Pay as you go, not a fortune

Your phone will likely be your go-to communication, navigation, web-surfing device while you're at university. You will need to partner your phone with a good network/sim so you get your desired minutes, data, and bonuses without breaking the bank.

If you really want to save money, we strongly recommend you buy your phone outright and get a sim-only deal, rather than locking yourself into an expensive 12 - 24-month contract. Yes, you will have to pay a large sum initially but you will save a larger amount in the long term and will be free to change your phone network anytime you want (your future self will thank you, trust us). Here are the best phone network sim-only deals we could find online:

Giff Gaff - all-rounder

• Price (monthly) - £10.00
• Texts - Unlimited (UK only)
  
• Calls - Unlimited (UK only)
  
• Data (5G) - 20 GB
  

Bonuses - 1GB of data reserved if you run out (after your third month of paying), flexible plan (change plan or cancel anytime) and use 5GB to roam in the EU.

Voxi - best for social media

• Price (monthly) - £10.00
• Texts - Unlimited (UK only)
  
• Calls - Unlimited (UK only)
  
• Data (5G) - 15 GB
  

Bonuses - Unlimited social media use (using certain apps doesn't eat up your data), flexible plan and improved Wi-Fi calling.

Asda mobile - cheapest deal

• Price (monthly) - £5.00
• Texts - Unlimited (UK only)
  
• Calls - Unlimited (UK only)
  
• Data (4G) - 3GB
  

Bonuses - Flexible plan and roam in 46 European destinations.

Virgin mobile - best for data

• Price (monthly) - £9.99
• Texts - Unlimited (UK only)
• Calls - Unlimited (UK only)
  
• Data (5G) - 30GB
  

Bonuses - Flexible plan, unused data rolls over into the next month, data-free messaging on Whatsapp, Facebook messenger and X (the app formally known as Twitter).

Vodafone - biggest commitment

• Price (12 months) - £8.00
• Texts - Unlimited (UK only)
  
• Calls - Unlimited (UK only)
  
• Data (5G) - 25GB
  

Bonuses - Get exclusive offers on a variety of products and services with the VeryMe Rewards app.

There are plenty of other deals out there too, keep checking and changing your plan around to get the most bang for your buck.