One downside of being a student is that money can often be tight, but one upside is that there are frequently student discounts and deals available for things, and that includes SIM Only deals.
The exact offers vary depending on the mobile network, and some require you to sign up to specific accounts, but that’s a hoop that can be worth jumping through to save some money.
Below then, you’ll find an overview of the best student discounts we can find for the UK’s mobile networks.
We've handpicked some of the best student SIM deals available right now.
Network |
Plan |
Price |
Uses EE's network |
30GB data Unlimited mins & texts 1-month contract |
£1.99 a month |
Uses EE's network |
100GB data Unlimited mins & texts 1-month contract |
£6 a month |
Uses Vodafone's network |
500GB Unlimited mins & texts 1-month contract |
£20 a month |
Uses Three's network |
Unlimited data Unlimited mins & texts 1-month contract |
£15 a month |
There are currently 11 networks in the UK offering students discounted SIM only deals.
We've outlined them in the summary table to make things easier for you, but those wanting more information can find further details in the sections that follow.
Network | Student SIM Discount | View Deals |
EE |
Discounted plans (Student Beans required) |
View deals |
Three |
Discounted plans (up to 20%) (Student email required) |
View deals |
Vodafone |
20%+ off plans (Unidays required) |
View deals |
1pMobile |
Free 10GB, or 200GB data boost (Student Beans required) |
View deals |
Asda Mobile |
Discounts on selected plans (Student Beans or UniDays required) |
View deals |
GiffGaff |
Discounted plans (Student email required) |
View deals |
iD Mobile |
Discounted plans (Unidays required) |
View deals |
Lebara |
Discounted plans (Student Beans or Unidays required) |
View deals |
Lyca Mobile |
Discounted plans (Student Beans or other student account required) |
View deals |
Smarty |
Discounted plans (Student Beans or Unidays required) |
View deals |
VOXI |
Discounted plans (Go Certify, Student Beans or Unidays required) |
View deals |
With EE there are a couple of SIM Only student discounts available at the time of writing. There’s a blanket 20% discount off airtime plans (and handsets), and there’s also a 50% discount on an All Rounder plan with unlimited data. This brings the price down to £21, and this plan also includes free roaming and a Netflix subscription.
The exact available offers may change, but EE often has some sort of student deal available. Note however that you need to sign up for a Student Beans account to access these deals.
For more information, check out EE’s student discount page.
On Three, you can save 20% off most SIM Only plans, whether you choose a 24-month, 12-month, or one-month rolling plan. And that discount also applies on Three’s more expensive Value and Complete plans.
To get these deals, just head to Three’s student discount page and enter your student email address.
With Vodafone, you can get 20% off SIM Only plans, with some plans being even more heavily discounted, but you need a UniDays account to access these deals.
So sign up for a UniDays account if you haven’t already, and then head to its Vodafone deals page.
If you have a Student Beans account, then you can grab 10% off all 1pMobile SIM plans for life, plus an initial 50GB boost.
To access these deals, just head to the 1pMobile page on Student Beans, where you can access the relevant discount code.
Right now, Asda Mobile is offering Student Beans and UniDays account holders various discounts on its SIM Only plans.
You can get a 50GB plan for just £10 per month, a 100GB plan for £15 per month, or a 15GB plan for £6 per month.
To access these student SIM deals, head to Asda Mobile’s student discount page.
On Giffgaff, you can get a student deal that gives you 100GB of data for just £10 per month, which is 80GB more than you’d otherwise get for that much money.
Plus, it’s a monthly rolling plan, so there’s no commitment.
To qualify for this discount, you just need an ac.uk student email address, which you can enter into this Giffgaff form.
Students on iD Mobile get access to a Student Exclusive SIM, which costs just £15 per month and comes with unlimited data, minutes, and texts.
To access this deal, you’ll need to sign up for a UniDays account, and then log in here.
Lebara has a variety of student SIM deals available through Student Beans and UniDays. Highlights at the time of writing include half price on all SIM Only deals for three months, and a 50GB plan for just £10 per month.
Lyca Mobile has a selection of student SIM deals available with a Student Beans or other student account. These include a 20GB plan for £6 per month, a 40GB plan for £7, a 60GB plan for £8, and a 100GB plan for £6 (reduced from £20). These are all 30-day rolling plans.
To grab one, head to Lyca Mobile’s student offers page.
With either a Student Beans or UniDays account, you can get discounts on several Smarty SIM Only plans. These include unlimited data for just £15 per month, 80GB for £10 per month, and 20GB for £7 per month.
VOXI also offers a selection of student deals. These include 80GB for £10 per month (which is usually what you’d pay for 20GB), 100GB for £12, which is usually what you’d pay for 25GB, 140GB for £15 per month, which is typically what you’d pay for 35GB, and 500GB for just £20 per month, which is the standard price for 100GB.
In all cases you also get the first month free, and these are 30-day rolling plans, so there’s no commitment.
These plans are available direct on VOXI’s site (where you’ll have to verify your student status with GoCertify). Or you can access them through UniDays or Student Beans.