Phone Contract or SIM-Free? Black Friday Costs Compared

Last updated: Thursday 12 November 2026.
By: Switch Editorial Team, Switch Squid Ltd

As of 12 November 2026, if the phone you already own still works, a SIM-only plan is the cheaper Black Friday option. Lebara’s 30GB plan is £3.20 every 30 days for the first six payments, then £8, which is £171.20 over 24 months (25 payments) through our link. If you need a handset, Mozillion’s refurbished iPhone 16e 128GB Good as New with 10GB is £25.63 a month plus £9 upfront on mozillion.com, or £624.12 over the same two years. A new Galaxy S26 256GB unlimited contract is £29.99 a month plus £29 upfront, or £795.56 over 24 months once you include iD Mobile’s £1.80 April rises.

This SwitchSquid guide is for anyone choosing between a 24-month phone contract and buying a phone SIM-free, then adding a SIM, during the November 2026 sales. Black Friday itself is Friday 27 November, but several of the offers compared here are already on sale. We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay.

How to compare a contract with SIM-free fairly

A phone contract rolls two bills into one monthly figure: the handset, spread over 24 months, and the airtime for data, calls and texts. Buying SIM-free means you pay for the phone separately — in cash, or on a finance plan from the shop — and then choose a SIM-only plan to go with it. The only fair test is the total over the same 24 months, including the upfront cost and any April price rises, not the monthly headline on its own.

If you already have a phone that still works, leave the handset cost at zero and compare only the airtime. That is usually where the biggest November saving sits. If you do need a new or refurbished phone, add the SIM-free price you are quoted to 24 months of a SIM plan, then set that total against the contract, including rises. Our phone contract versus SIM-free explainer covers the same method in more general terms; the table below uses prices as of 12 November 2026.

Black Friday costs compared, as of 12 November 2026

These totals assume you keep the plan for 24 months. Rolling SIMs can be left sooner, which is part of their value. Contract totals for iD Mobile include the April rises that already apply to that plan.

The pattern is straightforward. Keeping the phone you have, and paying for airtime only, undercuts every handset option in the table. Once you need a phone, a refurbished 16e contract at £624.12 undercuts a new iPhone 17e bought on Apple’s 0% finance plus a cheap SIM, because the Apple handset alone is £698.88 over 24 months. A new Galaxy S26 unlimited contract at £795.56, including rises, sits between those two iPhone routes and includes far more data than the Mozillion plan — but you are tied in for two years, and the phone is eSIM only.

If you already have a phone that works

This is the cheapest Black Friday decision for most people. You are not shopping for a handset at all. You are shopping for 24 months of data, calls and texts, and you can leave a rolling plan if a later offer is better.

Lebara’s 30GB partner exclusive through our link is the cheapest plan in the table: six payments at £3.20 and 19 payments at £8 is £171.20 over 24 months (25 payments), or £75.20 in the first year (13 payments). That is the Lebara offer in the box above. We cover the Lebara terms in Lebara Black Friday SIM Deal.

That SIM is billed every 30 days, with no mid-contract price rise. That matters in November, because Black Friday is still a fortnight away and Cyber Monday is 30 November. A rolling plan lets you take a price you can see now, then move if a later deal is genuinely cheaper for the same data. A 24-month handset contract does not give you that option without paying the remaining months.

If you need a new or refurbished phone

Here the job is to add the handset and the airtime together. Mozillion’s refurbished iPhone 16e 128GB, in Good as New condition, is £25.63 a month plus £9 upfront on mozillion.com, as of 12 November 2026, on a 24-month plan with 10GB, unlimited UK calls and texts, and no mid-contract price rise on this plan. The 24-month total is £624.12. That is a low upfront cost, but 10GB will not suit heavy streamers. We set this plan out fully in Black Friday refurbished iPhone contracts.

