Most British smartphone owners could be overpaying for their mobile data, according to consumer experts at Which?. Around 53 million people in the UK had a smartphone last year, but many may be paying for more data than they actually use.
The £8 data rule
Senior researcher Adam Snook, who covers mobile networks for the watchdog, said most people should not pay more than £8 per month for their mobile data package. He said understanding this could lead to significant savings.
Snook explained: "Mobile networks offer huge amounts of data in their contracts, and despite usage increasing every year, most people don’t actually need so much. Regulator Ofcom reports that the average monthly mobile data use is 9.9GB."
An investigation by Which? found that two-thirds of mobile network customers use "up to 10GB" of data a month. The consumer group advises people to check their actual data usage before choosing the highest available offer.
How to check data usage
The method for checking data usage depends on the device. Apple users can go to 'Settings', select 'Mobile Service', and find the 'Mobile Data' tab. There, a table shows the 'Current Period' of data usage and a breakdown by app.
For Android users, the 'Connections' or 'Network and Internet' tab in 'Settings' shows data usage or mobile data usage, with total consumption and an app-by-app breakdown. Alternatively, downloading the mobile provider's official app gives access to remaining data allowance and billing cycle details. Many providers also offer a text keyword or short number for a quick update.
Potential savings
Snook told Which? readers: "Lots of customers, particularly anyone on a high data contract with a big four network (EE, O2, Three, Vodafone), can make savings by switching to deals of around 10GB. Savings will be even bigger if you go with a smaller network, where 10GB or more is readily available for £8 or less."
The report highlights deals from lesser-known phone providers, published by Which? on September 26. These may not be available if customers go directly to the SIM-only providers.
One of the cheapest offers came from Asda Mobile, providing 10GB of 5G data for less than £6 over a 12 or 24-month period. Each online exclusive bundle included unlimited texts and calls, along with a pledge to allow unused data rollover.
