Refurbished iPhone + SIM-only
Buy the phone once. Pay less for the SIM.
A 24-month total is the refurbished iPhone price plus 24 months of a SIM-only plan, with introductory prices and any April rises in our data counted in. We compare that with the feed's new-phone recommended retail price plus the same SIM when we have one. We do not invent network contract prices.
Build a 24-month total
Pick an iPhone 13–16 model, a storage size we have in the feed, and how much data you need. The SIM is the lowest 24-month cost that meets that data need, including networks that pay us nothing.
Refurbished, unlocked
iPhone 15 128GB
Black · Back Market · 12-month warranty
£277
24-month total
£443.80
£18.49 a month equivalent
Talkmobile on Vodafone · 30GB · 30-day rolling. £6.95 a month for 24 months.
Compared with buying the same model new outright at the recommended retail price in the Back Market feed (£699) and adding the same SIM (£166.80 over 24 months): £865.80.
The refurbished bundle is £422 less over 24 months. The SIM cost is the same in both totals; the difference is the phone price.
Four straightforward bundles
Each card uses the cheapest storage we have for that model and the lowest-cost SIM with at least 30GB. Open one to change storage or data.
iPhone 16 128GB
Back Market + Talkmobile 30GB
£544.80
over 24 months, or £22.70 a month equivalent. Phone £378, SIM £166.80.
£421 less than the feed's new recommended retail price plus the same SIM.
iPhone 15 128GB
Back Market + Talkmobile 30GB
£443.80
over 24 months, or £18.49 a month equivalent. Phone £277, SIM £166.80.
£422 less than the feed's new recommended retail price plus the same SIM.
iPhone 14 128GB
Back Market + Talkmobile 30GB
£367.80
over 24 months, or £15.33 a month equivalent. Phone £201, SIM £166.80.
£398 less than the feed's new recommended retail price plus the same SIM.
iPhone 13 128GB
Back Market + Talkmobile 30GB
£338.80
over 24 months, or £14.12 a month equivalent. Phone £172, SIM £166.80.
£427 less than the feed's new recommended retail price plus the same SIM.
How the maths works
- The phone price is the cheapest in-stock refurbished, unlocked listing for that model and storage in the Back Market UK Awin feed, checked 11 Nov 2026, 14:55 GMT.
- The SIM is the plan with the lowest 24-month cost that meets the data need you picked, from the checked SIM-only deals on SimSift. Ranked by cost, not commission.
- 24-month SIM cost uses introductory prices for the months they last, then the after-intro price. April rises are included only where our data has a figure, using the same rule as the rest of the site.
- Where the feed includes a recommended retail price above the refurbished listing, we add the same 24-month SIM cost to that outright price and show the difference. We do not show a network contract comparison without a sourced figure.
Questions people ask
How is the 24-month total worked out?
We add the refurbished phone price to 24 months of the SIM-only plan. Introductory prices are applied for the months they last, then the after-intro price. If a plan has an April price rise in our data, we use the same month-by-month rule as the rest of SimSift (the rise applies on 24-month and 12-month contracts, not on 30-day rolling plans). The total is what you would pay for that phone and that tariff over two years, not a finance offer.
Why is there no comparison with a network's new-phone contract?
We do not have checked network contract prices for these iPhone models, so we do not show a contract comparison or invent a typical monthly figure. Where the Back Market feed includes a recommended retail price that is higher than the refurbished listing, we compare the bundle with that new-phone outright price plus the same SIM.
Do you include networks that do not pay SimSift?
Yes. Plans are ranked by 24-month cost, lowest first. Commission never changes the order. Links marked Ad are affiliate links, so SimSift may earn commission at no extra cost to you. Plans from networks that pay us nothing, such as Smarty and Spusu, are ranked the same way and link to the provider's own site.
What if the SIM is a 12-month or 30-day plan?
A 30-day rolling plan is 24 monthly payments, including any introductory price. A 24-month contract uses the payments due across that contract. A 12-month contract is costed for the first year on its own terms (including any intro), and months 13 to 24 at the after-intro price, as if you stayed on the same tariff. That second year is an assumption, and we say so next to the total.
Are the phones unlocked, and is there a warranty?
Every listing in this comparison is a refurbished, unlocked iPhone from Back Market, with a 12-month warranty in the feed. Check the final price, colour, grade and warranty on Back Market before you buy. The phone is sold SIM-free, so it works with any UK SIM, including eSIM where the handset supports it.
Does the order depend on commission?
No. We rank by value: the lowest 24-month total for the phone and SIM you picked. See how we rank and how we make money.
SimSift may earn commission if you buy through a link marked Ad. It never changes the order, and it costs you nothing extra. Check the final price with the retailer and the network before you buy. How we make money · Affiliate disclosure.