The UK’s Best Value Smartphone SIM-only Tariffs with Internet Access
December 27th, 2011
If you already have your own smartphone, you could save about £180/year by switching to a SIM-only tariff for your smartphone.
If you already own a smartphone and don’t need a new one, a SIM-only tariff offers a low-cost bundle of inclusive minutes, texts and internet access to use each month. Compared to a traditional mobile phone contract, SIM-only contracts are around £15/month cheaper – that means you should see savings of around £180 each year on a SIM-only tariff. SIM-only tariffs only include airtime and do not come with a new handset. This makes them ideal for:
- Anyone who purchases their smartphone SIM free, on a Pay As You Go tariff or second hand from eBay.
- Anyone who already has a smartphone which came from a previous mobile contract. Your initial 18 month or 24 month contract has already run out but you’re happy to keep your phone.
- Anyone who has been given a handset by a friend or family member (for example an unwanted upgrade or an old phone).

The deals here are compatible with iPhone, Android, Windows Phone and Nokia devices.
SIM-only tariffs are available from all of the UK’s top mobile networks including Three, O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone.
These tariffs reviewed here are compatible with most smartphones including the Apple iPhone, Android handsets, Windows Phone handsets and Nokia handsets. A notable exception is BlackBerry smartphones – the tariffs here are not fully compatible with BlackBerry. You’ll still be able to call and text from a BlackBerry but you’ll need a special BlackBerry tariff to use features such as e-mail and BlackBerry Messenger (BBM).
If you’re switching network and your handset is locked, you may need to unlock your handset first. It’s easy to check whether your handset is locked and if it is, should cost no more than £20 to unlock it. You should easily make this back in cost savings within a few months. iPhone owners should see our guide to unlocking your iPhone.
It’s also really easy to keep your existing phone number – all you need to do is to request a PAC Code from your current mobile network. Our PAC Code Finder will walk you through the entire process.
Please select your budget:
Deals under £10/month
The cheapest SIM-only tariff in the UK suitable for smartphones is Orange’s £7/month Dolphin deal. Each month, you’ll get an allowance of 150 minutes, 500 texts and 250MB internet. Orange’s deal is a 12-month contract but with such a low price, a 12-month commitment isn’t such a bad thing. With a monthly allowance of 250MB internet (the industry standard is 500MB), this tariff isn’t suitable for heavy internet users but it’ll more than suffice for Facebook, Twitter, e-mails and occasional web browsing. Orange’s £7/month deal is the only SIM-only tariff in the UK costing less than £10/month.
![]() |
150 minutes, 500 texts, 250MB internet (12 month contract) Get this deal from Orange (£7/month) » |
£10/month deals
12 month contract
For just a tenner a month, you’ll be able to get a healthy monthly allowance of 300 minutes from either Three or T-Mobile. Three’s deal is 300 minutes, 3000 texts and 1GB internet for £10/month whereas T-Mobile offers 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB internet for £10.21/month. Of the two tariffs, Three’s tariff offers slightly better value with a monthly data allowance of 1GB rather than 500MB – a rather handy addition we think – as well as being 21p/month cheaper. However, some consumers may prefer T-Mobile if coverage on T-Mobile is better where you live.
![]() |
300 minutes, 3000 texts, 1GB internet (12 month contract) Get this deal from Three (£10/month) » |
![]() |
300 minutes, unlimited texts, 500MB internet (12 month contract) Get this deal from T-Mobile (£10.21/month) » |
1 month contract
If you’re looking for a shorter commitment, Three and T-Mobile offer variants of their tariffs with a monthly allowance of just 100 minutes. The monthly cost is the same but you only have a 30 day commitment.
