The UK's best SIM Only deals this month, compared in one place
We’ve done the hard work for you and compared the best SIM Only deals in the UK for October, across all the best networks and mobile retailers.
Whether you want to pay the lowest amount possible each month, need better coverage where you live, or want unlimited data, you’ll find them all here, hand-picked by our deals team.
Switching to a SIM Only deal is a simple and fast way to reduce your monthly phone bill when you reach the end of your mobile contract, or if you’ve bought a SIM free phone without a contract and need a mobile plan to go with it.
If you’re happy with your current phone, you can switch your plan to a SIM only plan either with your current network if they offer you a decent price, or choose a new one from our picks below. You can even bring your old number with you – transferring a number over to your new provider usually only takes 1-2 working days.
These are the best SIM Only deals we’ve found this month and if you want to see even more, you can compare all SIM only deals here.
Mozillion | 30GB Data | Unlimited calls & texts | 1 month rolling | £9 a month
Finding a decent plan under £10 a month on EE’s network isn’t the easiest job in the world, but here’s one. 30GB of data, unlimited calls and texts, plus EU roaming in 41 destinations for £9 on Mozillion. Mozillion also don’t have any mid-contract price increases.
Mozillion | 120GB Data | Unlimited calls & texts | 24 months | £136 one-off
If you’re willing to pay for the entire 2 years upfront, you can get 120GB a month with Mozillion’s Preloaded plan and it works out as just £5.50 a month. Includes unlimited calls, texts and inclusive EU roaming too.
Lebara | 1GB Data | Unlimited calls & texts | 1 month | £3.39 a month
This Lebara deal is ideal for low data users, plus you get unlimited calls and texts. £1.59 a month for months 1-3, then it’s £3.99 a month after – so works out at just £3.39 a month over 12 months. EU roaming included too.
Lebara | 10GB Data | Unlimited calls & texts | 1 month | £4.63 a month
Another cracking SIM deal from Lebara, giving you 10GB of data, plus unlimited calls and texts. You’ll pay £1.89 a month for months 1-4 then £5.99, so works out at just £4.63 a month over 12 months.
Talkmobile | 50GB Data | Unlimited calls & texts | 1 month | £6.95 a month
Ideal for higher data users, this Direct Mobiles exclusive from Talkmobile includes 50GB of data, unlimited calls and texts, plus no annual price increase. Talkmobile runs on Vodafone.
iD Mobile | 108GB Data | Unlimited calls & texts | 1 month | £9 a month
If you’re wanting 100GB of data or more, then this £9 SIM deal could be for you. iD Mobile runs on Three’s network. 108GBB of data plus unlimited calls and texts, and you can use 30GB of your monthly allowance for EU roaming.
Mozillion | Unlimited Data, calls & texts | 24 months | £18 a month
If you want unlimited data on the UK’s best network (RootMetrics Survey 2025), look no further than this deal from Mozillion, which runs on EE’s network. Uncapped 5G data speeds, tethering and inclusive EU roaming means this is the total package for heavy users. No mid-contract price increase either.
These are the best SIM only deals we’ve found this month, but if you want to compare even more deals for other data allowances or different networks, head this way…
About our deals
We sort through thousands of deals every day to find the best prices available from trustworthy retailers. This article contains affiliate links where Direct Mobiles may receive a commission on any sales we generate from it and this is how this site is funded. This is no way impacts our recommendations as our ultimate goal is to only ever find and recommend the best value deals for our readers. You can learn more here. If we recommend a deal, it is because we truly believe it to be worth looking at.
What is a SIM Only deal?
A SIM Only deal is a mobile tariff offer of minutes, text and data (or any combination) that does not include a mobile phone. Therefore you would need to have a mobile phone already to be able to take advantage of one these offers. If you ordered a SIM Only deal you would expect to receive a SIM card only and nothing else.
Are SIM only deals worth it?
SIM only deals tend to be contracted for a shorter period that a pay monthly mobile plan, which allows you to be more flexible about your choice of phone. You may continue to use an older, perfectly serviceable handset or purchase one in a different way. Currently you could choose to by a mobile phone on finance and pay it off monthly, separately from the SIM Only contract, trade in an old handset or indeed buy a second hand handset. SIM Only deals tend to attract two distinct types of customers, customers who are looking for value and customer who tend to change their handsets more often.
