SIM Only Deals UK: 11 Networks, Prices and EU Roaming Compared

SIM only deals compared: the cheapest plan on 11 UK networks, and what it does in Europe

On 10 November 2026 the cheapest SIM only deals we could read on UK networks' own sites ran from £3 a month on Sky Mobile to £18 on O2, and most were Black Friday offers. Here is each network's cheapest deal, its April price rise and its EU roaming terms.

By Nicola Palmieri · Updated 10 November 2026

What are the cheapest SIM only deals in the UK right now?

We read the SIM only pages of eleven UK networks on 10 November 2026 and noted the cheapest deal each one listed, with what that deal does in the EU. Black Friday offers were live on most of them, so several prices below end within weeks. The table is the cheapest monthly price we saw, not the best value: the cheapest plan often has very little data.

Network	Cheapest deal listed	Term	Price rises	EU roaming on that deal
Sky Mobile	3GB, £3 a month for 12 months, then £8	24 months	"may increase" during the term	£2 a day in over 120 destinations
iD Mobile	100GB, £5 a month for 3 months, then £10	12 months	None, iD says	Included in 50 destinations, up to 30GB
Lebara	5GB, £5	30 days, no contract	None, Lebara says	No EU charges; up to 30GB
SMARTY	5GB, £6	Rolling monthly	None, SMARTY says	Included, up to 12GB a month
Tesco Mobile	2GB, £7.50	24 months	£7.95 from 1 April 2027	"No EU Roaming fees"
VOXI	75GB (25GB tripled), £12	30 days, rolling	Price locked	Pass needed, from £2.60 a day
Three	4GB Lite, £13	24 months	£1.80 every April	£2.75 a day, or £12 for 7 days
EE	25GB, £16	24 months	£18.50 from 31 March 2027	Not listed; daily charge £2.72
Vodafone	30GB, £17	Not stated on the card	£19.50 from 1 April 2027	Not listed; passes from £16 for 8 days
O2	75GB Classic, £18	24 months	£20.50 from the April 2027 bill	Included, up to 25GB
giffgaff	Could not read	Rolling or 18 months	Not checked	Up to 5GB from your plan

A few notes on the table. Three's shop would not load for us, so its row comes from Three's own price guide for plans taken from 19 April 2026; its SIM only pages said deals start "from only £9" without naming the plan. giffgaff's plans page would not load either, so we have no current giffgaff price. The O2 price is a Black Friday offer ending 2 December, Tesco's Black Friday SIM deals end 15 or 30 November depending on the plan, and Tesco shows lower Clubcard prices on some plans, such as 12GB for £9.50 a month instead of £11.

This is desk research from each operator's own pages. We have not bought or tested any of these plans.

Contract SIM only or 30-day SIM only: which is cheaper?

A contract SIM only deal ties you in for 12 or 24 months at a lower monthly price. A 30-day SIM only plan rolls month to month and you can leave with 30 days' notice. Three's price guide shows the gap clearly: 4GB on Lite is £20 a month on a 1-month plan and £13 on 24 months. Unlimited is £36 on a month and £29 on 24 months.

The rolling plans in our table, from Lebara, SMARTY and VOXI, are cheap without a contract. Lebara advertises no contracts, no annual price hikes and no credit checks. VOXI says its plans have no contract and can be cancelled at any time. SMARTY says it has no annual price rises.

The case for a contract is usually a big bundle at a low price, or a perk such as O2's 25GB of EU data. The case for 30 days is that you can switch when a better deal appears, which with prices this changeable is worth something.

How do April price rises work on SIM only contracts?

Most big-network SIM only contracts now go up by a fixed amount in pounds every spring, and the networks print the future price beside the plan.

O2: £18 now, £20.50 from the April 2027 bill and £23 from April 2028, a rise of £2.50 a year.
Vodafone: the 30GB plan goes from £17 to £19.50 on 1 April 2027 and £22 on 1 April 2028.
Three: each April, plans of 4GB or less rise £1.80, 5GB to 99GB rise £1.90, and 100GB or more rise £2.30.
EE: its plan cards show rises from 31 March 2027 and 2028, £2.50 each time on the 25GB plan. EE's small print also says that after your minimum term your price will increase on 1 March each year.
Tesco Mobile: the 2GB plan goes from £7.50 to £7.95 on 1 April 2027 and £8.42 on 1 April 2028. Its Clubcard Price deals are marked "Frozen for your contract".

iD Mobile, SMARTY and Lebara all say they have no annual price rises, and VOXI calls its prices locked. Sky only says the data plan price may increase during the 24-month term.