![]() |
100 minutes, 3000 texts, 1GB internet (12 month contract) Get this deal from Three (£10/month) » |
![]() |
100 minutes, unlimited texts, 500MB internet (12 month contract) Get this deal from T-Mobile (£10.21/month) » |
Full deal list
Deals available at £10/month are as follows…
| Network | 12 month contract | 1 month contract | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | Texts | Internet | Minutes | Texts | Internet | |
![]() |
300 | 3,000 | 1GB | 100 | 3,000 | 1GB |
![]() |
[No suitable tariffs] | [No suitable tariffs] | ||||
![]() |
200 | Unlimited | 100MB | 50 | Unlimited | 100MB |
![]() |
300 | Unlimited | 500MB | 100 | Unlimited | 500MB |
![]() |
100 | 3,000 | 250MB | 50 | 3,000 | 100MB |
£15/month deals
12 month contract
At the £15/month price point, Three are offering the top deal with 600 minutes, 3000 texts and all-you-can-eat data with no download limits. Having all-you-can-eat data is great: there is never any need to worry about how much data you’re using on your smartphone and there are no hidden charges to be incurred for using too much data. T-Mobile are also offering 600 minutes and unlimited texts but you’re limited to 500MB internet. Again, this tariff may be preferable if Three coverage is patchy where you live.
![]() |
600 minutes, 3000 texts, all-you-can-eat internet (12 month contract) Get this deal from Three (£15/month) » |
![]() |
600 minutes, unlimited texts, 500MB internet (12 month contract) Get this deal from T-Mobile (£15.32/month) » |
1 month contract
The top 1-month £15/month deal comes from T-Mobile: you’ll get 350 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB internet for £15.32/month. If you consume a lot of data, you may prefer Three’s offering of 300 minutes, 3000 texts and all-you-can-eat data.
![]() |
350 minutes, unlimited texts, 500MB internet (1 month contract) Get this deal from T-Mobile (£15.32/month) » |
![]() |
300 minutes, 3000 texts, 1GB internet (1 month contract) Get this deal from Three (£15/month) » |
Full deal list
Deals available at £15/month are as follows…
| Network | 12 month contract | 1 month contract | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | Texts | Internet | Minutes | Texts | Internet | |
![]() |
600 | 3,000 | Unlimited | 300 | 3,000 | Unlimited |
![]() |
[No suitable tariffs] | 100 | Unlimited | 100MB | ||
![]() |
500 | Unlimited | 250MB | 200 | Unlimited | 100MB |
![]() |
600 | Unlimited | 500MB | 350 | Unlimited | 500MB |
![]() |
300 | 3,000 | 250MB | 100 | 3,000 | 250MB |
£20/month deals
12 month contract
At the £20/month price point, the best 12 month deal is T-Mobile’s offer of 900 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB internet for £20.42/month.
![]() |
900 minutes, unlimited texts, 500MB internet (12 month contract) Get this deal from T-Mobile (£20.42/month) » |
1 month contract
For a contract with a shorter commitment, both Three and T-Mobile offer 600 minutes on their £20/month SIM-only tariffs. Three offers 600 minutes, 3000 texts and all-you-can-eat data (no download limits) whereas T-Mobile offers 600 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB internet.
![]() |
600 minutes, 3000 texts, all-you-can-eat internet (12 month contract) Get this deal from Three (£20/month) » |
![]() |
600 minutes, unlimited texts, 500MB internet (12 month contract) Get this deal from T-Mobile (£20.42/month) » |
Full deal list
Deals available at £20/month are as follows…
| Network | 12 month contract | 1 month contract | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | Texts | Internet | Minutes | Texts | Internet | |
![]() |
[No suitable tariffs] | 600 | 3,000 | Unlimited | ||
![]() |
600 | Unlimited | 500MB | 300 | Unlimited | 500MB |
![]() |
800 | Unlimited | 250MB | 500 | Unlimited | 250MB |
![]() |
900 | Unlimited | 500MB | 600 | Unlimited | 500MB |
![]() |
600 | 3,000 | 500MB | 300 | 3,000 | 500MB |
Deals of £25/month or above

Available on a 1 month rolling contract, Three’s “The One Plan” (see our full review) is essentially an “unlimited calls, texts and internet” package (albeit with some incredibly difficult-to-reach limits). For £25/month, you’ll get 2000 cross-network minutes, 5000 3-to-3 minutes, 5000 texts and all-you-can-eat internet (unlimited with no fair usage limit).You’re going to struggle to use this all up… it equates to making 67 minutes of calls and sending 167 texts every single day.
