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1pMobile Review
Budget MVNO on EE with the UK's cheapest PAYG rates at 1p per minute, text, and MB, plus affordable SIM-only bundles with 5G and EU roaming.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Genuinely the cheapest PAYG rates in the UK at 1p per minute, 1p per text, and 1p per MB on EE's premium network
- Full EE network quality with uncapped 5G speeds, often faster than EE's own speed-capped plans
- Price freeze guarantee with no annual inflation-linked rises on any plan
- EU roaming included at no extra cost in 46 countries with 14GB data cap
- Maximum flexibility with no contract, no credit check, eSIM support, and rolling monthly bundles
Cons
- PAYG data is expensive for heavy users at 1p per MB, meaning 1GB costs ten pounds
- Mandatory ten pound top-up every 60 days to keep your number active even if you barely use the phone
- Limited customer support hours with no weekend cover and some reports of difficulty reaching the phone line
- No dedicated app, no call forwarding, and no visual voicemail
1pMobile Overview
1pMobile is a UK budget mobile provider launched in September 2016, operating on EE's network. It is owned by Telecommunications Management Limited, a subsidiary of Telecom Plus PLC, the FTSE 250-listed parent company that also operates Utility Warehouse.
1pMobile's defining feature is its classic pay-as-you-go pricing: 1p per minute for calls, 1p per text, and 1p per megabyte of data. This makes it genuinely the cheapest PAYG option in the UK for light users on a premium network. There is no other major UK provider offering these rates on EE's infrastructure.
Alongside the PAYG tariff, 1pMobile offers 30-day rolling SIM-only bundles (called Boosts) starting from around six pounds per month, with full 5G access, uncapped speeds, eSIM support, and EU roaming included. The company pledges to never increase plan prices, distinguishing it from the annual CPI-linked rises common at larger networks.
Coverage & Speed
1pMobile provides coverage through EE's full network infrastructure, the largest in the UK. Coverage is identical to EE direct customers with no differentiation or throttling. EE offers 4G to approximately 99% of the UK population and leads in rural coverage compared to rival networks.
Plans & Pricing
1pMobile offers both classic PAYG at 1p per minute, text, and MB, plus 30-day rolling SIM-only bundles from around six pounds per month. All options include 5G access, EU roaming, and no credit check requirement.
Roaming
EU roaming is included on all plans at no extra cost across 46 European destinations. On PAYG, the same 1p rates apply while roaming. On Boost bundles, the full UK allowance is available while abroad. Data is capped at 14GB per month when roaming. Roaming is enabled by default with no manual activation needed.
Our Verdict
1pMobile fills a specific gap in the UK market that no other provider covers as well: ultra-cheap pay-as-you-go on the UK's best network. The 1p per minute, text, and MB pricing is genuinely unmatched for light users, and the fact that it runs on EE with uncapped 5G speeds makes it remarkable value.
The Boost bundles are also competitive, though less distinctive since many MVNOs offer similar data packages at similar prices. The real differentiator is the PAYG option for people who barely use their phone but want reliable coverage when they do.
The main limitations are the expensive per-MB data rate for anyone using more than a few hundred megabytes, the mandatory 60-day top-up, and the weekday-only customer service. For its target audience of light users and backup SIM holders, 1pMobile is hard to beat.
Quick Specs
1pMobile does not sell phone contracts with handsets.
30-day Boost bundles include 4GB for around seven pounds fifty per month, 25GB for ten pounds, and 50GB for twelve pounds fifty. All include unlimited UK calls and texts with EU roaming.
Best 1pMobile SIM-Only Plans
Direct from 1pMobile, ranked by monthly cost.
| Plan | Data | Minutes | Texts | Term | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5GB | 5GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30-day rolling | £5.00 | Get plan |
| 50GB | 50GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30-day rolling | £10.00 | Get plan |
| 75GB | 75GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30-day rolling | £12.50 | Get plan |
| 100GB | 100GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30-day rolling | £15.00 | Get plan |
| 150GB | 150GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30-day rolling | £17.50 | Get plan |
| 200GB | 200GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30-day rolling | £20.00 | Get plan |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30-day rolling | £25.00 | Get plan |