Mobile network price rises: UK providers that don't do them
The retailers featured on this page may compensate us when our readers follow links to their websites and make a purchase. More
We take you through the best and worst networks for increasing the cost of your plan mid-contract on SIM only and phone deals. Last updated: 14th May 2024.
Annual mobile network price increases
Some providers up the cost of your plan, others don’t
✔ We cover all of them in this guideSkip to the networks
Legally, mobile networks are allowed to raise the cost of your monthly plan once per year, without you having the right to cancel. But the government regular Ofcom does put limits on this.
Networks can only increase your monthly charge by the rate of inflation plus a maximum of 3.9%. But in times when inflation is running above average, this can be quite the jump.
Why are mid contract price rises allowed?
The network’s own costs go up in the year or two you’re in contract with them. Allowing price rises keeps them profitable to invest in better services. There are plenty of providers on this page that don’t raise prices though.
Can I cancel my mobile phone contract if they increase the price?
If you’re in contract, you can only leave if your network has put up prices beyond the amount they said they would when you first signed up. It’s extremely unlikely they have done this. If you’re out of contract, you’re free to leave.
Are all mobile phone bills going up?
No. Only certain mobile networks routinely raise their prices mid-contract. We’ve listed loads of providers on this page that won’t raise your bill.
Why are phone prices going up?
Every April, mobile networks are allowed to increase their prices. But only by the amount they stated when you first signed up. Some of the providers on this page don’t increase prices though.
Will mid contract price rises be banned?
It’s possible the government regulator Ofcom could ban price rises but it would likely result in higher starting prices. Ofcom have made networks be more transparent in advertising. This had led to plenty of providers on this page stopping doing price rises voluntarily.
Can a mobile phone company change my contract?
They can change the plan’s price annually by the amount they told you when you originally signed up. Providers can also increase the cost of extras like premium numbers or roaming. But there is a limit to how ‘substantially’ they can change, without you having the right to leave.
Can I refuse to pay my phone contract?
No. Do not do this. Always pay your contract. Missing payments will negatively affect your credit score and will make it harder to get things like loans, mortgages and new contracts. Take up your issue through official processes.
But just because they can bump up your price, it doesn’t mean that every mobile provider does. Some deliberately promise no annual price rises in order to attract your custom. It gives people peace of mind.
They all have to tell you what price increases they have before you sign up. So in this guide, we pick through all the policies, to find the UK mobile networks that do and don’t put up their prices mid-contract.
Useful link: Ofcom’s guide to annual mid-contract price increases
How each network compares
Joint 1st: SMARTY promise not to increase your plan price
What we like:
What we don't like:
SMARTY top our list for two main reasons. They promise not to raise the cost of your plan (ever, not just this year). And their deals are already cheap in the first place. It’s a great combo.
We would point out that some of their promotional deals are structured in a way that could feel like a price rise though. Some hidden offers here give you a lower cost for 12 months, before returning to full price.
But even on those, the full price won’t go up if you stay on the same plan. If you never spend anything on extras, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing exactly what you’ll pay each month.
SMARTY can increase the cost of thouse extras outside your plan. But as an example, they have kept their data add-ons at the same cheap 1GB for £1 rate for a while now.
Useful link: Read our SMARTY review
Joint 1st: 1pMobile also won’t up the cost of your plan
What we like:
What we don't like:
1pMobile are a budget provider on EE’s network who have promised not to up the cost of your plan while you’re with them. That makes them one of the best value options for joining EE’s network.
Unlike providers lower down, 1p promise not to up their annual costs at all, rather than just promising it for 2024. So if you’re looking for certainty about how much you’ll pay long-term, 1p are a good choice.
You can also join on a SIM only plan lasting 12 months on 1pMobile. You pay for the full 12 months up front, so there’s no way it can go up during that time. Though its price could have changed once it comes to renewing.
1pMobile generally though are an excellent way around annual price hikes. Though, we would point out any network could change their terms and conditions on this but you would be free to leave whenever.
Useful link: Read our full 1pMobile review
2nd: spusu won’t up their costs before 2026
What we like:
What we don't like:
spusu are a budget provider on EE’s network who have promised not to increase the cost of their plans until the beginning of 2026. Depending when you read this, it means you’ve got way over a year of fixed prices.
Spusu offer flexible 1-month SIM only deals with full access to EE’s network. They’re a genuinely excellent alternative to joining EE directly, giving you the same network coverage for much lower costs.