If you want a brand-new phone, set the contract against the shop’s own SIM-free price plus a SIM. As of 12 November 2026, Apple’s UK store prices the iPhone 18 Pro from £1,199 and shows the iPhone 17e on a 24-month 0% plan at £29.12 a month, which is £698.88 for the handset alone. Add Lebara’s £171.20 through our link and the 17e option is £870.08 over two years — more than the refurbished 16e contract, in return for a new phone and your own choice of SIM. The iPhone 18 Pro option, at £1,370.20 with the same SIM, only wins if you specifically want that flagship and can pay for it.

The strongest new Android contract in this comparison is the Galaxy S26 256GB unlimited plan from Mobiles.co.uk, on iD Mobile: £29.99 a month plus £29 upfront. The headline 24-month total is £748.76. Include the £1.80 April rises — five months at £29.99, twelve at £31.79 from April 2027, and seven at £33.59 from April 2028, plus the £29 upfront — and the real total is £795.56. The phone is eSIM only, there is no gift on this tariff, and you will need a credit check. That is still cheaper than the iPhone 18 Pro SIM-free route, and it includes unlimited data, which the Mozillion 16e plan does not. More detail sits in Galaxy S26 Black Friday Deals 2026.

When a contract still makes sense

A contract is not automatically the expensive option. It wins when you need to spread a handset you cannot buy outright, when a refurbished plan such as the iPhone 16e comes in below the SIM-free price of a comparable phone plus a SIM, or when the airtime on the contract is genuinely generous — the Galaxy S26 unlimited plan is the example in this guide. It also suits you if you prefer one bill and are comfortable with a credit check and a 24-month term.

It is usually the weaker option if your current phone is fine, if you want the freedom to change network in December, or if the contract’s data is far below what a cheap SIM would give you. The Mozillion 16e plan at 10GB is cheaper than a new iPhone over 24 months, but a 30GB or 50GB SIM on a phone you already own is cheaper still.

Important conditions

• 24-month contracts: leaving early usually means paying the remaining monthly charges. Credit checks are normal on pay-monthly handset plans.

• April rises: the Galaxy S26 iD Mobile plan rises by £1.80 a month each April. The Mozillion iPhone 16e plan and the Lebara SIM in this guide do not carry an annual rise.

• Lebara partner exclusive: the £3.20 then £8 price is for new customers through our link. Confirm the price, the 30GB allowance and any end date in the basket. After the first six payments, it is £8 every 30 days — the same as Lebara’s standard 30GB Exclusive Monthly Plan.

• Galaxy S26: this unlimited tariff is eSIM only, and there is no gift with this plan.

• Refurbished condition: Mozillion’s iPhone 16e is Good as New, not a new handset. Read the grade and warranty on the plan page before you order.

• Availability: handset stock and SIM offers can change. The prices above are as of 12 November 2026. Confirm them in the basket before you pay.

How to switch and keep your number

If you are only changing the SIM, text PAC to 65075 from your current phone, then give that code to the new provider when you order. If you are leaving a handset contract and want to keep the number, the same PAC process applies, but check any remaining device payments first. Ofcom’s switching rules are designed so you should not have to negotiate a cancellation call just to move a number; the Ofcom switching guide sets out the steps.

For a SIM-free phone, make sure the handset is unlocked, or that the seller will unlock it, before you order the SIM. Then put the new SIM or eSIM in once the number has moved. A rolling SIM is the simpler way to do this in November, because you are not starting another 24-month clock on the airtime.

Fit summary

Good for a rolling SIM: you are happy with the phone you have, or you will buy a handset separately, and you want a price you can leave if a later November offer is better. That is £171.20 over 24 months on Lebara 30GB through our link.

Good for a refurbished contract: you want an iPhone, you can pay £9 upfront, and 10GB is enough. The Mozillion 16e plan is the lowest 24-month handset total in this comparison.

Good for a new-phone contract: you want a Galaxy S26 with unlimited data, you are comfortable with an eSIM-only handset and a credit check, and you have budgeted for the April rises to £31.79 and £33.59.

