When Orange and T-Mobile joined forces to become the UK’s first supernetwork (well, the biggest network in the UK, anyway) it had plenty to live up to. Not only did it have a responsibility to drive innovation and new technology like 4G and then 5G, but it had to do all this while maintaining decent EE sim only contracts and pay monthly deals that could appeal to more customers. And all this in the face of stiffer competition from increasing numbers of MVNOs, including Plusnet Mobile and BT Mobile, which also use EE’s network. The EE sim only plans might not be the cheapest, but the network sweetens the deal with perks such as cashback offers and free subscriptions to BT Sport.
As the fastest network to rollout 5G services in the UK, it is no surprise to see a variety of EE 5G enabled sim only packages top of the billing in the network’s contract roster. These 5G data plans start from just £20 per month for 20GB, with unlimited minutes and texts thrown in as standard. The biggest EE 5G sim only deal is its unlimited 5G data contract, which weighs in at £31 per month. These prices are competitive with other major networks like Vodafone and O2, but EE also includes sweeteners in the way of Smart Benefits, EE’s incentive scheme that includes BT Sport Ultimate and Apple TV.
While the cheapest EE sim only contracts might not be as reasonable as those you could find at MVNOs like VOXI or Smarty, for example, EE throws in some extras to remain competitive. Firstly, there are no upfront costs, so every sim is sent out to you free of charge. Secondly, and maybe more importantly, many of these sim plans come with guaranteed cashback offers. These differ from cashback by redemption deals in that guaranteed cashback sees your cashback credited back to your account automatically, without your need to redeem it. Customers on these cheap EE plans might also have access to EE Smart Benefits, though the less you spend on your mobile package the fewer perks you receive.
Access to BT Sport Ultimate and Apple TV are two of EE’s most popular Smart Benefits. Making the most of these services likely requires an EE unlimited data sim only plan, as streaming live sports, shows and films can easily eat into your data allowance. Your options are between 4G and 5G unlimited data packages, though this choice might be made for you depending on the area you live and whether or not you have access to the 5G network. However, by adding the cashback available you can reduce the £4 difference between the EE unlimited data 5G package and its 4G counterpart. If you cross over between 4G and 5G services, or think 5G will become available in your area soon, it would therefore make sense to opt for the 5G package. You can use 4G on a 5G handset, but not the other way round.