3 Tips to Help You Choose a Data Only Sim Plan

Author: Sudarsan Chakraborty

The way we use our smartphones has changed over the past decade and this can be attributed to the increased speeds of mobile networks. If you are looking to upgrade your current plan without purchasing a new device, data only sim plans make a lot of sense. All carriers offer some sort of data only sim plan meaning that you have plenty of choices. To make things easier, here are 3 tips that should help you make a better decision when choosing a new plan.

Tip#1: Dollars/GB

A good way to check if you are getting a good value or if you are not overpaying is to divide the price of the plan by the number of GB of data you are getting. The resulting number is in fact how much you are paying for each GB of data. You can apply this means of calculation to all the data only sim plans that may seem appealing to you.

One thing that you will notice is that the ratio is not the same from one plan to another, even if you are looking at the plans from just one carrier. The more you get, the cheaper data traffic becomes. You will also notice that the pricing fluctuates a lot from one carrier to another. What you should do is limit your search to plans from different carriers that include the exact number of GB of data that you think you need. For example, if you need 50 GB of data per month, look at plans for 50 GB or if a carrier does not have a 50 GB plan, you can look at 40 or 60 GB.

Tip#2: Rollover data traffic

Rollover data traffic is something that some carriers offer. It may be tempting to get a plan with rollover data traffic but in reality, you rarely use that feature. What it does is carry over the unused traffic allowance from one month to another. It is also set to expire if you do not use it in the following month. There are plenty of data only sim plans that have this feature.

Ideally, a rollover should not be something to get excited about. If you have rollover traffic then it means that your plan includes way more data traffic than what you need. It simply does not make sense to have it.

Tip#3: Avoid add-ons and additional data plans

A common mistake is to have a base plan with some data traffic, talk time, and SMS traffic and add extra data traffic on top. This will increase your cost per GB. You save more money by just giving up on your current plan and getting a new one that already has plenty of data included in the base plan. The goal is to get a plan that offers you only the services that you need. If you do not need a voice, just look at data only sim plans.

One thing to remember is that if you sign a contract for a subscription, you are locked into that contract for 12 to 24 months depending on the contract and type of data only sim plans you are signing up for. You need to ensure that the base plan for which you are signing up is suitable for your needs so you can avoid paying for something that you do not need until the end of the contract.