Cheapest SIM card deals in the UK: no-contract plans for new arrivals in 2026
The cheapest UK SIM cards cost from under £5 a month, with no contract and no credit check. This guide compares the best-value plans for October 2026 for new arrivals, international students and anyone keeping costs down while settling in.
What “cheap” actually means for a UK SIM in 2026
The cheapest SIM deal is not always the one with the lowest headline price. What you actually pay depends on how you use your phone. A small plan is excellent value if you are mostly on Wi-Fi, while a larger or unlimited plan works out cheaper if you stream video or use maps and data all day. Compare the cost per gigabyte and what is included, not just the monthly figure.
For new arrivals there is another factor: credit checks. Most fixed-term contracts, the plans that top many “best value” lists, need a UK credit check, and new arrivals often fail one simply because they have no UK credit history yet. The options in this guide are pay as you go or rolling monthly plans that you can start without a UK credit history and change or cancel as you go.
The UK mobile market moves quickly and introductory discounts are common. The prices in this guide were checked in October 2026, but always confirm them on the provider’s website before you buy. What changes less is which providers offer the best value for each kind of user, and which network each one uses.
The cheapest SIM card deals in the UK for new arrivals
These six providers cover the main ways to save: paying only for what you use, cheap international calls, an all-round cheap plan, getting connected on arrival, social media and streaming, and comparing deals with a phone. Five are SIM providers with no long-term contract; Carphone Warehouse is a retailer for comparing SIM-only deals and buying a phone.
1pMobile is the cheapest way to stay connected if you use your phone lightly. On pay as you go, data, UK calls and texts each cost 1p per MB, minute or text, so you only pay for what you use. If you would rather have a fixed allowance, 30-day bundles start at 5GB for £5 a month, with 50GB for £10 and 100GB for £15, all with unlimited UK calls and texts.
It runs on the EE network, which RootMetrics rated the best UK network overall in the first half of 2026, and 5G and roaming in 46 European destinations are included at no extra cost. One thing to know: to keep your number, you need to spend at least £10 every 90 days (the rule for customers joining from 1 August 2026). For most people that is easy to meet, but it matters if you plan to leave the SIM unused for months.
Get a 1pMobile SIM →Lebara is the strongest choice if you call family abroad. Every plan includes international minutes, from 100 a month on most plans to 500 on the 50GB plan, and roaming in the EU is included up to 30GB. It runs on the Vodafone network with 5G at no extra cost, needs no credit check, and says it does not raise prices mid-plan.
On a 30-day plan with no contract, 5GB with 1,000 UK minutes and texts costs £5 a month. If you are happy to commit for 12 months, Lebara takes 10% off: 5GB for £4.50, 30GB for £9, 50GB for £13.50 and unlimited data for £22.50 a month. If you make more than a few international calls a month, the included minutes usually make Lebara the cheapest option overall.
Get a Lebara SIM →giffgaff is the default recommendation for many new arrivals. It runs on O2, needs no credit check, and its one-month rolling plans start from £6 a month for 2GB with calls and texts. Unlimited data costs £35 a month on a rolling plan, or £25 a month if you commit to 18 months. eSIM is supported through the giffgaff app on an unlocked phone, and EU roaming is included up to 5GB a month.
Delivery is the one catch for people still abroad: giffgaff only posts SIMs to UK addresses. If you have a UK address to use, such as a friend, a relative or your first accommodation, you can order before you travel; otherwise, set up an eSIM in the app when you land. You can stop your plan renewing at any time, and giffgaff also sells refurbished phones, so you can sort phone and SIM in one place.
Get a giffgaff SIM →Sim Local is the simplest way to be connected the moment you land. It has stores across Heathrow’s Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5 and an eSIM kiosk at Stansted, and it sells UK eSIMs online that you can install before you fly, so your phone works as soon as you switch it on.
It is a good bridge for your first days rather than a long-term plan: once you have settled in, a rolling monthly SIM from one of the providers above is usually cheaper. Buying your eSIM online before you travel also tends to be better value than paying at the airport. For a full comparison of travel eSIMs, see our guide to the best eSIM for the UK.
