What is a rolling contract?

An 18, 24 or even 36-month contract can feel like a noose around your neck if you’re bored with your existing mobile phone or looking for ways to cut monthly bills, because some networks won’t let you upgrade your phone or switch onto a cheaper deal until the existing contract expires.

But now some networks have realised that certain customers need greater flexibility so have begun introducing “rolling contracts” - merging the flexibility of pay-as-you-go with the benefits of pay-monthly.

What is a rolling mobile phone contract?

A rolling contract is one that doesn’t have a specific end date and which can be cancelled at short notice - normally 30 days.

You’ll still be committing yourself to paying a fixed sum each month by direct debit, but if your financial circumstances change - or you just fancy a new phone - then you’ll be able to opt out of the package by giving your network 30 days notice.

Compare rolling contracts.

Rolling contracts: For and against

The main benefit of rolling mobile phone contracts is that they offer you the flexibility to cancel with around 30 days notice, which could be handy if:

• You lose your job
• You move abroad
• You want to switch to a better value deal.

Another major benefit is that they include bundled talk minutes, texts and, in some instances, a mobile internet allowance - just like a normal long-term mobile phone contract.

For this reason, a rolling contract may offer you better value for money than a pay-as-you-go deal.

However, rolling contracts only include a sim card and not a free mobile phone - as most pay-monthly packages do. This shouldn’t be an issue if you’re happy with your existing phone, but could mean you incur considerable costs when it comes to replacing or upgrading your mobile as you’ll be forced to buy a sim-free phone. Read our guide to sim-free phones.

It’s also worth noting that you’ll still need to sign a contract with rolling deals, which could be a problem if you have a bad credit history.

What’s the best rolling contract?

Most of the major mobile networks already offer rolling contracts.

Three (www.three.co.uk), for example, offers six rolling contracts - each of which can be cancelled with just 30 days notice.

Monthly prices range between £10 and £25 per month, but it’s popular “The One Plan” - priced at £25 per month - is the most attractive because it includes:

• 2,000 any network minutes
• 5,000 Three-to-Three network minutes
• 5,000 texts
Unlimited mobile internet.

Compare Three rolling contracts.

O2 (www.o2.co.uk) has a range of rolling contracts priced between £10.50 and £46.00 per month, any of which you can cancel at one month’s notice. You can also customise your rolling contract by adding a set price bundle, such as a 1GB mobile internet plan.

Compare O2 rolling contracts.

XPERIA Z(black) £29.99	Unlimited min Unlimited texts	£27.00
Galaxy S4(white) £0.00	Unlimited min Unlimited texts	£37.00
One(black) £69.99	Unlimited min Unlimited texts	£27.00

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