Data: Everything you need to know about mobile data

Here you can find out everything you need to know about your data, minutes and messages with iD Mobile.

Mobile data is what allows your phone to connect to the internet when you’re not connected to Wi-Fi. You can use it to browse the internet, download music or videos and run apps while you’re on the go.

With a Pay monthly plan, a set amount of data is included to use. If you are a Pay as you go customer, you can opt to purchase a bundle where data is included or use data from your credit after topping up.

The fastest way to check your data allowance is to log into My Account on the iD Mobile website or to use the iD Mobile app. Here you can view your remaining allowances for data, minutes and messages.

Data Rollover is where all your unused monthly data is transferred to the next month, giving you another opportunity to use it. This is a free service that is now available on all new iD Mobile plans.

Any data that rolls over into a new month is used first, before dipping in to your usual monthly data allowance. You have all month to use up any rollover data.

You’ll be charged at our out-of-plan data rates for any additional data you use outside of your monthly data allowance (that isn’t rollover data). You can also be charged for using data abroad. With iD Mobile, you can use your monthly data allowance in any of our 50 Inclusive Roaming destinations, but if you are abroad elsewhere (or if you run out of data in an Inclusive Roaming destination), you’ll be charged at our international roaming rates.

Sometimes you can use more data in a month than you expect to, which can leave you with an unwanted bill. That’s why we provide our bill capping feature that allows you to limit your monthly spending to an affordable amount that works for you.

Here’s how our bill capping feature works:

• Choose your cap
  Choose an out-of-plan spend cap between £0 and £25 when you buy your plan
• Never pay more than your cap
  We won’t charge you more than your cap, even if you use up your allowance
• Change your cap at any time
  It’s easy to adjust your cap with the iD Mobile App or My Account online

Please note the cost of buying an add-on doesn’t count towards your cap. You can also buy add-ons when your cap has been reached.

To set up your Bill Cap, simply:

• Log in to the iD Mobile App or My Account online
• Go to Services > Cap my extra usage charges > Edit my capped limit
• Enter the amount you’d like to set your Bill Cap at
• Click Set cap

If you’re on an iD Mobile plan, you should have enough data in your allowance to last you the month, but these things don’t always go according to plan. Commutes can take longer than expected, resulting in additional browsing to stay occupied, and Wi-Fi can crash while working from home, requiring you to rely on your mobile data. These, among other scenarios, can seriously deplete your monthly allowance.

There are a few things you can do to get more data, however, such as buy add-ons or a Data Boost, or change your plan.

You can easily buy data add-ons using your iD Mobile app or My Account online. These can be bought as and when you need them, and will activate once your monthly allowance and Data Rollover is used up.

Here are the one-off data add-ons that you can buy:

It’s important to remember that add-ons cannot be backdated or used to cover past usage. If you go over your allowance, you will be charged at our out-of-bundle rates until you buy your add-on.

Our Data Boost is an add-on that comes free with selected handsets and acts as an extra pot of back-up data. It activates when you run out of your monthly data allowance.

How you use your Data Boost is completely up to you:

• Store it
  If you don’t need to use it just yet, you can save it and use it when you need it
• Savour it
  You can dip into it regularly and use small amounts of data each time
• Splurge it
  You can use it all in one go if you need to. Splurge it on a Netflix boxset binge if you feel the need

Your Data Boost is valid for 36 months - or until it gets used up. You can manage your data usage with the iD Mobile App or My Account online.

A plan change lets you choose a different monthly cost and set of allowances, without changing your handset, allowing you to keep the handset you have now. An upgrade, on the other hand, allows you to change your plan and get a brand-new handset too.

You’ll be able to change your plan as long as you meet the following criteria:

• You've been with us for at least 30 days
• You haven’t changed plans in the last 31 days
• You have an active Direct Debit with us
• You haven’t got a disconnection request pending

Changing your plan is quick and simple, all you have to do is:

• Log into the iD Mobile App or My Account online
• Go to My Account > My Plan > Change my plan
• Choose a new plan from the ones provided
• Click Confirm

Unlimited data means you can use as much data as you want without having to worry about going over your data allowance. You can use your smartphone to download music, binge TV shows on Netflix or browse social media.

Unlimited data protects you from costly out-of-plan charges, so you can scroll, stream and binge as much online content as you want.

If your tariff has an unlimited data allowance, it will not be eligible for rollover.

To get access to more data, you can chat to us and one of our helpful agents will get you sorted. Our Live Chat team are available 9am-8pm Monday to Friday, and 9am-6pm Saturday and Sunday.

You can also get 24/7 help and support via our iD community page, where you can browse helpful articles and talk with other iD Mobile customers.