Three just launched a brand new SIM only deal for only a fiver per month

When we write about Three SIM only deals, it's usually to tell you the new ridiculous price it's just announced on massive amounts of data - just like we did this time last week about its £24 unlimited data SIMO.

But now Three is dipping its toe in to fresh waters and offering up a belting new tariff at the other end of the SIMO spectrum. Its latest plan gives you your next 12 months of data, calls and texts for a mere £5 per month, making this one of the very cheapest SIM only deals on the UK market.

For these kind of bills, you probably aren't expecting much in the way of allowances...and you wouldn't be wrong. We're talking about 500MB of data and 200 minutes of calls each month. So not a plan for chatterboxes or people who are constantly on their smartphone away from the Wi-Fi - you'll be better off checking our round up of all the UK's best SIM only deals for something that suits you better.

But Three's new plan does come with unlimited texts. So this is a great tariff for somebody who just wants to pay the bare minimum for their phone and still be on a network that they know the name of.

Don't dilly dally though - Three is only making this SIMO deal available for the next week, so you'd better get in there quick if you like the sound of it.

• Or for something completely different, check out our best unlimited data SIM deals

Three's dirt cheap SIM only deal in full:

What are the UK's cheapest SIM only deals?

If you've read this far and are still thinking that £5 per month is more than you'd like to pay for your new SIM, then we applaud your utter thriftiness. Jolly good show!

The good news is that you can indeed go even cheaper than a fiver a month. The Carphone Warehouse-owned iD Mobile network has the title tied up. It does its own 500MB SIM for only £3.99 per month, with 150 minutes of calls and all-you-can-eat texts. And unlike with Three, you'll be on a rolling contract rather than tied in for a whole year.

And then there's the relatively unknown Smarty (which is actually part of the Three group). Its 1GB SIM costs £6.25 a month on a rolling 30-day basis and with unlimited minutes and texts. But until next Thursday, it also has a promotion where you get your second month free. So if you just need a stopgap SIMO for the next 60 days, you'll only pay an effective £3.13 per month!

• Want to compare more? Select from our list of best SIM only deals in the UK today