SIM only deals: are they cheaper than phone contracts?
SIM Only deals either have larger allowances of minutes text and data, or they are significantly cheaper than normal contracts. The networks are able to do this because in a normal 24 month contract deal, a portion of the monthly line rental is to cover subsidising the mobile phone, to make it more attractive when you connect. They also tend to be for a shorter periods of time, you can get SIM only deals on 30 day rolling contracts as well as for 12 months. Once you are out of your minimum contract time you would normally have to give 30 days notice.
How much data will I need?
How much do you use your phone to access the internet, social media, listen to music, watch you tube, Netflix or other video streaming services? Not sure? If you are leaving a network to get a great SIM only deal you can ask for your last 3 months average data use, or if your current service has an app, you can usually see how much data you use each month in there.
If you are completely new to mobile then it would be good to know that the average user, uses less than 10GB of data each month. Most networks will allow you to move up a plan so if you find in the first month you have used more than your data allowance then move up, pay more per month and get some more data.
SIM Only FAQs
SIM only deals: How long is the contract?
You may see different variations of the SIM Only contracts displayed, no contract, 30 day contract and 12 month contract. It is worth noting that 30 day or 1 month contracts do usually have a 30 day notice period for cancellation so you may end up paying for two months of service. 12 month and 24 month SIM only contracts generally have greater allowances or cost less per month because you have agreed to a minimum of 12-24 months of service.
SIM only deals: How do I keep my current mobile number?
To get a PAC all you have to do is text the word PAC to 65705 from your old SIM. It’s free. You then give the PAC to your new provider. You can either do this when you order your new SIM, or wait until you’ve received it and then do it later.
What size SIM do I need?
The SIM is short for subscriber identity module, great answer for a pub quiz! Good news is that the SIM over time has got smaller and smaller. Back in the day they were the size of a credit card and now most phones are either a micro sim or a nano sim. All networks will provide a SIM card that has the 3 different sizes included and you just push out the size to fit the phone of your choice.
eSIMs are also becoming increasingly popular. If you have an eSIM compatible phone, you can use one of these instead of a plastic SIM. An eSIM is a digital SIM sent to you by the network, usually over email and you just click to install it to your phone.
Which is the best network?
If you have more time take a look at our article, ‘What is the best mobile phone network?‘ which cover this in great detail, but the short version is that Mobile Networks (MNO) have great deals if you go direct but they tend to be a bit less flexible than the smaller Virtual Mobile networks (MVNO). If you want to know more about the differences between networks, take a look at our article, ‘What is the difference between a Mobile and a Virtual Mobile Phone Network?’. What do we mean by saying less flexible? They tend to have 30 day rolling and 12 month contracts that have a lot of perks, EE give you 6 months of free Apple Music with certain deals which alone is worth £60.00. O2 SIM Only deals allow you take advantage of O2 priority. MVNO’s tend to offer simpler propositions which concentrate on value.
EE
Get all the benefits of having a lengthy contract like 3 months free access to BT sports and inclusive minutes and texts to use when you are abroad in Europe, add this to the amazing 4G speeds in this network and you are in for a winning combination.
Three
The network built for data and still the only major player who has unlimited data plans on SIM only.
Vodafone
One of the oldest networks with great coverage, comes with a no quibble 30 day guarantee, if you are not happy with your SIM only they will cancel your contract.
O2
Great sim only deals with all the benefits of a normal contract, you will still get access to O2 priority, great if you like sports and entertainment.
Giffgaff
One of the very early SIM Only networks, packed with all the features you would expect and customer services which is managed by the giffgaff community. They also give you extra goodies if you introduce your friends and family.
iD
No contract, no credit check on pay as you go and 4G as standard on all plans. iD Mobile runs on the Three network.
Smarty
One of the latest SIM Only networks which offers unlimited UK minutes and texts which discounts your next months line rental if you have not used all your data. Smarty runs on the Three network.
