In the UK, unlimited data is available on your smartphone from £12/month on a Pay Monthly contract and from £15/month on a Pay As You Go bundle.
In the last few months, unlimited data plans have seen a resurgence in the UK. Now available from four different networks, an unlimited data plan is perfect for heavy users. There’s no longer any need to worry about how much data you’re actually using and there’s no risk of your data connection being cut off mid-month. It’s perfect for download apps and games, for watching videos on-the-go and for streaming music from the internet.
At present, unlimited data plans for your mobile start from £12/month on a Pay Monthly contract and from £15/month on a Pay As You Go tariff. Unlimited data plans are currently available from giffgaff, iD Mobile, TalkTalk and Three (it’s also available for the first three months when joining Vodafone). In this article, we review and compare the best unlimited data plans available in the UK.
Overview of Unlimited Data Plans
In the UK, four mobile networks currently offer an unlimited data plan: giffgaff, iD Mobile, TalkTalk and Three. Unlimited data is also offered by Vodafone but only for the first three months of a Pay Monthly contract lasting 12 months or longer.
Pay Monthly
On Pay Monthly, unlimited data is available from £12/month.
On Pay Monthly, unlimited data currently starts from £12/month.
Available only to customers with TalkTalk home broadband, TalkTalk Mobile currently has unlimited everything for £12/month (unlimited minutes, unlimited texts & unlimited 3G internet). TalkTalk uses mobile coverage from the Vodafone network.
The cheapest unlimited data tariff available to the general market is Three’s £17/month unlimited data SIM card. It has unlimited data at 4G download speeds along with 200 minutes and unlimited texts.
The following table compares the cheapest available unlimited data plans on each UK mobile network:
Network
Minutes
Texts
Internet
Monthly
Cost
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
£12.00
200
Unlimited
Unlimited
£17.00
2,000
Unlimited
Unlimited
£20.00
2,000
5,000
Unlimited
£20.00
The cheapest available Pay Monthly contracts with unlimited data. The £12 All-in SIM card from TalkTalk is only available to customers with TalkTalk home broadband. All SIM cards are on a one-month rolling contract (except from Three which has a 12-month minimum commitment).
Pay As You Go
On Pay As You Go, unlimited data is available from £15/month.
Unlimited data is also available on Pay As You Go bundles from giffgaff and Three. The cheapest available deal is Three’s £15/month All-in-One SIM card: it comes with 300 minutes, 3000 texts and unlimited internet at 4G speeds. For £20/month, giffgaff has 2000 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited internet at 3G speeds.
Network
Minutes
Texts
Internet
Monthly
Cost
300
3,000
Unlimited
£15.00
2,000
Unlimited
Unlimited
£20.00
The cheapest available Pay As You Go bundles with unlimited data.
Read on for more information and for an in-depth review of unlimited data on each network.
Unlimited Data Plans By Network
giffgaff
giffgaff has a £20/month Pay As You Go bundle with 2000 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited 3G internet (the bundle is known on giffgaff as the £20 goodybag).
A major advantage of giffgaff’s goodybags is you’re able to change them on a month-by-month basis. For instance, you could later downgrade to the £15 goodybag (500 minutes, unlimited texts & 5GB of internet at 3G speeds) if it turns out unlimited data is unnecessary. Because it’s a Pay As You Go service, there are no credit checks and there’s also better control over your spending.
Network
Minutes
Texts
Internet
Monthly
Cost
2,000
Unlimited
Unlimited
£20.00
Unfortunately, the £20 unlimited data goodybag only gives you access to the internet at 3G download speeds. While giffgaff does offer 4G connectivity, you’ll need to buy one of their 4G goodybags to access the service. The largest allowance currently available on 4G is 1000 minutes, unlimited texts and 5GB of internet for £18/month.
Tethering is not permitted on the £20 goodybag (it is, however, permitted on goodybags with a limited data allowance).
For more information, you can read our in-depth review of the giffgaff network.
Key Information
Monthly Price:
£20/month
Coverage Provider:
O2 (99% coverage – check coverage here)
Download Speeds:
2G & 3G coverage (4G not available with unlimited data goodybag)
Limitations & Restrictions
Tethering:
Not permitted on unlimited data plans.
Traffic Management:
Heavy users may have speeds capped to 300kbps between 3pm and midnight.
