Last updated: Monday 14 September 2026 (Europe/London).
Next update: when SMARTY reprints Classic ladder prices, VOXI’s 30 September 2026 promo data ends, or giffgaff’s own shop HTML is re-fetchable without a bot wall.
By: Switch Editorial Team, Switch Squid Ltd
As of 14 September 2026, the cheapest labelled no-credit-check SIM-only plans I can verify on a retailer’s own shop or public plan API start at £6 a month — £72 over 12 months — on SMARTY Classic 5GB (and 1GB Extra Small) via smarty.co.uk’s plans API, with SMARTY’s own “No credit check” positioning. giffgaff’s monthly rolling ladder also opens at £6 for 2GB with an explicit help-centre line that plans do not trigger credit checks. Mid-tier cash for heavier scrollers: SMARTY 40GB at £10 (£120/year), VOXI’s £10 plan with a time-boxed 60GB promo until 30 September 2026 (£120/year), and SMARTY 100GB at £12 (£144/year).
I am Switch. I rank no-credit-check / rolling / PAYG-style SIMs by 12-month cash from retailer own shops, not by comparison exclusives. That means SMARTY’s public API, VOXI’s own plan payloads, and giffgaff’s published ladder (with a frank note that giffgaff.com HTML itself returned an Incapsula block today). Drop anything I cannot open on a brand domain. Compare live cards on the SIM-only deals hub.
Compare no-credit-check SIM-only deals on SwitchSquid →
What “no credit check SIM” actually means
UK networks run soft or hard credit searches when they lend you a handset or stretch a long contract. A no-credit-check SIM is usually a pay-upfront, short-commitment plan: you buy a month of service, the network does not need to underwrite months of unpaid bills, and you can leave when the month ends. That is why SMARTY, giffgaff and many VOXI SIMs sit in this keyword — and why a “SIM free phone on 36 months” is a different product entirely.
SMARTY’s no-credit-check marketing page says you pay upfront on rolling monthly plans, so they do not need your credit history. giffgaff’s help article is equally blunt: no credit checks when purchasing a plan or an 18-month contract plan; Klarna only appears if you buy a phone on finance. VOXI sells 30-day rolling SIM-only plans with “no contract” language; the “subject to credit check” line I saw on their pages sits next to handset Pay-in-3 credit, not the SIM ladder itself. Always read the checkout you are actually on.
Ranking table — 14 September 2026
| Rank | Deal (own shop / API) | £/mo | 12-month cash | Mast / note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMARTY Classic 5GB (SM_5GB) | £6.00 | £72.00 | Three; no credit check page |
| 1= | SMARTY Classic 1GB (SM_EXTRASMALL) | £6.00 | £72.00 | Three |
| 1= | giffgaff monthly rolling 2GB | £6.00 | £72.00 | O2 mast; help: no CC on plans |
| 4 | SMARTY Classic 16GB (SM_16GB) | £8.00 | £96.00 | Three |
| 5 | giffgaff monthly rolling 5GB | £8.00 | £96.00 | O2 |
| 6 | SMARTY Classic 40GB (SM_40GB) | £10.00 | £120.00 | Three |
| 6= | VOXI £10 plan (promo 60GB to 30/09/26) | £10.00 | £120.00 | Vodafone; reverts to 20GB after promo |
| 6= | giffgaff 20GB rolling | £10.00 | £120.00 | O2 |
| 9 | SMARTY Classic 100GB (SM_100GB) | £12.00 | £144.00 | Three |
| 9= | VOXI 40GB 5G £12 | £12.00 | £144.00 | Vodafone payload |
Sources dated Monday 14 September 2026: SMARTY /api/v1/plans attributes (price in pence, plan_is_indirect_retail_only: false for ranked Classic rows); VOXI plans page offer copy and product payloads; giffgaff help article on credit checks plus monthly-rolling ladder figures cross-checked from public giffgaff snippets and a 6 August 2026 4g.co.uk write-up after giffgaff.com returned Incapsula on direct fetch.
Why SMARTY and giffgaff share the £72 cash lead
Twelve months at £6 is £72 whether you are on SMARTY 5GB or giffgaff 2GB. The product is not identical. SMARTY sits on Three with a published Classic ladder, eSIM support, and a marketing page built specifically around “no credit check SIM only deals”. giffgaff sits on O2’s mast with community support and a one-calendar-month plan clock. If Three is weak at your kitchen table, SMARTY’s £72 is the wrong £72. If O2 is weak on your commute, giffgaff is the wrong £72. Cash without coverage is noise.
SMARTY’s API also exposes 1GB Extra Small at the same £6 — useful if you barely leave Wi-Fi — and jumps to £8 for 16GB, £9 for 20GB, £10 for 40GB, £12 for 100GB/120GB, £15 for 150GB and £17 for 200GB. I dropped SM_60GB and SM_80GB because the API flags them plan_is_indirect_retail_only: true. SwitchSquid policy: if it is not a direct own-shop Classic plan, it stays out of the ranking table.
