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Best Sim only deals
From £3.90/month for 1GB of data, 300 mins & unlimited texts
Whether you're a talker, texter or always online, we've handpicked the best Sim-only deals starting at £3.90/month – plus we've lots of tips including how to unlock your phone and keep your number. Millions of mobile users are out of contract and overpaying, yet it's simple to ditch pricey providers, and now's a great time as Sim-only prices have plummeted.
The MSE Cheap Mobile Finder
Our Cheap Mobile Finder tool compares more than 50 different retailers and resellers, covering all major networks to find your top deal. We've the pick of the deals in this guide, but use the tool for loads more options.

What is a Sim-only deal?

A Sim is the little chip that slots into your phone. A Sim-only deal covers just the mobile service – in other words, it gives you a set monthly allowance of minutes, texts and data and can be the ideal solution if you're happy with your handset as it's normally much cheaper than a traditional mobile contract.
Although you're not paying for a phone, you'll still have to sign up to a contract – typically they're on a 12-month or a rolling 30-day basis. Most deals are for new customers and most providers carry out a credit check when you sign up (though some one-month rolling Sim providers don't).
If you don't use your phone much, or want to avoid any credit checks, you can opt for a traditional Pay-as-you-go Sim. There are not many about now, but you can find the best in our Pay-as-you-go guide.
Top Sim-only deals – up to 3GB of data

Up to 3GB – what we'd go for
In our most recent data usage survey, 76% of users told us they only use 3GB/month of data or less and right now, you can get this Lebara Sim which comes with 3GB/month of data with unlimited minutes and texts for £2.45/month for the first three months, then £4.90/month thereafter. It's a one-month rolling contract, so you can cancel at any time.
Rarely use your mobile? A pay-as-you-go Sim might be more suitable – see our Pay-as-you-go guide for more.
PROVIDER (network it uses) | COST (1) | CONTRACT LENGTH |
DATA | MINS | TEXTS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lebara* (Vodafone) MSE Blagged |
£3.90/mth | One month | 1GB | 300 | Unltd |
Lebara* (Vodafone) Top pick |
Equiv £4.29/month – it's £2.45/month for the first three months, then £4.90/month | One month | 3GB | Unltd | Unltd |
Asda Mobile* (Vodafone) | £5/mth | One month | 3GB | Unltd | Unltd |
Three* | £5/mth | 12 months | 2GB | 200 | Unltd |
Note: All data, mins and texts allowances are per month. All deals are for newbies of that provider. (1) With an equivalent price, we add up all fixed costs, deduct any promotional cash or vouchers, then average it over the contract length to help you compare. (2) It's a one-month Sim, but to help you compare, we calculate the equivalent cost over a 12-month period. |
Top Sim-only deals – 4GB to 9GB of data

4GB to 9GB Sims – what we'd go for
At this data level, this Plusnet (uses EE's network) deal with 5GB/month of data, unlimited minutes and texts stands out. It's £6/month, but you can claim a £20 Amazon voucher. If you'd have spent that anyway, factor it in and it's equivalent to £4.34/month over 12 months.
PROVIDER (network it uses) | COST (1) | CONTRACT LENGTH | DATA | MINS | TEXTS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plusnet* (EE) Top pick |
Equiv £4.34/mth – it's £6/mth, but you'll be able to claim a £20 Amazon voucher within 45 days | 12 months | 5GB | Unltd | Unltd |
TalkMobile* (Vodafone) | £4.95/mth | One month | 4GB | Unltd | Unltd |
Smarty* (Three's no-frills network) | £5/mth | One month | 4GB | Unltd | Unltd |
Lebara* (Vodafone) MSE Blagged |
£5.90/mth | One month | 5GB | Unltd | Unltd |
Virgin Mobile* (Vodafone) | £6/mth | 12 months | 6GB | Unltd | Unltd |
O2* | £6/mth | 12 months | 4GB | Unltd | Unltd |
Three* | £6/mth | 12 months | 4GB | Unltd | Unltd |
Via Fonehouse |
Equiv £6.17/mth – it's £7/mth but you get £10 automatic cashback within three months | 12 months | 8GB | Unltd | Unltd |
Note: All data, mins and texts allowances are per month. All deals are for newbies of that provider. (1) With an equivalent price, we add up all fixed costs, deduct any promotional cash or vouchers, then average it over the contract length to help you compare. (2) It's a one-month Sim, but to help you compare, we calculate the equivalent cost over a 12-month period. |
Top Sim-only deals – 10GB to 100GB of data