Consider something else if: you want a new iPhone 18 Pro — buy it SIM-free only if you are happy with a total above £1,300 over two years — or if you need a physical SIM on the S26 tariff, which this unlimited plan does not use.

FAQ

Is a phone contract or buying SIM-free cheaper at Black Friday 2026?

As of 12 November 2026, keeping the phone you already have and taking a SIM-only plan is cheaper than any handset contract in this guide. Lebara’s 30GB plan is £171.20 over 24 months (25 payments) through our link. If you need a phone, Mozillion’s refurbished iPhone 16e contract totals £624.12, which undercuts a new iPhone 17e on Apple’s 0% 24-month finance plus the same SIM, at £870.08. Always compare 24-month totals, including upfront costs and April rises, rather than monthly headlines.

How do I work out the 24-month cost of a phone contract?

Multiply the monthly price by 24, add the upfront cost, then add any April rises that fall inside the term. For the Galaxy S26 unlimited plan, that means five months at £29.99, twelve at £31.79 and seven at £33.59 if you start in November 2026, plus £29 upfront, which is £795.56. The headline figure of £748.76 leaves those rises out, so it is not the figure to budget with.

What does Lebara’s 30GB plan cost over two years?

Through our link, as of 12 November 2026, it is £3.20 every 30 days for the first six payments and £8 every 30 days after that. That is £75.20 in the first year (13 payments) and £171.20 over 24 months (25 payments), with 30GB and unlimited UK calls and texts on a rolling plan. It is a partner exclusive for new customers, so confirm the price in the basket, because lebara.co.uk shows the same 30GB plan at the standard £8.

Is 10GB enough on the Mozillion iPhone 16e contract?

It can be, if you use Wi-Fi at home and work and you are light on mobile video. It will feel tight if you stream, hotspot, or work from the phone on the move. The 24-month total of £624.12 is the reason to consider it, but a 30GB or 50GB SIM on a phone you already own will usually be the more comfortable allowance, and a cheaper one.

Do I need a credit check for a SIM-only plan?

The Lebara rolling plan in this guide does not use a credit check. A 24-month phone contract, including the Mozillion iPhone 16e plan and the Galaxy S26 iD Mobile plan, normally does. If you want to avoid a credit check, buy a SIM-free phone with cash where you can, and put a rolling SIM in it.

Can I keep my number if I go SIM-free?

Yes. Text PAC to 65075 from your current phone and give the code to the new SIM provider when you order. The phone itself is just the handset; the number sits on the SIM or eSIM. Do this before you give up the old SIM, and check the new phone is unlocked, or will be unlocked, so the new SIM will work in it.

Does the Galaxy S26 contract go up in April?

Yes. The unlimited iD Mobile plan in this comparison rises by £1.80 a month each April, to £31.79 from April 2027 and £33.59 from April 2028, as of 12 November 2026. Over a November start, that takes the 24-month total from a headline £748.76 to £795.56 including the £29 upfront. Confirm the rises in the basket, and note that this tariff is eSIM only.

Should I wait until Black Friday on 27 November to buy?

You do not have to. Black Friday 2026 is Friday 27 November, with Cyber Monday on 30 November, and some November offers are already available — including the Lebara, Mozillion and Galaxy S26 plans compared here. A rolling SIM is the flexible way to buy now, because you can move later if a better price appears. A 24-month contract is a two-year decision, so only sign it if the 24-month total already works for you.

The short answer

As of 12 November 2026, the cheaper Black Friday option is to keep the phone you have and take a rolling SIM. Lebara 30GB is £171.20 over 24 months (25 payments) through our link. If you need a handset, the Mozillion iPhone 16e contract at £624.12 is the lowest 24-month total in this comparison, and the Galaxy S26 unlimited contract is £795.56 once April rises are included. Confirm every figure in the basket before you pay.