Looking for the best Cyber Monday phone deal? It might come in a different form than you think. Some great Black Friday SIM-only deals are still live courtesy of some of the UK's biggest phone networks (as well as some smaller hidden gems) and are some of the best SIM-only offers we've seen in a while.
Black Friday may have ended, but many providers are still offering some of the best Black Friday deals on SIM-only offers we've seen in a long time. With deals live across networks such as Vodafone, Three, iD Mobile, and more, SIM-only deals look like a great value option, with incentives such as double (or even triple) data, exclusive rewards, and cashback opportunities when you sign up.
The best Black Friday SIM-only offers still live
SIM-only FAQs
What's the best way to save with a Black Friday SIM-only deal?
Black Friday SIM-only offers provide a unique opportunity to save in the long term on your mobile device if you are happy to pay larger sums upfront. This is because, over the coming weeks, some of the best Black Friday phone deals will give you the opportunity to save large sums on the retail price of the best smartphones of 2023, and if you choose to pair one of these discounted devices with a Black Friday SIM-only deal, you can end up saving hundreds over the course of a year.
A great alternative to this, if you can't quite afford to pay for the phone outright, is to consider splitting your phone contract into two. You can do this either by paying for the phone in monthly installments, an option available directly from retailers such as Apple or Samsung as well as through a number of third-party sites, and then pairing this with your SIM-only deal, or by pairing a high-value SIM-only deal with the most basic plan available on a phone from network providers such as Three, Vodafone or iD Mobile. By doing this, you can sometimes find you save on a month-by-month basis, which is a very doable alternative as long as you are happy having two contracts for your phone.
How much data do I need on my SIM-only contract?
More often than not, people need significantly less data than they believe. An Ofcom report from 2022 discovered that on average a phone user only uses around 5.6GB of data per month, which, when you consider the data sums you most often see advertised, really isn't that much.
When it comes to how much data you should choose to go for as part of your airtime plan, I normally advise adding some legroom to your plan for those scenarios you don't expect. This might be when you're stuck and simply need to watch something, or lost and need to get a map up to get you home. Whatever the scenario, having that extra bit of data can be crucial.
If you usually would use say 8GB data per month, maybe consider upping your plan to 12GB, if you only use 4GB, consider 8GB. The increase doesn't have to be much, certainly no more than one plan's difference compared to what you use (by that I mean if you use 8GB, don't choose a 30GB plan for safety if there's a lower data plan between such as a 12GB plan).
If having this excess data worries you, consider going to a provider such as Sky which offers data rollover. Data rollover means any data you don't use in a month, is added to your data allowance for a month (or sometimes more) going forward, so it doesn't go to waste. This can be a great alternative if you wish to save on your monthly costs whilst also giving yourself the extra data you might need on uncertain days.
More of the best SIM-only offers
Not quite found the right SIM-only deal for you? Check out today's deals from some of the UK's best phone networks to see if there's a better deal to suit your needs.
