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Joint broadband and sim deals are the smart way to get mobile and home internet in a single package, ensuring you get the best deal possible. Many internet providers sell both broadband and sim deals, meaning you can simplify your bill, pay for both plans together and enjoy a host of additional perks – whether that’s discounts on both plans, internet speed boosts or free antivirus software thrown.
So, if you’re after the best broadband deal and fancy getting a sim card at the same time, this guide has everything you need to make the right purchase.
Home broadband is delivered via an internet router in your home, usually connected to a fibre broadband network, though you can also use satellite broadband or mobile broadband if that’s the best option for your location. Through the router, you can connect various devices, such as a laptop, TV, gaming console or other smart home device – usually through wifi but sometimes through a wired ethernet connection instead.
A sim card, on the other hand, sits in your smartphone or other sim-enabled device and allows your device to connect to an over-the-air data network using wireless technologies such as 4G or 5G. That’s how you’re able to browse websites, stream videos or receive and answer emails on the go – everything that needs internet data rather than the cellular network that enables you to make regular texts and calls with your phone. Some phones can even contain two separate sim cards for when you need both a personal and work number in the same phone.
Generally, you need separate plans for your broadband and sim, as they service different devices in different ways. But most broadband providers also offer some kind of mobile plan and vice versa.
For example, Virgin Media O2 combines the Virgin Media fibre optic network (for broadband) and the O2 phone network (for mobile). Plusnet, EE, Vodafone, Three and Sky also have a hand in both technologies, so it can be simpler to go with the same provider for all your internet needs: one bill, one service and only one customer hotline.
Some broadband and sim deals will also include extra incentives to try to win you over – whether it’s a speed boost, an increased data allowance, expanded roaming capabilities or discounts across your sim and broadband plans.
While many internet providers offer broadband and sim deals, they don’t always have an incentive for customers opting for both. Here’s an overview of the providers that make it worthwhile:
| Provider | Perks | Downsides | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Media O2 | Double mobile data Free upgrade to next broadband speed plan (up to 1Gbps) Wifi guarantee and free signal boosters Roaming in 75 countries | No monthly discount | Heavy internet users, home workers and travellers |
| Vodafone | Discount on mobile and broadband plans McAfee antivirus protection (1 year) Discounts on partnered brands | No speed boosts or roaming benefits | Users on a budget |
| EE Broadband/EE Mobile | £20 discount on new sim and airtime plans | No speed boosts or roaming benefits | Heavy mobile data users |
| BT Broadband/EE Mobile* | Double mobile data allowance 30% off airtime on EE handsets 30% off sim only plans | New EE customers only | New EE customers or those looking to switch |
So, how are you meant to choose between these deals? It’s clear that some providers are keen to throw in goodies to sweeten the deal, while others offer discounts so you pay less for basic services. You should figure out a rough budget for a joint sim–broadband purchase and determine your priority: faster speeds, additional rewards or just less cash going out each month. Be sure to look at your existing internet speed and monthly cost so you have a basis for comparison when looking at new sim and broadband deals.
But before you commit to a provider, check if it sufficiently services your address. Broadband coverage varies hugely across the country, and only some providers can offer the kind of internet provision you need at the location you need it.
Check out our guide to the best broadband in your area: select “Compare Deals” to input your postcode and see what’s available where you are. You can also use a broadband speed test tool to assess your internet’s current level of performance – the last thing you want is an internet plan that’s slower than what you already had.
Not all broadband providers offer incentives for joint sim and broadband customers, but a few make brand loyalty worth your while.
You’ll get the most tangible benefits with Virgin Media O2 – the result of a 2021 merger between Virgin and the O2 telecoms company. Customers who sign up to Virgin Media broadband and an O2 sim qualify for “Volt” benefits that turbocharge internet speeds and data allowance.
Virgin Media already boasts some of the fastest broadband services in the UK thanks to its extensive fibre optic network. With Volt, your Virgin broadband speed is automatically upgraded to the next-highest tier, so if you pay for M125 (average of 132Mbps), you’ll instead experience the speeds of the M250 (264Mbps) tier. Volt customers are also signed up for WiFi Max, which guarantees 30Mbps broadband speed in each room and provides three free wifi signal extenders to help if some rooms aren’t quite getting sufficient coverage.
In addition, any O2 customers in your home qualify for double the amount of mobile data per month, and regular travellers benefit from free roaming across 75 countries around the world, up from the 49 European countries that O2 customers get by default.
Elsewhere, Vodafone’s incentives are more to do with discounts than additional perks. Customers who sign up to both sim and broadband plans can get up to £3 off their monthly broadband cost and 30 per cent off their monthly mobile cost. EE also offers a £20 monthly discount on new sim and airtime plans if you sign up for EE Broadband.
Things get a little hazier when it comes to BT, which now owns both EE and Plusnet, two other internet service providers. If you sign up for BT Broadband and EE Mobile, you qualify for several perks, including double your monthly data allowance and 30 per cent off EE airtime and sim only plans. However, it only applies to new EE customers. At the time of writing, there aren’t any benefits to purchasing both BT broadband and a Plusnet mobile plan.
Of course, sim and broadband deals aren’t the only offers to consider when you’re shopping around for internet providers. There’s also a huge number of internet packages that include different combinations of TV channels.
Most people in the UK use both home broadband and a sim-powered smartphone – so it’s well worth considering a joint package that includes both services on a single bill. It’s far easier to liaise with one provider, and some of them throw in incentives for keeping all your internet needs under one umbrella.
That said, you may be able to get separate sim and broadband plans that work better for your needs and the internet coverage in your area. And for some providers, such as Sky, there aren’t any incentives beyond simplicity.
Not quite! Mobile broadband is something else altogether – it refers to an internet router that’s powered by a sim card, much like an internet-connected smartphone. The router then taps into 4G or 5G data networks to deliver internet to your home. It can be a smart workaround if your home isn’t connected to fibre optic broadband, though it requires sufficient mobile data coverage in your area.
It’s possible to buy a data-only sim card, which connects your mobile phone to the internet but lacks functionality for regular text messages and calls. There’s not much incentive to do this for a smartphone, as it reduces your functionality, though a data-only sim may be useful inside a tablet or internet router.
Broadband providers will throw in a landline number at no extra cost, but you won’t need to activate the number or connect a telephone to access the internet.