That also means if they do up the cost of your plan after 2026 then you’re free to leave spusu without incurring any early termination fees. They’ll give you 30 days’ notice of any price increases.
So you’re safe from any unfair price hikes and you get great value on your deal. spusu are an excellent choice if you’re worried about your bill going up.
Useful link: Our full spusu network review
Joint 3rd: giffgaff offer fixed prices for 18 months
What we like:
What we don't like:
Next in our guide are networks that at least offer fixed prices for a certain period. On giffgaff’s 18-month contracts (available on phones or SIM only), they promise not to raise prices mid-contact.
It’s a nice long period of certainty, although obviously there’s guarantee of what happens once your contract is up. The 18-month plans are always the best priced on giffgaff too.
If you take a 1-month plan or pay as you go there’s nothing stopping giffgaff from upping your bill. They haven’t said they’re going to. They don’t say they won’t. So there’s no guarantees with these.
The important thing to remember on a 1-month deal though is that if giffgaff did raise your prices, you’d be free to shop around and leave with no notice. So it’s still less likely they’ll want to push you away.
Useful link: Our full giffgaff review
Joint 3rd: Sky Mobile don’t up prices mid-contract
What we like:
What we don't like:
Sky Mobile are another network you can join on a phone contract or SIM only plan and get fixed prices while you’re in contract. That means 12 months of the prices definitely staying the same.
On their phone contracts, the cost of your device is set when you sign up. That can’t change throughout the 24 or 36 months you pay it back. In fact, you pay less off in your last year, so it’ll go down.
But the SIM part of your phone contract (or on SIM only itself) is only 12 months long. So that’s the amount of time you know they won’t change prices for. It’s not that Sky say they will put them up, just that they can.
Sky can also technically increase the cost of extras outside of your plan, such as extra data charges if you go over your allowance or roaming. If you don’t use these though, it’s nothing to worry about.
Useful link: Sky’s promise that your bill won’t go up during your contract
Joint 3rd: Lyca Mobile let you fix prices for 12 months
What we like:
What we don't like:
Lyca Mobile are a smaller provider on EE’s network and have promised not to up the cost of your monthly bill during your contract until 2026. So if you join now you don’t have to worry about price hikes for a while.
That does mean that once 2026 rolls around you may find your bill going up. While that’s not ideal, Lyca do offer some of the best value deals around, so the cost increase shouldn’t sting that much.
But if you join on a 1-month deal there’s nothing stopping Lyca from increasing the price of your plan sooner. But on these you can just leave them altogether if you’re not happy with the cost increase.
Lyca may increase the cost of extras outside your plan, which isn’t unheard of as they have increased their international rates. In any case, we still like that you can hold onto a great deal for so long.
Useful link: Read more about Lyca Mobile’s price rises
4th: Honest Mobile actually reduce your bill over time
What we like:
What we don't like:
Honest Mobile have a unique loyalty scheme where they actually lower your monthly bill the longer you stay with them. That’s a good way to reward you for staying with them, rather than punishing you with price hikes.
For every year you stay with Honest Mobile, the cost of your plan will go down by 5%, up to a maximum of 30% overall. That’s all well and good, but there are a few things to be aware of.
Honest’s deals are already higher in price than some networks. And it takes a while for the discount to really come into effect. So that’s why we find it hard to put them any higher on this list.
And you have to stay on Honest consecutively, you’ll lose your discount if you leave (but you can change plans without losing it). So if you like Honest’s environmental benefits, this is another reason to join them.
Useful link: Our full review of Honest Mobile
Joint 5th: Talkmobile won’t increase prices for 2024
What we like:
What we don't like:
Next, we come to networks that guarantee to at least not raise prices during 2024. And the first on our list is Talkmobile. They talk about it much on their website but you will see it says no price rises during the checkout.
Depending on when you’re reading this, that means you know you’ve got the best part of a year with no price rises. We’d predict you’re safe until at least April 2025 (when networks tend to do increase).
That’s handy, because Talkmobile tend to have among the cheapest plans on the market. It also means even if they did do price rises, they’re not going to be too devastating anyway (think £6 becoming £6.50).
After 2024 is up, it’s hard to know what Talkmobile will do. Given they ducked out of doing a price rise this year, our money would be on them keeping the same prices but we have no confirmed info at all.
