How do I choose a mobile tariff that fits how I use a phone?

Mobile tariffs are compared on the monthly figure and priced on everything else. The useful questions are what you actually use, how the price will change during the term, and whether the handset and the airtime are bundled.

Safety

Step by step

1. Find out what you actually use.Both iPhone and Android report mobile data use per month in settings. Look at several months. Most people use far less than they buy, because they are on wifi at home and at work.
2. Check whether calls and texts still matter to you.Many tariffs are sold on unlimited calls and texts that most people barely use, having moved to messaging apps. If so, the data allowance is the only number that matters.
3. Separate the handset from the airtime.A bundled contract is a phone bought on credit with airtime attached. Buying a handset outright or on a separate plan, with a SIM-only tariff alongside, is usually cheaper overall and always clearer.
4. Notice what happens at the end of a bundled contract.Some providers keep charging the full amount after the handset is paid off, unless you act. Check whether the tariff automatically drops, and diarise the end date either way.
5. Read the mid-contract price rise terms.Most contracts now rise annually by a fixed amount or a formula. Over a two-year term that is a substantial difference from the advertised figure, and it is the most commonly overlooked cost.
6. Calculate the total cost of the term.Monthly figure times the number of months, plus any upfront cost, plus the expected rises. Compare that number rather than the headline monthly price.
7. Check coverage where you actually are.Home, work, and the journey between. Networks differ substantially by area, and a cheap tariff on a network with poor coverage where you live is not a saving. Coverage maps are indicative rather than exact.
8. Consider the smaller providers.Virtual operators run on the big networks' infrastructure at lower prices, sometimes with restrictions on speed or extras. The coverage is the host network's, which is the main thing people worry about.
9. Check roaming terms if you travel.Roaming charges in Europe have returned on many tariffs. Check the daily charge or the included allowance, and whether it applies to the countries you actually visit.
10. Look at what the extras are worth to you.Streaming subscriptions, data rollover, hotspot allowances. Genuinely valuable if you would pay for them anyway, and worth nothing if you would not.
11. Prefer a shorter term where the price is close.A 12-month term costs a little more per month and leaves you free to move sooner. In a market where prices move, that flexibility has real value.
12. Diarise the end date the day you sign.Out-of-contract customers are routinely paying well above the current rate. A calendar reminder two months before the end is the highest-value thing you can do at the point of signing.

Tips

• Check your data use before shopping, not after. Buying an unlimited plan when you use 4GB a month is the most common overspend in this category.
• Keeping a phone an extra year and moving to SIM-only when the contract ends is usually the largest single saving available.
• You can keep your number when switching. Ask your current provider for a PAC code — they must provide it, and it takes minutes.

Common mistakes

• Comparing on the monthly figure alone — It excludes upfront costs and the annual rises, which over a two-year term change the ranking of the options considerably.
• Staying on a bundled contract after the handset is paid off — Some providers keep charging the same amount indefinitely. The phone is paid for and you are still paying for it.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask