Fixed-price mobile deals vs annual rises

Some providers still offer genuinely fixed-price mobile contracts, with no mid-contract increases. This includes giffgaff, Talkmobile, ASDA Mobile, Lebara and iD Mobile, alongside a subset of Tesco Mobile deals.

Most other major UK mobile networks now apply fixed pounds-and-pence price rises during the minimum term of a contract.

Customers who want certainty can also avoid in-contract rises by choosing 30-day rolling SIM-only plans.

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At a glance: which providers offer fixed prices

A small number of mobile providers still guarantee fixed prices for the full length of a contract - a feature that has become more distinctive as mid-contract price rises have become common elsewhere.

Several networks lock in prices for the full contract term on at least some tariffs, including giffgaff, Talkmobile, Lebara, ASDA Mobile and iD Mobile.

Other providers such as SMARTY and VOXI operate on 30-day rolling plans. They do not apply mid-contract rises within each rolling term, so customers are not exposed to annual hikes while they remain on those plans.

Some networks that previously marketed "no rises" have since changed position. Sky Mobile dropped its guarantee and confirmed a mid-contract price rise in 2026. Tesco Mobile now only guarantees fixed prices on Clubcard Price deals, rather than across all tariffs.

By contrast, most major networks - including EE, O2, Vodafone and Three - continue to build scheduled price rises into their fixed-term contracts.

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Fixed price mobile deals (no mid-contract rises)

Mid-contract mobile price rises have become more common in the last few years, and in 2025-26 many customers will see increases of around £2-£2.50 per month.

New rules now require networks to state any mid-term rises in fixed pounds-and-pence at the point of sale, rather than linking them to inflation. This has made rises clearer and more predictable - but it has not stopped them.

Against this backdrop, a smaller group of providers stand out because they still guarantee that the monthly price will not change for the full contract term (or offer rolling plans that avoid in-contract rises altogether).

Below, we look at which networks currently offer genuinely fixed pricing, how those promises work in practice, and where any caveats apply.

ASDA Mobile

ASDA Mobile now offers fixed-price pay monthly contracts.

Customers can take either a 12-month or 24-month SIM-only plan, and the agreed monthly price is guaranteed not to rise during the full minimum term of the contract.

This marks a change from ASDA Mobile's previous position, when its terms allowed for mid-contract price increases. Current fixed-price tariffs explicitly promise no in-contract rises.

GiffGaff

giffgaff has changed its position since earlier years, when it only offered rolling monthly plans and said prices could rise at any time.

It now offers 18-month pay monthly SIM-only contracts, and on these tariffs giffgaff commits to no mid-contract price rises for the full minimum term.

This means the monthly price agreed at sign-up is guaranteed not to increase during the 18-month contract period, even if market prices or inflation change.

giffgaff also continues to offer 30-day rolling plans. Because these are not fixed-term contracts, there is no mid-contract period in which a price rise can be applied. But like all rolling deals, giffgaff can change the monthly price with advance notice before you renew.

As a result, giffgaff now sits among the smaller group of providers that actively lock in prices on fixed-term contracts, rather than relying solely on rolling plans.

Talkmobile

Talkmobile offers both 12-month and 1-month SIM-only plans with no mid-contract price rises.

For customers who take a 12-month plan, the monthly price agreed at sign-up is guaranteed for the full minimum term of the contract.

On 1-month plans, there is no fixed minimum term, so customers are free to leave at any time. Talkmobile has confirmed in recent years that it would not introduce mid-term price rises on these rolling plans for both new and existing customers.

As with most providers, this guarantee applies to the core monthly plan price only. Talkmobile still reserves the right to change out-of-plan charges (for example, international calls, premium-rate services or add-ons).

Lebara

Lebara offers both 12-month and 1-month SIM-only plans with no mid-contract price rises.

For customers on a 12-month plan, the monthly price agreed at sign-up is guaranteed for the full length of the contract.

Lebara has operated this fixed-price approach since 2020, meaning it has consistently avoided the annual in-contract increases that many larger networks apply.

Lebara uses the Vodafone network to deliver coverage and performance.

The fixed-price promise applies to UK data, minutes and texts on both 30-day and 12-month SIM-only plans. However, it does not cover international calls, roaming charges or PAYG rates, which can still change separately.

iD Mobile

iD Mobile now operates a fixed-price model for its SIM-only pay-monthly plans - but this protection does not extend to handset contracts.

Since 15 January 2025, iD Mobile has guaranteed that prices will not rise mid-contract for all new and upgrading customers on 24-month, 12-month and 1-month SIM-only plans. For these deals, the monthly price agreed at sign-up remains the same for the full minimum term.

However, customers taking a handset plan (phone + airtime) are still subject to annual mid-contract price rises. These are currently set at £1.50 per month each April during the minimum contract period.

