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Family Sim plans – are they worth it?

Can bundling your Sim plans into one bill make it cheaper?

Ruby Harbour
Ruby Harbour | Edited by Chris Knight
Updated 31 October 2024

'Family Sim' plans let you bundle together multiple different phone contracts so you can manage them from one account, and some providers even offer discounts for each Sim you add to it. But they're not necessarily the cheapest option. We take a look at which networks offer them and if they're worth it...

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What is a family Sim plan?

A family Sim plan allows you to have multiple Sim cards with one network, all managed under a single account with one monthly payment. While this makes it easier to manage your family's mobile contracts, it's often not the cheapest option.

With family Sim plans, you generally add additional plans to your main account – usually up to a maximum of 10, though this does vary. Each plan you add will have its own phone number, its own Sim card, and its own data, minutes and text allowance.

You usually get a discount for each Sim you add to your plan

The main benefit of family Sims is that networks tend to offer discounts for each Sim you add (also known as a 'multi-line discount'), as well as additional benefits such as sharing data between plans.

But bear in mind it's still likely to be more expensive than each member on your plan getting a cheap Sim-only deal separately – see our Cheap Mobile Finder to find the best deals.

Family Sim plan discounts and benefits 

Provider (network it uses) Discount Extras Max Sims
EE Family Plan – multi-line discount and data gifting Up to £12 off each additional Sim added Data gifting – send data to another EE plan (up to 100GB on a 4G contract or 120GB on a 5G contract) -
Honest Mobile family Sim (Three) 20% on each additional Sim added Loyalty discount ranging from 5 to 30% + a discount depending on how many months you're with Honest Mobile 10
O2 Multisave 20% on each additional Sim added Access to its 'O2 Priority' rewards programme 20
Smarty Group Plan (Three) 10% on every Sim added If you choose a money back plan, you can get a discount for unused data 8
Vodafone additional plan (1) 15% on each additional Sim added - 10
1pMobile 50% off each additional Sim added Free EU roaming included 7

Correct as of October 2024. (1) Only valid on an 18-month contract.

How much do family Sims cost and are they worth it?

The main benefit of bundling your Sims is to have them all under one manageable bill so there's less hassle and more control.

But if you take out a family plan, you can't usually benefit from any other promotional discounts you might able to get switching to the cheapest deals.

To help compare, we looked at the cost of having four Sims on a family (or multi-line) plan, factoring in any discounts, compared to signing up to the cheapest Sim from that provider separately for four people.
 

Family Sim plan vs the cheapest equivalent deals

Provider (network it uses) Data Price of four Sim plans WITH discount  Cheapest equivalent Sim using the same network's signals (1)
EE Family Plan (EE) 25GB £52/mth '£32/mth' via Talk Home (2)
Honest Mobile Family Plan (Three)* 10 to 15GB

£63/mth

10GB (2)

 '£14.52/mth' via iD Mobile (3)
O2 Multisave (O2)* 30GB £99.20/mth (4) £31.96/mth via O2
Smarty Group Plan (Three)* 8GB £25.20/mth '£23.36/mth' via Three
Vodafone additional plan* 100GB £87.50/mth (5) '£84/mth' via Vodafone
1pMobile Unlimited family tariff* Unlimited £62.50/mth (6) £80/mth via EE (7)

Correct as of October 2024. (1) All links go via our Cheap Mobile Finder and show the cheapest Sims with the equivalent data allowance using the same network's signals. (2) 25GB/mth of data on a 12-month contract. (3) 15GB/month of data on a 12-month contract. Equivalent price also factors in a £30 Amazon or Currys voucher. (4) 24-month contract for unlimited data. This is the only Sim plan eligible for Multisave due to O2's exclusion policy. (5) Assumes a primary Sim with 150GB of data on a 24-month contract and three additional 100GB Sims on an 18-month contract. (6) First Sim is £25/mth and each additional Sim is £12.50/mth. (7) Unlimited data on a 24-month contract.

Are family Sim plans worth it?

From a purely MoneySaving perspective, it will usually be much cheaper for each member of your family (or group of friends) to sign up separately for a cheap Sim.

However, if you're keen to easily manage your family's mobile contracts through one account and pay it all through one bill, a family Sim plan could be a good option.

How do I switch to a family Sim plan?

If you decide that you want to bundle your Sims into a family plan, networks make this relatively straightforward. Usually you'll need to create an account first for your main or 'primary Sim' and when you're logged in, you'll be able to purchase additional Sims within your account. Each network is different, so see provider-specific instructions below.

  • How to set up your EE Family Sim plan

    To get EE's multi-line discount, you need to be a on a pay-monthly plan. Each time you add a Sim to your existing account, the multi-line discount will be automatically applied to your next bill.

    The discount you receive will depend on when you took out your EE plan:

    Date contract with EE was taken out Discount available
    After 29 August 2024 'Up to' £12 off each line (1)
    Between 18 July 2023 and 28 August 2024 30% discount on each line (1)
    Between 17 August 2022 and 17 July 2023 20% discount on each line
    Before 17 August 2022 10% discount on each line

    (1) Discount only applies to cost of calls, texts and data (your airtime plan).

  • How to set up your Honest Mobile group plan

    With Honest Mobile family Sim you'll need to select in advance what features you'd like on your plan.

    1. Go via Honest Mobile's website to order your family plan and select how many Sims you'd like to bundle together.
    2. You'll also need to customise your Sims by deciding contract length and data amount.
    3. The final step is to activate your Sims. You can do this via the app and follow the in-app instructions. Your first month only starts when you activate your Sim.

  • How to set up your O2 Multisave account

    1. First you'll need to buy a Sim directly from O2 on an eligible tariff.
    2. Sign in to your O2 account and select Multisave from the menu and follow the instructions.
    3. Your discount will be applied within three working days.

    The first phone number you add will be your 'lead connection' and won't receive a discount. However, every additional number you include in your group will get a 20% airtime discount. To add more numbers, simply follow the same steps again.

  • How to set up your Smarty group plan

    To set up Smarty's Group Plan, you first need to be a customer, and then:

    1. Log in to the Smarty app, click You and Start a group.
    2. Click People & Devices.
    3. You'll need to pick a Nickname for the profile.
    4. Select the plan you'd like the new member of your group to have.
    5. Confirm the postcode and address you want the SIM delivered to.
    6. Make a payment for the first month.

  • How to set up your Vodafone group plan

    1. First you'll need to buy a Vodafone plan, either direct from Vodafone, or via our Cheap Mobile Finder.
    2. Once set up, sign in to your Vodafone account and select an eligible additional plan. All plans are 18-month contracts.

    The first phone number you add will be your 'primary connection' and won't receive a discount. However, every additional number you include in your group will get a 15% airtime discount. To add more numbers, simply follow the same steps again.

  • How to set up your 1pMobile Unlimited family tariff

    If you're already an existing customer with 1pMobile, you can just add an additional unlimited Sim via your online account.

    If you're new to 1pMobile:

    1. Go to 1pMobile's website.
    2. Select how many Sims you'd like to bundle and order.
    3. You'll need to enter where you'd like your Sims to be sent, email address and payment method, and it will be on its way.
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