A 2GB data plan will allow you to browse the internet for around 24 hours, to stream 400 songs or to watch 4 hours of standard-definition video.
Nowadays, the key difference between mobile phone price plans is how many gigabytes of data it comes with.
If you're looking for a mobile phone plan with 2GB of data, prices currently start from £6/month in the UK. With your 2GB of data, you'll be able to browse the internet for approximately 24 hours per month, to stream 400 songs online or to watch 4 hours of online video in standard definition.
In this article, we'll discuss what you can do with 2GB of data and how long you can expect your 2GB allowance to last for. We'll also discuss 2GB data plans, where you can find one in the UK and how much you can expect to pay.
Contents
How Much Is 2GB Data?
In the UK, a number of mobile networks currently offer 2GB data plans. There's a choice of 7 mobile networks if you're looking for a Pay Monthly SIM card, and a further choice of 7 networks if you're looking for a more flexible Pay As You Go bundle.
Pay Monthly SIM Cards
If you're looking for the lowest possible prices, you can get a Pay Monthly SIM card with 2GB of data from £6.00/month. The following table shows a list of currently available deals:
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Internet | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £6.00 12 months |
 | 300 | Unlimited | 2GB | £7.00 1 month |
 | 200 | Unlimited | 2GB | £7.00 12 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £7.50 1 month |
 | 500 | Unlimited | 2GB | £8.00 1 month |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £8.50 1 month |
 | 1,000 | Unlimited | 2GB | £10.00 18 months |
Contract lengths will vary when taking a Pay Monthly contract. You'll normally need to undergo a credit check when taking out a Pay Monthly contract.
Pay As You Go SIM Cards
If you're looking for a bit of extra flexibility, a Pay As You Go bundle allows you to have this with 2GB of data from £7.00/month. There's no commitment to renewing your bundle every month. You can also increase or decrease your data allowance at the end of each month if you find you're on a plan with the wrong amount of data.
The following table shows Pay As You Go bundles with 2GB of data per month:
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Internet | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | Unlimited | 2GB | £7.00 |
| 500 | Unlimited | 2GB | £8.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £10.00 |
 | 1,000 | Unlimited | 2GB | £10.00 |
| 500 | 5,000 | 2GB | £10.00 |
 | 500 | 500 | 2GB | £10.00 |
| 100 | Unlimited | 2GB | £10.00 |
| 1,000 | Unlimited | 2GB | £15.00 |
 | 750 | 1,000 | 2GB | £15.00 |
| To show you the most relevant price plans, 2 similar plans have been hidden. Tap here to show them. | ||||
Alternatives
Instead of choosing a 2GB data plan, it may sometimes make sense to choose a plan with more data. This is especially the case when special offers and promotion are available: you might be able to get a larger allowance of data for the same or for a very similar price:
| Amount of Data | Pay Monthly | Pay As You Go |
|---|---|---|
| 250MB Data | £7.50 £1.5 more | £5.00 £2 cheaper |
| 500MB Data | £5.00 £1 cheaper | £5.00 £2 cheaper |
| 1GB Data | £5.00 £1 cheaper | £7.50 £0.5 more |
| 2GB Data | £6.00 | £7.00 |
| 3GB Data | £8.00 £2 more | £10.00 £3 more |
| 4GB Data | £10.00 £4 more | £10.00 £3 more |
| 8GB Data | £10.00 £4 more | £15.00 £8 more |
| 12GB Data | £13.00 £7 more | £20.00 £13 more |
| 20GB Data | £18.00 £12 more | £20.00 £13 more |
| 40GB Data | £20.00 £14 more | £20.00 £13 more |
| 100GB Data | £20.00 £14 more | - |
| Unlimited Data | £22.00 £16 more | £25.00 £18 more |
Some price plans include a data rollover feature giving you a second opportunity to use your data allowance. Alternatively, an unlimited data plan could also be worth thinking about if you'd like a worry-free plan where you never need to think about how much data you're using.
How Long Does 2GB Of Data Last?
When figuring out how much data you need, it's important to think about your own individual usage requirements.
If you choose a plan with too much data, you could be overpaying for lots of data that you don't actually use. On the other hand, choosing a plan with too little data could mean being cut-off from the internet in the middle of the month.
The following table gives you an approximate guide to what you can do with 2GB of data:
| Activity | 2GB data is equal to... |
|---|---|
| Accessing web pages | 1,200 web pages (approx 24 hours browsing) |
| Basic e-mail/instant message | 700,000 messages |
| Rich e-mail/IM (with attachments) | 4,000 messages |
| Downloading or streaming music | 400 songs |
| Downloading or streaming video (SD) | 4 hours |
| Downloading or streaming video (HD) | 1 hour |
| Skype voice call | 60 hours |
| Skype video call | 8 hours |
| Listening to online radio | 32 hours |
| Downloading or updating apps | 50 apps |
We've made a number of assumptions in coming to these numbers. You can read about these in more detail here.
As of 2019, the average UK consumer uses around 3GB of mobile data each month. This has been growing rapidly in the past few years (e.g. it was only 1.9GB in 2017 and 0.2GB in 2012). This makes a 2GB data allowance is a little smaller than average. However, if you find yourself mainly using a wi-fi connection when at home or at work, it's possible you won't need as much data as the average consumer.
For more information, see our guide on how to find out your current data usage.
More Information
Our full guide to mobile download limits has more information including on how to find out how much data you need.
Once you've decided how much data you need, we've summarised the best Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go SIM cards across a variety of price points in the UK.
Mike said:
An ASDA mobile GB is actually 1024 MB, at least when buying a 1 GB data bundle.
Ken replied:
Hi Mike,
You’re right – some mobile networks will actually give you 1024MB rather than 1000MB when you buy a 1GB data plan. This is actually a good thing for consumers in that you’ll get 2.4% more data at no extra charge. Despite the fact that 1GB is precisely defined as 1000MB, many people still think of it as 1024MB. For this reason, many networks err on the side of caution and give customers a data allowance based on the higher amount.
Ken
kel meyler said:
It is really good that someone has taken the time to explain the complex world of data, can be so confusing
Sionet said:
Wasn’t sure how mobile data worked and now reading has explained so much about how I will use my data and when using wifi and what apps may use more data than others. Much more informed now on what data plan to use in the future. This is an excellent way to inform people of data use thaml you for sharing