Data rollover plans: Which mobile networks offer them?
Nowadays, we consume more mobile data than ever, and many of us enjoy a good mobile deal that includes a boatload of data in our monthly allowance.
But if you don’t use all that data, where does it go? Why should we pay for data that we don’t end up using?
On the other hand, most of us have heard horror stories about people getting huge, unexpected bills for exceeding their data allowance. So where’s the middle ground?
If you regularly pay for more data than you use, but you’re concerned about signing up for a contract with less data in case you go over your limit and get charged crazy expensive fees, a plan that includes data rollover might be the answer.
What is data rollover?
Simply put, networks with data rollover options allow you to take unused data from one month’s billing cycle and add it to your allowance the following month.
The effect is that you have more flexibility with your data. If you have some leftover data from last month, you’ll be less concerned about going over your allowance. Alternatively, if you know you’ll be using more data than usual next month, for example, if you’re going on holiday, you can save up your data this month so you’ll have extra when you’re away.
Regardless, it’s always a good idea to monitor your data usage so you’re never surprised by mobile network fees.
How does data rollover work?
When a network with data rollover calculates how much data you’ve used in one billing cycle, it determines the difference and adds it to next month’s allowance. Some providers have a limit on how much can be carried over, and typically, the extra allowance is ‘used up’ first, before your standard allowance. This is because the data is usually only carried over once; in other words, it’s not rolled over twice into the following month.
For example, if you have a monthly allowance of 10GB of data but only use 7GB within one billing cycle, the remaining 3GB will be rolled over into the next month’s allowance, giving you a new allowance of 13GB for that month. If you only used 7GB again in the second month, the 3GB from the previous month gets used before you tap into your standard allowance of 10GB. This would leave you with 6GB to rollover into the third month.
Mobile networks with data rollover
Not all networks offer data rollover, and those that do offer different variations of the offer.
Sky Mobile and Sky Piggybank
Sky Mobile offers the most comprehensive deal. With Sky Mobile, any unused data at the end of each month is automatically stored in an online Sky Piggybank. The data is yours to use at no extra cost, and you can share it with up to seven devices on your account.
You can also cash in your Sky Piggybank for rewards or even use it to get a discount on a new phone or accessory. If you’re on an Unlimited Data plan, you understandably can’t rollover unused data, and won’t have access to a Sky Piggybank.
iD Mobile
iD Mobile was the first network to offer a free data rollover service, and it’s available to both new and existing iD customers on 12-month, 24-month and one-month SIM only plans.
Any unused data is automatically added to next month’s allowance at the end of the month, and you're free to use it the following month. There is no limit to the amount of data you can rollover, but you can’t rollover unused data twice.
Sky Mobile and Sky Piggybank
O2 offers Rolling plans at various prices that provide data rollover. Each plan lets you roll over all of your data for one month, but you’ll have to use that rollover data in the next month, or it’s gone.
O2 doesn’t offer a single data rollover policy. Instead, it’s available on select Pay As You Go Big Bundles, Plus, and Ultimate Plans. Pay As You Go customers can roll over data depending on their bundle — from none on the £5 option to up to 125GB (250GB max) on the £30 bundle.
Vodafone
Vodafone offers data rollover on a service called Total Rollover with all of its Pay As You Go SIMs. Like other networks, Vodafone only lets you roll over data from the previous month, which means you have to use it that month or it’s gone.
Unlike other providers, however, Total Rollover also lets you rollover any unused minutes and texts from one month, so you can use them in the next 30 days.
Compare mobile contracts deals
Browse our best contract deals for the latest handsets, including the latest Apple iPhone 17.