Voxi
If you are under 30 this is the network for, you not data charges for using social media and three simple plans to choose from. Voxi is owned and operated by Vodafone.
Tesco Mobile
If you want all your eggs in one basket then Tesco is for you. Save on your shopping while talking to your friends and family. Tesco Mobile runs on the O2 network.
Lebara
Unmatched value with data, national and international calls packed into one plan.
Virgin
Faster 4G on average compared to other networks with free Whatsapp and Facebook messaging included. Virgin runs on the EE network.
Sky
Great if you want to rollover all your unused data every month.
Mozillion
Known for it’s uncapped 5G data speeds, Mozillion runs on EE’s network.
Will I have coverage?
If we concentrate on the coverage for the MNO this will cover the MVNO’s as well, if you take a look at our article what is the difference between a Mobile and a Virtual Mobile Phone Network? There is a non-exhaustive list of what MVNO’s use what network. When you are connecting you should be able to do a coverage check during the application process. If you do buy a SIM only deal and you do have coverage issues all online sales are covered by distance selling regulations so you will be able to return and cancel.
Do I need to unlock my phone?
If you have a handset that was initially supplied by a network directly it is likely that the handset will be locked to the network. Therefor it would be necessary to unlock the handset before using it with a SIM only deal with another provider. See the guides below to help you to do this.
EE
All devices sold by EE are locked to EE. This means they’ll only work with an EE SIM card – they won’t work with another network’s SIM card (apart from Virgin Mobile). Depending on your device, it’ll unlock automatically or you’ll need a code from the original network to unlock it. You can call EE using 150 from your handset or call 0800 079 8586
- Any iPhone or iPad sold directly by EE, on or after 1 September 2015, will be unlocked automatically once it reaches 18 months old.*
- Google Pixel phones (all variants) automatically unlock themselves on day 721 from point of activation. You’ll receive a device configuration notification to confirm when it is unlocked.
- All other devices require a code to unlock them for use with other networks. Please contact the original network to obtain a code.
*replacement devices will be unlocked 18 months from the point they are first used
This applies to pay monthly, pay as you go and small business devices – not corporate devices. Devices connected to corporate accounts are not eligible for unlock. To raise an unlocking request for a corporate device, contact your Account Manager.
EE aim to unlock all devices within 72 hours. If they need to contact the manufacturer to get a code, it may take 10 days. But they’ll be in touch if that’s the case.
O2
If you’re on an O2 Pay Monthly tariff, you can unlock your phone or tablet at any time, for free.
This doesn’t affect your contract – you’ll still need to see out the rest of it, depending on your device and tariff.
The only way to unlock your phone or tablet is by using My O2 online or via the main menu of the My O2 app. Once it’s unlocked, we’ll text you to let you know.
If you’ve got an iPhone or an iPad, you’ll need to connect it to iTunes once you’ve put a non-O2 sim into the device. iTunes will then tell you the phone or tablet is unlocked.
For all other phones and tablets, you’ll get a text with an unlocking code. Simply enter this into your device and follow the instructions.
Vodafone
The Network Unlock Code or NUC (sometimes called a Network Unlock PIN or NUP, or Network Control Key or NCK) allows you to unlock a mobile phone from its original network. You can call Vodafone using 191 from your Vodafone handset or call 03333 040 191
It’s free for consumer and small business customers to request a NUC.
To get your unlock code, Vodafone will need some information from you first. Once they’ve received this information, they will contact you within 48 hours. Sometimes they may need to get in touch with your phone’s manufacturer, which can take up to 10 working days.
Please note: If you’re no longer a Vodafone customer, you can still request your NUC from Vodafone as long as you previously used your phone on their network.
Three
If you have purchased directly from Three and this is after 1st January 2014 your handset will already be unlocked.
Virgin
Handsets that are used to access Virgin Mobile’s services are locked to the Network. If you wish to unlock your handset from the Network you will need to contact the Virgin Team on 0800 052 0800 and pay the Charges for unlocking your handset as set out in the Tariff Table. You will also need to have paid all Charges owing on your account before they unlock your handset. For security reasons you will also need to register the handset you wish to unlock with them before they unlock it for you.
