Tesco Mobile review

Tesco Mobile is a low-priced mobile provider offering a good range of Sim deals and phone contracts. How did its customers rate it?

Before signing up for a new phone deal, read our review of Tesco Mobile to see how it did in our regular mobile phone satisfaction survey.

Discover which mobile network providers impressed their customers most in our latest survey, which reveals the best and worst mobile networks. 

What Tesco Mobile's customers told us

• 'I've been a customer for many years and always been happy with the service.'
• 'It has competitive tariffs for PAYG, I can get face-to-face help with my phone in-store, it's very reliable, and I even get Clubcard points with my top-ups.'

Tesco Mobile review

Customer score: 83% (1st out of 17). Which? members can also read our full review, including how its customers rated it for key factors, such as customer service and network reliability.

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Browse all of Tesco Mobile's Sim-only deals, or check our expert picks of the best Sim-only deals. 

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What network does Tesco mobile use?

Tesco Mobile is a virtual mobile network provider, which means it uses another provider's infrastructure – in this case, the O2 network. It offers 3G, 4G and 5G coverage.

How good is Tesco's mobile coverage?

You can check coverage where you live by using a mobile network coverage checker. Enter your postcode into a map and it will tell you how good O2's signal is in your area and compare it with the other providers.

Tesco Mobile deals and incentives

Some Tesco Mobile deals, from phone contracts to Sim-only deals, come at a reduced price if you are a Tesco Clubcard member.

Tesco Mobile offers standard pay-monthly contracts and its own Anytime Upgrade deals. These are similar to O2's Refresh deal and split your bill into two parts – one for the handset and one for your use.

At the end of your 24-month contract, you stop paying for your phone and pay only for your monthly use – saving you money on your bill. If you want a new phone before your contract has finished, you simply pay off whatever's left of your total phone payment.

Tesco Mobile's prices are very competitive. Its cheapest deal costs only £7.50 monthly for a Sim-only option with 2GB of data and unlimited calls and texts.

If you prefer to pay as you go, then Tesco Mobile's Rocket Packs start from £10 for 10GB of data, 5,000 call minutes and 5,000 texts.

Compare the best Tesco Mobile Sim-only deals and see how much you could save.

Does Tesco Mobile increase its prices each year?

For years, Tesco had a firm commitment to price freezes, so the monthly cost of a contract would be the same for its duration. However, since April 2023, some of Tesco's monthly prices have risen by the December Consumer Price Index (CPI) – which is currently 4%, plus an extra 3.9%. This means a price increase of 7.9%.

Whether this will impact you will depend on what type of contract you have, and Tesco Clubcard members may be able to avoid the price increases. 

For full details on what has changed, read our article Tesco Mobile announces price rises: here's how to avoid them.

For those in contract, and who joined before 27 March 2023, the annual rise will only apply when the contract ends. 

For those outside a contract term and where the contract ended before 1 February 2023, the new charges apply from April 2023. Customers will be notified via email or SMS. If a contract ends between 1 February 2023 and 31 January 2024, the rise will come in from April 2024. 

In addition:

• Anytime Upgrade Flex customers who have paid off a phone contract upfront will see an annual rise to basic monthly usage each April, only after the first 12 months from starting a contract.
• Anytime Upgrade Flex customers who have paid off a contract early will see the rise apply each April after the original phone contract term has ended.

To find out how to avoid costly inflation-based price increases, read our guide to 10 ways to save money on your mobile phone bill.

Tesco Mobile stores

Tesco Mobile has more than 500 Tesco Mobile Phone Shops all over the UK, so it's easy to get one-to-one help.

You can find your nearest shop using the Tesco Mobile store locator or by contacting customer services on 4455 (from a Tesco Mobile device) or 0345 301 4455.

Find out how other providers fared in our guide to the best and worst mobile networks.

Recommendations you can trust

Which? is independent – we work for you, the consumer, so you can be sure that our recommendations are only influenced by our test and survey results. We're not swayed by third parties, and we don't accept freebies from product manufacturers or retailers. We buy all the products that we test ourselves, so our advice helps you to make the right choice first time and avoid costly mistakes.