Looking for a good value mobile SIM with some of the best international calling rates on the market? Well, look no further than Lycamobile.
Here’s everything you need to know about SIM-only plans on this international-friendly network, and how to find the best plan for you.
Is Lycamobile a good network?
Lycamobile is quite a unique network in the UK, in that its focus is on letting you call international numbers at good rates.
The majority of its SIM-only plans include dedicated minutes for making calls to numbers abroad to 40+ countries – including the EU, India, Australia, and China. And for everywhere else, you get discounted rates compared to most mobile networks.
There’s a lot of choice of SIMs, including a range of international calling options. 5G is included in all plans too. And the network reports good customer satisfaction.
The downside is that Lycamobile doesn’t offer much else in the way of extras or perks for loyal customers. You pretty much just get a SIM card with your chosen allowance, and that’s it.
But if all you're really concerned about in your mobile plan is a nice low price, plenty of allowance, and a cheap way to call international numbers, Lycamobile could be the one for you.
What to look for in a Lycamobile SIM contract
You may find there’s quite a lot to think about when choosing a SIM-only plan from Lycamobile…
- Data allowance – Monthly data allowances range from a modest 3GB up to fully unlimited data. All include 5G as standard too, if you can access it with your phone.
- International minutes – What Lycamobile does best. If you want to call abroad, then look at the international calling allowances. Some have a set number of minutes, others give you unlimited international calls to a selection of countries, and some even include dedicated minutes to particular countries such as India. Or, if you don’t need any at all, you can save a bit of money by picking a UK-only plan.
- UK calls and texts – Most Lycamobile plans have unlimited calls and texts to UK numbers, but a few let you save a bit of cash with a limited allowance. Look out for inclusive ‘Lyca to Lyca’ minutes too if you have friends and family on the network.
- Contract length – The majority of Lycamobile SIMs are 30-day plans, which you can renew or change every month, but there’s a small selection of plans that last three, six, or 12 months. You pay for the entirety of these plans upfront, and get up to 20% off when you do.
Of course, there’s no need to worry too much about getting the right or wrong plan. Since the majority are 30-day deals paid for upfront, you can change your plan, pick a different allowance, or add a bolt-on whenever you like.
Cheap Lycamobile SIM deals
For what you get, all Lycamobile SIM deals are cheap – they’re some of the lowest priced SIMs on the market, in fact.
You can get that cost down even more by choosing a long-term plan. Bear in mind there’s a much more limited selection of these – and limited international minutes – but they’re a great choice if you mostly need a mobile for UK use.
The cheapest 30-day plan, meanwhile, is a very attractive £5 per month at the time of writing. It gives you 3GB data and 100 international minutes, plus a limited number of UK calls and texts.
Does Lycamobile offer SIMs with unlimited data?
Yes it does. But watch closely, because that data may not be as unlimited as you think.
‘Unlimited data’ plans from Lycamobile do have truly unlimited data. You can use as much as you want with no cap.
‘Endless data’ plans have an unlimited allowance, but it’s not truly unlimited. Once you’ve used 150GB in a month, Lycamobile slows your downloads down significantly.
That’s still a lot of data though – most of us won’t use that much each month. You may still find it’s a great option for you if you want to save a little bit of money.
Which networks offer good SIM plan alternatives?
The UK has a handful of mobile networks that offer SIMs with good international calling…
Lebara Mobile – This is a similar network that also offers low-cost 30-day SIMs with excellent international calling options. If you have a particular location(s) in mind that you want to call, check both networks to see which one gives you the better deal.
Giffgaff – Again, this network offers low-priced 30-day SIMs, with good options for calling international numbers or roaming abroad.
If you’re just looking for a cheap one-month SIM-only deal, you have a lot of choice. Take a look at:
To see all your SIM-only options in one place, use our comparison tool.