See giffgaff’s traffic management policy for more information.
iD Mobile
iD Mobile is the own-brand mobile network from the Carphone Warehouse. Using 3G and 4G coverage from Three, they’re also offering unlimited downloads on a SIM-only plan for £20/month:
Network
Minutes
Texts
Internet
Monthly
Cost
2,000
5,000
Unlimited
£20.00
The £20 unlimited data plan is available in two versions: as a ‘GoTo’ and as a ‘ShockProof’ tariff. Both tariffs are essentially the same but the ‘ShockProof’ version gives you extra control over spending (out-of-allowance charges are capped at £5/month). For more information about the different types of tariff on iD Mobile, please see our full review of the network.
The £20 tariff has a minimum commitment of 1 month. Unfortunately, tethering is not permitted on the iD Mobile network.
Key Information
Monthly Price:
£20/month
Coverage Provider:
Three (98% coverage – check coverage here)
Download Speeds:
3G & 4G coverage
Limitations & Restrictions
Tethering:
Not permitted.
Traffic Management:
TBC.
TalkTalk Mobile
The cheapest available unlimited data plan in the UK currently comes from TalkTalk Mobile.
For only £12/month, TalkTalk’s All-in SIM card has unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited internet at 3G download speeds. The offer is only available to customers who also have TalkTalk Broadband at their home.
Network
Minutes
Texts
Internet
Monthly
Cost
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
£12.00
The All-in SIM: Unlimited data for £12/month but only for customers with TalkTalk home broadband.
The All-in SIM is on a one-month rolling contract.
TalkTalk Mobile uses coverage from Vodafone and claims 99% population coverage across the UK. Unfortunately, tethering isn’t permitted on the tariff (the data on your SIM card is only for use in a smartphone). You must also follow TalkTalk’s Good Network Guidelines.
For TalkTalk home broadband customers who later change to another broadband provider, the All-in SIM card will double in price to £24/month. The monthly allowances will also be reduced to 2000 minutes, unlimited texts and 2GB of internet. For more information, read our in-depth review of the All-in SIM card.
Key Information
Monthly Price:
£12/month
Coverage Provider:
Vodafone (99% coverage – check coverage here)
Download Speeds:
2G & 3G coverage
Limitations & Restrictions
Tethering:
Not permitted.
Traffic Management:
See the TalkTalk Good Network Guidelines.
Other Restrictions:
Only available to TalkTalk home broadband customers.
Three
Of all the UK networks, Three is perhaps the best-known network for their unlimited data plans. The network has offered unlimited data under the all-you-can-eat data moniker since 2010.
Advantages include the use of 4G at no extra charge (iD Mobile also has this) and the ability to tether on Pay Monthly contracts (unique amongst the four networks offering an unlimited data plan). You can also use your phone abroad at no extra charge through the Feel At Home offer (up to 25GB/month in a Feel At Home country).
All-you-can-eat data is available on both Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go tariffs. Prices start from £17/month on a Pay Monthly contract and from £15/month on a Pay As You Go bundle.
Key Information
Monthly Price:
From £17/month (Pay Monthly)
From £15/month (Pay As You Go)
Coverage Provider:
Three (98% coverage – check coverage here)
Download Speeds:
3G & 4G coverage
Limitations & Restrictions
Tethering:
4GB per month on Pay Monthly SIMs.
8GB per month on Pay Monthly with handset.
Not permitted on Pay As You Go.
Traffic Management:
See Three’s TrafficSense policy.
Pay Monthly
On their Pay Monthly SIM cards, unlimited data currently starts from £17/month. On a 12-month contract, you get 200 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited internet at 4G download speeds.
12 month contracts
Network
Minutes
Texts
Internet
Monthly
Cost
200
Unlimited
Unlimited
£17.00
600
Unlimited
Unlimited
£22.00
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
£27.00
1 month contracts
Network
Minutes
Texts
Internet
Monthly
Cost
200
Unlimited
Unlimited
£20.00
600
Unlimited
Unlimited
£25.00
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
£30.00
There’s 4GB of tethering per month included on all their Pay Monthly SIM cards (this is due to increase to 8GB/month from August 2015).
