Sky Mobile – Deals and Discounts For Existing Customers in 2021

Sky TV customers with Sky Mobile can benefit from features like Sky Watch, 5G at no extra cost, free Sky VIP membership, split bills for flexibility and they will still get all the other extras other Sky Mobile customers do.

Sky Watch – Stream Sky TV On Your Phone Without Using Data

If you’re a Sky TV customer and also get a Sky Mobile SIM deal, you can watch Sky TV & use all the available Sky apps on the go without eating through your regular data allowance. On top of that, the network gives you Sky Go Extra at no extra cost. This means you can download on demand programmes and watch them anytime you want, even when you have no internet.

Sky makes sure this feature is easily accessible, and it really is. All you have to do is download the Sky app, if you don’t already have it. Sign in with your Sky iD and you can simply watch any show you want without burning through your mobile data.

Keep in mind that you’ll need at least 50MB of data available in your allowance though. Sky Mobile Watch won’t work, if you don’t have enough mobile data. You can purchase an extra data add-on via Sky’s app or through their website.

Your device will say Sky apps are using your regular mobile data, but there is nothing to worry about. Sky guarantees this type of usage won’t come out of your monthly plan as long as you have more than 50MB of data available in your plan.

One last thing to remember though, some streaming adverts may eat up some of your data allowance. Sky says 3 minutes of adverts watched on Sky Go will use about 30MB of data.

Sky Watch includes data-free usage on the following apps: Sky Go, Sky+, Sky Kids, Sky Sports, Sky VR, Sky News, Sky Sports TV app, Sky Sports Box Office, Sky Store and My Sky.

Other apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Spotify are not included, as they don’t belong to Sky. Any data used to stream on these apps or any other that isn’t listed above will come out of your allowance.

Sky VIP – 5G Speeds At No Extra Cost

Like many other mobile network operators, Sky has a loyalty programme too and it’s called Sky VIP. Sky customers can join the programme for free and start enjoying their rewards as well as 5G download speeds at no extra cost.

Sky puts gifts and rewards for their loyal customers on the My Sky app. Customers who are eligible for these rewards can get them from the app with just one tap. The rewards get better the longer you stay with the network. The network keeps adding new rewards for their customers to choose from.

For mobile customers, the best benefit is getting 5G for free, provided they also have a 5G ready device and they are in an area with O2 5G coverage. If you’re not a Sky VIP customer you’d have to pay £5/month for the network’s 5G add-on. It’s free to join Sky VIP, just login with your Sky iD on the My Sky app and join the Sky VIP programme. Sky offers some of the most high value 5G SIM Only deals in the UK. You can read our Sky Mobile Review to discover more or jump straight to our Sky 5G Coverage section, if you want to learn more about the network’s service.

Once you’re a Sky VIP member you can’t leave unless you cancel your contract, but you can opt out of receiving updates.

Sky Mobile and Sky TV Bills Are Separate

The network automatically separates your Sky TV and Sky Mobile bills to help you manage them. This also includes Sky Broadband bills, however, Sky TV & Broadband bills are bundled together. If you add the Sky Broadband Boost to your plans, it will also be included in your TV & Broadband bill.

You can pay each bill online via the My Sky app, but having them separated helps track each service individually. This is helpful given how the network lets you switch between their SIM only plans once per month. You can also track down extra mobile data usage easier with separate bills.

Other Sky Mobile Features

On top of all the benefits, you still get to enjoy other Sky Mobile features like Sky Roll, Sky Mix and Sky Swap.

Sky Roll

Sky Roll is beyond any doubt one of the best data rollover features in the UK, if not the best. At the end of each month, whatever mobile data left in your plan will automatically transfer to your Sky Piggybank. The carrier lets you keep any unused data for up to three years! You can withdraw from your Sky Piggybank whenever you want and you can even cash it in for Sky reward points.

These reward points can get you a discount, if you want to upgrade or purchase a new handset or other devices. You can also redeem them to get a voucher for renting movies and TV shows on Sky.

Sky Mix

When you join Sky Mobile you’re locked in for a whole year. Alternatively you can cancel your mobile contract, but then you’d have to pay a penalty fee for cancelling your mobile contract early.

However, the carrier lets you switch between their tariffs once a month. You can upgrade or downgrade depending on your needs. When you switch to a bigger data plan your new data allowance starts right away. However, to downgrade you have to wait until your next billing date.

Unlike some other networks, Sky Mobile doesn’t reset your leftover data, so you don’t have to worry about losing the mobile data you saved in your Sky Piggybank.

Sky Swap – Mobile Phone Upgrades

Sky Mobile customers can upgrade their mobile phones before their contract ends. They can also cash in their unused data from the Sky Piggybank and get money off a new phone deal.

If you’re buying a mobile phone from Sky Mobile, you can choose Swap12 or Swap24, provided you pass their credit check.

Swap12 lets you upgrade your phone every year, but the network will lock you in for a 24-month contract. To benefit from Sky Swap, you must get a new handset from their stores and send your old device back to Sky Mobile. The carrier will put the value of your old device towards what’s left of your contract.

Swap24 functions the same way, but you can upgrade every two years and your contract will be for 36 months.

You can opt out of your Swap deal, if you find Sky’s value for your old device too low, but of course there is a time limit.

Sky Mobile offers five tariffs to choose from and they all come with unlimited UK minutes & texts. The carrier lets their customers switch between price plans once every month. Their SIM only plans require a 12-month minimum term.