In practice, this means iD Mobile sits with other fixed-price providers for SIM-only deals - but not for handset contracts.

Tesco Mobile

Tesco Mobile now only guarantees fixed prices for the full contract term on its Clubcard Price deals.

Historically, Tesco Mobile was a pioneer of fixed pricing in the UK mobile market. In March 2013 it became the first major network to promise that customers' monthly bills would not rise during their contract.

However, this position changed on 27 March 2023. From that point, the "price freeze" guarantee was limited to customers taking Clubcard Price contracts. Customers who are not on a Clubcard deal, or who are out of contract, are now subject to annual price increases.

For contracts taken out from 17 December 2024 onwards, Tesco Mobile also moved to a new approach where any mid-contract rises must be stated in fixed pounds-and-pence at the point of sale, rather than being linked to inflation (CPI). The exact amount varies depending on the customer's plan, rather than being a single flat increase for everyone.

In practice, this means:

• Clubcard Price customers generally still receive a guaranteed fixed monthly price for the full length of their contract.
• Non-Clubcard customers will see scheduled in-contract price rises.
• Where rises do apply, the cash amount is provided when you sign up, and the increase is tailored to the specific tariff rather than being a one-size-fits-all figure.

For additional context:

• If you joined between 27 March 2023 and 16 December 2024 on a non-Clubcard Price deal, your monthly price rises each April by CPI + 3.9% until your minimum term ends.
• If you joined from 17 December 2024 on a non-Clubcard Price deal, your April price rise is set out in pounds and pence at the point of sale for the duration of your contract.

Tesco Mobile says this approach is intended to make increases proportionate to what each customer is paying, rather than applying the same cash rise to every tariff.

Read our full review of Tesco Mobile.

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Fixed-price rolling plans (no mid-contract rises)

Some mobile providers avoid mid-contract price rises by selling 30-day rolling plans instead of traditional 12- or 24-month contracts. These plans renew each month at the same price you signed up to.

Unlike fixed-term contracts, providers could change the price of a rolling plan in future - but if that happens, customers are free to leave without penalty. In practice, many rolling providers commit to keeping prices stable during each monthly term, so customers are not exposed to unexpected in-year increases while they remain on the same plan.

SMARTY

SMARTY operates on 30-day rolling SIM-only plans rather than traditional 12- or 24-month contracts.

SMARTY states that it does not apply annual price rises to its rolling plans. In other words, you are not subject to the typical April mid-contract increases that apply on many fixed-term contracts.

Because plans renew every month, the price you see when you sign up is guaranteed for that 30-day period. If SMARTY ever changed prices in future, customers could simply leave at the end of their monthly term without penalty.

In practice, SMARTY tends to keep pricing stable for existing customers, although it may change or reprice plans for new customers from time to time.

Key points for SMARTY customers:

• No annual price rises on rolling plans.
• Price is locked for each 30-day term you are on.
• You can cancel or switch at any time without exit fees.
• Plan prices may change for new customers in future, but this does not automatically affect existing customers on their current plan.

VOXI

VOXI uses simple 30-day subscriptions rather than long fixed contracts.

Because customers are not locked in, VOXI does not apply the annual mid-contract price rises that appear on many traditional pay-monthly plans.

The monthly price you agree to is what you pay for that 30-day period. If VOXI were to change prices in future, customers could simply cancel at the end of their term with no exit fees.

In practice, VOXI has tended to keep prices stable for existing customers, although it does update and reprice plans from time to time for new customers.

In short:

• No scheduled annual rises on VOXI's plans.
• Your price is effectively fixed for each 30-day term you stay on.
• You can cancel or switch at any time without penalty.
• Plan prices and data allowances may change for new customers in future.

Spusu

Spusu is a European mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) offering 30-day rolling SIM-only plans on the EE network.

The company markets itself on simplicity and transparency, saying it has "no hidden costs" and that customers "only pay for what you sign up for." Spusu positions this as a deliberate alternative to the annual mid-contract price rises commonly seen on larger UK networks.

Spusu has publicly committed that its monthly prices would not rise in 2025 or 2026, extending a price-freeze policy that it has now repeated for several consecutive years. In practice, this means customers can expect their monthly bill to remain the same while they stay on their chosen plan.

All Spusu plans are 30-day rolling, so customers are not tied into a long-term contract. However, unlike some other rolling providers, Spusu has also made a clear public commitment to keeping prices stable for existing customers during the stated freeze period.

Ecotalk

Ecotalk offers 30-day rolling SIM-only plans on the EE network.

The provider takes a clear stance on pricing, stating that it has "no price rises - ever" and does not apply annual or mid-contract increases to its mobile tariffs. In practice, this means the monthly price you sign up to is intended to remain the same for as long as you stay on that plan.

Because Ecotalk operates on a rolling 1-month basis, customers are not tied into a long-term contract and can leave at any time if their circumstances change.

