About Smarty
As a SIM-only network, you won’t find handsets as part of Smarty’s bundle offerings. Instead, it offers 30-day rolling SIM-only contracts but, we have to say, they’re some of the most competitive on the market.
Smarty aims to keep things simple, which is why they only offer a handful of deals. But their Data Discount Plan (which we’ll come onto later) is really something to get excited about.
If you’re after a great value, flexible deal for an existing handset, then it’s worth considering Smarty Mobile.
At a glance:
| The good: | The bad: |
|---|---|
| Cheap and simple SIM-only plans | No handsets available on contract |
| Flexible, monthly contracts | No unlimited data plans |
| Unlimited minutes and texts as standard | Limited coverage in rural areas |
| Get discounts for any unused data | 5G not yet available |
| Family discounts available | Limited number of perks and extras |
| No credit check required |
Smarty SIM-only deals
Smarty offer SIM-only 30-day, rolling contracts. But you won’t get a plethora of options – there are just a few simple plans to choose from depending on your needs. 1-3GB of data per month will cost you the modest price of £6-£8. But Smarty have recently launched some more great value mobile deals:
- 30GB of data for £10 per month
- £50GB of data for £15 per month
- Unlimited data for £20 per month.
All plans come with free unlimited texts and calls to UK numbers and no speed restrictions.
Smarty mobile coverage
Smarty runs off Three’s network, which reaches 99.8% of the UK’s population. Remember though that population doesn’t equate to geography, so there are areas – in particular parts of Wales and Scotland – that may still struggle to get cover, depending on how remote you are. Our advice is to always use a coverage checker, particularly if you’re rural.
According to Ofcom, Three has the lowest rate of indoor coverage out of the Big Four, although it’s working on a technology to fix this by using low frequency signals. It does have 4G download speeds of 22.4Mbps which, considering there are no speed restrictions with Smarty, you should always be able to enjoy.
5G is now available in 82 towns and cities across the UK.
What devices can I get on Smarty?
Because Smarty is a SIM-only network, it doesn’t offer handsets. So, you can’t buy a device through Smarty – you’ll need to have a phone already. That’s the trade-off with SIM-only deals; you get great plans at bargain rates because you’re not paying for the cost of a phone in the way that you do with a traditional contract.
You can use your Smarty SIM in any device. However, it’s important to note that the network doesn’t support 2G, so if your mobile phone is really old then you won’t get cover. As a general rule of thumb, 2G phones are handsets which aren’t smart phones.
Benefits of Smarty
Here’s Smarty’s USP: you get a discount on your following bill for any unused data. Different from a data rollover, with Smarty you can actually earn money back if you don’t use up all those gigabytes! You’ll get it back at a rate of £1.25/GB. It’s called a Data Discount Plan, and the discount is applied to your next bill. Unfortunately, it only applies to the smaller plans but still, a nice perk.
If you refer a friend, you both get a month’s free allowance, and you can do this as many times as you like.
Flexible plans mean that you can adjust your package as you need it at the end of each month. And, if you find a better deal elsewhere, you’re free to leave whenever you like.
What network does Smarty use?
Smarty is what’s called a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). MVNOs are increasing in popularity as more and more people opt for cheap SIM-only deals and flexibility. What these networks do is work via the infrastructure of one of the big mobile companies’ networks.
In the case of Smarty, the network infrastructure is actually owned by Three. This is why it’s important to look at Three’s network coverage in order to gauge what level of cover and download speeds you can expect.
Smarty customer service
We’ve established that Smarty is great value for money. However, there is a downside in that there is no official customer service number you can call should you have an issue. They do, however, have a webchat function which is open from 8am-8pm every day, excluding bank holidays.
So, if you have an issue, you’ll be able to speak to a member of the team that way, but for those who like to have a concrete customer services number and a personal voice, then unfortunately that’s not something you’ll get with this simple network.