Compare Unlimited data is great because you never need to worry about overspending or running out of data as you endlessly use up gigaloads of the stuff.
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Table of Contents |
Networks offering unlimited data
There are currently eight networks which offer unlimited data in the UK, namely Three, Vodafone, EE, O2, Smarty, GiffGaff, Lycamobile, and Virgin Mobile.
All of these operators have some form of restriction and unique selling points, so it makes sense to get fully up to speed with the ins and outs of unlimited data packages.
Three
Three offers truly unlimited data on SIM Only, Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go phone plans, as well as unlimited Mobile Broadband plans.
There are no speed restrictions on Three's unlimited data plans and you can tether as much data as you like. Three's Pay Monthly SIM Only plans are 5G Ready at no extra cost, which means that when Three's 5G network goes live this year you'll be able to enjoy 5G speeds.
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24 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts |
£10 a month Half price for first 6 months |
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12 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts |
£21 a month |
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1 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts |
£24 a month |
| All plans include 5G at no extra cost, Worldwide roaming in 71 destinations and unlimited tethering | ||
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Pay As You Go Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts |
£35 Lasts for 30 days |
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Pay As You Go Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts |
£90 Lasts for 90 days |
| All plans include Worldwide roaming in 71 destinations and unlimited tethering | ||
Data roaming also comes at no extra cost on all plans and covers 71 worldwide destinations in Europe and beyond. Data roaming on Three is limited to 19GB in Go Roam In Europe destinations (or 15.1GB on Pay As You Go) and 12GB in Go Roam Around The World destinations.
A fair usage policy applies on Three which states that unlimited data plans are for personal use only. They also add that data usage over 1000GB a month may be used to identify potential inappropriate usage, such as commercial use.
Three Unlimited Fair Usage Policy
Unlimited data gives you worry free internet use. Even if you used your phone for every minute of every day you could only use, subject to TrafficSense™, around 1000GB each month. We may use this cap to identify inappropriate use of the service, such as commercial use, which isn't permitted under our terms and conditions.
Related reading: Three Coverage and Network Review
Smarty
Smarty, which uses Three's network, offers a great value unlimited data SIM plan which comes with no speed or tethering restrictions.
Smarty's unlimited plan is a 1-month rolling plan that comes with 4G included, which differs from Three's plans because it isn't 5G Ready at no extra cost.
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1 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts |
£18.75 a month 25% off for life |
| Includes roaming in Europe and unlimited tethering | ||
Data roaming is limited to 19GB per month and you can only roam for free in 35 European destinations, which is another key difference with Three's plans, as these include roaming in 71 worldwide destinations.
As is standard with unlimited data plans Smarty has a fair use policy that states that plans are only for personal use. Like Three the network adds that a 1000GB limit may be used to investigate inappropriate usage, such as commercial use.
Smarty Unlimited Fair Usage Policy
With our Unlimited plan there’s no hidden ‘fair use policies’ within the UK, giving you all the access to the Internet you’d need without worrying about hefty bills and no data speed restrictions. Even if you used your phone for every minute of every day, you’d only use around 1,000GB each month. We’ve set a usage cap at 1,000GB in order to identify commercial use of our service for example, which is not permitted under our terms.
Currently, Smarty only offers SIM only plans, so no unlimited Pay Monthly phones or Mobile Broadband plans are available.
Related Reading: Smarty Mobile Review and Coverage
Vodafone
Vodafone also offers unlimited data SIM Only and phone plans including the option for unlimited 5G data.
A choice of 3 plan types are available, each of which offers different maximum download speeds. Unlimited Lite plans offer max download speeds of 2Mbps (fast enough to browse and stream music), Unlimited plans offer speeds up to 10Mbps (fast enough to stream HD video), and Unlimited Max plans offer the maximum available speeds with no restrictions, and in reality are the only ones able to benefit from 5G speeds.
