With the cost of living in the UK hitting students particularly hard, cutting back extra costs where possible is more important than ever before. Whether that be through teaming up with your housemates to pay for a household Netflix subscription or opting out of upgrading to the latest phone, you could be saving yourself large sums of money in the space of a year.

In fact, Uswitch.com mobile experts have revealed that you could be saving on average £321.71 per year, or £26.80 per month^[1] just by switching to a SIM only contract.

That saves you enough for a Netflix, Amazon Prime and Spotify Premium subscription^[2]!

Exclusive deal: You can get a 15GB SIM only deal for as little as £2.78 a month, with Lebara & Uswitch.com 

Uswitch.com’s exclusive deal with Lebara means that you could be paying as little as £69.09 per year for unlimited texts and minutes and 15GB of data a month.  

Uswitch.com exclusive deal specifications:

Running off the Vodafone network, this deal includes guaranteed 4G coverage across 98% of the UK, as well as 5G coverage available in a number of locations. On top of this, Lebara Mobile gives you the freedom to cancel or switch your tariff at any time because you’re not locked into a contract. Even better, you won’t need to pass a credit check, making it really fast and simple to sign up.

How can you make the switch to a SIM only contract? Uswitch.com mobiles expert, Catherine Hiley, at Uswitch has provided five simple tips to make sure that you find the best deal for you:

1. Check your current phone contract: Once you’re nearing the end of your phone contract, it’s important to assess whether you really need the new phone upgrade that your network provider will try to upsell to you. You could save hundreds of pounds by keeping your existing phone and shopping around for a SIM only deal that fulfills all your needs.
2. Consider how much data you require: Your current contract may have unlimited or a high data allowance, which means you never have to worry about running out. However, the average data usage was only 2.3GB of data a month per person in the UK in 2021^[3]. This isn’t necessarily that surprising, as the majority of us have Wi-Fi at home and in our workplaces. Check your monthly phone bills to see how much you use each month to assess which SIM only deal is best for you.
3. Consider the length of your contract: While phone contracts usually last 24 months, once your phone is paid off and you switch to a SIM only deal, you will have the benefit of shorter contract periods or even no contract at all. This means you can opt out at any time.
4. Use comparison sites to get best exclusive deals:  Sites like Uswitch.com will allow you to shop around for great SIM only deals, comparing deals from all of the major networks, while also featuring exclusive monthly deals.
5. Check the network coverage and speed: Before purchasing your SIM only deal, check the network coverage and speed to make sure it’s compatible with your needs and the area that you live in.

Uswitch.com mobiles expert, Catherine Hiley comments: “While students desperately look for ways that they can reduce their monthly spends, phone contracts are often overlooked. On  average, the UK population spends five hours on screens^[4] outside of work and study, making their large phone bills seem justifiable. However, by not updating your handset and being savvy with data usage, you could be saving yourself hundreds of pounds a year by opting for a SIM only contract.

“Whether you’re an undergraduate student living off a student loan or a postgraduate student juggling your studies with part time work, we could all benefit from cutting down costs. Switching to a SIM only deal for as little as £69.09 a year will free up extra cash to support your increased expenses and even contribute an extra few hundred pounds to your savings.”

To find out more about the exclusive Lebara SIM only deal, visit Uswitch’s deals page now.