This unlimited SIM deal will avoid 2024 mobile price hikes

16 February 2024 , 14:24

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You can get an unlimited amount of data each month and leave when you please - penalty free (Image: Getty Images/Westend61)

Hundreds of mobile customers could see their monthly bill rise by a few pounds each month, as 2024 brings a wave of price hikes. Sky, Tesco Mobile, O2 and EE are just a few providers that have confirmed higher prices for select customers from this April.

So it's no surprise to see contract-free deals rise in popularity, you may need more cash in hand to fork the price but it'll save you a lot in the long run. Like this simple Lebara SIM card, which will get you a chunky amount of unlimited data, UK minutes and text for £25 a month - not forgetting 100 international minutes so you can call abroad.

• Lebara unlimited data SIM - BUY HERE

Amid the looming mid-contract hikes for some phone users, the unlimited data Lebara SIM has one standout feature.... there's no tie at all. Exactly that, users are only tied to a 30-day plan, pay it once and if you spot a cheaper price elsewhere you can leave exit free.

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Lebara also offers cheaper flexible SIM amounts, the cheapest being its 5GB a month plan priced at (you guessed it) £5 a month, this includes 100 UK minutes and texts. Shoppers can also choose from 20GB for £10 or 30GB for £15.

And it's the hassle-free exits which is inspiring many new phone shoppers to fork the money upfront instead of splitting the cost across a provider contract. If you have a new phone on your list (like Samsung's flagship S24) this will help cut the price - like this Samsung deal which will save shoppers a hefty £253 thanks to the free Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and Galaxy Tag2 accessories.

Mobile providers with 2024 bill hikes

Virgin Media and partners O2 confirmed the exact rates this week, with broadband users facing a hike of 8.8% although this does differ for mobile customers. Anyone with an existing O2 mobile plan will face a rise of 5% on the airtime part of the plan, the device payments are frozen. Since the majority include chunky data amounts with UK calls and texts no phone users on a contract will be able to avoid it.

EE is another network that will increase bills for some customers. We recently spotted a hard-to-beat deal on the Google Pixel 8 Pro, anyone who buys it with the EE Essentials Unlimited plan will knock £456 off the price, but there's a catch.

This is what mobile shoppers should look out for, the above shows a price rise warning on an EE deal

As you can see above EE has published a warning for shoppers across a handful (if not the majority) of its mobile plans. Under the selection of the airtime plan (the part where you pick your data) it says: "Prices rise each year on 31 March by Consumer Price Index rate of inflation + 3.9%."

Sky Mobile is another retailer with rises, but EXISTING customers won't see a rise on their bill if they are within their minimum contract period. You can shop the latest Sky Mobile deals here.

If you want to see more information on the latest mobile price hikes Mirror Money has all the details on O2 and Virgin Media's changes. You can read here.

Harriet Morphy-Morris