What is Honest Mobile and how does the loyalty discount work?
Honest Mobile is a SIM only network that runs on Three’s infrastructure and charges you less the longer you stay. It is worth a look because it flips the way most mobile bills behave.
You know the usual pattern. You sign up, the price creeps up each spring, and the Do-Nothing Default quietly does the rest. Honest Mobile is built around the opposite idea.
Honest Mobile’s own Classic SIM page says the service is powered by Three, that a 30 day plan gets cheaper every month up to a maximum of 30% off, and that the 12 month plans run from a 10% discount up to the same 30% cap.
On the 30 day plans, the provider’s own page currently shows unlimited data at £25 a month falling to £17.50, 10GB at £17.50 falling to £12.25, and 4GB at £13.50 falling to £9.45. The 12 month plans start lower and work up to the same 30% cap, but the provider’s table for them is not clearly explained, so check it on the day rather than relying on a worked example.
One caveat worth knowing before you read any further. That page carries a “last updated” date of December 2024, so treat every figure on it as one to confirm at the point of order rather than a promise.
How does Honest Mobile compare with other SIM deals on price?
Honestly, we cannot tell you that today, and we would rather say so than guess.
The only independent comparison we found is Which?’s review of Honest Mobile, and it was published on 5 September 2024. Mobile tariffs have been through two rounds of April rises since then, and several of the networks in it have changed how they price rises altogether. Quoting its table as though it were this month’s prices would be the quickest way to talk you into the wrong SIM, so we have left those numbers out.
What does still hold from that review is the shape of the thing rather than the pounds. Which? found that Honest Mobile was competitive on unlimited data but beaten on smaller plans, and that at least one rival network started below Honest Mobile’s opening unlimited price and stayed below it. Two years on, that is a warning to check rather than a finding to act on.
So do the sums yourself, on today’s prices. Compare what you would pay in month one and in month 24 against a flat price deal from another network, because a discount that only arrives slowly is worth less than it looks if you move on after a year. Our guide to the mobile loyalty penalty covers why that matters, and our guide to cheap mobile networks explains how the smaller brands work.
Roaming and the Smart SIM
Honest Mobile’s own page says EU roaming is free for the first five days of every trip, however many trips you take, and then costs £2 a day for the rest of the time you are away. On the unlimited plan you can use up to 20GB a month while roaming.
There is also the Smart SIM, a separate product from the main plans. The provider describes it as a data only eSIM that sits alongside your regular SIM, costing £10 a month, or £45 paid for a year in advance, which works out at £3.75 a month. It gives unlimited data for a list of more than 400 everyday apps rather than for everything you do, and Honest Mobile says it connects to whichever of EE, O2, Three and Vodafone has the best signal where you are. When ISPreview covered its launch in March 2025 it listed three networks rather than four, so confirm what you are buying before you pay for a year.
It is a useful backup for a signal black spot. It is not a replacement for a main plan, and the app list is the catch: anything outside it still uses your normal data.
Three checks before you choose Honest Mobile
A loyalty discount only pays off if you actually stay loyal. Before you commit to Honest Mobile, run through this short list.
Quick checklist
- Compare the price in month one and month 24 with a flat price deal, using today’s figures from both providers rather than any published comparison.
- Ask what happens to your discount if you change data plan. Honest Mobile says plans can be updated, but check whether the discount carries over or restarts.
- Check coverage at your address. Honest Mobile uses Three’s network, so Three’s coverage is what you get. Our mobile coverage checker guide shows how.
None of this means Honest Mobile is wrong for you. If you plan to keep a SIM for years and want your bill to fall rather than rise, it fits that. Just make sure the sums work for your usage first, on prices you have checked this week.
Frequently asked questions about Honest Mobile
- Which network does Honest Mobile use?
- Three. Honest Mobile’s own site says the service is powered by Three, so Three’s coverage is what you get at your address.
- How big is the Honest Mobile loyalty discount?
- Honest Mobile says the maximum is 30% off, building the longer you stay, with the 12 month plans running from 10% up to 30%. Check the current terms for how quickly it builds on your plan.
- Does Honest Mobile include EU roaming?
- Honest Mobile says the first five days of every trip are free, then £2 a day after that, with up to 20GB a month of roaming data on the unlimited plan.
- Is Honest Mobile the cheapest SIM?
- Not necessarily, and we are not going to pretend we know today. The only independent comparison we found is from September 2024, which is too old to quote as current pricing. Compare live prices before you choose.
- What is the Honest Mobile Smart SIM?
- A data only eSIM that runs alongside your main SIM, giving unlimited data for a list of more than 400 apps. Honest Mobile prices it at £10 a month or £45 for a year. It is a backup for poor signal, not a main plan.
Sources
- Honest Mobile: Classic SIM page. Source for the Three network, the 30% discount cap, the 10% to 30% range on 12 month plans, the current 30 day plan prices and the EU roaming terms. The page carries a last updated date of December 2024.
- Honest Mobile: Smart SIM page. Source for the Smart SIM price, the app list and the networks it uses. The page is undated.
- ISPreview: Honest Mobile launches new UK eSIM based Smart SIM plan, published 3 March 2025. Source for the Smart SIM launch detail, which listed three networks rather than four.
- Which?: Who is Honest Mobile and are its Sim deals good value?, published 5 September 2024. Used only for the general finding that Honest Mobile was competitive on unlimited data and beaten on smaller plans. Its prices are two years old and are not quoted here.
Checked 15 October 2026. Prices and terms change, so confirm the latest on the provider’s own site.
