Updated: Best SIM only deals in the UK 2015: compare cheap SIM only deals

SIM only deals

If you’ve come to the end of your contract but you’re happy with your current phone, you might want to consider picking up a SIM only deal.

By dropping down to a SIM only deal, you’ll be paying a lot less every month and in many cases you’ll be getting more minutes, texts and data. The fact you’re not paying for an expensive phone means the best SIM only deals almost always offer better value and it’s a good way to avoid having to sign a 24 month contract.

The cheapest deals you can get at the moment come from online-only company GiffGaff which prides itself on its reputation for offering value for money.

To be fair, it really is hard to beat GiffGaff on price at the sub-£10 price bracket, so if you’re after a really cheap deal SIM only deal that could be the network for you. We’ll start this page off by reeling off all of the best sub-£10 SIM only deals you can currently get in the UK, followed by network-specific offerings in case you want to be on the same network as a spouse etc.

Note that the newest deals on the page come from iD which is another virtual network like GiffGaff. It’s run and sold exclusively by Carphone Warehouse stores as well as online. It uses Three’s 3G network and aims to beat the other networks on price – this is a very competitive area which is why there are so many great deals to choose from.

It’s not all about going super-cheap

Of course, just because you’re after a SIM only deal, doesn’t mean you’re after the cheapest prices around. What if you were given an iPhone 6 for your birthday or if you’re still happy with the smartphone from your last contract? If you’re a heavy user, you could go for a SIM only deal with unlimited data – there are a few available…

Let’s run down the best deals for each network, starting with Carphone Warehouse’s new creation…

Best SIM only deals from Three

Always up there with some of the best deals

Three has some of the very best SIM only deals available. Why? Because the network offers 4G at no extra cost, so all its SIM only deals are automatically compatible with Three’s super fast 4G network. You can also get unlimited data for a very reasonable price, making Three possibly the best – if not the absolute cheapest – SIM only network.

Best SIM only deals from GiffGaff

Probably the cheapest SIM only deals in the UK

GiffGaff is very hard to beat on price – if you want to grab a cheap SIM card deal, this could be your best option. You can’t argue with £5 a month. The cheap deals don’t give you much of an allowance to play with, but if you just want to keep your phone going and available to use for calls and texts with the occasional bit of internet use outside of your home WiFi, GiffGaff is a strong offering.

Best SIM only deals on TalkTalk Mobile

Often has half price deals once you click through!

TalkTalk is a telecoms company that also offers home phone, broadband and TV packages so the best deals can be had if you sign up for more than one service. However, at the time of writing the cheapest deal is actually £3.50 per month – that’s the £7.90 deal below which is currently half price once you click through.

Best SIM only deals on the iD network

Cheap SIM only deals all on 1 month contracts

As mentioned above, iD is a good option if bargain basement prices are what you covet. If all you want is to keep your current phone going so you can receive calls and texts from family and friends and make the occasional call yourself, those sub-£10 deals at the top of the page should be adequate.

If you want a little bit more, iD is competitive at every level – even going so far as to offer unlimited data from £20 per month. We think that the £12.50 option, which offers 500 minutes, 2000 texts and 2GB should be ample for all but the heaviest users and offers the best balance between allowance and monthly cost.

Best SIM only deals on O2

A reliable network with great coverage

We’ve browsed all of the SIM only deals available on the O2 network and it’s a mixed bag. Some of the really cheap deals are pretty good – if you want to bag a dirt cheap SIM only deal for £8.50 per month, you can. However, when you start adding minutes and data to your deals, you notice that O2’s SIM only prices increase rapidly. This is probably not a good network to go for it you want to get more than 1GB data.

Best SIM only deals on Vodafone

A solid network with some decent deals

As with O2 above, Vodafone doesn’t offer the very best SIM only deals. It would rather sell you a phone and charge you £30 per month, but if you’re after a cheapo deal and you don’t need heaps of data or loads of minutes, Vodafone could be a good option for you. Do be aware that some of these deals are on 1 month rolling contracts, while with others you have to sign up for 12 months. You can tell which ones are which under the logo which states the contract length.

Best SIM only deals on Virgin Mobile

An oldie but a goodie, offering 1-month deals galore

Virgin Mobile has been going for a long time and some of its SIM only deals are particularly attractive. They’re all 1-month rolling contracts so you can stop paying at any time if you so wish, giving you flexibility if you want to change your plan or go for a phone-inclusive deal later down the line.

Best SIM only deals on EE Extra 4G

EE’s SIM only deals come with double-speed 4G

If you want a cheap SIM only deal, EE is most certainly not the network to go for. But don’t discount it entirely. Because if you already own a good smartphone and you want to pair it with the fastest network in the UK with a SIM only deal, you can do that. EE’s SIM only deals all come with EE Extra 4G which means they work with EE’s superfast double-speed 4G network, rather than with its single-speed 4G network.

All the SIM only deals on this page are checked every day to make sure they’re still available and up to date!