In addition, voicemail is included and tethering is free (this means you can connect your phone to a computer/tablet and share the internet connection). You’re essentially getting a mobile broadband connection thrown in free here.
![]() |
The One Plan
|
Other deals available at £25/month are as follows…
| Network | 12 month contract | 1 month contract | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | Texts | Internet | Minutes | Texts | Internet | |
![]() |
[No suitable tariffs] | 2,000 | 5,000 | Unlimited | ||
![]() |
900 | Unlimited | 500MB | 600 | Unlimited | 500MB |
![]() |
1,000 | Unlimited | 250MB | 800 | Unlimited | 250MB |
![]() |
1,200 | Unlimited | 500MB | 900 | Unlimited | 500MB |
![]() |
900 | 3,000 | 500MB | 600 | 3,000 | 500MB |
There are no “best buys” above £25/month as they are all beaten by Three’s £25/month “The One Plan” tariff.
Where can I find out more?
More information on SIM-only tariffs can be found on the relevant mobile operator’s website: Three, O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone. We’ve also got a SIM-only tariff price comparison tool.
| About Ken | |
![]() | My mission is to demystify the world of mobile technology for general audiences and to communicate how mobile technology can enhance our every aspect of our daily lives. I've been maintaining the Ken's Tech Tips website since 2004. I have experience communicating mobile technology and presenting new mobile products both online and offline at various trade shows and events. If you'd like to get in touch, please drop me an e-mail. |
- Deals , Mobile , SIM Only , Smartphones
- Comments(27)










well done and very interesting. however, there is one thing that I do not understand: Lets take the three contract for instance. There is unlimited internet – so, what does costs outside allowance for internet mean? thanks for clarifying!!! cheers, dan
Thanks Dan
For an unlimited tariff, the data costs outside of your allowance doesn’t really have much meaning (unless you exceed the fair usage allowance). Hope this helps, Ken
Hey man, very good article. I’m thinking of changing now my 18 month O2 contract has run out but I’m worried about internet speed and GPS. I have an iphone 3G and was wondering if the GPS would still work on another network. I also heard that the internet on 3 might not be very good. What do you think?
Hi Matt,
Make sure you unlock your iPhone (http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/how-to-unlock-your-iphone-from-o2-and-orange) first before trying a 3 SIM card. Firstly, you can use the coverage checker on their website. With the SIM only deal, you can cancel after one month if speeds are slopw. Alternatively, you could test the internet speed on 3 in your area using a 3Pay (3 Pay As You Go) SIM card (http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/threes-pay-as-you-go-offers-free-texts-150mb-internet-skype-windows-live).
I’m currently on the 3 network now- And I am extremely pleased with them. I get a signal virually everywhere, and 3 is the only network operator to provide 3g internet speeds where i go to school, and I live in rural dorset!!
I’m actually planning on buying the Nexus one within the next few months, and am interested by rumors that 3 is trying to offer it from the google website. However, i digress. What I came here to ask was, with the 3 pay monthly-sim only, what exactly do they define as ‘unlimited’ ?
Because I am aware 3 defines unlimited as 150mb on a PAYG sim card. I hope this won’t be the case for my data-hungry nexus?
Hi Aaron,
According to the Three T&C:
http://www.three.co.uk/Help_Support/Terms_and_Conditions?content_aid=1214305746279
The fair usage limit for Three is 1GB/mo. I’ve updated the article for clarification.
Cheers
Ken
I have an unlocked HTC TyTNII with a t-mobile sim card on PAYG (mates rate).
Walk-n-Web is capped at £1 a day, BUT you can buy 5 days in advance for £2.50
(EG 6am on Monday till midnight on Saturday just £2.50, so you can effectively get
unlimited for less than £15/month.)
It was working fine until I upgraded TyTNN from Windows Mobile 6.0 to 6.5.
Since then, although GRPS/3G are working, I can no longer connect to TomTom’s traffic downloads.
