Fleet SIM cards on one SIM only account

What fleet SIM cards are

"Fleet" is the industry word for all the mobile lines a business runs. Fleet SIM cards are simply those SIMs, or eSIMs, managed together on one business account rather than as separate contracts.

A fleet on SIM only keeps the airtime separate from the devices. We focus on getting the airtime cost down across the fleet, and you buy phones separately, outright or through your usual procurement, which can save a lot of money. You choose when to refresh devices, move a SIM to a new handset without changing the airtime agreement, and add or remove lines as the team changes. Our guide to buying business phones separately explains the approach.

This page is about the SIMs and the account. For choosing company phones, writing a mobile phone policy or managing the devices themselves, see our sister site's guides to company mobile phones, mobile device management software and mobile device management and mobile security, where we cover the device management and mobile security vendors we can supply for a fleet.

What a well-run fleet account gives you

• One account, one bill: every phone, tablet and data SIM on a single business account, billed ex VAT
• Numbers that belong to the business: lines on a business account stay with the business when a member of staff leaves
• Shared or individual data: a pool the whole team draws on, or a set allowance per person, depending on how your people use data
• Spend and roaming caps: limits on charges beyond the plan, and on roaming, set per line
• An online portal: to see usage, view invoices and change settings such as caps and roaming
• Room to change: lines added for new starters and removed when they are no longer needed, within the contract terms

How far each of those goes depends on the network and the plan. The sections below set out what the networks themselves describe.

Shared data or individual allowances?

The biggest structural choice for a fleet is how data is allocated.

Individual allowances give each person a set amount. Costs are predictable per line and it is easy to see who uses what, but heavy users can run out while light users leave data unused.

Shared or pooled data gives the whole account one allowance that every line draws on. It suits teams where usage varies a lot from person to person or month to month, but needs caps or alerts so one line cannot use the pool up.

EE Business, for example, describes three SIM only plan types for larger teams: The Team Plan, which it says grows with your business; The Shared Plan, with data shared between users and a fixed monthly bill; and The Individual Plan, where you decide each team member's allowance.

O2 Business sells Sharer tariffs, which it describes as ideal for medium sized businesses with 10 or more employees.

Three Business has Multibuy SIM plans for up to 9 unlimited data SIMs (UK only; fair use applies in Go Roam destinations), with optional inclusive roaming on the SIMs that need it.

Our page on business SIM only plans explains the structures in more detail, and what is a multi SIM untangles the multibuy terminology.

Account portals and controls

Most of the day-to-day work on a fleet happens in the network's online portal. What the networks describe:

EE Business

EE Business offers the Mobile Manager self-service portal for businesses with 11 or more employees, covering billing data, roaming and device control features, and an online account and app for businesses with up to 10 employees. Its spend caps limit charges beyond the monthly bundle, with alerts as you near the limit, and larger teams can use Bill Protector and real-time usage tracking. See EE Business SIM only plans.

Three Business

Three Business lets you manage multiple SIMs under one account, online or through the Three app: monitor balances and bills, choose Add-ons and manage Spend Caps, which limit each user's out-of-bundle spending per SIM. VAT invoices are issued as standard, and Three Analyst, Three's online bill analytics tool, gives insight into billed usage and spend. See Three Business SIM only.

O2 Business and Vodafone Business

O2 Business lets you set a Spend Cap on extras outside the monthly allowance and adjust it when you need to, and Vodafone Business sets out separate solutions for small, medium and large businesses. We can also supply fleet SIMs on both networks, with the account tools and terms confirmed at quote. See O2 Business SIM only plans and Vodafone Business SIM only.

Joiners and leavers: a SIM handover checklist

Many fleet problems come from people changing, not from the plan. A short, consistent process avoids lost numbers, unused lines and devices nobody can account for.

When someone joins

1. Decide whether they get an existing number (reassigned from a leaver) or a new line.
2. Issue a physical SIM or an eSIM QR code; eSIM can be activated without posting a card.
3. Set the line's spend and roaming caps to match their role.
4. Record the SIM number, phone number, device and user in your fleet record.
5. Give them a short note on acceptable use and what to do if the phone is lost.

When someone leaves

1. Collect the device and SIM, or remove the eSIM profile.
2. Decide what happens to the number: keep it for a successor, divert it, or cancel the line.
3. Check the line's contract end date before cancelling, so you understand any early termination charge.
4. Update the fleet record and remove the user from portal access if they had it.
5. If the device is lost or not returned, ask the network to bar the SIM straight away.

A staff member who wants to take their work number with them would need the business's agreement, because the number belongs to the account holder. Our guides on keeping your number and the PAC code explain how numbers move between networks.

Keep a fleet record

A simple spreadsheet or register helps prevent waste in a mobile fleet. For each line, record:

• User and team: who has it, and who approves changes
• Phone number and SIM or eSIM identifier: so the right line is barred if a device is lost
• Device: what the SIM is in, including tablets, routers and data SIMs
• Plan and contract end date: so renewals and switches happen at the right time
• Caps and roaming settings: what limits apply to the line
• Last review date: so unused lines are spotted and removed

Reviewing the record against the bill every quarter or so is usually enough to catch lines that are no longer used. Data SIMs in retired tablets and routers are the most common culprits; see business data only SIMs.

How we help

We can help you set up a fleet properly or tidy up one that has grown without a plan:

• Review what you have: lines, plans, contract end dates and usage, from your bills
• Choose a structure: shared or individual data, and which caps to apply
• Supply across networks: EE Business and Three Business, and O2 Business and Vodafone Business too
• Plan the move: timing switches around contract end dates and keeping numbers with PAC codes, including porting multiple mobile numbers at once
• Help as the team changes: we can help you add and remove lines as people join and leave

What we can supply, and on what terms, is confirmed at quote. Contact us with the number of lines you run and we can suggest a starting point.