Cheap, competitive and no registration required. The one thing to check before you buy is whether the plan includes EU roaming, because since Brexit it often does not.
- The easiest SIM market in Europe: no registration, no passport, no forms. Walk into any supermarket or phone shop, or install an eSIM before you land.
- giffgaff on O2 is the default recommendation; Smarty on Three has the best price per gigabyte and EE costs most but has the best rural coverage.
- Budget GBP 10 to GBP 20 a month for a plan with plenty of data - the UK is one of the cheapest places in Europe for it.
- Coverage fails in the obvious places: the Scottish Highlands, mid Wales, the Pennines and long stretches of rural railway.
- Check EU roaming before you buy if your trip continues into Europe. Free roaming ended with Brexit, several plans reintroduced charges of around GBP 2 a day, and giffgaff's standard plans do not include it.
Four networks, and the cheap brands that ride on them
The UK has the easiest SIM market in Europe. No registration, no passport, no forms. Walk into any supermarket or phone shop, or order a Saily eSIM before you land.
| Buy | Runs on | Why |
|---|---|---|
| giffgaff | O2 | The default recommendation. Cheap, month by month, no contract |
| Smarty | Three | Best price per gigabyte, refunds unused data |
| Lebara | Vodafone | Good value bundles, strong international calling |
| EE | EE | Most expensive, best rural coverage |
- Budget GBP 10 to GBP 20 a month for a plan with plenty of data. The UK is one of the cheapest places in Europe for mobile data.
- eSIMs are widely supported by all four networks and most of the budget brands, so you can arrive already connected.
- Coverage is good across the country and poor in the obvious places: the Scottish Highlands, mid Wales, the Pennines and long stretches of rural railway. EE is measurably the best outside cities.
The Brexit catch
Check EU roaming before you buy if your trip continues into Europe.
- Free EU roaming ended with Brexit. Some UK plans still include it, many do not, and several reintroduced daily charges of around GBP 2 a day.
- giffgaff does not include EU roaming on its standard plans, which surprises people who bought it precisely because it was cheap.
- If you are touring Britain and Ireland, note that the Republic of Ireland is a separate country and a separate roaming question. Northern Ireland is part of the UK and covered normally, though phones near the border hop onto Irish networks and can charge you for it.
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