O2 simplicity for smartphones, on a 12 month or 1 month contract, e.g. £15/month for 300 minutes + unlimited text + unlimited data
http://shop.o2.co.uk/tariffs/simplicity/smartphone/12_months
http://giffgaff.com/
offering free data till may 25 2010 with a minimum £10 top up
Does anyone know if Vodafone’s SIM-only for iPhone will work in an HTC Desire? Their online chatters say the SIM is incompatible, but is that technically bull?
[...] charge for the handset or impose extra charges for using the internet connection. Furthermore, even SIM-only tariffs for smartphones usually cost at least £15/month – meaning that this deal is at least competitive with [...]
If one is considering the iPhone 4, a microSIM is required: so is there a good deal for a microSIM?
Tesco have £5 off sim only contracts until 6th or 10th October. £10 = 500 min, 500 txt, 500MB. all on a 30 day contract. In-store only afaik.
Great post, thank you. I persuaded Three to double my allowance from 1GB to 2GB on their £15/month SIM only deal. Giffgaff may be cheaper but three's coverage in rural Scotland is unsurpassed.
hi can any one help i have an unlocked blackberry curve 8900 i live 6 months in the UK and 6 months in Spain i want to know what is the best option for me i dont want to be tied to a contract when im not in the uk.
is it true that there are only certain tariffs you can use for smartphones?
You can use any tariff on a smartphone but you are strongly recommended to use one with an inclusive internet allowance. Otherwise, you'll have huge data bills. All of the tariffs listed on this page come with an inclusive internet allowance.
Ken
There's no such thing as unlimited if you get charged if you use too much. Costs outside allowance are very important.
You need to update the information on Three's The One Plan – their Internet is completely unlimited in the pure dictionary definition. There are no catches or clauses, no FUPs or anything else. If your intention is to download the entire Internet then Three will not charge you a penny more for doing so! There is no speed throttling. It is, plain and simple, unlimited. A recent "challenge" was run by another blogger who managed 46GB in two weeks and with zero £ charge for Internet usage on his bill – validation that Internet with them is really unlimited in the package.
Hi Hands0n,
Thanks for getting in touch
Sorry for the oversight on this page… we had reviewed "all-you-can-eat data" back in January (see http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/three-offer-a…. The details on this page have been updated now.
Cheers
Ken
Hi Ken,
Are you planning to update this analysis for the latest position? And include details for the very attractive virtual networks (such as giffgaff, Vectone, Tesco Mobile, etc.)?
Specifically very interested in getting something with unlimited (or 1GB) internet, a large amounts of minutes (say 500 ish), free land lines with a PAYG or 30-day rolling contract, but most attractive package seen to date is giffgaff's.
I also heard rumours that Tesco used to do £10 p/m unlimited internet, 5000 texts and 500 minutes – is this true?
Cheers,
Matan
What are these rolling contracts. I am thinking of buying a Samsung Galaxy S2 unlocked from say Amazon or Play and want a PAYG SIM for reasonable Internet access. Three sounds interesting but what exactly do you buy? Do you buy a SIM that has to be topped up every month or do you pay for a year's worth. Honestly, I don't understand these 30 day rolling contracts
Hi Nick,
Essentially you get a "Pay Monthly" mobile contract but one which doesn't come with a phone. It'll be a 1-month rolling contact or a 12 month contract. Because there is no phone included with the tariff, these tariffs are about £15/month to £20/month cheaper.
Ken
I'm in pretty much the same position. I'm moving to Giffgaff. They use the o2 network and for a £10 a month rolling contract they give 250 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited 3g web. A no brainer!
i have just received a new htc wild fire i am currently on 02 simplicity 15 pounds monthly 02 02 unlimted 500 texts would like to add internet any sugestions
Hi Ann,
I've prepared a guide over at http://cow.neondragon.net/index.php/o2-pay-monthl… which reviews each of the internet packages (The Basics, The All Rounder & The Works).
Hope this helps!
Ken
Tesco Mobile have some fantastic deals at the moment, if you visit the following link and select "30 Day SIM" http://phone-shop.tesco.com/tesco-mobile/special-…