Ecotalk was launched in 2018 by green entrepreneur Dale Vince (founder of Ecotricity). While it uses the EE network for coverage and performance, the company differentiates itself on sustainability, powering its operations with 100% green energy and reinvesting profits into environmental and rewilding projects in the UK.

Chattr

Chattr is a newer mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) offering 30-day rolling SIM-only plans on the O2 network.

The company positions itself as a low-cost, customer-friendly alternative, describing itself as "a new company dedicated to providing you with the best prices possible," and acknowledging that some customers may not have heard of the brand before.

Chattr explicitly markets its plans as having no annual price rises, meaning customers are not subject to scheduled mid-contract increases.

Because plans are rolling, customers can cancel at any time without penalty, so they are not locked into a long-term contract if terms or prices were ever to change.

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Mobile networks that raise prices

Most major UK mobile networks build scheduled price rises into their fixed-term contracts. This includes EE, O2, Three and Vodafone.

Where increases apply, they are now set out in fixed pounds-and-pence at the point of sale rather than being linked to inflation - but they still happen during the contract term.

How annual price rises work by provider

EE

Most fixed-term EE mobile contracts include a scheduled mid-contract price rise. Exactly what a customer pays depends on when they took out their plan.

• If you joined before April 2024: Many customers are still moving off older CPI-linked terms as their contracts end. As EE (and BT) phase these out, customers are being migrated to fixed cash increases instead, as set out in EE's 2026 update.
• If you joined between April 2024 and July 2025: Most in-contract EE customers saw their bills rise by £1.50 per month in April 2024.
• If you joined from July 2025 onwards: Newer contracts were sold with higher fixed cash rises, with many customers facing increases of up to £2.50 per month from July 2025.

In short, most fixed-term EE contracts include at least one scheduled mid-contract price rise. Only 30-day rolling plans avoid this.

Vodafone

Vodafone includes scheduled mid-contract price rises in most of its fixed-term mobile contracts. Exactly what a customer pays depends on when they took out their plan and which tariff they chose.

• If you joined before July 2024: Many customers were still on older inflation-linked (CPI + 3.9%) terms until their contracts ended. These legacy contracts are now being phased out in favour of fixed cash rises.
• If you joined between July 2024 and November 2025: Most in-contract Vodafone customers were sold plans with a fixed cash rise of £1.80 per month from July 2024, with SIM Only Basics plans rising by £1.
• If you joined from November 2025 onwards: Newer contracts were sold with higher fixed cash rises. From November 2025, Vodafone pay monthly mobile plans typically rise by £2.50 per month, while SIM Only Basics plans rise by £1.50 per month.

In short, most fixed-term Vodafone contracts include at least one scheduled mid-contract price rise. Only 30-day rolling plans avoid this.

O2

O2 pay-monthly customers are now subject to a standard mid-contract price rise of £2.50 per month on eligible plans. This applies across both new and existing customers on in-scope pay monthly tariffs.

This is a relatively recent change. For 2025, O2 had already moved to fixed pounds-and-pence increases, with many plans set to rise by £1.80 per month. From 23 October 2025, O2 increased the standard in-contract rise to £2.50 per month.

Before these fixed-cash rises were introduced, O2 (like several other networks) used inflation-linked increases based on RPI or RPI + 3.9%. Those older approaches have now been replaced by fixed amounts.

The October 2025 change prompted renewed criticism of mid-contract price rises because, unlike most other networks, O2 applied the higher £2.50 rise to both new and existing customers rather than only to new contracts. This led to calls for Ofcom to reassess the rules, while the government ultimately ruled out a ban on mid-contract price hikes.

Three

Three now applies fixed pounds-and-pence annual price rises to most pay-monthly plans, using a tiered approach based on how much data you take.

For new and recontracting customers from November 2025 onwards, the typical increases set out at sign-up are:

• 4GB or less: £1.80 per month (up from £1)
• 5GB-99GB: £1.90 per month (up from £1.25)
• 100GB or more: £2.30 per month (up from £1.50)
• 4G/5G home broadband: £3.50 per month (up from £2)

These higher cash rises were confirmed when Three updated its terms in November 2025.

For contracts taken out between September 2024 and November 2025, customers were on an earlier, lower tiered model following Three's shift to pounds-and-pence increases in September 2024. Typical rises were:

• 4GB or less: £1 per month
• 5GB-99GB: £1.25 per month
• 100GB or more: £1.50 per month
• 4G/5G home broadband: £2 per month

In practice, the exact increase you face depends on when you took out your contract and your plan's data allowance. The amount is stated in cash terms at the point of sale and applies each April during your minimum term.

How this compares to the past:

• Contracts taken between 29 October 2020 and 31 October 2022 were subject to a fixed 4.5% rise each April.
• Contracts taken from 1 November 2022 moved to CPI + 3.9% before Three switched to cash-based rises in 2024.