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Unlimited Lite |
12 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts Max download speed 2Mbps |
£23 a month |
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Unlimited |
12 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts Max download speed 10Mbps |
£26 a month |
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Unlimited Max |
12 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts Max download speed: Fastest available |
£30 a month |
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Unlimited Lite |
1 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts Max download speed 2Mbps |
£25 a month |
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Unlimited |
1 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts Max download speed 10Mbps |
£28 a month |
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Unlimited Max |
1 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts Max download speed: Fastest available |
£32 a month |
| All plans include 5G, roaming in Europe and unlimited tethering | ||
Tethering is included and you can use up to 25GB per month when roaming in 48 European countries. On Unlimited Max plans free roaming is extended to a total of 77 countries, not all of which are in Europe.
There is also the option to add an Entertainment bundle to the 12-month Unlimited and Unlimited Max plans for an extra £6 per month, which gives you a choice of a 12-month subscription to Amazon Prime Video, Spotify Premium, NowTV Entertainment or Sky Sports. Entertainment packages are also available on Pay Monthly with a handset.
Vodafone also has a fair usage policy which states that the plans are for personal use only, not for commercial use, but gives no indication as to how it identifies commercial usage.
Vodafone Unlimited Fair Usage Policy
All our services which are offered as “unlimited” (or similar) must only be used for your personal and non-commercial use.
Related Reading: Vodafone Coverage and Network Review
EE
EE also now offers unlimited data plans, which come in a choice of 3 types of plan, namely a basic unlimited plan, a 4G Smart plan and a 5G Smart plan, the latter of which offers unlimited 5G. They are available on SIM Only and with Pay Monthly phones.
All plans come with tethering included, 15GB roaming allowance per month in 48 EU countries, and no speed caps, although only the 5G Smart plan gives you access to 5G speeds.
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Unlimited 4G |
12 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 4G plan |
£34 a month |
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Unlimited 4G Smart |
12 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 4G plan + 2 swappable benefits |
£39 a month |
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Unlimited 5G Smart |
12 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 5G plan + 3 swappable benefits |
£44 a month |
| All Plans include roaming in Europe and unlimited tethering | ||
4G Smart plans give you the choice of 2 swappable benefits (choosing from BT Sport, Amazon Prime Video or Roam Further) and 5G Smart plans give you 3 swappable benefits (from the same selection). Roam Further adds an additional 5 roaming countries, including the US, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia.
Those who have multiple plans on their account can also gift up to 120GB of data per month to another EE account, which is good for those with children with heavy data usage.
There is a premium to pay for choosing EE, but the network offers higher average 4G speeds and has more widespread 4G coverage than its rivals.
EE also has a fair usage policy which states that plans are for personal use only and that it reserves the right to move you onto a business plan if a limit of 1000GB a month is triggered.
EE Unlimited Fair Usage Policy
Personal, non-commercial use only. If you regularly tether 12 or more devices, we will consider this non-personal use and have the right to move you to a more suitable plan. We will consider usage above 1000GB/month to be commercial use and have the right to move you to a business plan
Related Reading: EE Coverage and Network Review
O2
O2 is the latest network to begin offering unlimited data. It’s available on SIM Only plans and with selected Pay Monthly phones.
There are no speed restrictions, but the plans won't give you access to O2's 5G network when it launches in October. However, at that time new 5G unlimited plans will be made available.
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18 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts |
£33 a month |
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12 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts |
£35 a month |
| All Plans include roaming in Europe and unlimited tethering | ||
Data roaming is limited to Europe and has a 20GB limit per month. Plans also includes unlimited tethering, so you can share internet with other devices over a personal hotspot.
O2 also has a fair usage policy which states that plans are for personal use only, not commercial use. The network adds that data usage may be investigated if you regularly tether to 12 or more devices at the same time or use over 650GB of data a month twice in a six month period.
O2 Unlimited Fair Usage Policy
You may not use your Unlimited Data for (a) commercial or illegal purposes, (b) as a mobile hotspot where you are tethering more than 12 devices to your device.
