Searching for a SIM-only deal that doesn’t require a credit check?
Below, we’ve taken a look at five of the best pay as you go SIM plans with no credit check required, that are easy to sign up for.
Later, we’ve also explained some other important things to consider when choosing a SIM-only deal, to help you find the right plan for your specific needs.
Best no credit check SIM deals
Let’s begin our reviews.
Each of the five mobile networks below allows you to easily sign up for a SIM-only plan with no credit check.
1. Smarty
Smarty uses the Three network, which is the fastest 5G network in the UK, and offers really good coverage as well.
They have a great range of SIM-only deals to choose from, and are really easy to sign up for, with no credit check required.
Generally, to get started, you can order a free SIM on their website, and add data to your plan when it arrives. Or, you can easily buy a SIM deal directly.
And once you’re up and running, Smarty’s plans are quite flexible if you ever want to upgrade or cancel – their tariffs renew on a monthly basis, with no long-term commitment necessary.
The only real downside to Smarty is their roaming allowances aren’t the best, at just 12GB per month in certain European destinations.
But if you just want cheap data with fast 5G in the UK, and you don’t have a perfect credit score, Smarty is definitely worth looking at.
2. giffgaff
giffgaff is another cheap SIM-only provider that’s very easy to join, with no credit check needed.
They use the O2 network, meaning their maximum speeds aren’t as good as what Smarty offers.
However, their 4G coverage and speeds are quite good, even in remote areas.
giffgaff makes it especially easy to order a free SIM, in case you want to add a data plan later on, and they also now have pay monthly phone deals as well, although these do require you complete a credit check before buying.
Similar to Smarty, the main downside to giffgaff is their roaming allowance. It’s limited to just 5GB per month in the EU at the moment, which is extremely low compared to what you get with the likes of O2.
3. VOXI
VOXI is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that uses Vodafone to provide service.
Vodafone is the second-best 5G network in the UK, in terms of average speeds, and as a result, VOXI tends to offer very fast 4G and 5G, with good coverage as well.
It’s easy to get started as a new VOXI customer, and their SIM plans tend to offer very good value for money.
Plus, they’re the only network to offer unlimited social media usage, on some of their plans, covering apps like Instagram, X, Snapchat, Facebook, and more.
This can be very helpful if most of your data usage is social media, as it can allow you to buy a cheaper plan with a lower data limit, without hitting your cap.
Other VOXI plans even come with unlimited video or music streaming, although you often have to pay more for these tariffs.
4. O2
If you’d prefer to sign up with a big four mobile network directly, without having to pass a credit check, O2 is a great option.
They have quite good roaming allowances – up to 25GB of data a month, which is much better than most other networks at the moment.
Plus, they offer great 4G coverage, and good speeds as well.
And compared to most other networks, O2’s SIM-only deals are very flexible. You can generally build your own plan from the ground up, which is great, although there isn’t as much flexibility to choose your exact data limit if you want a month to month plan.
The downside to O2 is, they have the slowest average 5G speeds of any UK network at the moment.
But if you are more concerned about getting good 4G coverage, and having a smooth experience when making calls, this isn’t an issue.
5. 1pMobile
EE has the best coverage of any mobile network, and very good 5G speeds as well.
However, buying from EE directly can be extremely expensive, and requires you to pass a credit check.
Therefore, if you want to access the EE network, even if you have a lower credit score, we’d recommend looking at 1pMobile – an MVNO that uses their network.
They’re not the cheapest provider on the market, but in our experience, they offer the same coverage and speeds as EE.
So, 1pMobile might be worth paying more for, especially if you’re in a rural area, and often struggle to get signal.
What you need to know
In this section, we’ve explained some important things to consider when choosing a SIM-only plan with no credit check required.
Which mobile networks have plans with no credit checks?
There are a few different mobile networks that allow you to order a SIM without requiring that you pass a credit check. These include:
- O2
- VOXI
- Honest Mobile
- Lebara
- Lyca Mobile
- Tesco Mobile
- giffgaff
- Asda Mobile
- 1pMobile
It’s worth mentioning though, some of these networks still require that you pay with a UK debit or credit card with a registered address that matches your delivery address.
