Despite the year we’ve had, Black Friday is still shaping up to a good time to bag a bargain, and Sim-only deals are typically on offer from all the big providers.
We’ll be keeping a sharp eye out for the very best, and will be updating our list as and when providers jump on board.
Our experts will scrutinise the deals and any hidden surprises; we’ll only recommend deals we consider to be good value, based on our extensive pricing knowledge.
But you’ll also need to consider the deal and network that best suits your needs, before you buy. Read on for more.
Be sure to check our list of the best and worst UK mobile networks to get the full story behind your provider.
How to get the best deal on a new mobile contract
There are a range of things to consider when shopping for a new Sim-only deal.
Work out if you’ll benefit
You’ll need to decide whether you prefer to be on a rolling monthly plan that offers the flexibility of changing at any time, or tying yourself down to a contract period – typically 12 or 18 months.
We’d expect to see better deals on contracts. Typically providers offer money off the usual monthly fee as part of a Black Friday promotion, or a data boost for the same price. You might also see streaming services added in at no extra cost: last year Vodafone offered a choice of Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, NOW TV and Sky Sports Mobile with its Entertainment bundles.
Compare and contrast though – if you won’t use the extra data, or the streaming service, you may still be better off with a rolling monthly Sim, if you can get it at a good price. We can help you work out how much data and how many minutes you really need, so you can see if you could settle for a smaller and cheaper bundle.
Read our guide to TV streaming services for reviews of Netflix, Britbox, Disney + and more.
Are you better off with a phone on contract?
Black Friday will also bring its fair share of contract deals, so if you’re in the market for a new phone, it’s worth looking at these as well. If you can afford to purchase a handset outright and get a Sim-only deal, it’s often cheaper in the long run, but this isn’t always the case.
Use our phone contract calculator to compare deals when you see them, and read our guide on how to get the best mobile phone deal on contract.
5G or no 5G?
As the new super-fast standard, expect to see deals on 5G Sims this Black Friday. You’ll need a 5G-compatible phone to use it, though thankfully this needn’t cost much – you can now find models for under £300.
You’ll also need to make sure you have 5G in your area. Use our mobile phone coverage map to see whether 5G is available where you live, and for more information, read our guide to 5G .
Should you stay or should you go?
If you’ve found a deal that you like, but you’re otherwise happy with your provider, you might be a bit reluctant to switch. You could try haggling with your mobile provider to see if they can match or better the deal, but if they won’t, switching might be your best option. Fortunately it’s pretty easy to do – our guide on how to switch mobile network provider explains how.
Get to know your new provider
Before you switch, it’s worth looking into your new provider to make sure they tick the boxes. We regularly survey customers of 13 major mobile networks to find out their views on everything from customer service and ease of contacting the provider. Read our Our detailed mobile provider reviews for more.
You can read more about Sim-only packages in our guide to getting the best Sim-only deal, which has a round-up of the best deals each month.
What to look out for on Black Friday
At Which?, we will be across all the Black Friday deals from all the most popular retailers.
Check our Black Friday Hub to find out all the deals, whether you are on the lookout for a new TV or appliance.
We will be keeping you up to date with all the deals and you can be sure that all the products we score have done well in our independent lab tests – although we recommend you take a look at our rigorous reviews to see if it’s right for you.
