Five expert tips to save hundreds on your mobile bill
From roaming to mid contract price rises, it’s never been more important for mobile users to stay up to date on how they can save on their bills
Brits were stung with up to £539 million in unexpected roaming charges last year[1], and now mid-contract price increases will hit from April, with the average bill increasing by £20.16[2]
Get the latest iPhone for nearly £100 less or simply right-size your data deal to save more than one month of bill payments
Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, shares tips for how Brits can save on their mobile bill in 2024
From roaming to mid contract price rises, it’s never been more important for mobile users to stay up to date on how they can save on their bills.
Brits were stung with up to £539 million in unexpected roaming charges last year[1], and now mid-contract price increases will hit from April, with the average bill increasing by £20.16.
With mid-contract price rises just around the corner for millions of Brits and the average phone bill now totalling £21.30[3], Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, shares tips for how Brits can save hundreds on their annual bill in 2024:
1. Read before you roam and cap your costs
There is currently no exact cap on how much you can be charged for using your phone abroad, following Britain’s exit from EU consumer protections. However, Ofcom is reviewing how providers need to communicate roaming charges to consumers.[4]
Many providers offer discounted or even so-called “free” roaming for customers on certain packages, however “fair use” policies from providers mean Brits are still often caught short, with more than £539 million of unexpected roaming costs racked up by Brits in the last year alone.[1]
You can also set a cap with your provider on roaming charges, meaning that you (and your kids!) won’t be able to rack up an unexpectedly large roaming bill - £11,000 watching the football on your iPad in Morocco, for instance![5]
Check out Uswitch’s global data roaming costs map to avoid getting hit by unexpected costs if using data while abroad.
2. Go SIM-only to save up to £321
If you have paid off your handset already and you’re happy with it, you could save £321 per year by changing to a SIM-only deal for your data, calls and texts.[6]
With a SIM-only deal you can still access the UK’s biggest networks, often for a lower cost, and even with contracts with no tie in period.
This year is already seeing the release of new smartphones, featuring innovative AI and camera features, so if you have your eye on an upcoming release, a SIM-only deal with your current handset can save you money while you wait for the next big launch.
3. Save more than £90 on a top phone by going refurbished
Refurbished, pre-owned handsets are tested and restored before being sold with a warranty, and can usually come with big savings. An example, the iPhone 15 with unlimited data can be purchased for less than £30 a month, giving a saving of almost £100 [7] compared with a brand-new iPhone 15.
It’s also worth broadening out your horizons when it comes to the smartphone you choose. The top-selling handset for the past three to five years has been the iPhone, however Samsung and Google are increasingly becoming preferred options that might be worth considering when selecting a new device.
Uswitch has compiled an A-Z guide for buying refurbished handsets.
4. Right-size your data deal to save £36 a year
Consider your data usage - if you’re streaming films or gaming on the go, you’ll need more data than a casual email checker. Research from Uswitch shows that the average UK mobile user pays for almost double the amount of mobile data they actually use per month. While internet access is essential for most people’s daily lives, the average Brit pays for 22.1GB of data per month but only uses on average 11.7GB of data.[8]
This adds up to £2.28 billion per year in unused data that is being paid for, or £36.24 per year [9] - the equivalent of more than one month’s payment on an average mobile bill that you could save by getting a data package that matches your usage. Options such as SMARTY, a Uswitch exclusive, offer a contract with unlimited data from as little as £15 per month.
5. Look out for perks like free VIP experiences and exclusive roaming before you sign up
Whether you’re on Pay as You Go, SIM Only or a Pay Monthly handset plan, most major phone providers offer perks to their customers. However, almost two thirds of Brits (63%) mistakenly think no benefits are available to them [10] and 83% are failing to take advantage of the perks that are available.[11] Some of the latest rewards and perks that customers can bag include:
O2: Priority from O2 offers exclusive rewards and deals, such as restaurant discounts and savings on cinema tickets, plus VIP experiences and pre-sale ticket access (48 hours before anyone else) to gigs every day. According to Uswitch, Priority members can benefit from savings of up to £700 per year.[12]
Sky Mobile: Having recently won ‘Best Network for Perks’ in this year’s Uswitch Telecoms Awards, Sky Mobile offers perks such as Roll, where spare data is automatically rolled into your Sky Piggybank each month for use when you need it. Piggybank also allows you to share space with up to seven SIMs on your account, exchange it for rewards or get money off a new device or accessory.