As a result, if you’re new to the UK, or have recently moved house, you might struggle to sign up with one of these providers. In this case, you’d be better off using a company that doesn’t have this requirement, such as giffgaff, Asda Mobile, 1pMobile, or Tesco Mobile.
Types of phone plans that come with mandatory credit checks
Certain types of mobile phone plans will always come with a credit check, no matter the provider.
These types of plans you want to avoid if you have a low credit score, or don’t want to lock into a long-term contract.
- Pay monthly phone plans – essentially any tariff that comes with a handset included on a long-term contract.
- Pay monthly SIM plans – whereby you pay a certain amount for 12, 18, or 24 months, and cannot exit mid-contract without paying a termination fee.
Instead, look for pay as you go SIM plans. These sometimes do have a credit check, but not with the providers we’ve mentioned in the first part of this article.
Which mobile network has the best signal and speeds?
Three has the fastest 5G in the UK at the moment, in terms of average download speeds, while O2 performs the worst.
In terms of 5G coverage, as in, the proportion of the UK that can access 5G, Three, EE, and Vodafone all perform reasonably well. However, this varies depending on where you live in the UK.
When it comes to 4G coverage and speeds, EE is the best network to choose. In some rural towns and villages, you might find you can get EE signal in areas where other providers have no coverage.
Remember, you can use a provider’s coverage map to check their signal strength on 4G and 5G at a given postcode.
On our comparison website, click “More details” under a given deal, and you’ll see a link to the network’s coverage map.
How much monthly data do I need?
When buying a pay as you go SIM, one of the main things that affects the cost is the monthly data limit.
If you’re only using your phone’s mobile data for navigation, web browsing, social media, and watching the occasional YouTube video, you might only need a 10-15GB monthly data limit.
But if you watch a lot of videos, such as movies on Netflix, or like to download apps on the go, you might need a 100GB or higher usage limit.
To tell for certain how much data you need, go to your phone’s settings app, and search for data usage.
Here, you’ll be able to find how much mobile data you’ve used in the past month, giving you an indication what you should be looking for when buying a new SIM plan.
Can you buy a SIM, and add data later?
Many mobile networks allow you to order a free SIM online, and activate it on arrival.
After you place an order, the SIM should arrive in the mail in one to two business days.
Then, once the SIM is inserted in your phone, you can add data using the network’s website, or mobile app.
Currently, O2, VOXI, giffgaff, and Tesco Mobile are examples of providers that do this.
The benefit of getting a free SIM on its own is it can make the signup process easier, especially if you’re in a rush. You can often get started just by putting in your address on the network’s website, and giving them your email address.
After buying a SIM plan, what happens next?
Once you order a SIM online:
- The SIM will be shipped in the mail, normally using a Royal Mail First Class letter, meaning it will arrive in one to two business days.
- You’ll need to insert the SIM card in your phone. Note that not all SIMs come with a SIM card removal tool, so you may need to use a paperclip instead to open the SIM tray.
- You’ll need to activate the SIM, and add data to it if you haven’t purchased a plan already. This might involve entering a passcode sent to the email address you used to sign up.
- Optional – at this stage, you can port your old mobile number over to your new SIM, if you want to.
How to keep your existing mobile number
Once your new SIM is activated, here’s what you need to do to port your existing mobile number.
First, with your old SIM installed, text “PAC” to 65075. Your old mobile network will respond with a Porting Authorisation Code, also known as a PAC (you may need to verify your date of birth when requesting the code).
Once you get your PAC, give the code to your new mobile network. To do this, you’ll need to log into your account online, or you might be able to do it using the mobile app as well.
At this point, your number should transfer over to your new plan automatically, within one to two business days.
Conclusion
This is the end of our no credit check SIM buyer’s guide.
For most people, Smarty is the best choice if you want fast 5G. But also, giffgaff can offer really good value for money, depending on the deals they’re currently running.
If you’re not sure which SIM plan to choose, leave us a comment below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
About the author
Tom is the founder of Green Smartphones. You’ll find him writing about phones on the Green Smartphones blog, or talking about SIM deals and mobile networks on our YouTube channel. He’s the Android expert on the team – currently using a Google Pixel 9, recently upgrading from a very long-suffering Note 20 Ultra. When he’s not working on Green Smartphones, you’ll find him playing football or hiking.