Visit Sim Local →VOXI is Vodafone’s SIM-only brand and the best value if social media and messaging are your heaviest data uses. Every plan includes endless data on apps such as Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook and X, so that use does not come out of your allowance. Plans from £15 a month add endless video and music, including TikTok, YouTube and Netflix.
In October 2026 plans start at £10 a month for 80GB plus endless social, with fully unlimited data at about £35. There is no contract, so you can change or cancel each month. Roaming in most of Europe is not included: VOXI sells a European Roaming Pass from £2.60 a day.
Get a VOXI SIM →Carphone Warehouse is a retailer rather than a network. Now part of Currys and trading online, it lists SIM-only plans from iD Mobile, Vodafone and VOXI alongside new, SIM-free and refurbished phones, so it is useful if you want to compare plans and buy a handset in one place.
Its standalone shops closed in 2020, so think of it as a website, not a high-street store. Some of the SIM-only plans it sells run for 12 months or more and involve a credit check, so it is most useful once you have built a UK credit history, or if you mainly want an unlocked phone to pair with a no-contract SIM.
Visit Carphone Warehouse →Some links above are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. Recommendations are made independently.
Side-by-side comparison
The table below sums up the key differences. Prices are indicative as of October 2026; check each provider’s website for current offers before you buy.
| Provider | From | Network | Contract | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1pMobile | 1p per MB / £5 bundle | EE | None | Light users, EE coverage |
| Lebara | £5 a month | Vodafone | None (30-day) | International calls, EU roaming |
| giffgaff | £6 a month | O2 | None (rolling) | All-round cheap SIM, eSIM in the app |
| Sim Local | Varies | Varies | None (prepaid) | Arrival day, eSIM before you fly |
| VOXI | £10 a month | Vodafone | None | Social media and streaming |
| Carphone Warehouse | Varies by plan | iD Mobile, Vodafone, VOXI | Depends on plan | Comparing SIM-only deals, phones |
Prices indicative as of October 2026. Check each provider’s website before you buy.
How to choose the cheapest SIM for your situation
The cheapest SIM on paper is not always the cheapest in practice. Here is how to match a provider to the way you actually use your phone.
If you use your phone lightly
1pMobile’s pay-as-you-go pricing means you pay only for what you use. If you are mostly on Wi-Fi and only need mobile data for maps, messages and the odd call, paying 1p per MB and per minute will often cost less than any monthly plan. Just remember the £10 minimum spend every 90 days.
If you call home regularly
Lebara is the obvious choice. Every plan includes international minutes, from 100 to 500 a month, and EU roaming is included up to 30GB. Once you add up the cost of international calls on another SIM, Lebara is usually the cheapest option for regular callers.
If you want one simple, cheap plan
giffgaff’s rolling plans from £6 a month, on O2 and with no credit check, are hard to beat for an all-round SIM. You can stop your plan renewing at any time, EU roaming is included up to 5GB, and you can set up an eSIM in the app as soon as you land.
If you need a SIM on arrival day
Install a Sim Local eSIM before your flight if your phone supports eSIM, or visit a Sim Local store at Heathrow when you land. If someone in the UK can receive post for you, you can also have a giffgaff SIM waiting at that address.
If you use a lot of social media and streaming
VOXI’s endless social data, and endless video from £15 a month, change the maths. If most of your data goes on Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok and YouTube, a VOXI plan goes much further than its headline allowance suggests.
Where to buy a SIM card in the UK
Beyond the providers in this guide, you can usually buy prepaid SIMs from the major networks in supermarkets, newsagents and convenience stores, often for the same price as online. SIMs sold at airports are convenient but can cost more, so if you know which provider you want, ordering online or setting up an eSIM before you travel is usually better value.
Getting a contract SIM once your credit history develops
The plans in this guide are all options you can take without a UK credit history. Fixed-term contracts of 12 or 24 months are often out of reach in your first months, and there is no need to rush into one. The rolling plans available from day one are good products in their own right, not stopgaps.
After six to twelve months in the UK, with a bank account and a registered address, your credit profile starts to build and contracts become easier to get. They can offer more data for the money and a phone on finance if you want one. Carphone Warehouse and Mobiles.co.uk are useful places to compare contract deals at that stage, and our SIM cards and mobile phones directory lists more providers.