Useful link: Our review of Talkmobile
Joint 5th: Talk Home Mobile won’t up costs for 2024
What we like:
What we don't like:
Talk Home Mobile are a budget provider that use EE’s network. They’ve said they won’t increase the cost of their 1-month deals in 2024, which is brilliant considering they already offer low-cost, no-contract deals.
Again, you’re getting both the flexibility of their plans and the peace of mind to know that your bill won’t suddenly go up in price. It’s a win-win situation (read our review of Talk Home here).
They may up the cost of their plans after 2024. Or they may up the cost of extras outside your plan. But if they do either, you’re free to leave them altogether if you’re unhappy with the increase.
Useful link: Talk Home Mobile’s blog post about cost increases
Joint 5th: Lebara won’t up your monthly cost in 2024
What we like:
What we don't like:
Lebara are a small provider that piggyback off Vodafone’s network for signal. You can join them on a 1-month or a 12-month contract. On their 12-month contracts the cost of your plan won’t go up while in contract.
If you take a 1-month deal, Lebara say they won’t up the cost of their plans “in 2024”. They could up the cost of your plan after that though, but Lebara have to give you 30 days notice before they do this.
Lebara may also increase the cost of extras, such as extra data charges or international mins. But they’ve kept these costs the same for a while, so they’ve got a good record of not hiking up the cost of extras.
They already offer some of the lowest prices of all Vodafone-based providers and are the only ones that don’t up your bill during your contract. That adds to the many reasons to join Lebara (read our review here).
Useful link: Lebara’s pricing terms and conditions
6th: Networks that may increase prices
✔ You’re free to leave if they up prices
What we like:
What we don't like:
VOXI and ASDA Mobile both offer 1-month plans but haven’t made any promises to fix their prices. If they do raise costs both have promised to give you notice in advance (read VOXI’s terms here and ASDA’s here).
While they don’t promise not to increase their costs like the networks above, you’re not stuck on a contract with their plans. So you can leave if you’re not happy with your increased bill.
Both ASDA Mobile and VOXI offer decently cheap SIM only plans. Here are both networks’ best deals:
There is technically nothing to stop them from upping their prices massively, but they know that if they did that then a lot of their customers would just leave. It’s not in their interest to scare their users away.
Instead, they might increase their prices little by little so as not to frighten away their customers. But they have to let you know about this before doing it, so you can just leave if you don’t like the higher cost.
Useful link: Our full VOXI network review
7th: Tesco Mobile won’t up prices on Clubcard deals
What we like:
What we don't like:
Tesco Mobile will up the cost of your monthly bill on most of their SIM only contracts and usage plans on their phone deals. They do this in accordance with the CPI rate published in January plus 3.9% every year.
However, if you have a Clubcard then there’s a way around this price hike. If you take any of Tesco’s promotional deals called “Clubcard Prices” your plan will stay the same until your contract is over.
These Clubcard price deals won’t go up in price during your contract:
There tend to be a good number of Clubcard prices on different data plans, so you’ve got a decent chance of finding one that suits your needs. And the cost of your phone will stay the same over your contract.
But there’s no point joining a Clubcard deal that doesn’t suit your needs to avoid price hikes, as you might spend more than you need anyway. In that case we think you’d be better off on one of the above networks.
Useful link: Tesco Mobile’s mid-contract price increase policy
8th: iD Mobile only up costs on phone contracts
What we like:
What we don't like:
If you join iD Mobile on a SIM only contract then the cost of your plan won’t go up mid-contract. But that’s not the case on their phone contracts which will go in price every year according to inflation rates.
This price hike comes into effect in April each year based on the rate of RPI published in February. This year, customers have seen their bill go up by 7.9% (nearly half of what it was last year!).
The cost of your SIM only contract won’t increase with iD Mobile. Here are their best deals:
It’s always annoying to see your bill go up, but the price increase on iD isn’t as high as some of the networks further down. They have the second lowest price increase of all networks and it’s only on phone deals.
And iD Mobile tend to offer some of the best value phone deals across all UK networks, so the increase in price is a bit more bearable than on the networks below.
Useful link: See iD Mobile’s guide to their price increases
9th: Three only increase prices on SIM only contracts
What we like:
What we don't like:
Three have abandoned their fixed rate of price increases and now up the cost of your plan by the CPI rate of December plus 3.9% on SIM only contracts. This also affects your ‘usage’ (SIM) plan on phone contracts.
That means Three customers saw their regular bill go up by 7.9% on 1-month, 12-month and 24-month contracts. They advertise this when taking your deal, so you’re agreeing to this pay rise when you join.
