Staying in phone contracts for longer than necessary can cost hundreds a year, according to a latest study. Mobile operator, idMobile, which is part of the Currys family, has carried out a study which shows a third of consumers could save an average of £156 a year by switching providers.
Staying in mobile phone contracts and failing to look for better deals can cost Brits hundreds, and currently there are lots of phone users who continue to pay over-the-odds via a monthly rate for a long period, even after they have paid off their phone.
Switching to a better deal or giving up the contract to a SIM-only deal can help save those extra pennies, and with financial pressures building across the board, many will be looking for new and inventive ways to save. idMobile's research also revealed that 53% of consumers feel like they’re paying too much for their mobile package, while 76% would consider switching to a lesser-known network if they could save up to £13-£15 per month on their plan.
Their findings also claimed that around 18% of phone users don't know when their mobile phone contract ends, and a further 18% would rather not upgrade their handset or switch networks as they think it is too much of a hassle, But iDMobile has said f phone users kept hold of their handsets once their contract finished, and converted to a SIM-only contract, then they could drastically reduce their monthly phone bill.
With every mobile phone provider on the market offering unlimited calls and texts on sim only deals, the amount of data and the length of contract are the main factors that determine price. We have compiled a full list of the most popular phone providers that offer the best value SIM deals below:
iD Mobile
By going SIM only with iD Mobile, the company claim that customers could save an average of £13 per month. They promise new customers a range of benefits such as data rollover, roaming in 50 destinations and the UK’s fastest 5G, powered by Three.
A one month SIM only contract with iD Mobile will get customers 4GB of data along with unlimited calls and texts for just £6, however their twelve month plan offers the same price, calls and texts with a slightly increased data allowance of 5GB. A twenty-four month SIM only contract will include unlimited data, calls and texts for just £16.
The company also offers other monthly packages with varying data allowances from 8GB all the way up to unlimited GB from between £7 and £18 per month.
EE
On SIM only deals with EE, phone users can get packages of one, 12 and 24 months with unlimited texts and calls, superfast 5G (so long as the phone facilitates it), and they are also able to share data with their loved ones. The cost of the package depends on the amount of data needed, but customers will save money by taking out a SIM only deal for 24 months with the cheapest option being £14 for 1GB of data, and the most expensive being £35 for unlimited data.
If shoppers were to take out a 12 month sim the cheapest deal would be £13 for just 250MB of data, and the most expensive being £37 for unlimited data. For a one month sim, the steep price of £18 will get you just 250MB of data, and the most data they offer under the one month packages, which is 100GB, will set you back £34.
O2
As the only major network that isn't reintroducing EU roaming charges up to 25GB, O2 could be a good option for those who spend time travelling in Europe. Additionally, all of O2's SIM only plans are set up for 5G, customers will just need to let the company know if their device is 5G ready, and they will make sure they are given a 5G sim.
The cheapest deal they offer is £5 for 5GB of data, with the additional offer of free Disney+ for one month. For an extra £4 a month, customers can get 15GB of data and three months of free Disney+ for £15.
Much like other providers, the twelve month and one month deals aren't as good value for money, with the cheapest monthly deal being £20 for 1GB and the cheapest yearly deal being £12 for 1GB.
Vodafone
Vodafone are currently offering a half price deal on 24 month, unlimited data, sim only contracts if purchased before April 26. The snag is, the offer only lasts for the first six months of the contract, and from month seven, customers will be obligated to pay full price again.
The cheapest and speediest deal costs just £16 for the first six months, before rising to the price of £32 on the seventh month. The other twenty-four month contracts are priced from £11 for just 1GB of data. There is no offer on monthly contracts, priced from the steep price of £24 for 1GB, nor yearly contracts, which are priced from £12 for 1GB.
Tesco
Tesco mobile offers some of the best value SIM only deals on the market. For just £11 a month with a Clubcard, or £12.50 a month without, customers are able to get there hands on a whopping 30GB of data, as well as unlimited calls and texts and EU roaming for 24 months.
As we have seen so far, other providers offer 12 and one month contracts for a much more expensive tariff. Tesco mobile, however, don't offer one month contracts at all, and their 12 month contracts are still more reasonably priced than others we have seen at £11 for 12GB.
giffgaff
Giffgaff, known for being 'the mobile network run by you', sell recurring SIM card plans with the freedom of no contracts. Their website highlights their ' Golden Goodybags ', which include more data than their regular packages, and they are priced at: £10 for 15GB, £15 for 30GB, £20 for 100GB and £35 for unlimited data.
Consistently good value for money, the no-fuss company also sell lots of other tailored packages to suit the needs of all their customers, from as little as £6 for 1GB.
Plusnet
Plusnet offer three SIM only cards, and all are a rolling contract and reasonably priced. Their best offer for data, and most expensive offer is £10 for 25GB of data. They also offer 12GB of data for £8 and 4GB of data for £6. What's more, is if you are a Plusnet customer, you are entitled to an extra 2GB on each of the three offers, making your SIM only package even better value.
Sky Mobile
Sky Mobile's spring sale is offering a free 6GB data boost when customers purchase 14GB for just £14 a month. That works out at £20GB for just £14.
Other sky deals run as cheap as £7 for 3GB, and raise in price to £25 for 30GB. With features on the My Sky app which allow you to change your plan to suit your data needs whenever you would like, you can tailor the price and data usage of your SIM on the go. Additional features which would benefit customers is their data rolling policy, which allows them to roll any spare data over to the next month for up to three years.
Three
Three are offering a similar deal to Vodafone, which promises to save customers half price on their phone bill, but only for the first six months of their 24 month contract. This means, according to their deal, that customers will pay just £6 for 12GB of data for the first six months, followed by £12 a month for the remainder of the contract.
Their other offers appear to be better value than Vodafone's. One of their 24 month plans offers an impressive 100GB of data for the low price of just £16. The deal includes personal hotspot so you can share your data with friends or link up another device, and you can get a 5G ready sim at no extra cost.