Where you regularly tether to 12 or more devices or have used 650GB of data twice within a 6 month period then we may investigate your usage further to ascertain whether your Unlimited Data usage is for the Permitted Use. Where following such investigation we determine or reasonably suspect that your usage is for purposes other than the Permitted Use then we reserve the right to transfer you to a more suitable plan.
Related reading: O2 Coverage and Network Review
Giffgaff
Giffgaff offers an unlimited data goodybag (add-on), which can be purchased with SIM Only or a mobile phone.
There are some restrictions, with only the first 40GB of use per month being at full 4G speeds. After that speeds are capped at 384kbps between 8am and midnight, which is quite slow. You can tether, but the same speed restrictions apply.
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Unlimited data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£25 a month |
| Includes roaming in Europe and unlimited tethering | ||
Free roaming meanwhile is fully capped at 20GB per month and the only way to use your data beyond the Europe is to pay for the roaming data separately (which generally costs 20p per megabyte).
Related reading: GiffGaff Review and Coverage
Lycamobile
Lycamobile has launched an unlimited data plan which costs £20 per month and also gives you unlimited minutes and texts.
Speeds are capped after the first 9GB of usage per month to just 128kbps, which is only around 5-10% of normal 4G speeds. You also can’t tether on Lycamobile.
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Unlimited data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£20 a month |
Related reading: Lycamobile Review and Coverage
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile also offers unlimited data, but only to customers who have Virgin TV or Virgin Broadband.
That makes it quite restrictive, but if you fit into that camp then it is truly unlimited and at 4G speeds, and you can get it for £32 per month on SIM Only or at various prices on Pay Monthly.
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Unlimited data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£32 a month |
| Includes roaming in Europe and unlimited tethering | ||
You also get unlimited data for tethering – or at least, according to a customer service agent we spoke to you do, however at the time of writing there’s no confirmation of this on Virgin Mobile’s website.
However, unlimited data isn’t available on mobile broadband plans. There are also restrictions when roaming, with you currently capped at 13.75GB in the EU if you’re on SIM Only. This cap changes though, so for an up to date figure, use Virgin Mobile’s fair use calculator.
Related reading: Virgin Mobile Review and Coverage
Best unlimited data SIM deals
We've handpicked the best unlimited data SIM only deals on the market today.
We've chosen deals that offer the best value and have only included plans with no speed restrictions.
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1 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts |
£18.75 a month 25% off for life |
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24 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts |
£10 a month Half price for first 6 months |
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12 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts |
£21 a month |
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12 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts |
£30 a month |
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12 Month Plan Unlimited data Unlimited mins Unlimited texts |
£34 a month |
Fair usage policies
All of the networks have some kind of fair usage policy or speed restriction.
They are only in place to identify commercial usage, so those using the plans for legitimate personal usage should not worry about them as they aren't really relevant.
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Network |
Restrictions |
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Fair usage policy of 1000GB per month |
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Fair usage policy of 1000GB per month |
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Fair usage policy of 1000GB per month and maximum 11 tethering devices at once |
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Fair usage policy of 650GB per month and maximum 11 tethering devices at once |
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Fair usage policy and speeds restricted on Unlimited Lite (2Mbps) and Unlimited (10Mbps) plans |
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Speeds restricted to 384kbps at peak times after 40GB usage |
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Speeds restricted to 128kbps after 9GB usage and tethering not permitted |
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Existing Virgin Media customers only |
What about the other UK networks?
The other UK networks currently don't offer unlimited data. However, many do have high data limits.
