Pay As You Go is the simplest, most flexible way to get an allowance of minutes, texts and data for your phone, and it’s offered by a number of networks.
Read on below for an overview of each of those networks and of Pay As You Go itself, so you can see whether it’s right for you and which network is the right fit.
A Pay As You Go SIM is one which you top up as and when you choose, so you’re generally only paying for the allowances that you use. You’re also generally free to add as much or little credit as you want on Pay As You Go, rather than having to pay a set amount.
In many cases though you can also choose to purchase Pay As You Go bundles, which give you a set allowance of minutes, texts and data. This is often better value than spending your credit directly.
Pay As You Go is more flexible than a contract, as you’re not committed for any amount of time. Buy a Pay Monthly phone and you’re usually tied in for 24 months, while SIM Only tends to commit you for either 1 or 12 months, but on Pay As You Go you can change your plan at any time and only pay what you want or can afford.
Pay As You Go is also often cheaper for the same amount of allowances as Pay Monthly, since you’re not also paying for a new phone.
You also don’t have to worry about any credit checks with Pay As You Go.
Although cheaper than Pay Monthly, Pay As You Go often isn’t as cheap as SIM Only, since you get discounts there for committing to stay with the network for a period of time.
You also have to remember to top up with Pay As You Go (though in many cases you can set this to happen automatically), whereas on a contract the money is automatically taken and you automatically get a monthly allowance.
Plus, if you want a new phone then Pay As You Go may not be the best choice, as you’ll have to buy the handset outright.
A variety of networks let you Pay As You Go. Note that their prices and services are subject to change, but at the time of writing here’s what you need to know about them:
EE stands out primarily through offering very high 4G speeds, as well as having a rapidly growing 5G network – it was the first to launch 5G in the UK so has a head start on rivals. Though at the time of writing it doesn’t yet offer 5G on Pay As You Go.
For Pay As You Go it offers a range of bundles, each of which lasts 30 days and gives you an assortment of allowances. Outside of that you’ll pay 35p per minute and 15p per text, however data use is limited to bundles and add-ons.
A highlight of these bundles is that they include data rollover, so you can roll over unused data from one month to the next. And the network rewards you for sticking with it by giving you 500MB of extra data for every three months that you’ve bought the same bundle.
EE also allows tethering, so you can use your data to get other devices online, and it lets you roam across Europe at no extra cost.
Three’s Pay As You Go prices are fairly low, at just 10p per minute, 10p per text and 5p per megabyte. Additionally, the network offers a range of bundles which last 30 days and give you allowances at even better value.
These low prices are one of the main highlights of Three’s Pay As You Go service. You can also roam not just across Europe but also in select locations further afield on Three Pay As You Go, which is rare among UK networks.
Plus you can tether your data, use 5G at no extra cost, and get bundles with up to unlimited data.
O2’s Pay As You Go rates come in at 35p per minute and 15p per text, while £2 will get you 100MB of data for a day.
However, like many other networks, it also offers 30-day bundles of allowances for a range of prices. These come with data rollover, plus the network lets you roam across Europe while on Pay As You Go, and you’ll also have access to the O2 Priority service, which gives customers early access to gig tickets, plus discounts, freebies and more.
You can also tether on O2 Pay As You Go, although in its tethering terms for Pay As You Go it only mentions support for iPhone and Windows Phone, so Android handsets may have issues.
O2 also offers international bundles, which include minutes for calling numerous other countries.
On Vodafone Pay As You Go you’ll be charged £1 per day, which will give you unlimited minutes and texts, as well as 50MB of data. On days when you don’t use your phone for calls, texts or mobile data, you won’t be charged anything.
That’s if you don’t opt for a 30-day bundle, of which there are a variety available, similar to other networks. However, Vodafone’s bundles stand out by letting you roll over any unused data, minutes and texts from one month to the next, just as long as you renew your bundle. That’s a more comprehensive roll over scheme than other networks offer.
Vodafone also allows tethering on Pay As You Go and you can roam across the EU at no extra cost. Some bundles also come with 5G data, and there’s one that has unlimited data.