Tesco Mobile: Customers can earn Clubcard points for every £1 they spend, which can be used to save monthly on their monthly mobile phone bill, or put towards groceries and fuel. Clubcard vouchers can also be exchanged for a Reward Partner code to save on meals out, days out, travel and more with their 100+ Reward Partners. Tesco Mobile customers can also enjoy roaming at no extra cost when travelling in 48 destinations in the EU and beyond until 2025.
Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com says: “Although inflation continues to push up the cost of mobile payments, there are still a number of ways consumers can look to reduce their bill, without having to sacrifice data access or the quality of their phone.
“The first step is understanding what you are paying for and knowing what you need, whether that is your roaming agreement or how much data you use each month.
“No matter whether you have the latest iPhone or are shopping at the lower end of the price scale, options such as switching to SIM-only plans or purchasing a refurbished phone can be a simple change that can help you save tens or even hundreds of pounds.”
Chris Thomas
PR Contractor
v-chris.thomas@rvu.co.uk
Opinium surveyed a sample of 2,000 UK adults from 09 June 2023 - 13 June 2023. Where applicable, the volume of people is quantified using approximately 55 million UK adults. Based on average / approximate payments ‘in unexpected roaming charges’ over the past 12 months - £9.80 per person
As the majority of broadband and mobile providers base their annual price rises on December’s inflation rate plus an additional 3.9%, this means a rise of around 7.9%. 7.9% of £21.30, the average monthly phone bill according to Uswitch data from 2023, is £1.68. £1.68 X 12 months = £20.16 annual increase on a mobile phone bill on average.
£21.30 per month, according to Uswitch data in June 2023
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/news- centre/2023/new-mobile- roaming-alert-protections
Uswitch savings figures from 1st February 2024
Uswitch currently offers a new iPhone 15 128GB model for £36.99 per month (total cost £896.76), compared with a refurbished iPhone 15 128GB model for £29.99 per month (total cost £798.76). Both deals from iD mobile offer unlimited data. This difference of £98 equates to £4.08 per-month across a 24 month contract.
Opinium surveyed a sample of 22,832 UK adults from the 20th December 2022 to 5th January 2023. Results have been weighted to be nationally representative. Respondents were asked: ‘How much data is included in your monthly package’. The mean result was 22.1 GB. Respondents were asked: ‘How much data do you typically use per month’. The mean result was 11.7 GB.
Opinium surveyed a sample of 22,832 UK adults from the 20th December 2022 to 5th January 2023. Monthly wasted spend across the UK (£190 million) multiplied by 12.
Opinium surveyed a sample of 2,000 UK adults from 09 June 2023 - 13 June 2023. 63% answered ‘no’ when asked: ‘Do you know if you get any additional perks with your mobile provider?’
Opinium surveyed a sample of 2,000 UK adults from 09 June 2023 - 13 June 2023. 83% answered ‘no’ or ‘yes, but I don’t use them’ when asked: ‘Do you know if you get any additional perks with your mobile provider?’
In March 2023, Uswitch data shoed the value of all perks that O2 offers amounted to £2,135.67. This means that, over a 24-month period, you could be earning £699.23, once you’ve factored in contract costs and the cost required to redeem some of the perks.
About Uswitch
Uswitch is one of the UK’s top comparison websites for home services switching, including energy, broadband and mobiles.
More people go to Uswitch to switch their energy, broadband and mobile than any other site, and we have saved consumers over £2.7 billion off their bills since we launched in September 2000.
Free mobile app Utrack also helps households manage their home energy usage and make potential savings.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a group of online brands with a mission to empower consumers to make more confident home services, insurance and financial decisions.