Tesco Mobile SIM Deals

Tesco Mobile SIMs offer excellent value for money, with generous amounts of data, free EU roaming and 5G available with all plans.

Tesco Mobile sell 12 month and 24 month SIMs. They are one of the few networks who promise not increase your monthly bill with inflation mid-contract.

In addition, Tesco Mobile's unlimited data SIMs are truly unlimited, with no download limits in the fair usage policy.

Can I get unlimited data with a Tesco Mobile SIM?

Yes, Tesco Mobile unlimited data SIMs are available with 12 month and 24 month contracts.

There are no limits on the amount of data you can use, however any usage that is considered abusive by Tesco Mobile will be breaking the fair usage policy.

You can also use an unlimited data SIM when roaming in the EU, at no additional cost.

Can I use my Tesco Mobile SIM abroad?

If you have a Tesco Mobile SIM, you can continue to roam in 48 European countries for free. You will be able to use regular allowance at no additional cost, including data, minutes and texts.

If you’re roaming outside the EU, you will be charged at an international rate, and you won’t be able to use your regular allowance.

For more information, see Tesco Mobile roaming.

Can I get 5G with a Tesco Mobile SIM?

Yes, 5G is available with all Tesco Mobile SIMs, however you’ll need a 5G phone in order to benefit from 5G speeds.

Tesco Mobile uses O2 for their 5G network, delivering 5G to over 183 towns and cities across the UK, including most major cities.

5G with Tesco Mobile is currently available in the following locations:

• Aberdeen
• Allesley
• Altrincham
• Ambleside
• Ashford
• Aughton
• Aylesbury
• Banbury
• Banstead
• Basildon
• Basingstoke
• Bedford
• Belfast
• Birkenhead
• Birmingham
• Birstall
• Blackburn
• Blackpool
• Blaydon
• Bolton
• Bournemouth
• Bradford
• Bridge of Don
• Brighton
• Bristol
• Bromborough
• Burton Upon Trent
• Bury St Edmunds
• Byfleet
• Calverley
• Cambridge
• Cardiff
• Chadwell St Mary
• Chatham
• Cheadle
• Chelmsford
• Cheltenham
• Chertsey
• Chertsey South
• Chesterfield
• Chilworth
• Chipstead
• Clacton-on-Sea
• Colchester
• Coventry
• Danderhall
• Darlington
• Dartford
• Derby
• Dewsbury
• Dinas Powis
• Doncaster
• Dudley
• Dundee
• Dunstable
• Durham
• Dyce
• Eastbourne
• Edinburgh
• Egham
• Epsom
• Esher
• Falmer
• Gateshead
• Gillingham
• Glasgow
• Gloucester
• Gravesend
• Grays
• Great Yarmouth
• Grimsby
• Guildford
• Halifax
• Harlington
• Harlow
• Hastings
• Hebburn
• Hemel Hempstead
• Hextable
• High Wycombe
• Horwich
• How Wood
• Huddersfield
• Hull
• Inverness
• Ipswich
• Iver Heath
• Jarrow
• Joyden’s Wood
• Kemprow
• Kettering
• Lancaster
• Leeds
• Leicester
• Lincoln
• Lisburn
• Liverpool
• Llandudno
• London
• Loughborough
• Lowestoft
• Luton
• Maidenhead
• Manchester
• Mansfield
• Middlesbrough
• Milton Keynes
• Molesey
• Monifieth
• Morley
• Musselburgh
• New Denham
• Newbury
• Newcastle Under Lyme
• Newcastle Upon Tyne
• Newtownabbey
• North Shields
• Northampton
• Norwich
• Nottingham
• Nuneaton
• Oldham
• Orpington
• Oxford
• Penarth
• Peterborough
• Plymouth
• Plympton
• Portsmouth
• Potters Bar
• Rainham
• Reading
• Redhill
• Richings Park
• Rochdale
• Rotherham
• Royal Leamington Spa
• Royal Tunbridge Wells
• Rugby
• Sheffield
• Shelf
• Shepperton Green
• Shinfield
• Shirehampton
• Slough
• South Shields
• Southampton
• Southend-On-Sea
• St Albans
• Staines
• Stapleford
• Stevenage
• Stockport
• Stockton
• Stoke-on-Trent
• Stranraer
• Sunbury
• Sunderland
• Swansea
• Swindon
• Tatling End
• Thornaby On Tess
• Thorpe
• Thundersley
• Trumps Green
• Tynemouth
• Virginia Water
• Wakefield
• Wallasey
• Waltham Abbey
• Warrington
• Washington
• Watford
• West Bromwich
• Whickham
• Whitley Bay
• Wickersley
• Windsor
• Wolverhampton
• Woodbine Close Park
• Worthing
• Wythenshawe
• York

Can I get a Tesco Mobile SIM if I have a bad credit rating?

As Tesco Mobile only offer long term 12 months and 24 month SIM contracts, it’s unlikely you’ll be accepted if you have a very bad credit rating. However, if your credit score isn’t considered extreme, you may still have a chance of being accepted for a Tesco Mobile SIM contract, even if your score is classified as bad.

You’re more likely to be accepted for 1 month / 30 day SIM contracts from other networks, which you can find using our SIM Only deals comparison tool.

Do I need to unlock my phone to use a Tesco Mobile SIM?