Which SIM only deals include roaming in Europe?

For anyone who travels, this is the column that changes the ranking.

Included at no extra charge: O2 (up to 25GB), iD Mobile (50 destinations, up to 30GB), SMARTY (up to 12GB a month from your allowance), Lebara (its comparison table says up to 30GB, plus India) and Tesco Mobile ("No EU Roaming fees" on every plan card we saw). giffgaff lets you use up to 5GB of your plan data in the EU, then charges 10p per MB.

Daily charge or pass: EE's price guide sets a £2.72 daily EU charge, or a £16.50 weekly pass, on plans without EU roaming built in. EE's dearer Essentials Plus Max card listed 50GB of EU roaming data. Three charges £2.75 a day on Lite, or £12 for a 7-day Go Roam in Europe pass; its Value tier includes Europe. Vodafone sells European Roaming passes at £16 for 8 days and £21 for 15 days, with a 25GB roaming fair use limit; on the cards we saw, only some unlimited plans listed EU roaming. VOXI needs a European Roaming Pass: £2.60 for a day, £4.80 for two, £15 for 8 days or £20 for 15, using your plan data or 20GB, whichever is less. Sky charges £2 a day in over 120 destinations.

Price that up for a week in Spain. On EE without a pass, seven daily charges are £19.04. On Three Lite the pass is £12, and on VOXI 8 days are £15. On O2, iD, SMARTY, Lebara and Tesco the week is free within the caps.

When is a travel eSIM cheaper than your SIM only plan abroad?

Inside Europe, a plan with roaming included beats any eSIM. On a plan that charges, the gap is small: Airalo's verified Spain price was $13 for 10GB over 7 days and Nomad's $14 for 10GB over 30 days, read on each seller's own site in August 2026, against £19.04 in EE daily charges or £12 for Three's pass. The eSIM is a little cheaper; the network's pass keeps your UK number working.

Further away, check what your network charges before you go. For the United States, Airalo's verified price was $21.50 for 10GB over 7 days, Saily's $22.99 for 10GB over 30 days, and Nomad's $25 for 10GB over 30 days, also read in August 2026. If you add an eSIM, keep your UK SIM switched on for calls but turn off its data roaming, as our data roaming guide explains.

Which SIM only deal suits a traveller?

If you go to Europe a few times a year, choose a plan that includes EU roaming: SMARTY, iD Mobile, Lebara or Tesco at the low end, or O2 if you want a big-network contract. Check the cap against your usage: giffgaff's 5GB and SMARTY's 12GB are the tightest.

If you rarely leave the UK, the cheapest headline price wins, but read the rise. A £16 plan that goes up £2.50 twice costs £21 by 2028.

If you are visiting the UK rather than living here, a 24-month contract is the wrong tool. A 30-day plan from Lebara, SMARTY or VOXI, or a pay as you go SIM, is simpler. Our cheap UK SIM card guide covers those, and our EE UK SIM card page explains the EE route for visitors.

For more detail on each network, see O2 SIM only deals, Three SIM only, giffgaff, SMARTY, VOXI, Lebara, Tesco Mobile, iD Mobile and Sky Mobile.

Common questions

What is the cheapest SIM only deal in the UK?

On 10 November 2026 the lowest monthly price we saw was Sky Mobile's 3GB at £3 a month for 12 months, then £8, on a 24-month term. For more data, iD Mobile listed 100GB at £5 a month for three months, then £10, on 12 months.

Which SIM only deals include EU roaming?

O2 (up to 25GB), iD Mobile (up to 30GB in 50 destinations), SMARTY (up to 12GB a month), Lebara (up to 30GB) and Tesco Mobile included EU roaming on the plans we read. giffgaff allows up to 5GB of plan data. EE, Three Lite, Vodafone's cheaper plans, VOXI and Sky charge a daily fee or sell a pass.

Is a contract SIM only cheaper than a 30-day SIM only plan?

On the same network, usually yes. Three's price guide lists 4GB Lite at £20 a month on a 1-month plan and £13 on 24 months. But rolling plans from Lebara, SMARTY and VOXI started at £5, £6 and £12 a month with no contract.

Which SIM only networks have no April price rises?

iD Mobile, SMARTY and Lebara say they have no annual price rises, and VOXI says its plan price is locked. O2, Vodafone, EE and Three add a fixed amount each spring, and Tesco Mobile prints its new price for 1 April on each plan.

Can a visitor to the UK get a SIM only deal?

A 24-month contract is a poor fit for a visit. A 30-day plan suits better: Lebara advertises no contracts and no credit checks, and VOXI says its plans can be cancelled at any time.