
Best Pay-as-you-go Sim Deals
Including the top data bundles, from £5/mth for 2GB
When you hear 'pay-as-you-go', you might think of the early days of mobiles, when it was common to pay upfront for each pricey call and text. But now it's possible to get great value PAYG 'bundles', giving a better value allowance and tighter control over your bill.
- Concerned about a credit check or want a tighter control over your bill? A pay-as-you-go bundle is probably a good bet. Read on...
- Happy to commit to a contract? Sim only generally offers better value.
- Want a new phone but can't afford to buy it upfront? Traditional mobile contracts usually cost more – but can sometimes be beaten, see our Cheap Mobile Finder tool to see more options.

What is a pay-as-you-go deal?
A Sim is the little chip that slots into your phone and gives you a set monthly allowance of minutes, texts and data. A pay-as-you-go (PAYG) deal, as the name suggests, means you pay upfront and are not tied in to any contract or commitment. You'll also have to have your own handset to put the Sim into already, or buy one separately.
There's no credit check, which most of our top pick Sim only deals require, though these often offer better value.
There are two main types, 'traditional PAYG' where you buy credit and pay for calls, texts and data as you use them and bundled PAYG which gets you an allowance for a set price, which usually lasts a month.
If that's what you're after – or even if you just want a backup Sim for occasional use – then here you'll find all you need to know about pay-as-you-go, including where to find the best deals and our own top picks.
Best Sims for occasional/backup use

For occasional/backup use – what we'd go for
If you want the absolute cheapest PAYG Sim and you're a low usage user, then it's 1pMobile. It piggybacks off EE's network and it's 1p for each minute, every text and for each MB of data you use. However, you have to top up at least £10 every four months in order to keep it active, so if you only use your phone very rarely, it's probably not for you.
For those who just need a phone for temporary/emergency use or if EE isn't great in your area, then Three's PAYG Sim might be better for you. It's slightly more expensive than 1pMobile for each text and minute, but there's no minimum top-up requirement – though you do need to use it at least once every six months – so it could work out cheaper in the long run.
PROVIDER (network it uses) | DATA |
MINS |
TEXTS |
ANYTHING ELSE? |
---|---|---|---|---|
1pMobile* (EE) | 1p/MB | 1p/min | 1p | Top up £10 every four months or you'll be disconnected. |
Asda (Vodafone) (1) | 5p/MB | 8p/min | 4p | Call time is limited to two hours. For longer calls, you'll need to hand up and re-dial. |
Three* | 5p/MB | 10p/min | 10p | It'll only work in 3G-compatible or later handsets. |
Lebara Mobile* (Vodafone) | 9p/MB | 25p/min | 19p |
(1) ASDA Mobile isn't taking on newbies right now as it's in the process of changing the network it uses from EE to the Vodafone network.
Best PAYG bundles
These deals still have no contract but come loaded with a bundle of minutes, texts and data with your credit each month.

PAYG bundles – what we'd go for
For us, for general use it has to be our blagged Lebara Sim (which uses the Vodafone network) with 3GB/mth of data, unlimited minutes and texts. It's £2.50/mth for the first three months, then £5/mth thereafter. It's still a one-month rolling contract, so you can cancel at any time.
If you know Vodafone isn't good in your area or you need more data, then there's the 10GB Sim from Smarty, which is powered by Three. You get 10GB of data and unlimited minutes and texts for just £7/mth on a one-month contract, so you can cancel at anytime.
PROVIDER (network it uses) | DATA | MINS | TEXTS | COST |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lebara* (Vodafone) Top pick MSE Blagged |
3GB | Unltd | Unltd | Equiv £4.38/mth over 12 months – it's £2.50/mth for the first three months, then £5/mth thereafter (1) |
Smarty* (Three's no-frills provider) Top pick |
10GB | Unltd | Unltd | £7/mth (2) |
Voxi* (Vodafone's no-frills provider) | 12GB | Unltd | Unltd | £10/mth |
Giffgaff* (O2) | 6GB (3) | Unltd | Unltd | £10/mth |
Vodafone* | 5GB | Unltd | Unltd | £10/mth |
O2* | 15GB | Unltd | Unltd | £15/mth |
Smarty* (Three) | Unltd | Unltd | Unltd | £20/mth |
(1) It's a one-month Sim, but to help you compare, the equivalent cost is calculated over a 12-month period. (2) It's usually £9/mth but until 11.59pm Tue 16 March, you pay £7/mth for the first 12mth period. It's still a one-month contract, so you can cancel anytime. (3) You can get 9GB/mth data if you set to auto-renew each month. |
Best for roaming abroad – incl the USA & Australia
From 1 January 2021, networks no longer have to guarantee free roaming in the European Union, as the Brexit transition period comes to a close. However, the major firms have confirmed they plan to continue to let you use your UK allowance of minutes, texts and data in all European Union countries (plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), although they could always change their approach in the future. Outside of the EU, some providers charge an eye-watering amount to use your phone and if you're not careful, your mobile bill could set you back more than your trip. So it's important you plan ahead of your trip.

For roaming abroad – what we'd go for
Three is the standout when it comes to roaming. Get any PAYG Sim from Three* and you'll be able to use your standard allowance in 71 destinations – 42 additional countries outside of the EU – including Australia and the USA.
You can either top-up and pay its standard rates of 10p/min, 10p/text and 5p/Mb, or if you plan to use your phone a lot while abroad, it might be worth getting a bundle. Its cheapest is £10 and gives 4GB data and unlimited minutes and texts for 30 days.
The beauty of this PAYG Three Sim is as you're not tied into a contract, you can keep your existing UK contract if you want and just use this Sim for use abroad – which is what we think it's best for. Just make sure you use the Sim in the UK at least once before you travel to fully activate it.
It's also worth checking if you can get an overseas bundle from your current network, as these can often work out cheaper than its standard rates and could be a good option if you don't want the hassle of another Sim just for your holiday – see our Cheap Roaming guide for more.
How to complain about your network
The mobile industry doesn't have the best customer service reputation and while a provider may be good for some, it can be hell for others. Common problems include limited network coverage, slow data speeds, unexpected charges and more. It's always worth trying to call your provider first, but if not then…

Free tool to help you complain
This tool helps you draft and manage your complaint. It's totally free to use, and it's offered by Resolver, a firm we work with to help people get complaints justice.
If the complaint isn't resolved, Resolver can escalate it to the free Ombudsman Services (or CISAS if you're complaining about Virgin Mobile).
Important: if your issue is about a voucher or incentive that was part of an MSE Blagged deal, then instead just let us know by emailing voucherhelp@moneysavingexpert.com as that's usually quicker.

Spotted out of date info/broken links? Email: brokenlink@moneysavingexpert.com
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