Updated September 30, 2026 · TariffCue Editorial Team
Lyca Mobile Ireland vs US Mobile
Lyca Mobile Ireland vs US Mobile: the differences
| Compare |  Lyca Mobile Ireland | US Mobile ReviewVisitVisit |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | €9 | $10 |
| Reference plan prices | Ireland Plus: EUR 9 per 28 days, 30 GB, no contract; Unlimited Plus: EUR 10 per 28 days, unlimited, no contract; National S: EUR 10 per 28 days, 5 GB, no contract | By the Gig 1GB: $10/mo, 1GB shared, monthly; Unlimited Starter annual: $16.58/mo, unlimited, 12-month; Unlimited Flex: $17.5/mo, unlimited 10GB high-speed, monthly |
| Unlimited plan price | €10 | $16.58 |
| Markets | IE | US |
| Seller type | Not confirmed | Mvno |
| Wi-Fi calling | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Roaming countries | Not confirmed | 180 |
| Data rollover | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Hotspot sharing | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Multi-line discount | Not confirmed | No |
Same on both: SIM-only (Yes), 5G (Yes), eSIM (Yes), EU roaming (Included).
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Key differences
- US Mobile scores higher overall: 9.1 vs 9.0.
- Support channels: only US Mobile offers Email, Chat, Phone.
- Billing: only Lyca Mobile Ireland offers Rolling.
- Contract length: only US Mobile offers 12.
- Markets: only Lyca Mobile Ireland offers IE.
- Markets: only US Mobile offers US.
Our verdict on each
Lyca Mobile Ireland
Lyca Mobile Ireland is a prepaid sim only brand on the Three network that suits anyone wanting a single low monthly line with no fixed term and no handset. It scores 9 overall, and the honest catch is that 22 of 173 on unlimited pricing is where the value sits.
US Mobile
US Mobile suits US households that want a prepaid shared data plan or an annual unlimited tier, and it scores 9.1 overall for price and offer. The trade-off is the annual term behind the cheapest unlimited rate and a missing multi line discount for families buying more than one line.
Score breakdown
| Area | Lyca Mobile Ireland | US Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.3HigherEntry at €9 ranks 155 of 258, but unlimited at €10 ranks 22 of 173 | 9.1The By the Gig plan opens at $10 and Unlimited Starter annual at $16.58, the two prices readers weigh before signing up. |
| Offer | 8.8Billing is prepaid and rolling on 1-month terms with eSIM and 5G, though help runs on help centre only | 9.1HighereSIM, wifi calling, hotspot sharing, data rollover and 5G come as standard, with EU roaming included. |
Licences and countries
| Country | Lyca Mobile Ireland | US Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Not confirmed | United States |
Additional countries for Lyca Mobile Ireland: 1. Additional countries for US Mobile: 1.
What we checked
Lyca Mobile Ireland
- lycamobile.ie: 11 facts, checked September 30, 2026
US Mobile
- usmobile.com: 18 facts, checked September 30, 2026
How they place
| Ranking | Lyca Mobile Ireland | US Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| SIM-only deals | 19 of 416 | 16 of 416 |
| Prepaid phone plans | 14 of 367 | 12 of 367 |
| Phone plans with eSIM | 30 of 389 | 28 of 389 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Lyca Mobile Ireland | US Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | Prepaid, RollingCovers more | Prepaid |
| Contract length | 1 | 1, 12Covers more |
| Headquarters | Not confirmed | United States |
| Support channels | Help centre | Email, Chat, Phone, Help centreCovers more |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Lyca Mobile Ireland | US Mobile | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roaming countries | Not confirmed | 180above the median | 100 |
Median across 176 listed providers.
Pros and cons
Lyca Mobile Ireland
Pros
- Unlimited Plus is priced at €10, which ranks 22 of 173 and sits well under the €23.19 typical unlimited price
- Billing is prepaid and rolling, so there is no credit check and no long lock in before you use the line
- The contract length on file is 1 month, so a bad month costs a month rather than a year
Cons
- Entry price of €9 ranks only 155 of 258, so the headline figure is not the cheapest on the table
- Support runs on help centre only, which is thin help for anyone whose prepaid account needs more than a self service lookup
- The offer score of 8.8 trails the cost score of 9.3, so the value is in the price rather than in the extras
US Mobile
Pros
- Shared data starts at $10 a month on the By the Gig plan, one of the lower entry figures in the listings.
- Unlimited Starter annual comes in at $16.58 a month, below the monthly Unlimited Flex tier for anyone willing to hold a yearly term.
- EU roaming is included across 180 countries, a package only 36.1% of the site listings include.
Cons
- Multi line discount is not offered, although 97.5% of prepaid listings include one, so a family pays full price on every line.
- US Mobile sells as mvno, while Lonestar Cell MTN is network, so readers who prefer to buy from a network operator have fewer like for like sellers to weigh.
- The lowest unlimited rate of $16.58 is tied to the annual term, and contract lengths run 1 and 12 months, so month to month flexibility costs more per month.
Who each suits
Lyca Mobile Ireland
Who it suits
- Someone in IE who wants a low cost data line with no handset to pay off
- A heavy data user who values unlimited data at €10 over per gigabyte allowances
- Anyone switching from a contract SIM who wants rolling prepaid billing on 1 month
Who should look elsewhere
- You want a bundled new phone, since these plans are sim only with no device
- You need a fixed end date in writing, since billing is prepaid and rolling rather than a contract, which GETESA offers on prepaid and contract
- You want a first line that carries a brand new network in Ireland, since these plans ride on the Three network
US Mobile
Who it suits
- Households in the US that want a prepaid line with rollover, so unused data carries over rather than disappearing.
- Travellers from a US base who want roaming included across 180 countries without a separate roaming plan.
- People comfortable running on a host network and managing their own plan, since the seller type is mvno.
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers who want to buy from a network operator rather than a host network, since GETESA at network, Lonestar Cell MTN at network and yesss! at network all sit on the network side.
- Shoppers buying several lines and expecting a multi line discount, because none is offered here.
- Anyone living outside the US, since the plan market is US.
Country by country
| Country | Lyca Mobile Ireland | US Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Ireland | Yes | No |
| United States | No | Yes |
Questions about each
Lyca Mobile Ireland
How much does Lyca Mobile Ireland cost at entry?+
Entry pricing starts at €9, and billing is prepaid and rolling, so the figure is prepaid rather than tied to a minimum term. Because the contract length on file is 1 month, the same rate covers each cycle. There is no separate introductory price that rises later.
What does unlimited data cost on Lyca Mobile Ireland?+
Unlimited Plus is €10, which puts Lyca Mobile Ireland 22 of 173 on unlimited pricing. Set against the typical unlimited price of €23.19 across the plans we track, the figure here sits well under the middle of the field. It is the strongest reason to shortlist this brand.
US Mobile
What does the cheapest plan cost?+
The By the Gig plan is the entry plan at $10 a month, with a shared data pool across the lines on the account. Unlimited Starter, the annual tier, is the unlimited option at $16.58 a month, and Unlimited Flex adds a high-speed allowance to the unlimited range on a monthly basis.
What happens to the price after the first year on the unlimited plan?+
The plan contract options run 1 and 12 months, so the annual unlimited tier sits alongside a shorter monthly term. Unlimited Starter is listed at $16.58 a month on the annual term, and the monthly unlimited alternative, Unlimited Flex, is priced higher per month.
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