Three’s new price increases are a bit harder to stomach than their old fixed rate. But their plans are good value for such a big network and their rate of price increase isn’t as bad as some of the networks below.
It’s also good that your phone’s price will stay the same over your contract, even if your usage plan will go up. But the networks above are still better if you don’t want your monthly bill to go up at all.
Useful link: Three’s guide to their annual price increases
10th: Vodafone don’t increase the price of your phone
What we like:
What we don't like:
Vodafone are another network that don’t up the cost of your phone plan during your contract. But the monthly bill for your SIM only or usage plan will go up by the CPI rate for February plus 3.9% on top.
This year customers saw the cost of their plan go up by 7.9% on SIM only and usage contracts. It’s a lot less than last year, but it’s still a big increase considering Vodafone’s plans are already high in cost.
And Vodafone don’t let you leave or switch plans each month like you can on some of the networks above. If you’re unhappy with your inflated bill you’ll have to stick with it until your contract is over.
At the very least they have to inform you of any price rise 30 days beforehand. And the cost of your phone won’t go up over the length of your contract. In all, it’s not ideal but their price hikes could be worse.
Useful link: Vodafone’s guide to their price increases
11th: O2 won’t hike up the cost of your phone
What we like:
What we don't like:
O2 also won’t increase the cost of your phone during your contract, only increasing prices on their SIM only and usage contracts. Their price hikes are based on the RPI rate published in February plus 3.9% on top.
That means customers will see a price increase of 8.8% this year. That’s on top of already expensive plans. If you’re unhappy with the price hike, you’ll have to stick it out until your contract is over.
Here are the best value SIM only contracts that O2 currently offer:
It’s good that the cost of your phone doesn’t go up during your contract, no matter how long you set it to be. And you can switch your usage plan down when you like, but you can’t leave until your contract is over.
And bear in mind you’ll be paying more on a long term phone contract as the cost of your usage plan will go up. That’s important to know before joining O2.
Useful link: Why O2 increase the cost of your plan mid-contract
Last place: EE won’t up your phone’s cost on new contracts
What we like:
What we don't like:
EE come in last place mainly because they raise the cost of what are already some of the most expensive SIM only and usage contracts around. They raise costs based on the CPI rate for January plus 3.9% on top.
So this year customers will see their plans go up by 7.9% on SIM only and usage plans. It’s not as high as O2’s percentage increase, but it will definitely sting considering the high cost of their plans.
The cost of your plan will go up annually on these EE deals:
We also put them in last place because you might see your phone’s cost go up if you joined on a non-finance based phone deal and you’re still in contract. But that’s the only way the cost of your phone will go up.
All their new phone deals are based on finance, so the cost of your phone won’t go up on these. That’s a relief considering they tend to be some of the most expensive of all networks.
Useful link: Our full review of EE’s benefits and deals
Other useful info
Price increases while you’re out of contract
The rules we listed above only protect customers on contracts. But once you’re out of contract there’s nothing really to stop networks hiking up your prices when they like. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will.
Networks want you to stick around after all, so there’s little reason for them to scare you off. Still, they might increase it slightly now and again, but they should give you 30 days notice before doing so.
This same rule technically applies if you’re on a 1-month deal on a network that don’t have contracts. They could increase prices, but a few of them have promised not to. We’ll go over these in our listing below.
It’s also worth being aware that while out of contract you might lose benefits if your network starts pulling them, reducing the value you get out of your plan. Most networks let their users on contracts keep any scrapped benefits until their contract is up.
Ultimately the only way for you to avoid mobile network price increases is to join a network that explicitly say they won’t raise costs during your contract. We’ll go over every network listing which ones will increase prices and by how much.
Useful link: Which networks offer 1-month contracts
Ofcom help prevent unfair price increases
The government ombudsman Ofcom has put into law measures to protect customers against potentially unfair price increases. Mobile networks have to follow these laws when increasing their costs.
First of all, a network must explicitly tell when they plan to increase the cost of your plan and when the changes will come into effect. Secondly, they have to give you 30 days notice before increasing prices.
If they up their costs by an amount or formula not specified when you joined their contract, then you can leave with no early termination fees. That’s also the case if they didn’t give you proper notice.
A network should let you know when you have the right to terminate your contract without paying extra fees. But it’s always worth knowing all your options just in case.
Useful link: What you can do if your prices go up