Best sim only deals

[evilsatan]

Taken from engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/28/best-sim-deals-uk/

Everyone wants the perfect phone contract. Whatever your budget, you'll always want the maximum number of texts, minutes and data in your monthly allowance. There are other factors to consider, such as the quality of the network and international roaming, but those are the basics. Sifting through endless deals will drive anyone insane, so we've done the hard work for you and compiled a guide to the best SIM-only deals in the UK.
To complete our list, we compared all of the plans available directly from Three, O2, Vodafone, EE, GiffGaff, BT, iD, Tesco Mobile, Asda Mobile and Virgin Media. While you might have signed up for a better deal years ago or haggled on the phone for a discount, our picks are based on what you can get right now on the high street. TalkTalk was also excluded on the basis that you have to be an existing customer to buy one of their SIMs. If you're interested, however, you can see their current plans and pricing here.
The best "I want everything" deals

• Three: unlimited data, unlimited mins, unlimited texts (£27, 12 month contract)
• EE: 10GB, unlimited mins, unlimited texts (£28.99, 12 month contract)
• BT: 20GB, unlimited mins, unlimited texts (£25, 12 month contract)
• Virgin: 8GB, unlimited mins, unlimited texts (£23, 30-day contract)
• iD: 10GB, 2000 mins, 5000 texts (£20, 30-day contract)

Some people just want it all. Texts, minutes, data -- all three are equally important to them. The five deals above have huge allowances to make sure you can text, call and browse the internet without any worry of bill shock. The best deal we found is on Three, which offers unlimited everything for £27 per month. The network's SIMs also come with free "feel at home" roaming in 18 countries, making it a decent choice for frequent flyers.
Best unlimited data deals

• Three: Unlimited data, 200 mins, unlimited texts (£17, 12 month contract)
• Three: Unlimited data, 600 mins, unlimited texts (£22, 12 month contract)
• GiffGaff: Unlimited data (3G only), 2000 mins, unlimited texts (£20, 30-day contract)
• Three: Unlimited data, unlimited mins, unlimited texts (£27, 12 month contract)

For many people, data has become the most important part of their phone contract. After all, more of us are now texting and calling over internet-enabled apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Skype. Only Three and GiffGaff offer truly unlimited data caps each month, so we've summarised the cheapest of their plans here.
Best £15.01 to 20.00 deals

Data

• Three: Unlimited data, 200 mins, unlimited texts (£17, 12 month contract)
• iD: 10GB, 2000 mins, 5000 texts (£20, 30-day contract)
• Three: 4GB, 600 mins, unlimited texts (£16, 12 month contract)

Minutes

• O2: 2GB, unlimited mins, unlimited texts (£18, 12 month contract)
• EE: 2GB, 2000 mins, unlimited texts (£16.99, 12 month contract)
• Tesco: 3GB, 5000 mins, 5000 texts (£17.50, 12 month contract)

Texts

• Three: 4GB, 600 minutes, unlimited texts (£16, 12 month contract)
• BT: 2GB, 500 mins, unlimited texts (£17, 12 month contract)
• EE: 2GB, 2000 minutes, unlimited texts (£16.99, 12 month contract)

Once you drop below £20, it becomes harder to keep every part of your contact perfect. We've therefore chosen to split our recommendations into three categories depending on whether you hold data, minutes or texts most dearly. Three offers some of the best data deals, but all of the networks have some competitive SIMs if you're more interested in minutes and texts. One of our favourites at the moment is O2's SIM packing unlimited minutes, texts and 2GB of data for £18 per month. Not too shabby.
Best £10.01 to £15 deals

Data

• iD: 5GB, 500 mins, 5000 texts (£15, 30-day contract)
• Virgin: 4GB, unlimited mins, unlimited texts (£15, 30-day contract)
• iD: 3GB, 200 mins, 5000 texts (£12.50, 30-day contract)

Minutes

• Virgin: 4GB, unlimited mins, unlimited texts (£15, 30-day contract)
• Tesco: 1GB, 1000 mins, 5000 texts (£12.50, 12 month contract)
• Tesco: 3GB, 3000 mins, 5000 texts (£15, 18 month contract)

Texts

• Virgin: 2GB, unlimited mins, unlimited texts (£12, 30-day contract)
• O2: 300MB, 300 mins, unlimited texts (£10.50, 12 month contract)
• Three: 2GB, 200 mins, unlimited texts (£11, 12 month contract)

In this price range, it's basically impossible to get a SIM with unlimited data. The trick here is to compromise in the areas that matter least to you and prioritise the allowances that you know you'll be eating into every month. Whether that's data, minutes or texts, we've highlighted the best SIM-only deals above. Some of our top picks include iD's deal with 5GB, 500 minutes and 5000 texts for £15 per month and Virgin's SIM packing 4GB, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts for the same price.
Best deals for £10 and under

Data

• Virgin: 1GB, 2500 mins, unlimited texts (£10, 30-day contract)
• iD: 1GB, 100 mins, 5000 texts (£7.50, 30-day contract)
• iD: 500MB, 250 mins, 5000 texts (£5, 30-day contract)

Minutes

• Virgin: 1GB, 2500 mins, unlimited texts (£10, 30d)
• Virgin: 500MB, 1250 mins, unlimited texts (£8, 30d)
• Tesco: 500MB, 750 mins, 5000 texts (£10, 12m)

Texts

• Virgin: 250MB, 250 mins, unlimited texts (£5, 30-day contract)
• iD: 500MB, 250 mins, 5000 texts (£5, 30-day contract)
• Tesco: 500MB, 250 mins, 5000 texts (£7.50, 12 month contract)

If you're spending less than a tenner, you should expect some stringent allowances. Still, if you look closely there are some excellent deals for people on a budget. Some of the best include Virgin's £8 per month SIM with 500MB, 1,250 minutes and unlimited texts, as well as its £10 option which doubles the minutes and texts. If you're just looking for a cheap backup SIM, iD's £5 plan with 500MB, 250 minutes and 5,000 texts is also worth considering.

Bestof the rest:
3 Pay As You Go - £15 gets you 200 mins, something like 2000 texts and unlimited data. £2/month cheaper than contract and no commitment.

[GTI]

For my circumstances (infrequent visitor back home to Blighty) I have the best possible PAYG package with Three.
3.2.1 (3p calls, 2p texts and 1p data) which means I only pay for what I use, and the credit doesn't expire. I leave and return 3 months later and my balance is the same, and I continue to sip off from it. I can add a package if I want (unlimited data and 00s mins calls for a tenner) but most times I am better off staying with 321.

With all the other networks the charges per minute, text or MB (outside of a package) are ridiculous.

The only problem, and I don't know why the restriction exists is that the 321 sim won't work in a tablet computer. I am very happy to load up a sim with £30 and bang that in my iPad to use throughout the year but the cunts won't allow it. Instead you have to buy a monthly 1GB mobile broadband add on for a £10, which seems a bit of a waste if I'm only in the UK for a bank holiday weekend.

[Zippeyrude]

I have a 321 prepay sim on a spare handset and it is great

I also have a 10gig mifi device on a monthly rolling contract for 16.02 a month, bargain if you go abroad and use the feel at home features

[evilsatan]

There are no sims that I am aware of that allow for unexpiring prepay data, so annoying as I would buy one for my laptop but rarely need WWAN. I did have a sim that was on the three network but supplied by a website where you watch ads and earn data, that was unexpiring, I had a lot of data on there but when my laptop had the mobo replaced the technician didn't check for the sim so I lost it and the sim company has since closed down.

[Lou_smorals]

Hi
Surprised no mention of TPO in first post.
LS

[evilsatan]

Feel free to suggest any plans and I will add them in

[Over Carl]

3 Pay As You Go - £15 gets you 200 mins, something like 2000 texts and unlimited data. £2/month cheaper than contract and no commitment.

