BT Mobile

Notable Features

• BT Sports Access: Enjoy your favorite sporting events anywhere you have a signal at no extra charge.
• Free BT Wi-Fi: All subscribers enjoy free access to BT Wi-Fi hotspots (a £15 per month value.)
• BT Broadband Discount: If you use BT Broadband at home, you’ll enjoy a £5 per month discount on your mobile tariff.
• Family SIM: The more SIMs you add to your contract, the more you save on each line. By the time you reach 5 lines of service, you’re saving nearly 50% off the single line rate.

Awards and Recognitions

• Uses the EE network, ranked highest for 4G download speeds, overall download speeds, overall latency and 4G availability in OpenSignal's "State of Mobile Networks: UK (April 2017)".
• #1 in Ookla’s 2016 Speedtest Market Report UK for both upload and download speeds
• #1 in every region for OpenSignal’s 2016 UK State of the Mobile Network report for 4G availability
• Lowest latency among major networks in OpenSignal’s 2016 UK State of the Mobile Network report for 3G and 4G coverage areas
• #1 in overall download speeds in OpenSignal’s 2016 UK State of the Mobile Network report
• Fastest 4G download and upload speeds in Ofcom’s 2016 Smartphone Cities report

How's the Network Coverage and Speed?

BT Mobile uses the EE network as well as its own 4G coverage network. According to the EE site, their 4G network now covers 75% of the UK landmass and 99% of the population. They plan to push landmass coverage to 99% by 2020.

You can check BT Mobile coverage and network types in your area at their support page.

In the 2016 “Speedtest Market Report UK”, EE’s network ranked first for both upload and download speeds. Uploads averaged 12 Mbits per second while downloads averaged 33 Mbits per second.

OpenSignal's April 2017 "State of Mobile Networks: UK" report shows 3G download speeds of 6Mbits per second and 4G download speeds of 32Mbits per second.

This shows slight improvements over last year's OpenSignal report. Data from the 2016 “State of the Mobile Network UK” report showed average 4G download speeds of 28 Mbits per second and 3G download speeds of 6 Mbits per second.

Finally, Ofcom’s 2016 “Smartphone Cities” report shows overall download speeds across 8 of the UK’s major cities averaging 32 Mbits per second.

Do They Charge Roaming Fees?

Within the EU, you'll enjoy no charge for roaming in more than 40 countries. 

However, this comes with some restrictions:

• If you use more than 50% of your voice and data service outside the UK in a 4-month period, surcharges may apply.
• If you exceed your plan allotment while roaming, roaming fees will apply depending on your destination.
• No-fee data usage within EU is capped at 15GB, even if your monthly tariff includes more data. Exceeding 15GB may result in a surcharge.

For additional information on BT Mobile's EU roaming prices and policies, consult their Roam Like Home page.

Outside the EU, roaming fees vary by destination.

If you’re travelling to the US, you can add roaming data to your tariff for extra savings.

US data is £3 for 20MB and £15 for 100MB.

For a full list of roaming rates, consult BT Mobile’s Consumer Price Guide.

What About Long Distance Fees?

All BT Mobile plans include calling to mobiles and landlines in the UK with your monthly minute balance.

For calls outside the UK, rates vary by destination. Prices range between 60p and £7.66 per minute. International texts are 25.2p each regardless of destination.

For a full list of destinations and rates, consult BT Mobile’s Consumer Price Guide.

Does BT Mobile Offer Wi-Fi Calling?

Yes and no. BT Mobile does not support native Wi-Fi calling.

They offer an app that allows Wi-Fi calls, but it doesn't work like most other networks. Instead of using your phone as you normally would over Wi-Fi and it deducting from your mobile usage, the BT SmartTalk app allows you to use your landline calling plan from your mobile over Wi-Fi or mobile data.

This means that calls to landline numbers, 0800, 0845 and 0870 numbers are free for calls less than 60 minutes long and won't deduct from your mobile minute allotment. 

However, for calls to mobiles, you'll find an additional per-minute charge on your BT calling plan bill.

This limits the usefulness of the app depending on the numbers you typically call.

For additional information about the app and included features, check the BT SmartTalk Help page.

How About Voice over LTE (VoLTE)?

No.

Can I Tether My Mobile?

Yes! BT Mobile allows tethering on all tariffs using your monthly data allotment. For full details on activating tethering on your phone, consult their Does BT Mobile Support Tethering? page.

NOTE: Tethering with a laptop or gaming console will often result in more data use than using your phone. If you have a tariff with a small data bucket, monitor your tethering usage to avoid unwanted surprises.

Can I Rollover Unused Data?

No. BT Mobile does not offer data rollover on any of their tariffs.

What Add-ons or Bundles are Available?

BT Mobile offers a few add-ons to help customize your monthly tariff.

Options include:

• Data Top-Offs: Add 500MB or 1GB of data to your monthly allotment for £4 or £6.
• Unlimited UK Minutes: Talk for as long as you’d like for only £5 per month.

Can I Bring My Own Mobile?

Yes! While their phone store selection is limited, they support a wide range of unlocked 2G, 3G and 4G phones.

You’ll find a full list of pay monthly, PAYG and mobile data plans on their SIM Only Deals page.

Do They Require a Credit Check?

All UK pay monthly plans require a credit check. PAYG bundles do not require a credit check if you already have a phone or pay for a new phone in full.

Requirements include:

• You must be at least 18 years of age
• You must have a UK credit or financial history

If you’re on the electoral roll at your address and have good credit, this can help to both speed up the credit check process and reduce the chance of needing to pay a large deposit.

To perform the check, BT Mobile will likely ask for:

• Your name, date of birth and marital status
• Your current address and other addresses in the past 3 years
• A credit/debit card or bank account registered to your current address

BT Mobile checks Equifax.

NOTE: Credit checks from networks that pull your credit bureau report may impact your credit score. If you're not sure the best options for your credit profile, we suggest contacting the network before attempting to obtain service.

Do They Charge an Early Termination Fee?

All SIM-only single line tariffs require a term commitment. Cancellation fees vary between £6.25 and £28.50 for each month remaining in your contract depending on your plan.

In BT Mobile’s Service Terms, they state:

“You may end your service during the minimum period by giving us 30 days' notice, but if you do so you will be subject to a charge for ending it early. ”

Lines added as a Family SIM are only subject to a 30-day rolling contract.

For a full list of termination fees, consult BT Mobile’s Consumer Price Guide.

Can I Port My Number To or From BT Mobile?

All mobile networks in the UK must provide a PAC Code upon request. Giving this code to a new network will allow you to transfer your number.

To port your number to or from BT Mobile, contact customer support and request your PAC code. They must deliver your PAC code within 2 hours of your request.

To receive your PAC code:

• The account you are trying to transfer from must remain open.
• You must be able to verify your identity through either personal documents or payment history

Once you receive your code, contact BT Mobile or your new network and give them the code. In most cases, your number will transfer within 1 to 2 business days. Be sure to complete this process quickly, as PAC codes expire 30 days from the date they are issued.

Will They Unlock My Mobile?

All phones sold by BT Mobile are already unlocked!

For other questions about pricing, features and coverage, be sure to check our BT Mobile Q&A Forum. It’s filled with questions and answers from people like you looking to get the most out of their mobile service!

If you spot any errors or missing information, please let us know! It's appreciated and will help make this page better for everyone.