
Choosing the best pay as you go tariff can be a little tricky, mainly because you don’t use your phone the same way each and every month. I’ve put together a little run-down of the main UK PAYG provider tariffs.
Table of Contents
T-mobile Pay as you go tariff
O2 Pay as you go tariff
Three Pay as you go tariff
Orange Pay as you go tariff
Virgin Pay as you go tariff
T-mobile pay as you go
T-mobile have simplified there plans in 2011 by starting off with a basic package for a tenner the plans are as follows
Text plan
What you get :Unlimited free UK texts Cost:£10 a month
Talk plan
What you Get: 100 free minutes to call UK mobiles and landlines at any time Cost: £10 a month
International plan
Get always-low rates on international calls from the UK and an extra 60 minutes for free every month when you top up a tenner. What you get: 60 free international minutes cost: £10 a month PLUS: really low rates on calls from the UK to abroad, however much you top up The T-mobile pay as you go plans can be supplemented by the use of Boosters Euro Travel Boosters
Cost
What you get
£5
£7.50 credit to use for making and receiving calls and sending texts while in most European countries
£10
£15 credit to use for making and receiving calls and sending texts while in most European countries
£20
£30 credit to use for making and receiving calls and sending texts while in most European countries
£30
£45 credit to use for making and receiving calls and sending texts while in most European countries
| Booster |
| Euro 5 Booster |
Euro 10 Booster |
Euro 20 Booster |
Euro 30 Booster |
Euro Internet Boosters
Cost
How long is it for?
£1
- Surf the internet for a whole day up to 3MB
£5
- Surf the internet for a whole week up to 20MB
£10
- Surf the internet for a whole month up to 50MB
| Booster |
| Euro Internet 3MB |
| Euro Internet 20MB |
Euro Internet 50MB |
Internet Boosters
Cost
What you get
£2.50
5 days of internet on your phone
£5
30 days of internet on your phone
£20
6 months of internet on your phone
| Booster |
| 5 day Internet Booster |
30 day Internet Booster |
6 month Internet Booster |
Text Boosters
Cost
What you get
£5
300 UK texts to use over 5 days
£10
300 UK texts to use over 30 days
| Booster |
| 5 day Text Booster |
30 Day Text Booster |
Talk Boosters
Cost
What you get
£5
200 minutes to T-Mobile customers, to use over 5 days
£10
200 minutes to T-Mobile customers, to use over 30 days
| Booster |
| 5 day Talk Booster |
30 Day Talk Booster |
Blackberry Boosters
Cost
What you get
£5
30 days of internet, BlackBerry Mail and BBM
£20
6 months of internet, BlackBerry Mail and BBM
| Booster |
| 30 day BlackBerry Booster |
6 month BlackBerry Booster |
T-mobile Pay as you go tariff
O2 Pay as you go tariff
Three Pay as you go tariff
Orange Pay as you go tariff
Virgin Pay as you go tariff

O2 Pay as you go Tariffs
O2 are a little more complicated then T-mobile but do start off slightly cheaper at £7.50
Simplicity Get unlimited texts for £7.50 a month
Pay & Go Unlimited texts £7.50 500 texts £10.50 Unlimited texts £15.50
100 mins
300 mins
simplicity details From O2
With simplicity you can pick a mix of texts and minutes that suits you. Every month we’ll give you your allowance and take the payment from your top-up. Plus you can pick as much or as little web as you need, no matter which simplicity allowance you choose. Starting from £3 a month, we’ve got three packages to choose from, depending on how much you use the internet on your phone.
O2 Unlimited Unlimited calls and texts to anyone on O2
On top of your credit you get: Unlimited texts O2 to O2 Unlimited UK calls and texts O2 to O2
£15+
O2 unlimited is great for people who’s friends and family are mostly on O2 giving them free calls between each other. It could also be good as a business tariff where constant communication is needed between co-workers.
Text & Web Get unlimited texts, plus 500MB of web and Wi-Fi
On top of your credit you get: 300 free UK texts and 500MB web browsing 500 free UK texts and 500MB web browsing Unlimited free UK texts and 500MB web browsing
£15 – £29
£30+
Text & Web BlackBerry Get unlimited texts, plus BlackBerry email and 500MB of web and Wi-Fi
View all O2 Text & Web allowances On top of your credit you get: 500 free UK texts and 500MB web browsing + BlackBerry email Unlimited free UK texts and 500MB web browsing + BlackBerry email
£30+
Favourite Place Free minutes* to UK landlines or O2 mobile from your chosen postcode
View all O2 Favourite Place allowances Show/Hide On top of your credit you get: 500 UK mins to O2 mobiles and standard UK landlines from your chosen postcode 1000 UK mins to O2 mobiles and standard UK landlines from your chosen postcode Unlimited UK mins to O2 mobiles and standard UK landlines from your chosen postcode
£15 – £29
£30+
Your Country Free international calls to almost anywhere in the world each month
View all Your Country allowances On top of your credit you get: 50 minutes to call international landlines and international mobiles from the UK 100 minutes to call international landlines and international mobiles from the UK 200 minutes to call international landlines and international mobiles from the UK
£15 – £29
£30+
Web Bolt Ons
Starting from £3 a month, Internet on your phone Per month UK Wi-Fi MMS The Basics £3.00 – – » More info The All Rounder £6.00 Unlimited 20 » More info The Works £10.00 Unlimited 50 » More info
500MB
1GB
If you don’t have a web allowance included in your tariff or you don’t have a web Bolt On, you’ll be charged up to £1 a day to view the internet on your mobile.
