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Which mobile networks offer the best perks and benefits?
Whether you want cheap prices, free roaming, clear contracts or a loyalty bonus, these mobile providers are showing how it should be done
Adam covers home improvements and mobile networks, splitting his time investigating topics from bathrooms to phone contracts. He was shortlisted at the BSME Talent Awards 2024.
We are often critical of mobile networks and call for them to improve their service to customers, however, many providers are doing well and come closer to meeting the standards we expect, by offering cheap deals, social tariffs, free EU roaming, or other benefits.
Read on to find out networks that are getting the important things right, to help you pick a provider that best suits your needs. If you find your current network compares poorly to these expectations, read our guide on how to switch mobile provider to see how to change to a better service.
Don't put up with expensive prices and poor performance from your mobile provider. Read our round up of the best and worst mobile networks to see which came out on top.
Free EU and global roaming - Lebara and Sky Mobile
Many networks have introduced daily or weekly charges to use your data deal while travelling in the EU. Ideally, using your data abroad should be free, with a fair usage limit.
EU roaming is included in all Lebara plans, allowing you to use your data allowance in Europe in the same way you would at home, at no extra cost. This comes with a fair usage limit of 30GB. A unique part of this perk is that it also applies to India.
Lebara Sim contracts also come with 100, 500 or unlimited international call minutes, so they're an ideal provider for anyone who travels frequently or regularly contacts people living in other countries.
Other networks that offer high amounts of free EU roaming are:
- ID Mobile - up to 30GB
- O2 - up to 25GB if your UK allowance is 25GB or more
- Rewild - up to 20GB
- Smarty – up to 12GB
Although Sky Mobile customers generally need to pay £2 a day to use their allowance of calls, texts and data while travelling, it offers an extra benefit to ‘Sky VIP Diamond’ customers. These customers have been with Sky for over 15 years, and they are entitled to use their allowances in 120 countries for no extra cost.
If you’re going travelling, read our guide on how to prepare your mobile phone for holidays abroad, to make sure you’re prepared and don’t get hit by unexpected charges.
Social tariffs that give good value - Voxi and Smarty
Voxi lead the way on social tariffs for mobile providers, offering an excellent package for a low price. Voxi For Now provides unlimited data, calls and texts for £10 a month, with the option to change, pause or cancel at any time.
You are eligible if you receive a government benefit such as:
- Jobseeker's allowance
- Universal credit
- Employment and support allowance
- Disability allowance
- Personal independence payment
After six months, you’ll be switched to Voxi’s £10 for 20GB deal, which includes unlimited data-free social media use.
Smarty also offers a social tariff with unlimited data, calls and text for £12 a month. This is also a good option for anyone eligible.
If you aren't eligible for these tariffs, both networks still offer excellent deals:
EE also offers a mobile social tariff, but with just 5GB of data but also for £12 a month, representing poor value compated to many other Sim deals you can find today.
Eligible for a mobile social tariff? You can also read our information on all you need to know about broadband social tariffs.
Flexible contracts - Giffgaff
Rolling one-month contracts are usually always preferable because of the flexibility they offer to change provider or package if your needs change, but you can often find even cheaper deals if you sign up to a longer Sim-only contract.
Giffgaff has a range of 18-month contracts which are fixed price but flexible, so you can change the amount of data and monthly cost mid-contract.
All contracts come with unlimited calls, texts and 5GB of free EU roaming.
Profits that help the environment - Rewild and Ecotalk
If you’d like your mobile bill to contribute to helping the environment, Rewild Mobile and Ecotalk donate their profits towards restoring and sustaining ecosystems.
By using only eSims and no physical Sim cards, Rewild Mobile is completely plastic-free. Rewild Mobile says its primary mission is to direct its profits towards rewilding, biodiversity and habitat recovery. As such, it’s a member of 1% for the Planet, has signed the Anti Greenwash Charter, and is currently pursuing B Corp certification.
Rewild offers 20GB of free EU roaming.
Similarly, Ecotalk reinvests its profits into restoring and protecting Britain’s natural environments through rewilding, native species replanting, and wildlife reintroduction. Nature updates are available online, including live camera footage of wildlife habitats.
It also offers a £4 Sim plan called ‘Just Talk’ is also available. Advertised for Kids, this plan aims to help parents easily monitor internet usage and manage screen time by offering unlimited UK messages and minutes but no data.
Ecotalk charges £2 a day to use your UK allowance of calls, texts and data in the EU, with a fair use cap of 25%.
Get the best signal from any network - Honest Mobile
Honest Mobile offers a Smart Sim as an additional eSim to your regular Sim, which has unlimited data for over 500 apps, including messaging, banking, navigation, weather, news and others.
It works by connecting to the best signal available nearby, whether that's from EE, O2, Three or Vodafone's network, so it should mean you can still access data if you're in a coverage not-spot for your regular Sim provider.
Additionally, it can be used for roaming in over 180 countries, so could be used as an alternative to buying roaming passes or a travel eSim.
Smart Sim costs £3.75 a month if you pay annually (£45) or £10 a month paid monthly.
Honest Mobile also offers classic Sims with an unusual perk - the price decreases the longer you stay with them, rather than increasing. Customer’s bills drop by 0.41% every month they stay with the provider. This accumulates up to a maximum discount of 30%. The Sims start of at fairly high prices so you may be able to find a better deal elsewhere.
However, family plans of up to 10 Sims are also available, ranging from 4GB to unlimited. These offer a further 20% loyalty discount on 30-day plans and 30% on 12-month plans, so could be a better option if you're looking to buy multiple Sims.
What about the Big Four? - EE, O2, Three and Vodafone
Generally our advice is to avoid using the big four networks as their prices are typically higher than smaller networks. They also increase their prices every year and you can easily end up locked into a cycle of expensive long-term contracts.
However, if you're already using or tempted by one of the big four, value can be found if you had planned to separately purchase one of the extras included in their contracts.
For example, EE's Unlimited Full Works Plan provides unlimited data for £36, plus 50GB of free EU roaming and an 'inclusive extra' for free. These include TNT Sports on HBO Max, which ordinarily costs £25.99 a month, Netflix Premium, or Xbox Game Pass. While unlimited data is far cheaper elsewhere, this could therefore be a cost effective option for TNT Sports fans likely to have bought that product anyway.
Similarly, O2's £29.99 unlimited data plan can include free Disney+ Premium, which would alone cost £14.99 a month.
Make sure you calculate if these deals are actually good value and how much you would use the services before committing.
