30-Day SIM Only Deals October 2023

Our best 30-day SIM deals this week

What is a 30-day SIM?

A 30-day SIM, or one-month SIM, is another term for a rolling-contract SIM deal.

Unlike 12-month SIMs or 24-month SIM deals, in which you’re committed to paying for your monthly plan over a longer period of time, with 30-day SIMs you’re free to leave anytime you like. You’ll just have to provide 30 days’ notice.

In every other respect, 30-day SIMs are just like any other type of SIM-only deal. You simply pay a monthly price in exchange for a set allowance of data, texts and calls.

Longer-term SIM contracts generally come with benefits or incentives, but some 30-day ones can also come with extras, too.

How do 30-day SIMs work?

30-day SIMs work almost identically to 12-month and 24-month SIMs. The key difference is that instead of being legally bound to stay with your network for a year or more when you sign up, you’re free to leave whenever you like, with just 30 days’ notice.

And compared with pay-as-you-go SIMs, you won’t have to worry about topping up with a 30-day SIM plan. At the end of each month your contract automatically extends (or ‘rolls over’) for another month, unless you explicitly inform your network that you’d like to cancel.

Which networks offer 30-day SIMs?

Almost all household-name networks offer short-term 30-day SIMs, as do a range of lesser-known mobile networks, too.

Below we’ve picked out some of our best 30-day SIMs, alongside a snapshot of what each network has to offer.

Virgin Mobile 30-day SIM-only deals

All of Virgin Mobile's SIM-only deals are on 30-day rolling contracts, with data allowances ranging between 3GB and 100GB per month.

As well as unlimited calls and texts, you get some handy extras, such as data rollover, EU roaming and data-free messaging on WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook.

SMARTY 30-day SIM-only deals

With a service based on Three’s network infrastructure, SMARTY specialises in low-cost plans with the USP of getting money back for any unused data.

Three 30-day SIM only deals

As well as 12-month and 24-month SIM plans, Three also offers a selection of one-month SIMs. Customers also get access to Three+ Rewards, Three’s rewards app that has exclusive offers from plenty of high-street brands. Not to mention, it boasts some of the fastest 5G speeds in the UK.

Vodafone 30-day SIM-only deals

All of Vodafone's 30-day plans come with a three-month free trial of SecureNet security software, as well as weekly offers and discounts via the VeryMe Rewards programme.

iD Mobile 30-day SIM-only deals

iD Mobile offers a wide selection of well-priced 30-day SIMs, with data allowances ranging from 5GB all the way to unlimited data. Coverage is provided by Three, and there’s inclusive roaming in 50 locations worldwide.

What to look for in a 30-day SIM

When you’re in the market for a 30-day SIM only deal, the two most important things to consider are: monthly data allowance (most SIMs come with unlimited calls and text as standard) and freebies.

Data allowance

You don’t want to pay for more data than you need. But you don’t want to be in a situation where you’re running out of data towards the end of every month, either.

So, what to do? Well, the best, most sure-fire way to ensure you get a plan with enough data to is to check the amount of data you’re using now and choose a new plan accordingly.

You’ll find details of your data consumption in your network’s smartphone app (assuming you’ve downloaded it), or by getting in touch with your provider.

And if you discover that you need more or less data every month, the great thing about 30-day SIMs is that you’re free to change your allowance for the next month. As with cancelling your plan, you just need to give 30 days’ notice.

Freebies

The very best freebies, such as subscriptions to streaming services, tend to be reserved for customers who sign up for a 12-month or 24-month SIMs deal with a major UK network (such as O2, Vodafone and EE). But if you look hard enough, you can still get some worthwhile incentives on 30-day SIMs.

By way of example, customers signing up for a 30-day plan with O2 qualify for the O2 Rewards scheme. You get the same level of discounts and freebies in high-street stores as you would with any other O2 SIM plan, as well as priority booking at O2 venues.

Similarly, Vodafone 30-day SIM customers benefit from its VeryMe’s schemes weekly giveaways, discounts and prize draws – just the same as those signed up to its longer-term SIMs.

Pros and cons of 30-day SIMs

Pros

• Much more flexible, with the freedom to leave when you like
• Lots of tariffs to choose from
• Credit checks are less stringent – and some networks don't run them at all
• Good for a stopgap, when you don’t want to sign up to a long contract

Cons

• Allowances may be less generous than on longer-term plans
• Signing up to a longer-term plan can give you a lower monthly price
• The very best customer benefits are usually reserved for longer-term SIM plans

Alternative SIM only plans

Not sure if a 30-day SIM is right for you? Perhaps one of these SIMs will suit you better:

• 12-month SIMs
• Pay as you go SIMs
• Bad credit SIMs
• Cheap SIMs
• Unlimited data SIM only

How do I find a 30-day SIM plan?

The best and most practical way to find a suitable 30-day SIM is to work out how much data you think you’ll need. According to a 2022 Ofcom report, the average user in the UK got through 5.6GB of data per month.

But to find out for sure how much you use, take a look in your network’s app on your smartphone (assuming you’ve downloaded it) or get in touch with your network.

How do I cancel a 30-day SIM plan?

One of the plus points of a 30-day SIM plan is that it’s easy to cancel whenever you like. You’ll likely be able to cancel within a few taps in your network's smartphone app. Otherwise, you can just get in touch with your network and let them know you'd like to leave.

Remember, you’ll need to give 30 days’ notice.

Will there a be a credit check on a 30-day SIM?

That depends on the network. While smaller, more budget-friendly networks (such as the likes of VOXI, Lebara and SMARTY) don’t apply credit checks, some networks may still check your credit score.

However, what we can see is that credit checks for 30-day SIMs will be much less stringent and easier to pass than those for pay monthly phone contracts or even those for 12-month or 24-month SIMs.

Do I have to top up 30-day SIMs every month?

There’s no need to top up your allowance every month when you’re signed up to a 30-day SIM. Your allowance will renew every 30 days automatically and will continue to do so until you tell your network you’d like to cancel.

Do SIM cards expire if not used?

Yes, SIM cards do expire if they haven’t been used in a certain period of time. Depending on the network, an inactive SIM card will usually expire after 90 to 180 days.

Most networks stipulate that you need to carry out a chargeable activity on your SIM at least once every 90 to 180 days (this period varies depending on the network). So, as long as you use some data, make a chargeable call or send a text within that time, your SIM card won’t expire.