Tesco mobile charges 25p per minute, 10p per text and 10p per megabyte. But it also has a range of 30-day bundles, as well as a triple credit offer, which means it will triple your credit if you top up £10, £15 or £20.
The extra credit lasts a month, and on top of that Tesco Mobile will also give you a free bundle of extra minutes, texts or data if you top up by £10 or £15 in one go.
You can also roam across Europe and tether at no extra cost. Tesco Mobile uses O2’s infrastructure, which means it has 4G coverage for around 99% of the UK population. Tesco Mobile also offers 5G, but at the time of writing this isn’t available on Pay As You Go.
iD Mobile offers a small selection of 30-day Pay As You Go bundles (including an unlimited data one), outside of which you’ll pay 3p per minute, 2p per text and 1p per megabyte of data, which are some of the cheapest rates around.
iD Mobile uses Three’s infrastructure, so the two networks should have identical coverage. iD Mobile also lets you roam across most of Europe at no extra cost, and you can tether.
Giffgaff runs on O2’s network and charges 25p per minute, 10p per text and 10p per megabyte.
It also offers a bunch of 30-day SIM-Only bundles, which aren’t technically Pay As You Go but are functionally very similar. These top out at unlimited data and some come with 5G. Plus you can roam across the EU and tether on Giffgaff.
Lycamobile uses O2’s infrastructure and charges 12p per minute to landlines, 19p to mobiles, 19p per text, and 12p per megabyte.
Like Giffgaff above it also offers 30-day SIM-Only plans rather than Pay As You Go packs. These top out at unlimited data, and some also include international minutes. You can roam for free across most of Europe on Lycamobile, and it allows tethering.
Lebara uses Vodafone’s network and charges 25p per minute, 19p per text, and 9p per megabyte. It also offers 30-day packs, including ones with unlimited data, and stands out through including international minutes on some of them. Plus, like most networks you can roam across the EU at no extra cost.
Asda Mobile uses Vodafone’s network and charges 4p per minute, 4p per text, and 4p per megabyte, making it cheaper than most but not all Pay As You Go networks.
You can also get 30-day bundles (including ones with unlimited data), and both roam across much of Europe and tether at no extra cost.
There are two alternatives to Pay As You Go. The closest is SIM Only, which gives you a monthly allowance of minutes, texts and data. That means you have a set allowance each month and pay the same amount for it each month.
It also generally means you’re committed to a contract for either 12 months or 30 days. The main advantage of SIM Only is that it often has the best prices.
The other option is Pay Monthly. This is like SIM Only but also includes a new smartphone, which you pay off as part of your monthly price. That means it’s more expensive, and you’re usually tied in for 24 months, but it can be a good choice if you want a new phone and would like to spread the cost.
Yes! As long as you’re not currently committed to a contract you’re free to move at any time, to any network you like – and one of the advantages of Pay As You Go is that you won’t be on a contract.
Just make sure that your phone is either unlocked or locked to the network you’re moving to.
Just order and activate your new Pay As You Go SIM, then call up your old network and request your PAC code (or text PAC to 65075 from the number you want to keep).
From there it’s simply a case of giving your new network that code and telling them the number you want to keep. Usually at that point you’ll only have to wait 1-2 days for the transfer to happen.
For more information, check out our guide to keeping your number.
That will depend on your phone. To find out for sure your best option is to Google your handset, but smartphones from 2014 onwards tend to use a nano SIM, which is the smallest kind. If it’s slightly older (or not a smartphone) it might use a larger micro SIM and if it’s very old an even bigger standard SIM is possible.
However, most networks provide all three SIM card sizes in one, so you shouldn’t need to find out your SIM card size before placing your order. For more information, check out our guide to SIM card sizes.
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Asda Mobile 
EE 
GiffGaff 
iD Mobile 
Lebara Mobile 
Lycamobile 
O2 
Sky Mobile 
Smarty 
Talkmobile 
Tesco Mobile 
Three 
Vodafone 
Voxi