The network’s 2GB data plan is priced at £6/month and with all the extra features you get we think it’s one of the best SIM Only plans on the UK’s mobile market if you’re a light data user. Unfortunately, Sky Mobile doesn’t have any SIM plans for heavy data users. In fact, they are one of the few big networks with no unlimited data plan.

The carrier doesn’t sell any pay as you go bundles so you don’t have the option to use the Sky network on a traditional PAYG basis.

Sky Mobile is powered by O2’s network. This means both networks offer identical network coverage on 2G, 3G and 4G. O2’s 4G population coverage is over 99% and the network’s landmass coverage is also over 90%. Regardless, you should always use the carrier’s coverage checker and see if your area is covered before you make your final decision.

While O2’s 4G coverage is quite good, their data speeds lag behind their competitors. Looking at Open Signal’s October 2020 test results we can see that the carrier’s average 4G download speeds are around 18Mbps and upload speeds are measured are around 6Mbps. This means O2 -and Sky Mobile- is the slowest 4G network operator in the UK.

Year after year, EE tops the list of the fastest 4G network with 36.4Mbps average download speeds and 9.1Mbps upload speeds. You can have a look at our EE Review to learn more about their deals, or if you wish to see how O2 compares to EE, you can check out our EE vs O2 comparison.

5G Coverage

Sky Mobile is one of the few MVNOs to offer a 5G service to their customers. At the time of writing, the network’s 5G is available in 100 cities and towns across the UK and the number is steadily increasing.

As for 5G download speeds, the only data we have is from OOKLA (speedtest.net). According to their test results O2 is the second fastest 5G network in the UK with average download speeds of 177Mpbs. Since there are no speed restrictions for Sky Mobile customers, they should be getting identical download and upload speeds.

Sky Mobile’s 5G is available for Sky VIP members at no extra cost, however, if you’re not a VIP member you can add the 5G bolt-on to your price plan for £5/month. You’ll also need a 5G handset and be in an area with O2’s 5G to benefit from super fast download speeds.

Currently, Three has the most 5G spectrum and they also have the fastest 5G download speeds in the country. Three’s 5G is available to all their customers for free with no exceptions. You can read our Three Review to discover more about the carrier.

Voice Call Quality

We don’t have the means to test the mobile networks in every part of the country, but thankfully independent testing bodies like Open Signal, OOKLA and umlaut do.

According to tests performed in the Q3, O2 (and therefore Sky Mobile) improved significantly and the network’s voice call quality is pretty much on par with EE and Vodafone now. On top of that, Sky Mobile offers 4G Calling and Wi-Fi Calling to their customers, so overall voice call experience should be satisfying. This doesn’t mean the network is perfect of course.as there’s always room for improvement. You can read our O2 Review to learn more about the network’s service.

4G Calling & Wi-Fi Calling

All Sky Mobile price plans come with 4G Calling and Wi-Fi Calling at no extra cost. These two features significantly improve your voice calls, provided your phone supports them.

Sky Mobile’s 4G Calling (or VoLTE) allows you to make and receive calls over O2’s 4G network. You will be using 4G signals instead of 2G/3G to make calls and you can still use 4G data speeds while on a call. With this feature your calls will connect quicker and they’ll be clearer.

Sky’s Wi-Fi Calling allows you to make and receive calls, even if there’s no cellular signal available. Your device needs to be connected to Wi-Fi with internet access and that’s really it.

Wi-Fi Hotspots – The Cloud

Sky Mobile has thousands of free Wi-Fi hotspots in the UK and the service is called The Cloud. This service is available to all mobile customers for free, but it’s operated by Sky. It’s also known as Sky WiFi and you can start using it by creating a free account and logging in to the service. From then on -unless you choose otherwise- you’ll automatically connect to The Cloud whenever you’re in an area with Sky WiFi.

Tethering

Tethering or turning your handset into a personal hotspot refers to sharing your mobile data allowance with other compatible devices via a Wi-Fi connection. You can tether to other mobile phones, tablets and other Wi-Fi enabled gadgets.

Sky Mobile allows you to tether freely, but tethering eats up your data at a much faster rate. Given how Sky doesn’t offer large data plans or an unlimited data plan, we can’t really recommend the network, if you’re planning to tether on a regular basis.

You might want to check out SMARTY’s unlimited data plan for a more suitable and wallet friendly option in terms of tethering. You can also read our SMARTY Review and find out what the network offers overall. SMARTY has some of the cheapest and highest value price plans in the country. If you’re looking for a mobile network for your business, have a look at our Best Business SIM Only Plans guide.

International Roaming

Sky Mobile’s Roaming Passport allows customers to roam freely in over 30 European destinations and use their UK allowances.

If you’re willing to pay for it, Sky’s Roaming Passport Plus gives you access to your UK data in 12 more destinations. Roaming Passport Plus costs £6 for 24 hours. Roaming Passport Plus includes: USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Thailand, Qatar, South Africa, Christmas Islands and Cocos Islands.

If you want to make international calls you can check out our extensive Best UK Mobile Networks for International Calling guide. We also recommend having a look at Vodafone’s deals for both roaming abroad and international calls. Make sure to read our Vodafone Review to find out all about their deals and coverage.

We think Sky Mobile’s existing customer offers are a good option if you already have a TV or broadband deal. Unless you’re a heavy data user or planning to tether to multiple devices on a regular basis you can’t go wrong with Sky. You get decent 4G coverage and data speeds as well as pretty good 5G data speeds when you are in an area with O2’s 5G. Just make sure to check the network’s coverage map first!