Overview
I don’t use my phone much: a few calls and texts, but mostly data which I minimise using:
- saved offline maps in Google Maps
- restricting apps allowed to use mobile data
- Opera data-saving mode
Previously I’ve used Three, Giffgaff, moving on when costs increased, and currently I’m on 1pMobile which now requires a £10 top up every 3 months i.e. £3.33/month 2 months i.e. £5/month.
Main information sources: MSE, SIM Sherpa.
Providers
Lots of options at £5/month so only looking at ones below that.
| Name | Deal (d/m/t) | Monthly | WiFi Calls | Min Use | Roaming | Band 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1pMobile | 1p/1p/1p | £5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 3 | 10p/35p/15p | 180 days | ||||
| Asda | 10p/15p/10p | 180 days | ||||
| iD Mobile | 1p/3p/2p | £5 | ||||
| RWG | £2 | No | No | |||
| RWG PAYG | 1p/5p/5p | No | 90 days | No | ||
| Spusu | 1GB | £2.90 | Yes | Yes | ||
| Talk Home | £2.74 | No | 180 days | |||
| Tesco Lite | 10p/8p/4p | 180 days |
Band 20: 4G LTE band with extended coverage i.e. useful outside cities.
1pMobile
- Network: EE (with band-20 4G)
- Rating: 4 (SIM Sherpa), 4 (4G)
- WiFi calling: Yes
- PAYG: 1p MB/1p minute/1p text, min £10 top up every 90 days
Now Mobile
Has website but very little info and almost no reviews. Not clear what network is being used. (No mention on website but user and support replies on Trustpilot say EE, while a user says their eSIM uses 3.)
RWG Mobile
- Network: EE (via Now)?
- Rating: not on SIM Sherpa or 4G, some ISP Review comments
- WiFi calling: No (“coming soon”)
- Roaming: 1p/MB, 5p/min, 5p/SMS (free over £3.50/month, not 12 month)
- PAYG: 1p/MB, 5p/min, 5p/SMS
- Monthly:
- 750MB, 100 mins, 100 texts: £2
- 2GB, unlimited calls and texts £3.50
- 5GB, unlimited calls and texts: £3.75 (12 month)
- Expiry: none
Spusu
- Network: EE
- Rating: 2.5 (SIM Sherpa), 4 (4G)
- WiFi calling: Yes (supported handsets)
- Roaming: EU
- Monthly: 1GB, unlimited calls and texts: £2.90
SIM Sherpa flag flaky WiFi calling and SMSs not arriving, but recent Trustpilot reviews seem mostly positive (with some issues with Pixel phones and moving from Lebara).
Talk Home
- Network: EE
- Rating: 3 (SIM Sherpa), 3.5 (4G)
- WiFi calling: No
- Roaming: EU
- PAYG: 1p MB/1p minute/1p text
- Monthly: 1GB, unlimited calls and texts: £2.74
- Expiry: use every 180 days (Talk Home App (i.e. not SIM) requires top up every 180 days)
Data-Only Options
With the ability to have two SIMs (or one SIM and one e-SIM), it’s possible to use a more expensive SIM for incoming and occasional outgoing calls (say, Giff Gaff) plus a cheap data-only SIM e.g.:
- Three: £35 for 24GB over 24 months
- Scancom: £24 for 3GB a month for 24 months
One drawback for phones with 1 SIM and 1 eSIM is that a physical data SIM forces use of an eSIM for the phone calls, making it inconvenient to get a short-term data eSIM when abroad.
Conclusion
Currently seems 1pMobile may still be the best option. RWG and Talk Home don’t have WiFi Calling (which I’ve come to appreciate). Spusu is an option but SIM Sherpa is slightly off-putting.