The best way to be sure of how much data you need is to monitor how of much of it you're using every month. Easy ways to keep track of your mobile data We'll show you how to keep track of your data usage, so next time you come to upgrade you'll have a better understanding of how much data you're chewing through each month. So be wary of contracts that have data in the double digits and unlimited data contracts - you could be overpaying significantly for what you're actually using. If you're not looking to stream content in this way, it's unlikely that you'll need more than a few gigabytes every month, despite what a charismatic salesperson might say. But unless your package is truly unlimited you should still know how to keep track of how much you're using.Īs you can see from the table below, which is based on the average 4G speeds in the UK across the 'big four' providers, it doesn't take long to eat up data if you're streaming audio and video. Newer phones and flagship handsets, such as the Samsung Galaxy range and iPhones, are likely to come with big data contracts because providers want to charge more for the phones people are clamouring for.įor people who like to consume media on the move – and outside of a wi-fi connection, this might make sense. As a result, it tends to be data that drives the price of a phone contract - the more you get the more you pay. Many contracts now offer unlimited minutes and texts.
600 MB - download a regular (non-HD) 45 minute TV show from iTunes.
70 MB - stream one hour of high quality music thorough Spotify.1.5 MB - send 100 emails (without attachments).Looking to change provider? Find out which ones we rate highest in our page on the best mobile providers. In this guide, we'll show you simple ways to manage your data and minutes and how to make them go further by making a few small changes to your mobile habits. The good news is that monitoring your usage is a doddle and most of the simple tasks we use our phones for every day, such as checking emails, don't use much data at all.