How to get more data for less on a Sim-only deal

In our survey of mobile customers, the most common Sim-only contract was for unlimited data, followed by 5GB of data. People's data needs are very different, but one thing everyone should be keen on is getting value for money. 

The amount of data included with Sim-only deals has been increasing faster than usage – or in other words, providers are now offering more for less. To help you get the best bang for your buck, we’ve looked at the best and worst deals for £5, £8, £12 and £16 a month to show how little you could be spending to still meet your needs. 

Discover the best and worst mobile networks, where we regularly find that smaller providers come out on top.

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Best data allowances for £5 Sim-only deals

In the past, a £5 Sim deal might only have afforded you 250MB or 500MB of data - essentially enough just for emergencies. Today, you should be looking for at least 2GB for your money. 

• Realistic data expectation for £5 per month - 3GB
• Best deal - Smarty £5 for 5GB (monthly contract)
• Worst deal - Talkmobile £4.95 for 2GB (12 month contract) - although this isn’t a terrible deal, it’s just less competitive due to how cheap deals in this range are.

As well as the price, when choosing a deal keep in mind networks offer other benefits and reasons to join. For example, Smarty includes 12GB of free EU roaming with all of its Sim-only contracts.

Best data allowances for £8 Sim-only deals

Spending just £8 a month can get you as much as 30GB on a monthly contract, which our survey found would be enough to meet the needs of three quarters of mobile users. Only 23% of people said they use more than 30GB per month.

• Realistic expectation for a deal - 20-25GB.
• Best deals - iD Mobile £8 for 40GB (24-month contract), iD Mobile £8 for 30GB (monthly), Talkmobile £7.95 for 30GB (monthly).
• Worst deal - Three £8 for 12GB (24-month contract).

Alongside incredibly cheap data, Talkmobile offers 5GB of free EU roaming, while iD Mobile allows data rollover. This means if you have unused data at the end of the month, it gets added to your next month's allowance.

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Best data allowances for £12 Sim-only deals

Once you pay over £10 for data, you unlock the type of deals that will be sufficient for all but the most extreme of data users, as 100GB is easily accessible. 

• Realistic expectation for a deal - 100GB
• Best deal - iD Mobile £12 for 150GB (24-month contract), Smarty £12 for 100GB (monthly contract), Talkmobile £11.95 for 100GB (monthly contract).
• Worst deal - Three £12 for 8GB.

With 30GB of free EU roaming included with all contracts, iD Mobile is a great choice if you expect to use a lot of data while travelling. Smarty allows group plans, which saves 10% on each additional Sim added, which could help a family or group of friends save.

Best data allowances for £16 Sim-only deals

As only 2% of Sim-only phone users said they use more than 50GB per month, so spending as much as £16 per month shouldn't be necessary for most. However, if you are a very heavy data user or rely on hot-spotting as an alternative to broadband, you can get a huge amount of data for your money.

• Realistic expectation for a deal - 100GB to unlimited.
• Best deal - Smarty and iD Mobile offer £16 for unlimited data (monthly contract), Three offers £14.50 for unlimited data (12-month contract).
• worst deal - EE charges £14 for 2GB (24-month contract) - plus, the speed is limited to 10Mbps.

Look out for further opportunities from providers, such as with Smarty, If you refer a friend you will both receive £10 vouchers for Amazon.co.uk, John Lewis Partnership or Uber. Three has an extensive range of perks, such as free Paramount+, or a variety of benefits from the Three+ scheme. For example, offers on Caffè Nero, Moonpig and Cineworld or access to presales for festivals, music gigs and comedy events.

Four more things to consider when switching to a better Sim deal

• Alongside price and data allowance, consider other aspects of the service offered by a provider. Use a mobile network coverage map to check the signal strength in your area for each of the 'big four' networks. Keep in mind that the smaller networks piggyback the infrastructure of the big four, so if you known which network works well in your area, you could make a saving by opting for a smaller provider that uses the same infrastructure.
• Consider the perks and benefits offered by mobile providers, as these can add further value to your contract. These can include access to streaming services, or discounted coffee and cinema tickets. Other types of perks beef up your contract – for example, Giffgaff offers 1GB of reserve data if you use up your allowance, and Sky Mobile lets you rollover unused data to be used in the future. 
• If you intend to travel, pay attention to the amount of free EU roaming allowed with each provider. While the deals highlighted in this section all cost £12 a month, the providers offer 30GB (iD Mobile), 12GB (Smarty) and 5GB (Talkmobile) of inclusive roaming. Before setting off on holiday, read our guide on how to save money on mobile roaming charges.
• The big four mobile firms, and some of the smaller networks, raise prices every April using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or Retail Price Index (RPI) rate of inflation plus 3.9 percent. This meant their customers faced price increases of over 14% earlier this year. Avoid these inflation-based mid-contract price rises by having a rolling monthly deal that you can quit easily if the price increases. 

For more ways to reduce your spending, read our guide to 10 ways to save money on your mobile phone bill.

How to switch mobile networks

Text to switch has made switching mobile network easier than ever. You need a porting authorisation code (PAC), which you get with a simple text message from your current network provider. Previously, to get a PAC you had to call your provider, who would often try to deter you from switching and make the process frustrating. 

To switch and keep the same mobile number, text PAC to 65075. Your current mobile provider should send you a text within one minute, and the PAC lasts for 30 days. The text will also have important information such as any charges for early termination (although this won’t apply if you’re out of contract). Give the PAC to your new provider, which has to complete the switch within one working day. 

To switch and change your number, text STAC to 75075 to receive your service termination authorisation code, then follow the same procedure as if you’d received a PAC. 

For more information on switching, such as how to switch if you're in a contract, and how to choose a provider with the best signal, read our full guide on how to switch mobile provider.