Three's tiered approach is arguably more progressive than a single flat rise, as customers on lower-data plans typically face smaller increases than heavy users or home broadband customers.

So far, the approved Vodafone-Three merger has not changed Three's approach to these tiered price rises.

Sky Mobile

Sky Mobile no longer offers a blanket "no mid-contract price rises" promise.

In February 2026, Sky applied a £1.50 per month increase to all in-contract pay-monthly mobile customers, marking a clear break from its previous position. This followed a change in 2025, when Sky moved to terms stating that prices may rise during the minimum contract period.

However, Sky has committed to giving customers 30 days' notice before any in-contract increase and allowing them to leave their contract early without paying an early termination fee if they do not accept the change - mirroring the approach it already uses on Sky broadband and TV.

In practice, this means:

• Sky Mobile can now apply mid-contract price rises.
• When this happens, customers must be notified in advance.
• Customers who reject the increase can cancel without penalty within 30 days of being notified.

Historically, Sky Mobile had positioned itself differently from other major networks. It did not apply routine annual rises like CPI/RPI-linked increases, and when Sky increased the prices of its broadband and TV services in April 2022, Sky Mobile prices were not raised at that time. That stance has now effectively ended.

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Why do mobile prices go up?

Mobile networks give a mix of commercial and regulatory reasons for raising prices each year. Some of these are genuine cost pressures; others reflect how contracts and regulation now work in practice.

A major justification from the four mobile network operators (EE/BT, O2, Three and Vodafone) is continued investment in their networks. Over recent years, all four have been required to expand and upgrade coverage. For example, they committed to expanding their individual 4G networks to cover 88% of the UK by 2024 and 90% by 2026, backed by a shared £500m investment programme, as set out in Ofcom's 2020 coverage commitments. This included plans for 222 new shared sites between O2, Vodafone and Three, as detailed in their joint rollout plans, alongside upgrades to hundreds of existing EE sites to improve 4G capacity and reliability, described in EE's network upgrade programme.

Alongside these 4G obligations, all four operators have been rolling out nationwide 5G. Building and maintaining these networks is expensive, and operators argue that some of these costs inevitably feed through into customer bills.

Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) - such as iD Mobile, giffgaff, Lebara or ASDA Mobile - do not run their own masts, but they still face rising wholesale costs from the networks they rely on. In recent years, however, several MVNOs have chosen to absorb these pressures and offer fixed prices instead of passing rises on to customers.

Beyond network investment, providers also cite other reasons for higher prices, including:

• Upgrading IT and billing systems
• Improving customer support and fraud prevention
• Meeting new regulatory requirements
• Expanding product features (for example, 5G access or extra roaming allowances)

Regulation and how it shapes price rises today

From 2024, Ofcom banned inflation-linked mid-contract price rises on new mobile contracts, so providers can no longer use open-ended formulas such as "CPI + 3.9%". Instead, any future increases must be stated clearly in fixed pounds and pence at the point of sale, as set out in Ofcom's ban on inflation-linked rises.

This change improved transparency - customers now know in advance exactly how much their bill will rise - but it did not stop mid-contract increases altogether. In practice, many networks converted percentage rises into higher cash amounts instead.

As a result, several providers increased the cash value of their annual rises in 2025, which prompted renewed criticism and calls for Ofcom to revisit the rules, including industry and consumer groups urging a reassessment of mid-contract price rises.

For a fuller explanation of how these rules work in practice, and what they mean for customers, see our guide to mid-contract price rises in the UK.

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Summary: fixed prices are increasingly common - but not on the big networks

Fixed-price mobile deals are now far more widely available than they once were, particularly for SIM-only customers. A growing number of MVNOs (such as iD Mobile, giffgaff, Talkmobile, Lebara and ASDA Mobile) now guarantee that your monthly price will not rise during your contract, making them an increasingly strong option for customers who want certainty and value.

However, the four major mobile networks - EE, O2, Vodafone and Three - still build annual mid-contract price rises into most of their pay-monthly contracts. Since 2024, these rises must be stated upfront in fixed pounds and pence rather than being linked to inflation, which makes them clearer but not necessarily cheaper.

In fact, recent increases of around £1.50-£2.50 per month mean that cash-based rises can sometimes work out higher than the old inflation-linked formulas. This has made fixed-price MVNO deals look even more attractive for customers on a budget, or those who simply want pricing certainty.

If a network ever tried to impose an increase that was not clearly set out in your contract - for example, charging more than the stated amount or adding an extra rise - they would be required to notify you and give you the right to leave penalty-free.

Switching mobile providers remains one of the most effective ways to protect yourself from rising costs. When taking out a contract, pay close attention to any stated annual increase, and don't ignore the end-of-contract notifications that networks must send you.