These five SIM only deals end the year on a bang with market-leading value

Sim only deals
(Image credit: Future)

We can all agree that it has been....an interesting year. And with it now coming to a big crescendo, why not end the year with a bang. We've tracked down the five best SIM only deals for you to enter 2021 with.

These offers include options from the big names Vodafone, Three and EE as well as some lesser-known cheap networks. These apply whether you need lots of data, something flexible or just want something affordable.

Below we've listed our top picks. And if you need a new phone to go with it, consult our SIM-free phones guide to see what we deem as the best value handsets currently available.  

SIM only deals

1. Three's unlimited data SIM bargain:

Three SIM | 12 months | Unlimited data, calls and texts | £16 per month
The best SIM plan ...

Three SIM | <a href="http://store.three.co.uk/view/basket/SIMOnlyD10112020T194427?manufacturer=&ID=1683&ty=aff&aff_id=3713&link_id=lc&link_ref=hawk-custom-tracking" data-link-merchant="store.three.co.uk"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">12 months | Unlimited data, calls and texts | £16 per month
This deal appeared over Black Friday and is still dominating the market. It costs just £16 a month while supplying a completely unlimited data, calls and texts cap. That's the cheapest 5G unlimited SIM on the market and the lowest Three has ever gone. Or you can get the same contract for <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=10933&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fsmarty.co.uk%2Fplans%2Funlimited%3Fvc%3D12Mth15UNLDec20AFF" data-link-merchant="smarty.co.uk"" data-link-merchant="store.three.co.uk"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">£1 less with Smarty, if you don't mind sacrificing 5G access.

2. An effectively cheaper SIM from Vodafone:

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Vodafone SIM from Mobiles.co.uk <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=380&awinaffid=103504&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mobiles.co.uk%2Fvodafone-sim-only-deals%3Ftid%3DHBVCMDEC20&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">| 12 month contract | 100GB of data | unlimited calls and texts | £16pm + £54 cashback by redemption
Right now, this is easily the best price out there for this much data. Before you even take into account the cashback, getting 100GB of data for less than £16 a month is a challenge, especially on Vodafone! Once you consider the cashback, you're paying just £11.50 a month - an unbeatable price.

3. The best EE SIM plan around:

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SIM only deal from EE <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=31423&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fshop.ee.co.uk%2Fsim-only" data-link-merchant="ee.co.uk"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">| 24-month contract | 100GB data | Unlimited calls & texts | 5G ready | £20/pm
100GB of data is pretty impressive, especially considering it's on EE - the UK's fastest 4G network. For all of that data and unlimited calls and texts, you're paying just £20 a month. That's the best EE SIM on the market right now.

4. Super cheap SIMs with Lebara

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SIM only deal from Lebara | <a href="https://lebara-mobile.pxf.io/c/221109/360019/5330?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmobile.lebara.com%2Fgb%2Fen%2Fbest-sim-only-deals-%257c-monthly-sim-only-plans%2F2gb-monthly-sim-only-plan-5%2Fp%2F441125" data-link-merchant="lebara-mobile.pxf.io"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">1-month contract | 2GB data | 1000 minutes and texts | £2.50 a month for first 3 months, then £5 a month
This deal from Lebara is the cheapest SIM plan on the market right now. For the first 3 months of your contract you'll be paying just £2.50 a month. After that, the price goes up to £5 which is still one of the cheapest prices around. That gets you 2GB of data on a 1-month rolling contract.

5. flexible and cheap SIM plans with Smarty:

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SIM only deal from Smarty | <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=10933&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fsmarty.co.uk%2Fplans%2F30gb-data" data-link-merchant="awin1.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">1 month rolling | 30GB data | Unlimited calls and texts | £10 per month
Like the Lebara deal above, Smarty works on 1-month rolling contracts across all of its plans. This means you can leave at any time, using it as a long term option or a quick stop-off. This deal in particular offers you 30GB of data while only charging £10 a month for it. That's the best amount of data you'll be able to get for a price as low as that.

Alex Hughes

Alex is a journalist who has written extensively about all things broadband, SIMs and phone contracts, as well as scouring the internet to land you the best prices on the very latest in gadgets and tech. Whether that be with the latest iPhones and Android handsets, breaking down how broadband works or revealing the cheapest SIM plans, he's in the know, and will help you land a bargain.