Mobile networks with no price rises during your contract
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We find the best and worst UK mobile networks to join if you want to avoid price increases to your phone bill due to inflation. Last updated: 9th August 2023.
Annual mobile network price increases
Some networks increase prices mid-contract, others don’t
✔ We go over them all on this pageSkip to the networks
Over your mobile contract, you may see the monthly price of your plan go up by a percentage increase. This is done to adjust to the changing annual costs of goods and services, or inflation.
Some networks raise their prices based on rates of inflation for that year (RPI or CPI), one network increases it at a fixed annual rate, while some don’t increase their prices at all during your contract.
Networks that offer monthly deals that aren’t on contracts usually reserve the right to increase prices, but a few have promised not to raise prices for 2023/24.
Many networks have brought in new price increases to deal with inflation, so it’s best you know which ones up their costs, before you join them on a new contract. Here we’ve gone over each networks’ price increases.
Useful link: Ofcom’s guide to annual mid-contract price increases
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
How each network compares
Joint 1st: Sky Mobile don’t up costs during your contract
What we like:
What we don't like:
Sky Mobile are one of many networks to not increase the cost of your plan while you’re on one of their SIM only or phone contracts. The cost of your monthly plan or device will not go up during your entire contract.
Their SIM only contracts are all 12 months, while you can take a 24-month or 36-month phone contract. And you pay off your device quicker for the first 12/24 months, so your bill goes down in your last 12 months.
It’s good that the cost of your plan won’t go up during your contract. But bear in mind, Sky can increase your bill once your contract is over and the price of taking a new plan may go up during your contract.
Useful link: Sky’s promise that your bill won’t go up during your contract
Joint 1st: Lebara won’t up your bill during your contract
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Lebara are a smaller provider on Vodafone’s network that offer both 1-month plans and longer 12-month contracts. If you take a 12-month contract your monthly bill won’t increase while you’re in contract.
If you join on a 1-month plan, Lebara have said they won’t increase prices “in 2023”. You might see costs go up after that but Lebara must give 30 days notice before doing this.
Lebara offer great value deals on 1-month and 12-month contracts. Here are their best current deals.
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
Joint 1st: Honest Mobile decrease your bill over time
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Honest Mobile are a very unique network in that they're the only one that actually reduce the cost of your plan the longer you stay with them. That means you’re rewarded for your loyalty.
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 plans are a bit expensive in the first place. Also, the discount takes a long time to come into effect, so you’re essentially paying more in the short term joining Honest than joining Sky, Tesco or Lebara.
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
2nd: 1pMobile won’t up your monthly bill
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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 some networks on this list, 1p have promised not to increase their annual costs at all, not just for 2023. So while your bill might go up after 2023 on other networks, that shouldn’t be the case on 1pMobile.
You can also join on a 12-month SIM only plan on 1pMobile. You pay for the full 12 months up front, so there’s no way for the cost of your plan to go up on these. They’re good if you don’t mind paying it up front.
1pMobile are a great choice for avoiding annual price hikes. They can still technically up the costs of your plan, but considering their customers can leave month to month, that would be a bad idea for them.
Useful link: Read our full 1pMobile review
Joint 3rd: SMARTY have promised not to up their costs
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SMARTY are another 1-month plan provider, who promise not to put the cost of your plan up while you're on it. Given they have some of the cheapest prices in the first place, this is very welcome.
They’re not in first place because some of their promotional plans are structured in a way that feels like a price rise. They often share hidden offers with us that are cheaper for your first 12 months, for example.
It's still a 1-month plan, it's just the discount lasts 12 months. There are no price rises on all other plans and even the ongoing price at the end of 12-month discounts won’t go up either.
Useful link: Read our SMARTY review
Joint 3rd: giffgaff won’t raise prices for 2023
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giffgaff are another network that have promised not to increase prices for 2023, so their great value deals will stay the same price least the rest of the year. They have a habit of extending these promises too.
The fact that they sell lots of plans on 1-month deals means you get both the flexibility of their plans on top of keeping the same great value for the whole of 2023. You don’t have to trade off one for the other.
But if you join on a phone contract with a plan attached or on an 18-month contract, it does mean you haven't yet got a guarantee beyond the first year of your contract that the SIM part of your deal won't go up.
Still, because their plans are so flexible that means you can always leave giffgaff if they do raise their costs. So you don’t need to be stuck paying more than you want, even on a phone contract with them.
Useful link: Our full giffgaff review
Joint 3rd: Talk Home Mobile won’t raise costs for 2023
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Talk Home Mobile are a smaller provider on EE’s network that have promised not to up the cost of their 1-month deals in 2023. What’s even better is that they offer some genuinely great value plans with no contracts.
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).
It also means that after 2023 is over and if Talk Home Mobile up the cost of their plans after that, you’re free to leave if you’re unhappy with your new bill.
Useful link: Talk Home Mobile’s blog post about cost increases
4th: Networks that may up their costs on 1-month plans
✔ You can leave if they up their costs
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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 you don’t get the assurance of no price hikes like with the above networks, you can leave your plan at the end of each month as you’re not on a contract. So you don’t have to be stuck paying an inflated cost.