All Bolt Ons
£5 a month 1000 minutes or texts to 10 O2 numbers £4.99 a month 50% off calls, texts, picture & video messages and video calling to 3 favourite UK numbers.
O2 Friends
£3.99 a month 50 UK messaging units (8p texts or 25p picture messages) £6.99 a month 100 UK messaging units (7p texts or 21p picture messages).*
Messaging 100
£5 a month Get BlackBerry email, internet and messaging for only £5 a month.Get 500MB internet plus unlimited BlackBerry access.
£10 a month Get 3000 minutes of landline calls to three international numbers. Also get a Call Me number. Friends and contacts in this country can call you in the UK without paying international charges. £20 a month Get 3000 minutes of landline calls and another 200 minutes of mobile calls to five international numbers. Also get a Call Me number. Friends and contacts in this country can call you in the UK without paying international charges.
International Favourites 5
Calling abroad from the UK
|
| International Favourites 3 |
£10.21a month Save on calls to most European countries and receive calls for free.There are two options to suit you and your travels:
- 1 month, to tie-in with your next trip
- A rolling monthly subscription, which you can cancel whenever you like (minimum 1 month)
Calling the UK when abroad
|
| My Europe Extra |
O2 Non Included Call Charges (as of 6/07/2011)
Daytime (Mon-Fri) 35p Evening & Weekends 10p Daytime (Mon-Fri) 20p Evening & Weekends 10p Daytime (Mon-Fri) 50p Evening & Weekends 30p 50p 12p per message 25p per message 10p per call 10p Up to max £1/day 25p per call from O2 mobile 60p (minimum charge 60p) 45p £1.50 or buy the International Caller Bolt On 20p per message from 80p from 15p 25p 50p 25p 35p
O2 mobiles
Other UK network mobiles
Video calls
Text message2
Picture message3
Voicemail 901
WAP via 915000 or +44771297927
GPRS WAP4
O2 Customer Service (4445 or 08705 678 678)
O2 Directories 118402
1200 Trafficline
International calls from UK
International text message
Premium Rate numbers
0500, 0505, 055, 056, 080, 082 numbers
07744, 07755 numbers
070 numbers
0844, 0845, 0870 numbers
0871 numbers
| UK call charges (per minute) |
| Standard calls1 |
|
- UK to UK standard landlines starting 01, 02 or 03. Daytime is 07:30 to 19:30 Monday to Friday. Weekend is Midnight Friday to Midnight Sunday. Evening at all other times
- Text messages sent in the UK to UK registered mobile phones only
- Picture messages sent in the UK to UK registered mobile phones only
- Customers who joined O2 prior to 30th September 2005 will be charged £2.35/MB for GPRS WAP up to a maximum of £1 a day in the UK. Customers who joined O2 after 30th September 2005 will be charged £3.00/MB up to a maximum of £1 a day in the UK. If you’re travelling abroad check the roaming pages. Minimum charge per session 1p.
T-mobile Pay as you go tariff
O2 Pay as you go tariff
Three Pay as you go tariff
Orange Pay as you go tariff
Virgin Pay as you go tariff
Three pay as you go tariff
The Three Pay as you go Tariff is about as simple as it gets,what they do is round off the tariff with ad ons
For £15 you get 300 minutes and 3000 texts
and all-you-can-eat data.
| Add on |
Data |
Minutes |
Texts |
Price |
| All in one 10 |
500MB |
100 |
3000 |
£10 |
| All in one 15 |
Unlimited |
300 |
3000 |
£15 |
| All in one 25 |
Unlimited |
500 |
300 |
£25 |
| 300 3to3 |
- |
300 three to three |
- |
£5 |
| 3000 texts |
- |
- |
3000 |
£5 |
| 500MB |
500MB |
- |
- |
£5 |
| Internet Daily |
120MB |
|
|
50p |
T-mobile Pay as you go tariff
O2 Pay as you go tariff
Three Pay as you go tariff
Orange Pay as you go tariff
Virgin Pay as you go tariff

Orange pay as you go tariffs
orange take a slightly different approach by chucking in free stuff with the texts and talk and aim at particular market sector by interests. Another benefit of Orange is that you can top up from as little as 10p
Monkey
The Monkey pay as you go tariff is aimed at music lovers but does allow you to top up for a fiver which if your strapped for cash and need to send an emergency text is no bad thing.
