12 month SIM only deals

A 12 month sim only contract works in a simliar way to a pay monthly contract whereby you are given a set allowance of texts, minutes and data for a set monthly fee. The key difference is that you are only getting a SIM card, so have to supply your own phone. But this is great if you already have a phone and want to get a better deal on your monthly usage cost.

A 12 month SIM only deal can also help to improve your credit score and are generally easier to get accepted for when compared with a pay monthly phone contract, as the network or retailer is not having to subserdise a handset.

A 12 month sim only deal works in a similar way to a traditional mobile phone contract, just without the handset. Once you agree to the contract and are outside of your 14 day cooling off period you are tied to pay the contract amount every month for at least 12 months.

You can upgrade to a pay monthly phone contract but will usually have to pay a fee. Furthermore if you phone use are using with your sim only deal breaks you would have to supply a new phone in order to continue getting the benefits of the SIM deal.

A lot of people either use a 12 month sim only deal with a pre exisiting handset or buy a new phone sim free, this can work out cheaper than taking a phone on a longer contract due to the cost of the handset.

Most of the time a 12 month sim only contract can work out cheaper than a pay monthly phone contract, this is because you are only paying for your minutes, texts and data allowance. And then network or retailer is not having to allow for the cost of a handset.

Pros

• A 12 month SIM only contract is usually cheaper and offers better value than a pay as you go deal
• 12 month SIM onlys are usually easier to pass a credit check
• You get to keep your old handset

Cons

• 12 month SIM only contracts are not as flexible as 30 day SIM only deals
• You could be tied into a lengthy contract that you cannot get out of, without the time elapsing or paying a early termination fee

All 12 month sim only contracts will require them to perform a credit check to ensure that you are capable of making the agreed monthly payments. 

That said credit checks are usually easier to pass on sim only contracts as, the price does not include any handset costs.

A 30 day SIM only contract are the only exception to this rule, where some networks do offer no credit check SIM cards.