SIM plans compared
Every plan shape set against its alternative, with a verdict on which suits whom.
Photo from a free stock library — illustration only.Rolling monthly
Cancel at any point, at a small monthly premium.
- Right wherever anything is unproven
- New address, new network, possible move
- Most budget brands sell nothing else
12–24 months
Lower monthly cost in exchange for a commitment.
- Cheaper per month
- Exit sums disclosed in the PAC reply
- Easy to forget the end date
Rolling whenever anything is unproven; fixed only when signal and address are settled. Either way, diary the end date the day you sign.
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Unmetered on the handset domestically across all four mast owners.
- No meter to watch
- Cheapest on Three among the owners
- Tethering capped on some generations
- Fair-use ceilings abroad
A measured tier
An allowance sized from three months of recorded usage plus modest headroom.
- Usually materially cheaper
- Add-ons handle occasional spikes
- Requires ninety seconds of checking
A measured tier wins for most people. The recorded gap between what people estimate and what they use is commonly around a factor of two, which is a substantial sum across two years.
Mast owner
Buying direct from EE, O2, Three or Vodafone.
- Full feature sets first
- Deeper support
- Handset finance
- Higher prices
Tenant brand
Buying the identical signal from giffgaff, SMARTY, Tesco, VOXI and the rest.
- Same radio waves
- Materially lower prices
- Leaner support
- Later features
Tenant brands for most households, mast owners for those who need bundles, family SIMs or full support. One rolling month on a tenant is also the cheapest way to test any landlord's coverage.
Sizing a plan from evidence
Every operator's app records real consumption. Three months captures a genuine pattern including holidays, and the appropriate allowance is that measured average plus modest headroom.
Occasional heavy months are an add-on problem, not an upgrade problem — buying a permanent tier increase to cover one busy month costs eleven months of waste.