Pay as you go SIM card: what Three, Vodafone, EE and O2 charge now

What is a pay as you go SIM card?

A pay as you go SIM card is a SIM with no contract: you pay before you use it, and you stop whenever you like. In the UK that used to mean topping up credit and paying for every call. Now it mostly means buying a 30-day bundle of data, minutes and texts, paid in advance and renewed only if you choose.

Americans call the same thing prepaid; our prepaid SIM card guide covers that side and other countries. This page is about the British networks, because that's where most people searching for a PAYG SIM card are. We read Three's, Vodafone's and EE's pay as you go pages on 10 November 2026, and O2's figures come from our O2 page, read on 8 October. We haven't used these plans ourselves.

What do UK pay as you go SIMs cost?

All the Three and Vodafone bundles include unlimited minutes and texts.

Read the Vodafone row carefully. The £10 plan's 27 GB includes 19 GB of extra data for the first three months, after which it drops to 8 GB. The bigger plans work the same way, and the extra is tied to three consecutive card payments with Auto-Renew switched on. Three's numbers have moved as well: on 8 October its £10 pack was 60 GB, and a month later the online £10 pack is 30 GB. Treat any PAYG price, including ours, as a snapshot.

Three also sells slower one-month packs at up to 25 Mbps, from £10 for 25 GB to £35 for unlimited, and a Value Data Pack of three months' unlimited data for £90.

Is there still per-minute pay as you go?

On EE, yes. Its Talk and Text option runs on top-up credit, with calls at 40p a minute and texts at 20p each, and data as an add-on. For anyone who barely uses a phone, that can still be the cheapest way to keep a number alive. For anyone who uses data, a bundle wins quickly.

Pay as you go or a SIM only contract?

Both are SIM only in the literal sense: you keep your own phone and get just the SIM. The difference is commitment. EE says "No contracts, no credit checks, no commitment", and Vodafone says each plan has "No contracts or credit checks, cancel anytime". A SIM only contract normally runs for a fixed term and is billed after use.

We don't hold SIM only contract prices, so we won't tell you which is cheaper for a resident. What PAYG gives you, unarguably, is the freedom to walk away at the end of any month, and that's why it's the version that suits visitors.

Pay as you go eSIM: which networks offer one?

A pay as you go eSIM matters most if you're arriving from abroad. Three's emailed eSIM is the route that needs no post and no shop. None of the four networks' PAYG pages say what ID a visitor needs, and Vodafone says you need a smartphone and the My Vodafone app to manage the plan, which is awkward if you land with no data. Our Three UK and Vodafone UK pages list the gaps.

The alternative for a visitor is a travel eSIM, bought before you fly. From our verified data, checked on 13 and 17 August 2026: Airalo's 50 GB for 30 days in the UK was $39, Nomad's 10 GB was $17.50, and Saily's 10 GB was $18.99. On data alone, a UK pay as you go bundle gives far more per pound. The travel eSIM wins on convenience and on not needing a British number. Cheap SIM card UK and our UK SIM card comparison set them side by side.

How long does a pay as you go SIM card stay active?

Three is specific: use the number for at least one chargeable activity every 180 days, such as a call, a text, some data or a Data Pack. Vodafone's page doesn't give a period, and nor does EE's. If you're keeping a British SIM in a drawer between visits, Three's rule is the only one we can quote.

Moving a number is the same everywhere: Vodafone's page says to text PAC to 65075, and the code lasts 30 days.

Can you use a UK PAYG SIM abroad?

Some of them. Three's Go Roam allowance comes with each pack, from up to 6 GB on the £10 packs to up to 30 GB on unlimited. Vodafone's Pay as you go Plus plans work in the "UK and Zone A only", with roaming beyond that sold as paid Extras. O2's Rolling plan included up to 25 GB of EU roaming in its Europe Zone when we read it in October.

Outside those zones, check the cost before you go: our data roaming guide shows how to switch roaming off, and a travel eSIM from cheapest eSIM is usually the cheaper data abroad.

Pay as you go SIM cards in the USA

In the US the same idea is sold as prepaid. Verizon's prepaid page offered your own phone on a single line from $35 a month with Auto Pay after the first month. T-Mobile's U.S. Pass eSIM for visitors was $50 for 30 days. An airport SIM costs about $20 and needs no ID. Our Verizon and T-Mobile pages have the detail, and the USA guide explains why the network matters on a road trip.

Which would we choose?

Living in the UK and using data: a PAYG bundle from Three or Vodafone, with an eye on when the bonus data ends. Barely using the phone: EE's Talk and Text credit. Visiting for a week: a travel eSIM bought at home, or Three's eSIM if you want a UK number and lots of data and can sort the order before you fly.