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When it comes to purchasing a new phone, choosing the device you want is only half the battle.
Even after you select one of the best budget phones, the best mid-range phones or the best flagship smartphones, you need a network to go with it.
If you prefer to buy the device immediately and only pay for the amount of calling, texting and data, then a SIM-only subscription is the best choice.
But many of these still require you to commit at least twelve months in advance or face significant early termination fees.
If you’re not sure at all, it’s safer to go for a short-term contract, which can still be very competitive. In this article we discuss the best providers of monthly continuous contracts, plus the providers that allow you to top up and use your credit at any time.
Best Pay As You Go Phone Networks in Britain
There are technically only four telephone networks in Britain, all of which offer PAYG contracts of some nature:
That could drop to three if the proposed merger between Vodafone and Three goes ahead. Britain has given it conditional approval pending the results of an investigation.
But there are a lot of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), or ‘piggybackers’ as they are often called. They rent the network space from one of the four above, but offer their own contracts and additional benefits. Read more in our separate guide to piggyback phone networks.
Here are all the piggybackers offering rolling and one-month PAYG contracts:
- EE – 1pMobile, Lycamobile, Your Co-op, Ecotalk, Zevvle, RWG Mobile
- O2 – Giffgaff, Tesco Mobile
- Three – iD Mobile, SmartFreedomPop, Honest mobile, Superdrug mobile
- Vodafone VoxiAsda Mobile, Lebara Mobile, RWG Mobile
For detailed information on each of the providers mentioned in this section, see our complete guide to the best UK phone networks. Below you will find an overview of the best PAYG contract offers from the four networks and their main free-riders.
With the providers below, only the data limit is specified, as they all offer unlimited calling and unlimited texting.
Pay As You Go deals on the EE network
- EE – Six monthly plans, starting at £19 per month for 2GB of data. Cheapest plans limited to 10 Gbps speeds, no PAYG
- 1pMobile – Four monthly plans, starting at £6 per month for 2GB of data. 200GB data costs £20 per month. PAYG plans cost 1p per minute, 1p per text, 1p per MB
- Lycamobile – Four monthly plans, starting at £5 per month for 5GB of data. PAYG plans from £5 for 20GB of data for 30 days
- Your Co-op – Four monthly plans, starting at £11 per month for 9GB of data. No PAYG plans
- Ecotalk – Five monthly plans, starting at £8 per month for 1GB of data. No PAYG plans
- RWG Mobile – Eight monthly plans, starting at £2 per month for 750MB of data. PAYG costs 1 cent per MB
Pay As You Go deals on the O2 network
- O2 – Five monthly plans, starting at £20 per month for 1GB of data. PAYG plans from £10 for 8GB data
- Giffgaff – Eight monthly plans, starting at £6 per month for 2GB of data. PAYG plans from £6 for 1GB data
- Tesco Mobile – PAYG plans start at £10 for 30GB of data, no monthly contracts
Pay As You Go deals on Three network
- Three – Four monthly plans, starting at £19 per month for 4GB of data. PAYG plans from £10 for 10GB of data
- iD mobile – 10 monthly plans, starting at £6 per month for 6GB of data. PAYG plans from £6 for 1GB data
- Smart – Eight monthly plans from £6 per month for 5GB of data. Data-only plans from £5 per month for 2GB data, or data discount plans (get cash back on unused data) from £6 per month for 1GB data. No PAYG plans
- Fair Mobile – Three monthly plans, starting at £13.50 per month for 4GB of data, but the price drops every year. No PAYG plans
- Superdrug Mobile – Two monthly plans, starting at £10 per month for 30GB of data. No PAYG plans
Pay As You Go deals on the Vodafone network
- Vodafone – Five monthly plans, starting at £26 per month for 3GB of data. PAYG plans start at £10 for 8GB data (plus an additional 19GB per month for three months), SIM cards with data only from £13 per month for 4GB data
- Voxi – Five monthly plans, starting at £10 per month for 20GB of data, unlimited social media app use on all plans (some streaming apps on higher ones). No PAYG plans
- Asda Mobile – No monthly plans, but unlimited data from £20 per month (cheapest plan limited to 2Mbps speeds) and PAYG plans from £4 for 10GB of data
- Lebara – Six monthly plans, starting at £5 for 5GB of data. No PAYG plans
- Talk mobile – Eight monthly plans, starting at £6.95 per month for 6GB of data. No PAYG plans
What is the difference between a contract and Pay As You Go?
When you sign up for a full contract with a mobile network, you typically agree to stay with that deal for at least a year, but possibly two or three. In exchange for this loyalty, you often get a phone for free (or at a low price), but in reality you spread the costs of that device over the term of your contract.
For many people, this regular monthly payment is fine because it means they can upgrade to a new phone every few years. But there are downsides too, as existing customers may find that they don’t get as good a deal as new customers and ending a contract early can be a very expensive proposition as you usually have to pay the balance in one go.
The alternative, of course, is to immediately buy a phone and simply get the SIM card from the mobile network. That’s what Pay As You Go or monthly ongoing packages are all about.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
As the name suggests, you are not tied to a long-term contract. If you wish, you can stop using the SIM card at the end of the month free of charge. Due to the short-term nature of the plans, data prices may be higher than traditional plans (unlimited calling and texting are usually included), but there are often exceptions.
Many PAYG deals offer the same kind of features as monthly contracts, meaning things like data roaming in other countries still work and you can share your data with other devices by using your phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot.
PAYG works best if you already have a phone as it keeps the cost of adding a new phone to the tariff low. If you purchased your device as part of a previous contract with a network provider, make sure it is not tied to that network. But since December 2021, all phones in Great Britain have been sold SIM-free anyway.