EE Pay As You Go Bundles

Smartphone tariffs can be expensive, but with pay as you go packs (also known as bundles) available from as little as £9 on EE they don’t have to be, and they become even better value over time, as you can unlock ‘Data Boosts’.

So if you’re looking to save or have the flexibility of not being locked into a contract, then one of these could be for you, and we’ve got all the details of prices, tariffs, and terms.

What top-up bundles are available?

EE currently offer a choice of 5 Pay As You Go top-up bundles, which start from £9 a month and come pre-loaded with data, minutes and texts. 

Bundles last for 30 days and come with 5G data (though speeds are limited to 25Mbps). They also include data rollover, so if you don’t use all of your data one month it will roll over to the next one, giving you a second chance to use it (assuming you buy another pack).

They also also get better over time, with free data boosts added every two months. These ‘Data Boosts’ give you 2GB of extra data every two packs you purchase, and a total of six such boosts can be accrued, so that’s a year of free data boosts. Note that unused data from boosts won't be rolled over into the next month.

Another great feature is what EE calls ‘Data Parachute’, which is essentially 1GB free of emergency data to use if you run out of allowances.

Those who purchase a bundle also get free and seamless access to over 150,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the UK, and if you set the pack to automatically renew you can get 10% off the monthly price.

The cheapest EE Pay As You Go bundle costs £9 and gives you 500 minutes, 20GB of data, and 500 texts. That’s not a bad set of allowances, assuming you don’t make a lot of calls. But if you do, or you’re a heavy data user, then you’ll want to move up to one of the pricier packs, all of which give you unlimited minutes and texts, along with upwards of 75GB of data.

The £9 pack will probably be fine for most users, assuming you can make use of Wi-Fi a lot of the time. If not, then the £13.50 or £18 pack will likely suit, with the £27 and £31.50 packs being great options for very heavy data users.

Note that the above information refers to EE’s standard Pay As You Go packs, but the network also offers what it calls ‘Safer SIMs’, which are designed for children. Only one of these is available on Pay As You Go, and it has strict parental controls, no roaming, 500 minutes and texts, and 2GB of data, for which you’ll pay £9 per month.

Pay As You Go Bundle codes

If you’re registered for pay as you go and want to buy a pack, you can text ALL PACKS to 150 for information on available packs.

To buy a specific pack text PLAN10 for the £9 one (as it used to cost £10), PLAN15 for the £13.50 one, PLAN20 for the £18 one, and PLAN30 for the £27 one.

What isn't included with Pay As You Go bundles?

EE’s pay as you go plans charge extra to access your allowances in the EU, with the cost at the time of writing being £2.50 for 24 hours or £10 for seven days.

EE will text you when you arrive in your destination, giving you the option of paying for one of these. If you don’t do this then you’ll instead be charged EE’s standard EU Roaming rates for calls and texts, which are 70p per minute and 30p per text, with data only available as an add-on.

Can I just use credit instead of a bundle?

You can spend your credit directly on calls and texts if you’d prefer but you’ll need either a pack or an add-on to use data, and in most cases, packs present better value than paying directly for calls and texts. For reference, EE charges 40p per minute and 20p per text at the time of writing.

• Related reading: Best Pay As You Go plans - All networks compared