[Chubbs]

I'm a three fan.

Lost a top up voucher and as a gesture they still gave me the credit as I could prove I bought it

[chizh]

Good list evilsatan.

Only downside I've had with 3 is their indoor reception.
Costs can be as cheap as chips but if you don't have a signal then what's the point?

Never heard of iD. Seen they're CPW. They're piggybacking on 3 so I already know the coverage is crap despite what the coverage map is telling me.

Got a PO sim a few weeks ago hoping to get on their free tariff but was not offered/pulled. Also they appear to be 3G only so for me they're out at the moment.

[evilsatan]

Some networks offer femtocells, on O2 I had to have a business contract and pay £150 though. I believe Vidafone charge £50, not sure if anyone can get one or not.

Rumour has has it that BT are planning to integrate a femtocell into their new home hub to support their network, I am not sure if you register your numbers to it or if anyone on their network will have roaming on other peoples femtocells, if the latter then I may be moving to them this time round!

[Ashley]

Good list evilsatan.

Only downside I've had with 3 is their indoor reception.
Costs can be as cheap as chips but if you don't have a signal then what's the point?

Never heard of iD. Seen they're CPW. They're piggybacking on 3 so I already know the coverage is crap despite what the coverage map is telling me.

Got a PO sim a few weeks ago hoping to get on their free tariff but was not offered/pulled. Also they appear to be 3G only so for me they're out at the moment.

Three have a free app, that allows you to use your phone over wifi.

It's called Three Connect and works really well.

I used to have really bad service with them, but lately they've been excellent.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Squizza]

What we do is shared sim with EE.

The wife has the contract with unlimited minutes/texts and 10gb Data. She gets the shiny new phone and I pay £12 a month (it might be cheaper now) to 'share' the package.
Between us we use about 2-3GB data so 10gb is ample. I think in total the contract is £45 a month.

The EE package we are on also gives you free calls/texts when in Europe. The Shared Sim is also able to use this providing both of you are in the same country. So I could not use them if I was in Ibiza and she wasn't, we would get billed.

[Over Carl]

Good list evilsatan.

Only downside I've had with 3 is their indoor reception.
Costs can be as cheap as chips but if you don't have a signal then what's the point?

Never heard of iD. Seen they're CPW. They're piggybacking on 3 so I already know the coverage is crap despite what the coverage map is telling me.

I moved from 3 PAYG to Vodafone contract hoping to get better signal. Worst mistake of my life.

[Zoots]

My tariff is £15pm for 200mins 2000 texts and unlimited data on a 30 day rolling contract with 3. The missus went for the same but she pays £17 so must have put the prices up. The roaming data being now the same as at home makes me beyond happy for that price.

[Lou_smorals]

Feel free to suggest any plans and I will add them in

TPO use EE 3G network and their main package is 30 day contract offering

• Unlimited mins
• Unlimited texts
• 6 GB

for £14.99 - the first couple of months for £3.99 and more if you recommend friends and family - also 10% of everything you pay them goes to any charity you choose on your behalf.
LS

[chizh]

Three have a free app, that allows you to use your phone over wifi.

Precisely my point. They have had to create a workaround to compensate for poor coverage. Still no good if there's no wifi connection available. When i tried the app, I didn't like the way it always took control when in a wifi area rather then just when the mobile signal dropped out.

I have great service at home and mostly around work. I'll stick with them for the time being I think. The recent buy of O2 should make things better.

[Over Carl]

You guys do have a point - calls made over wifi should be subsidised as the network was incapable of providing a usable signal and you have had to provide your own at your cost.

It's disappointing extra apps are needed, when I remember using a Blackberry with seamless integration using UMA about 5 years ago. Funny thing was I remember not all blackberries had UMA, we had to specify this when ordering, but there would be no extra charge to get a version capable of UMA.

[pratman]

sticky?