For most new arrivals the path is simple: start on a pay-as-you-go or rolling plan from 1pMobile, Lebara, giffgaff or VOXI, depending on how you use your phone; build a credit history over the first months; then review your options. There is no penalty for waiting, and many people stay on a rolling plan long after they have settled in.
It is also worth knowing that low-cost providers use exactly the same networks as the big brands. Every UK SIM runs on one of three networks: EE, Virgin Media O2 or VodafoneThree, which runs the Vodafone and Three networks. 1pMobile gives you EE, giffgaff gives you O2, and Lebara and VOXI give you Vodafone. Choosing a cheaper plan does not mean choosing a weaker signal.
If you want an international eSIM to use before or on arrival, before you settle on a UK number, our guide to the best eSIM for the UK compares the options and explains when a travel eSIM makes more sense than going straight to a UK SIM.
Frequently asked questions
For light users, 1pMobile is the cheapest: pay as you go costs 1p per MB, minute or text, and 30-day bundles start at 5GB for £5 (you need to spend £10 every 90 days to keep your number). Lebara’s 30-day plans start at 5GB for £5 a month with 100 international minutes, and giffgaff plans start at £6 a month. Prices change often, so check the provider’s website before you buy.
Pay as you go and one-month rolling SIMs generally do not need a credit check. giffgaff, Lebara, VOXI, 1pMobile and Sim Local all offer plans with no long-term contract, which makes them the usual starting point for new arrivals without a UK credit history. Longer contracts, including some SIM-only plans sold through retailers, usually do involve a credit check.
Prices move often, but in October 2026 Lebara’s unlimited plan costs £22.50 a month on a 12-month plan, and giffgaff’s unlimited plan costs £25 a month on an 18-month plan or £35 rolling. VOXI’s fully unlimited plan is about £35, but its £10 plan already includes 80GB plus endless social media data, which is plenty for most people.
Lebara is usually the cheapest mainstream option, because every plan includes international minutes, from 100 to 500 a month, and EU roaming up to 30GB. Check Lebara’s list of included destinations for the country you call most. For calls over Wi-Fi or data, apps such as WhatsApp cost nothing beyond your data allowance.
Yes, in two main ways. Sim Local sells UK eSIMs online that you can install before you fly, and if your phone supports eSIM you can set up a giffgaff eSIM in its app. giffgaff only posts physical SIMs to UK addresses, so order one in advance only if someone in the UK can receive it. Once you arrive, SIM cards are also sold in supermarkets and convenience stores.
Yes. Cheap SIM providers rent space on the same networks as the big brands, so the signal is the same as the host network. giffgaff uses O2, Lebara and VOXI use Vodafone, and 1pMobile uses EE. You pay less because of how the plans are structured, not because of weaker coverage.
1pMobile is a low-cost provider on the EE network. On pay as you go you are charged 1p per MB of data, per UK minute and per UK text, and it also sells 30-day bundles from 5GB for £5 with unlimited UK calls and texts. There is no contract, 5G and European roaming are included, and you need to spend at least £10 every 90 days to keep the account active.
To keep your number, text PAC to 65075 and give the code to your new provider; to leave without keeping your number, text STAC to 75075. Codes are valid for 30 days, and the switch must happen within one working day of your request. On Pay As You Go and rolling monthly plans there is usually no notice period or exit fee.
EE was rated the best UK network overall by RootMetrics in the first half of 2026, so 1pMobile, which uses EE, is a strong choice if you are moving somewhere rural. Opensignal gave O2, used by giffgaff, its coverage experience award in January 2026. In cities the difference between networks is small; check each network’s coverage checker for your postcode.
Rolling plans renew automatically unless you stop them, and introductory prices often rise after the first few months. Roaming rules vary: giffgaff includes EU roaming up to 5GB, Lebara includes EU roaming up to 30GB, and VOXI charges for a European Roaming Pass. Calls to countries outside a plan’s allowance are charged, and 1pMobile has a £10 minimum spend every 90 days.
Prices and plan details were checked in October 2026 and change often, so always confirm them on the provider’s website before you buy. Coverage ratings are from RootMetrics (first half of 2026) and Opensignal (January 2026). Some links in this article are affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. This does not influence which providers are featured.
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