VOXI — rolling, social, and a dated data promo
VOXI’s plans page today prints a clear offer window: ends 30/09/2026. The £10 plan includes Unlimited Social and was 20GB, now 60GB; after the date it reverts to 20GB. The £15 plan (Unlimited Social, Music and Video) was 35GB, now 140GB, reverting to 25GB. Plans are 30-day rolling. For a 12-month cash column I still multiply the monthly price by twelve — £120 and £180 — but I will not pretend the promo gigabytes last a year. If you need 60GB every month through winter, diary 30 September and re-check the allowance, or step up the ladder.
A product payload also names “VOXI 40GB 5G £12” and higher Endless Video SKUs. VOXI is Vodafone’s youth-facing brand: good if Vodafone coverage is your home mast and you want social data that does not chew the general allowance. Bad if you need a three-year handset finance deal without reading the credit wording that sits next to Pay-in-3.
What I dropped on purpose
- Lebara labelled SIM-only prices — the lebara.co.uk SIM-only URL I fetched today resolved to a help/APN page, not a live plan grid. No rank without a price.
- Chattr — fetch returned no usable plan HTML.
- SMARTY indirect 60GB/80GB — API marks them retail-indirect only.
- Comparison-site “bad credit SIM” tiles that never resolve to a brand domain.
- Handset contracts with Klarna/Pay-in-3 — those can run credit checks even when the SIM brand otherwise does not.
Is a rolling SIM enough, or do you still want 12 months?
No-credit-check searchers usually want escape velocity: a month, then leave. That is the SMARTY/giffgaff/VOXI pitch. Twelve-month iD or Talkmobile promos can still print lower cash on a labelled allowance — but they are a different risk profile. If your credit file is bruised, a long contract may simply refuse you at checkout. If your credit file is fine and you know you will stay, compare the 12-month cash on the SIM hub rather than forcing every heavy-data deal into this no-CC page.
A practical rule from bill history:
- Under ~5GB/month — SMARTY 5GB or giffgaff 2–5GB at £6–£8 is enough for most social-and-maps use.
- 20–40GB — SMARTY 40GB £10, VOXI £10 promo, or giffgaff 20GB £10.
- 100GB+ — SMARTY 100GB £12 or giffgaff 100GB £20; weigh Three vs O2 coverage before chasing the cheaper cash.
eSIM, PAC and staying live during the switch
SMARTY and giffgaff both support eSIM on compatible handsets; VOXI likewise on supported devices. Porting still uses a PAC from your old network. Order the new SIM, activate data, then port — do not cancel the old line until the new one is alive. If you are escaping a contract early, check any early termination fee on the old side; a no-credit-check SIM does not erase an ETF you already owe.
April rises and “no annual price rise” claims
SMARTY markets plans without the mid-contract April bump you see on many fixed broadband and some 12/24-month mobile contracts. Rolling plans protect you the simple way: leave if next month’s price is wrong. giffgaff and VOXI are also month-to-month on the ladders ranked here. Still read the checkout — “no RPI mid-contract rise” is not the same as “this ladder never changes when you renew”.
How to buy a no-credit-check SIM without getting stung
- Open the brand’s own URL in a private window.
- Confirm you are buying a SIM-only / plan, not a financed handset.
- Note the mast (Three / O2 / Vodafone) and check coverage at home and work.
- Diary any promo end date (VOXI 30 September 2026 for the boosted GB).
- Port with a PAC if you are keeping your number.
When you want the wider market — 200GB cash races, family multis, or 12-month promos — use the SIM-only deals hub rather than stretching this no-credit-check page.
FAQ
What is the cheapest no credit check SIM only deal in the UK on 14 September 2026?
Among own-shop / API prices I verified today, SMARTY Classic 5GB (and 1GB) at £6 (£72/year) and giffgaff’s 2GB rolling plan at £6 share the lowest 12-month cash lead.
Does SMARTY really skip credit checks?
SMARTY’s no-credit-check page says rolling plans paid upfront do not require a credit check. That is the SIM plan product — not a phone finance deal on another brand.
Does giffgaff run a credit check on plans?
giffgaff’s help centre states no credit checks are carried out when purchasing a plan or 18-month contract plan. Phone loans via Klarna are different.
Is VOXI’s 60GB for £10 permanent?
No. Own-page offer copy says the £10 plan’s boosted data ends 30/09/2026 and reverts to 20GB. Price stays £10/month in the cash math; allowance does not.
Why did you drop Lebara?
I could not verify a live labelled SIM-only price grid on lebara.co.uk today — the SIM-only URL resolved to help content. No invented prices.
Three vs O2 vs Vodafone — which should I pick?
Pick the mast that works where you live and commute. £72 on a dead zone is not a deal.
Can I keep my number?
Yes — request a PAC and enter it at SMARTY, giffgaff or VOXI checkout. Keep the old SIM active until the port completes.
Where do I compare more SIM-only deals?
Use our SIM-only deals hub for live cards across allowances. This page stays honest to no-credit-check / rolling own-shop cash.
