Sky Mobile's data rollover Piggybank benefit: all pros and cons

Data rollover on Sky Mobile in a nutshell

Sky’s “Piggybank” is what is called a data rollover benefit, where you get another chance to use the data you didn’t get through in a month. Other networks with data rollover let you keep data for your next month, but Sky are a bit different.

Instead of your “rolled over” data disappearing after the next month, any data you don’t get through will be saved in your Piggybank for up to 3 years. You can withdraw data from your Piggybank whenever you like in 1GB increments.

It’s all done automatically at the end of each month, so there’s no hassle. And it will deposit all your unused data to the exact MB. And every Sky Mobile user gets access to a Piggybank at no added cost.

So from that, you can see there’s a lot to like about this benefit. But there are a few more details worth knowing, a few downsides and a few other networks with similar or even better benefits that are worth considering. So let’s go through all that.

Useful link: Our full Sky Mobile network review

You get another chance to use the data you’ve paid for

It’s annoying to lose the data you already paid for at the end of each month, which is the case on most networks, so it’s great that Sky roll over all your unused data so you can get the most value possible out of your plan.

Your usage will vary from month to month. So it’s good to have a bit in the bank in case you use up your entire allowance one month, while it’s nice to keep the data you don’t get through if your usage is lower for one month.

Admittedly, if you’re rolling over loads of data every month then you’d be better off just going with a smaller plan. That’s one disadvantage of data rollover that we go into further down the page.

In any case, the fact it’s a free benefit that comes on all plans means it’s great for getting better value out of your plan as you’re not wasting money on data that disappears at the end of the month.

Useful link: All the UK networks that offer data rollover

Share data with other users on your account

While Sky don’t offer any discounts for adding extra plans to your account, they’re one of the few networks that let you gift data to other users you’ve added to your account, as you can share data between your different piggybanks.

That means if you have one user on your account who often goes over their allowance, you won’t have to worry about spending loads on data add-ons. The Piggybank essentially works as a cushion to help prevent overspending.

You can’t share data from your allowance directly, only data that’s been rolled over. So if you and the users on your account never roll over any data then you won’t get anything out of the facility.

Finally, only the main account holder can gift data from the Piggybank. This gives you full control over how your data is used, which is great if you’ve set up a family account and don’t want your kids taking out data without permission.

Useful link: How to share your Sky Piggybank with other users

Trade in unused data for discounts off devices

If you find you’re saving up more rolled over data than you’ll ever need, then you might like the fact that Sky Mobile let you trade in your unused data for money off phones, tablets and other devices. It’s called Piggybank Rewards.

Essentially, the money you’ve saved is converted into savings on the overall cost of the device you’re upgrading to. You can’t get money off your contract while you’re on it, however.

We’re not exactly sure what the exchange rate of GB per pound is, however Sky say that rewards change from time to time. This might mean there are extra money saving offers now and again.

It’s a nice added benefit if you’re looking to upgrade to a new device. It would be good if you could trade in unused data for money off your SIM only plan too though.

Useful link: Sky’s full range of phone contracts

You might just be better off taking a smaller plan

Our main issue with data rollover schemes is that if you’re on the right data plan then you shouldn’t be rolling over much data anyway. It’s only really useful if your usage changes wildly from month to month.

If you always get through your data allowance, then Sky’s Piggybank won’t be useful for you. If you hardly use up any data on your plan, then you’re better off switching to a cheaper one.

Sky let you switch plans month to month anyway. So if you’re on a plan that offers more data than you need, you can change to a smaller one at any time. You get the Piggybank benefit on all plans and you don’t have to worry about losing your data.

In any case, we’d say it’s more important to be on a plan that suits your budget and needs, rather than collecting as much rolled over data as possible to avoid possible overcharges or get money off devices later.

Useful link: Compare Sky Mobile SIM only plans

You can only withdraw data in 1GB increments

Another notable drawback of Sky’s Piggybank benefit is that you can only withdraw data 1GB at a time, rather than just taking out the amount you want. And you have to have 1GB saved up before you can withdraw.

It’s one disadvantage of Sky’s Piggybank when compared to other data rollover schemes that let you use your unused data right away. It would be better if you could withdraw as much as you wanted when you wanted.

Because you have to have 1GB saved up, you might run into issues early in your contract if you go over your allowance. Even if you have 900MB saved up, you won’t be able to withdraw it. Instead, you’ll have to buy a data add-on or wait until next month.

Again, it’s ideal that you never have to rely on data rollover in the first place. But we’d say Sky’s scheme is better in the long term, while other data rollover schemes might be more useful in the short term.

Useful link: See all networks that offer data rollover

All networks that offer data rollover schemes

To know whether or not Sky’s Piggybank is good for you, you’ll have to know which other networks offer similar benefits and how they differ.

There are a good number of networks that offer data rollover schemes, most of which are pretty standard. They let you use your leftover data in your next month. Only Sky let you keep it for longer.

Some of these other networks (such as iD Mobile or Virgin Mobile) are typically cheaper than Sky Mobile. So you do have to weigh up if Sky’s Piggybank (and other benefits) are worth the extra cost for you.

However, SMARTY offer special plans that give you money back for your unused data. It’s £1 for every 1GB unused data, but SMARTY give you back every penny down to the exact MB of unused data (see our full guide here).

Useful link: Our full Virgin Mobile vs Sky Mobile review