Pay Monthly with New Handset
Three is also unique in being the only UK network to offer 24-month contracts with unlimited data on a new smartphone. For a high-end smartphone like the iPhone 6 or the Galaxy S6, you’ll typically pay around £45/month for an unlimited data plan. On lower-cost devices like the Samsung Galaxy J1, all-you-can-eat data is sometimes available from only £34/month.
Apple iPhone 6
The following unlimited data tariffs are currently available for the iPhone 6:
Network
Minutes
Texts
Internet
Upfront
Monthly
Total Cost
600
Unlimited
Unlimited
£99.00
upfront
£46.00
per month
£1,203.00
600
Unlimited
Unlimited
£29.00
upfront
£50.00
per month
£1,229.00
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
£99.00
upfront
£49.00
per month
£1,275.00
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
£49.00
upfront
£52.00
per month
£1,297.00
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
£9.00
upfront
£66.00
per month
£1,593.00
Samsung Galaxy S6
The following unlimited data tariffs are currently available for the Galaxy S6:
Network
Minutes
Texts
Internet
Upfront
Monthly
Total Cost
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
£0.00
upfront
£45.00
per month
£1,080.00
Other handsets with an unlimited data option include the iPhone 6 Plus, the Galaxy S6 Edge, the HTC One M9 and the LG G4. A full list of available handsets can be found on the Three website.
Pay Monthly contracts with a new handset include 8GB of tethering every month.
Pay As You Go
Three also offers an unlimited data plan on their Pay As You Go tariff. With the £15 All-in-One bundle, you get 300 minutes, 3000 texts and unlimited data at 4G download speeds. Unfortunately, tethering is not permitted on the Pay As You Go service (choose a Pay Monthly contract if you’d like to tether from your phone).
Network
Minutes
Texts
Internet
Monthly
Cost
300
3,000
Unlimited
£15.00
Vodafone
Unlike the other four mobile networks mentioned in this article, Vodafone doesn’t have a true unlimited data offering. Typically, the largest data allowance available on Vodafone is 20GB of data per month. However, to new customers getting a Pay Monthly contract or a SIM-only deal of 12 months or longer, Vodafone currently offers unlimited data for the first three months.
Known as the Data Test Drive offer, it’s designed to help you find your feet on how much data you actually need. At the end of your three-month Data Test Drive, Vodafone will send you a text message with your average data consumption over the past three months. You’ll then be offered the chance to upgrade to a higher package if you need more data.
Network
Minutes
Texts
Internet
Monthly
Cost
300
500
250MB
£9.50
900
Unlimited
500MB
£14.00
Unlimited
Unlimited
1GB
£15.30
Unlimited
Unlimited
3GB
£19.80
Unlimited
Unlimited
6GB
£24.30
Unlimited
Unlimited
10GB
£27.20
Unlimited
Unlimited
20GB
£30.00
Unfortunately, the offer from Vodafone isn’t a long-term solution. There’s no way of extending the unlimited data offer. Regardless of how much you pay, the largest data allowance available on Vodafone is only 20GB per month after the first three months.
Key Information
Monthly Price:
From £9.50/month (unlimited data for 3 months only)
Coverage Provider:
Vodafone (99% coverage – check coverage here)
Download Speeds:
2G, 3G & 4G coverage
Limitations & Restrictions
Tethering:
Yes, up to your monthly allowance.
Traffic Management:
See the Vodafone traffic management policy.
Other Restrictions:
Unlimited data is only available for first 3 months.
Other Networks
Unfortunately, other UK networks don’t currently offer a plan with unlimited data. The largest data allowance available on other networks is:
Mobile Network
Largest Data Allowance Available
ASDA Mobile
Up to 4GB per month
BT Mobile
Up to 20GB per month
EE
Up to 20GB per month
Mobile By Sainsbury’s
Up to 2GB per month
O2
Up to 20GB per month
Tesco Mobile
Up to 8GB per month
The People’s Operator
Up to 31GB per month
More Information
For more information on how much data you need for your smartphone, please see our full guide to mobile data allowances.
For information on the unlimited data plans mentioned in this article, please see either the giffgaff, iD Mobile, TalkTalk Mobile or Three websites. For information on the Data Test Drive offer, see this page on Vodafone’s website.
The post Unlimited Mobile Data Plans: The UK’s Cheapest Deals For Your Smartphone appeared first on Ken's Tech Tips.
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