10GB to unlimited data Sims – what we'd go for
Right now there's a bevy of top Sims for data gobblers. Our top pick is this 10GB/month Sim from Talkmobile (uses Vodafone's network). You pay £7/month, but you'll be able to claim a £30 Amazon voucher within four months. If you'd have spent there anyway, factor it in and it's equivalent to £4.50/month over the 12-month contract.
If you don't want to worry about scoffing your allowance, you'll want a virtually unlimited 100GB Sim. Our top pick is this Three deal via Fonehouse which is equivalent to £10.92/mth over the 12-month contract.
PROVIDER (network it uses) |
COST (1) |
CONTRACT LENGTH |
DATA |
MINS |
TEXTS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Talkmobile* (Vodafone) Top pick |
Equiv £4.50/mth – it's £7/mth, but you can claim a £30 Amazon voucher within four months | 12 months | 10GB | Unltd | Unltd |
iD Mobile* (Three) | Equiv £5.50/mth – it's £8/mth, but you can claim a £30 Amazon voucher within two months | 12 months | 12GB | Unltd | Unltd |
Plusnet* (EE) | Equiv £6.50/mth – it's £9/mth, but you get sent a £30 prepaid Mastercard sent to you within 45 days | 12 months | 20GB | Unltd | Unltd |
Smarty* (Three) | Equiv £7/mth – it's £4/mth for the first three months, then £8 thereafter | One month | 12GB | Unltd | Unltd |
(Vodafone's no-frills provider) MSE Blagged |
Equiv £7.17/mth – it's £8/mth but you get £10 automatic cashback within three months | 12 months | 15GB | Unltd | Unltd |
Lebara* (Vodafone) MSE Blagged |
£7.90/mth | One month | 15GB | Unltd | Unltd |
O2* | £8/mth | 12 months | 15GB | Unltd | Unltd |
|
£8/mth | 12 months | 30GB | Unltd | Unltd |
(Vodafone's no-frills provider) MSE Blagged |
£8.33/mth | 12 months | 40GB | Unltd | Unltd |
via Fonehouse Top pick |
Equiv £10.92/mth – it's £15/mth, but you will get £49 automatic cashback within 90 days | 12 months | 100GB | Unltd | Unltd |
Note: All data, mins and texts allowances are per month. All deals are for newbies of that provider. (1) With an equivalent price, we add up all fixed costs, deduct any promotional cash or vouchers, then average it over the contract length to help you compare. (2) It's a one-month Sim, but to help you compare, we calculate the equivalent cost over a 12-month period. |
Top Unlimited data Sim deals

For the data fiends out there, these are our top picks for Sim-only deals with unlimited data allowances, which means you can use as much as you want without having to worry about running out of data. However, it might be worth looking at the virtually unlimited 100GB/month deals in the table above as they're often cheaper, and is usually enough for even the highest data users.
Do note, some networks limit the download speeds of its unlimited Sims. This is known as throttling. We haven't included Sims that do that here, but it's worth watching out for.
We've the cheapest unlimited Sims below, for more options see our Cheap Mobile Finder.
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 to sort the issue first, but if not then you can use free complaints tool Resolver. The tool helps you manage your complaint, and if the company doesn't play ball, it also helps you escalate your complaint to the free Ombudsman (or CISAS if you're complaining about Virgin Mobile or Sky Mobile).
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