- £5 top up
25 free texts plus free music
- £10 top up
400 free texts plus free music
- £20 top up
600 free texts plus free music
- £30 top up
1000 free texts plus free music
free music, texts and internet
| total top ups a month |
£5 |
£10 |
£20 |
£30 |
| you get |
the £5 credit you’ve paid for |
the £10 credit you’ve paid for |
the £20 credit you’ve paid for |
the £30 credit you’ve paid for |
| plus these great monthly rewards |
25 free texts, free music, plus a free daily internet pass* |
400 free texts, free music, plus a free daily internet pass* |
600 free texts, free music, plus a free daily internet pass* |
1000 free texts, free music, plus a free daily internet pass* |
Dolphin
You can text, poke or tweet as many times as you like with Dolphin. Just top up £10 or more each month and we’ll give you free texts and free internet on your phone.
- £10 top up
400 free texts plus free internet
- £20 top up
600 free texts plus free internet
- £30 top up
unlimited free texts plus free internet
Dolphin
free internet and texts
With Dolphin the more you top up, the more we’ll reward you with free internet and texts. So you can stay social on the go, at no extra cost.
Dolphin monthly rewards
| total top ups a month |
£10 |
£20 |
£30 |
| you get |
the £10 credit you’ve paid for |
the £20 credit you’ve paid for |
the £30 credit you’ve paid for |
| plus these great monthly rewards |
400 free texts plus free internet* |
600 free texts plus free internet* |
Unlimited* free texts plus free internet* |
*Dolphin internet usage capped at 100MB per month.
**unlimited texts subject to fair usage policy
Canary
Talk to friends and family for hours on Canary with free evening and weekend calls to any mobile. Or share great moments with free texts or free photo messaging every evening and weekend.
- £10 top up
100 free minutes plus 100 texts or photo messages*
- £20 top up
200 free minutes plus 200 texts or photo messages*
- £30 top up
300 free minutes plus 300 texts or photo messages*
Canary
free calls and texts to any network
With Canary every time you top up your credit, we’ll top up your phone with free minutes and texts. Plus, when you’re not talking and texting, you can send your latest photos to your social networking site or to your friends with free photo messages.
Canary monthly rewards
| total top ups a month |
£10 |
£20 |
£30 |
| you get |
the £10 credit you’ve paid for |
the £20 credit you’ve paid for |
the £30 credit you’ve paid for |
| plus these great monthly rewards |
100 free evening and weekend minutes, plus 100 texts or photo messages |
200 free evening and weekend minutes, plus 200 texts or photo messages |
300 free evening and weekend minutes, plus 300 texts or photo messages |
Racoon
Racoon is a simple, low cost plan that’s great for talking and texting. Get our lowest call rate of just 12p per minute and send a text for only 12p too.
Racoon
low cost calls and texts
Because this is a simple, no-fuss plan, it doesn’t come with some of the benefits of our other animal plans like Phone Fund, Reserve Tank or Magic Numbers. However, you can still enjoy 2 for 1 cinema tickets with Orange Wednesdays. It’s a plan that’s designed for straight-up talking and texting only.
Racoon rewards
| Racoon reward |
Our lowest call rate of just 12p per minute and 12p texts. |
standard charges
| call type |
cost per minute/per message |
| Orange mobiles |
12p |
| standard UK landlines |
12p |
| other UK mobiles |
12p |
| text |
12p |
| minimum call charge |
12p |
| emergency calls |
free |
| answer phone charges |
12p per minute |
calls to 08 numbers
Charges for calling 08 numbers are detailed below, except for calls to charity helplines which are free. Find out more about charity helplines
| number prefix |
cost (per minute) |
| calls calls to 0800 or 0500 |
25p |
| calls to 0845 |
40p |
| calls to 0870 |
40p |
| calls to 0844 numbers |
40p |
| calls to 0871 |
40p |
| Calls to international call forwarding services (e.g. 07744, 07755) |
20p |
| Calls to personal number services (07000, 07017, 07020, 07050, 07010) |
75p |
UK landlines are any numbers beginning with 01, 02 and 03 and will be charged at standard network rates.
Camel
Stay connected with friends and family in more than 50 countries with free minutes on Camel. Plus, even when you run out of your free minutes, you’ll still get great rates starting from as low as 5p.
- £10 top up
60 free international calling minutes
- £20 top up
120 free international calling minutes
- £30 top up
240 free international calling minutes
Camel
free international calling minutes
With Camel you don’t need to clock watch when you’re catching up with friends and family abroad. Top up your credit and we’ll give you free minutes to enjoy chatting abroad.
Camel rewards
| total top ups a month |
£10 |
£20 |
£30 |
| you get |
the £10 credit you’ve paid for |
the £20 credit you’ve paid for |
the £30 credit you’ve paid for |
| plus these great monthly rewards |
60 free international calling minutes |
120 free international calling minutes |
240 free international calling minutes |
T-mobile Pay as you go tariff
O2 Pay as you go tariff
Three Pay as you go tariff
Orange Pay as you go tariff
Virgin Pay as you go tariff

Virgin Pay As You Go Tariff
The Addict Tariff
The Addict tariff is our simple Pay As You Go tariff that gives you great rewards whenever you top up.
With the Addict tariff you’ll get
- 300 free texts when you top up a total of £10 a month
- Free unlimited texts and 1GB Mobile Web when you top up a total of £15 a month
- Five free Call Back texts a month (that means you can text your friends asking them to call you when you’ve run out of credit)