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.
They may increase costs by a little bit so as not to ruffle any feathers. But again, they will let you know if they do so beforehand and you don’t have to give notice to leave, just stop paying if you don’t like it.
Useful link: Our full VOXI network review
5th: Tesco Mobile won’t increase costs on Clubcard plans
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Tesco Mobile have changed their policy when it comes to price increases. Their regular pay monthly SIM only contracts and usage plans on phone contracts will now go up in price by the CPI rate plus 3.9% each 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 are usually a few Clubcard deals on a range of data plans to choose from. And the price of usage plans on their 36-month phone contracts won’t go up. The cost of your device will also stay the same on these.
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
6th: iD Mobile increase prices on phone contracts only
What we like:
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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 increase will take affect from April every year in accordance with the RPI rate published from February. This year customers saw their bill rise by 13.4% on their regular payment.
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.
iD Mobile’s phone contracts also tend to be some of the cheapest of all UK networks, so the price rise won’t sting quite as much as will on the networks below.
Useful link: See iD Mobile’s guide to their price increases
7th: Three up the cost of their SIM only and phone contracts
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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.
This year, Three users saw a bill increase of 14.4% on 1-month, 12-month and 24-month contracts. Since it’s advertised when you take out your plan, you’re agreeing to pay this price rise when you sign up to your contract.
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.
And at least the cost of your phone will stay the same on phone contracts. (only your mins, texts, data plan goes up). Still, if you don’t want to see your bill go up then you’d be better off on some of the networks above.
Useful link: Three’s guide to their annual price increases
8th: Virgin Mobile don’t up the cost of your phone
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Virgin Mobile sell all their plans as 1-month contracts and claim that they will only up the cost of your bill once a year. They do this according to the RPI rate for February plus an additional 3.9% on top.
This year Virgin Mobile customers saw their bill increase by a whopping 17.7% based on Virgin’s rate of price increase. That’s a steep increase to start paying.
Here are the best value 1-month contracts on Virgin Mobile:
One thing that keeps Virgin Mobile from falling to the bottom of the rankings is that this price increase won’t apply to the cost of your device if you’re on a phone contract, only the usage plan.
It’s also good that Virgin sell all their plans as 1-month contracts, since if you’re unhappy with the price increase you can just leave them with 30 days notice. So you shouldn’t be stuck paying an inflated price.
Useful link: Virgin Mobile’s price rise guide
9th: Talkmobile up costs on SIM only and phone contracts
What we like:
What we don't like:
Talkmobile increase both the cost of your SIM only and phone contract annually during your contract based on the CPI rate for January plus 3.9% on top. So this year customers’ bills went up by 14%.
At the very least Talkmobile are one of the cheaper UK networks, so their price increases are a little bit more bearable than on some others. But lots of their low cost rivals don’t increase costs at all.
If you’re on a rolling 1-month contract and don’t like your new you do get the freedom to leave your plan with 30 days notice, otherwise you’ll have to keep paying the new price until your contract is finished.
The reason they’re not lower is due to the fact they offer such cheap deals in the first place. And they’re not really a phone contract network anyway. But still, there’s not much to like here.
Useful link: Our review of Talkmobile
10th: Vodafone don’t up the cost of your phone
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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.
So in April 2023, customers saw their bill go up by an eye watering 14.3% on SIM only and usage plans. That’s not as high as some networks, but it’s a big increase considering Vodafone’s plans are already expensive.
And it’s not like you’ve got the freedom to leave or change your plan every month like you do on other networks. If you don’t like the new price you’ve got to ride it out for the rest of your contract.
At least they give you 30 days notice of any price rise. And the price increase isn’t quite as harsh as on the networks below as the cost of your device won’t be affected. It’s far from ideal but it could be worse.
Useful link: Vodafone’s guide to their price increases
11th: O2 don’t increase the cost of your device
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O2 are the last network in this guide to only up the cost of your SIM only and usage plans while not upping the cost of your phone. Their price rises are based on the RPI rate for February with 3.9% added to that.
This year that meant O2 users saw a massive price increase of 17.7% on top of their already expensive plans. If you don’t like the increase you have to keep paying it until your contract expires.
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 you will end up paying more on your usage plan the longer you’re on your contract due to the price increase. So bear all that in mind before taking a contract with O2.
Useful link: Why O2 increase the cost of your plan mid-contract
Last place: EE raise costs on SIM only and phone contracts
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EE are in last place due to the fact that they increase costs on both SIM only and phone contracts. They do this according to the CPI rate for January with an added 3.9% on top of that.
That means that this year EE customers saw their bill go up by 14.4% on both kinds of contract. That’s not as high as O2’s percentage increase, but the fact it applies to phones means it will hit harder.
The cost of your plan will go up annually on these EE deals:
And EE are usually one of the most expensive networks in the first place, so this price increase stings even more. If you want to avoid big price increases we’d steer well clear of EE.
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