If you bought your phone from Tesco Mobile, or it originally came with a Tesco Mobile SIM, then you shouldn’t need to unlock your phone in order to use a Tesco Mobile SIM.

Since December 2021, it is illegal for any network to sell a mobile phone that is locked to a specific network.

If you bought your phone before this date, it may be locked to your current network. If you’re unsure if your phone is unlocked, simply insert a SIM from a different network - if your phone is locked, an error message will be shown.

All providers must unlock your phone for free. You will need to contact your current network to do this. They will ask for your IMEI number, which you can obtain by dialling *#06# from your phone.

What size SIM cards can I get with Tesco Mobile?

Tesco Mobile offer all SIM cards sizes. You will be sent a standard SIM card size, which will have cutouts that can be broken down to a micro SIM or nano SIM.

1. Standard - the largest SIM card size, which is generally used with older non-smartphones. Newer phones are likely to use micro or nano SIMs.

2. Micro - Once considered a smaller replacement for standard SIMs, micro SIMs are less prevalent today, being replaced by the even smaller nano SIM. Older smartphones or budget phones may still use a micro SIM.

3. Nano - The smallest and most common SIM card size used in phones sold today. Used by the newer iPhones and Samsungs.

Can I switch from my current network to a Tesco Mobile SIM?

Yes, it’s easy to switch to Tesco Mobile. From your current network, text PAC to 65075 for free. You will receive a reply text within 5 minutes, which will contain your PAC code.

You will need to give this PAC code to Tesco Mobile. You can do this at the time of purchase, or by contacting Tesco Mobile after you have received your Tesco Mobile SIM card.

After you have given your PAC code to Tesco Mobile, they will begin the switch on your behalf, which normally takes 3 working days. Once the switch has completed, you will lose signal with your current network. When this happens, you can insert your Tesco Mobile SIM to complete the switching process.

For more information, see transferring your phone number to a new network.

Does Tesco Mobile have good coverage?

Tesco Mobile is a virtual network, using O2 for coverage. With O2’s network, Tesco Mobile is able to reach over 99% of the UK population with a 4G connection.

Tesco Mobile also includes 5G connectivity with all plans at no extra cost, and as of 2022 can deliver 5G to over 183 towns and cities.

O2 has won numerous awards for their connectivity. In 2019 and 2020, O2 won Best Network Performance at the Mobile News Awards for their coverage, reliability and speed.

You can check the expected coverage from your location by entering your postcode into the Tesco Mobile coverage checker.

Is Tesco Mobile a fast network?

As a result of using O2 as the sole provider, Tesco Mobile is a very fast network, with 5G speeds available in select locations.

In OpenSignal’s September 2021 report, O2 scored an average download speed of 17.1 Mbps and average upload speed of 5.4 Mbps when connected over 4G.

O2 also has the second fastest 5G network, with average download speeds of 91.2 Mbps and average upload speeds of 8.4 Mbps.

How reliable is Tesco Mobile?

Although Tesco Mobile are famous for their low prices, they are a very reliable network, with minimal reported downtime in recent years. Tesco Mobile have won the Which? Utilities brand of the year award for 11 years straight, being praised for network reliability, value and customer service.

If you’re experiencing connectivity issues with Tesco Mobile, check if there is any ongoing maintenance work by entering your address into the status checker tool.

Tesco Mobile also have a dedicated page for troubleshooting.

Tesco Mobile’s last notable outage occurred 4 years ago on 6th December 2018, with some customers unable to make calls or use data for several hours. The connectivity issues were caused by a fault with O2, who are the sole provider for Tesco Mobile.

Does Tesco Mobile have good customer service?

Tesco Mobile have excellent customer service, and are often ranked first in a number of reports, with various awards received throughout the years.

According to Reevo, an independent review site, Tesco Mobile ranks highly in a number of metrics:

• 97% of Tesco Mobile customers said they would buy from them again
• 96% of Tesco Mobile customers said they received their order on time and in good condition
• 92% of Tesco Mobile customers said their enquiries were handled effectively

In addition, Ofcom’s latest pay monthly phone report states Tesco Mobile only received an average of 1 complaint per 100,000 customers, which is joint first with EE.

Tesco Mobile call centres are open 7 days a week, Monday to Friday from 8am to 9pm, Saturday from 8am to 9pm and Sunday from 10am to 6pm.

• 4422 from a Tesco Mobile number
• 0800 030 40 30 from any other number

For online support, you can talk to someone via the web chat service.

In addition, you can receive customer service from hundreds of stores located across the UK.

Double data with Clubcard Plus

If you’re subscribed to Clubcard Plus, you can get double data with all pay monthly SIMs.

You’ll need to link your Tesco Mobile number with your Clubcard Plus by texting CLUBCARD to 28578 for free.

Clubcard Plus also includes a range of other benefits for Tesco customers.

Fixed contract prices with Tesco Mobile

Tesco Mobile are one of the few networks who promise not to increase your monthly cost mid-contract.

Most other networks will increase the cost of your monthly bill mid-contract, using the Retail Price Index (RPI), which measures the rate of inflation. In 2022, this rate can be as much as 11.7%.

Tesco Mobile Data Bundles

If you run out of data and you’re on a Tesco Mobile contract, you can purchase a data bundle for a set amount of data for the remaining month. This often works out cheaper compared to the out of plan rate.

Data bundles last until the end of your billing cycle. Any unused data from your bundle will not roll onto the next month, and will be lost.

FAQs