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Operator |
Max data |
Tethering |
Roaming |
|---|---|---|---|
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iD Mobile |
20GB |
20GB |
20GB |
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BT |
100GB |
100GB |
15GB |
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FreedomPop |
4GB |
4GB |
N/A |
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Plusnet Mobile |
22GB |
22GB |
15GB |
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Sky Mobile |
50GB |
50GB |
50GB |
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Tesco Mobile |
50GB |
50GB |
50GB |
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Asda Mobile |
15GB |
15GB |
15GB |
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Voxi |
45GB |
45GB |
45GB |
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Lebara Mobile |
25GB |
25GB |
25GB |
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Ctrl Mobile |
30GB |
30GB |
30GB |
iD Mobile
iD Mobile offers a range of plans on Pay Monthly or SIM Only, topping out at 10GB of data on Pay Monthly and 20GB on SIM Only, while Pay As You Go comes with up to 8GB.
However, while you get 4G speeds as standard this is just normal 4G. Note also that there are restrictions to data use when roaming which vary based on your usual data limit and how much you pay each month. You can find a guide to these here.
BT
BT has Pay Monthly plans with up to 100GB of data (though only with select handsets – most top out at 60GB) and SIM Only ones with up to 60GB. It also has data-only plans with up to 30GB. The network doesn’t offer any Pay As You Go plans. You can use all of your data for tethering or roaming. However, if you use more than 15GB per billing cycle while roaming, a surcharge may be applied.
BT also has an Extra Speed service, giving you twice the speed of standard 4G.
FreedomPop
FreedomPop has a range of SIM Only plans offering up to 4GB of data. You can use this data to tether if you also subscribe to its Premier service.
The network doesn’t currently offer any Pay Monthly, Pay As You Go or mobile broadband plans, and you can’t roam on any of its current plans. All plans come with 4G speeds as standard.
Plusnet Mobile
Plusnet Mobile only has SIM Only plans and these come with up to 22GB of data (though it tops out at 20GB if you’re not a Plusnet broadband customer). You can use any or all of this for tethering and up to 15GB for free roaming. 4G is included as standard.
Sky Mobile
Sky Mobile offers both Pay Monthly and SIM Only plans and these include up to 50GB of monthly data. You can also get up to 50GB of data with a tablet. You can use as much of this as you want for tethering or roaming. Sky Mobile offers standard 4G speeds.
Tesco Mobile
Tesco Mobile gives you up to 50GB of data on Pay Monthly and 50GB on SIM Only plans, and you can use as much as you want for tethering.
You can also get Pay As You Go bundles with up to 8GB of data, but there aren’t any mobile broadband plans. 4G data is included as standard, as is free EU roaming.
Asda Mobile
Asda Mobile’s SIM Only plans come with up to 15GB of data, all of which can be used for tethering. You can also get up to 8GB of data with a data only bundle, or you can Pay As You Go.
The network offers standard 4G speeds and provides free EU roaming.
Voxi
Voxi offers SIM Only and phone plans and they come with up to 45GB of data, any or all of which can be used for tethering or EU roaming.
Lebara Mobile
Lebara Mobile offers SIM Only plans with up to 25GB of 4G data, while Data Only plans come with up to 2GB. You can use as much of your data as you want for tethering and you can also roam at no extra cost in the EU, but there your data is in many cases restricted, though the exact amount you can use will depend on your plan.
Ctrl Mobile
Ctrl Mobile briefly offered an unlimited data plan, but at the time of writing its plans top out at 30GB. However, this can all be used for tethering or roaming.
Conclusion - which network offers the best unlimited data plan?
Three is currently the best option for those looking for unlimited data because its plans offer great value, are 5G Ready at no extra cost and have no speed or tethering restrictions. Smarty deals offer even better value and come on flexible 1-month plans, but don't come with worldwide roaming or 5G at no extra cost.
EE's unlimited plans cost significantly more than some of the other networks, but they have great coverage and speeds, so are worth considering, especially for those in areas with bad mobile coverage. Vodafone is also a good option, but we would only advise choosing the most expensive Unlimited Max plan because speeds on its other unlimited plans are very restrictive if you want to stream.
Existing Virgin Media customers should consider Virgin's unlimited deal as it benefits from EE's network coverage and has no speed or tethering restrictions.
