.95GB per month on the 24-month plan and 16.61GB per month on the 12-month plan. Source: Virgin Media Website |
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Vodafone
When choosing an unlimited data plan from Vodafone, you’ll need to decide on the maximum download speed of your plan. The cheapest £22/month Unlimited Lite price plan gives you download speeds of up to 2Mbit/s. Meanwhile, the £26/month Unlimited plan is capped at 10Mbit/s download speeds and the £30/month Unlimited Max plan has uncapped speeds. There’s no fair usage policy on Vodafone’s unlimited data allowance, except that it needs to be “for your personal and non-commercial use”. You can use up to 25GB of data each month when travelling abroad as part of Vodafone Global Roaming. Until the 28th May 2020, Vodafone is offering the first 6 months half price on their 24 month unlimited data plans. This means you can get Unlimited Lite for £11/month, Unlimited for £13/month and Unlimited Max for £15/month. After the first 6 months, the monthly price will revert to the original amount.
Vodafone’s unlimited data plans are also available on a 12-month contract or on a 30-day rolling contract. You can read our in-depth review of Vodafone’s unlimited data plans for more information. Source: Vodafone Website |
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VOXI
On VOXI’s endless data plan, you’ll get unlimited data with up to 5G download speeds. You’ll also get unlimited minutes and unlimited texts included:
According to their terms and conditions, VOXI says they “reserve the right to suspend or throttle the service if we have reason to believe that the SIM card is being used for commercial purposes, fraudulently or is having an adverse impact / damaging our network in any way”. The amount of data you can use abroad at no extra charge is also limited to 25GB per month. There’s no need to undergo a credit check when joining VOXI. The endless data plan works on a one-month rolling prepaid basis. Source: VOXI: Terms and Conditions |
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On BT Mobile, you can get a 
On EE, unlimited data 
giffgaff is a 
For £35/month, Lebara Mobile 
O2 offers unlimited data, or what they call “limitless data”, on a range of 
On Three, numerous 5G-ready 
On Virgin Mobile, 
Vodafone offers a selection of 
Other UK mobile networks don’t currently offer an unlimited data plan. However, you might be able to get a very large data allowance (for instance, up to 100GB of data per month on some networks).
Zero-Rated Data Plans
Zero-rated data plans give you unlimited data, but only for use on selected apps and services. This can make them a cheaper alternative to unlimited data plans:
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EE Swappable Benefits
You can choose from a range of different swappable benefits, with the Video Data Pass giving you unlimited zero-rated data for use on Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, BritBox, BT Sport, MTV Play, Netflix, TV Player and YouTube. The following EE Smart SIMs include swappable benefits from £24/month:
You’ll also get Reserve Data on EE Smart Plans which essentially gives you unlimited data at download speeds of up to 2Mbps. On older EE Smart plans, it’s also possible to choose a Music Data Pass or Gamer’s Data Pass as your swappable benefit. Source: EE: Swappable Benefits for EE Smart |
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Three Go Binge
For more information, please read our full review of the Go Binge service. Source: Three Website: About Go Binge |
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Virgin Mobile Data-Free Messaging
The following table shows 4G price plans from Virgin Mobile with data-free messaging:
Source: Virgin Mobile: Data-Free Messaging |
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VOXI Endless Passes
You can add a VOXI Video Pass for £7/month, giving you zero-rated data for use on Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, DisneyLife, My5, TVPlayer and UKTV Play. Alternatively, the VOXI Music Pass is available for £5/month, giving you zero-rated data for use on Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, Deezer, Amazon Music Unlimited, Amazon Prime Music, SoundCloud, Primordial Radio and Napster. The following table shows 30-day rolling plans on VOXI with endless social data:
Source: VOXI Plans |
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Customers choosing an 
Three offers an inclusive service called 
On Virgin Mobile, 
Occasionally, other mobile networks may choose to zero-rate selected apps and services on a promotional basis. For instance, EE offers zero-rated data for Apple Music during the six month free trial that’s available on all Pay Monthly plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Which mobile networks offer unlimited data in the UK? | The following mobile networks currently offer unlimited data in the UK:
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| What’s the best value unlimited data deal? | Normally, the best value unlimited data deals can be found on Three. They currently offer unlimited data for £18/month, though prices vary based on the contract length. On Three, you’ll get unlimited data with no fair usage limits. There’s 99.8% 4G population coverage and 5G coverage at no extra cost if it’s available in your area. |
| Will I get 5G coverage with unlimited data? | |
| Is there a fair usage policy on unlimited data? | It depends on the mobile network. Normally, it’s stated that unlimited data is for your personal use only. In addition, there are sometimes further limitations and restrictions which are detailed within this table. If you’re travelling abroad to another European country, there is normally also a limit on how much data you can use. |
| What’s the difference between unlimited data and zero-rated data? | An unlimited data plan can be used with any app or service, whereas a zero-rated data plan only works with a given list of services (e.g. certain instant messaging or video streaming apps). |
More Information
For more information on specific unlimited data plans, please see the BT Mobile, EE, giffgaff, iD Mobile, Lebara Mobile, O2, SMARTY, Three, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone and VOXI websites.
For more information about zero-rated data offers, see the EE, Three, Virgin Mobile and VOXI websites.
John said:
I’m surprised that O2 state in their T+Cs that their unlimited data SIM can’t be used in a home 4G router. Wasn’t their some OFCOM ruling about this saying they have to allow it?
Ken replied:
Hi John,
Me too! Ofcom said that mobile service providers couldn’t discriminate based on “the terminal equipment used”. I believe O2’s argument is that a mains-powered 4G router isn’t really “terminal equipment”. I’m not certainly not a lawyer so I couldn’t comment on the legality of this & who is actually right. However, I imagine it will remain unchallenged unless Ofcom decide to investigate them for it.
Ken
jabulani creamer said:
hi what’s new in the updated version of this page
May 18th, 2020
Ken replied:
Hi Jabulani,
Thanks for your comment. Loads has happened since we last updated this page! For instance, Lebara Mobile have added a £35 unlimited data SIM card. EE, iD Mobile & Virgin Mobile have also refreshed the unlimited data plans that they offer. We’ve also added a bit of further information around O2’s terms and conditions that prevent you from using the SIM card in a 4G router.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Terry Reilly said:
Hi Ken, nice summary.
Do you know what is the difference between a sim for a mobile phone with unlimited data and a mobile broadband data only sim? Specifically when there is congestion on the network. I have an O2 SIM With unlimited data that I took from my iPhone and also an o2 sim for 150GB per month that came with a Netgear M1 router I bought from O2. In the early evening when I assume the network is busy, I get buffering streaming HD video on the iPhone SIM (in the Netgear router), but it doesn’t happen with the data only SIM. I feel that O2 are giving priority to the more expensive sim, but I can’t find any specific reference to that. If it’s true, then it is another factor to consider when buying a sim
Ken replied:
Hi Terry,
Thanks for your comment, and that’s a very good question regarding the prioritisation of different users. Sadly, there isn’t any publicly available information about how different users/SIM cards are prioritised when the network is congested. As such, this is often an area where there is lots of speculation about how different users are prioritised and the criteria used by the networks.
It’s probably safe to assume that emergency services have top priority on the network, followed by business users with a SLA and then regular consumers after that. Within consumer, it’s really a black box on how different users are prioritised. It’s probable that Pay Monthly users are prioritised over Pay As You Go users, but who knows how Pay Monthly customers are given priority amongst each other (e.g. it’s possible the cost of the SIM card makes a difference, but as far as I know, it hasn’t been proven conclusively either way).
Ken