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 £5/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 5 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 £5.00/month. The following table shows a list of currently available deals:
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 2GB | £5.00 3 months half price 1 month |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £6.00 12 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £7.00 1 month |
 | 500 | 5,000 | 2GB | £7.50 12 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £8.00 1 month |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £9.00 12 months |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £12.00 12 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 £5.00/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 | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 1,000 | 2GB | £5.00 |
| 500 | 5,000 | 2GB | £7.50 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £8.00 |
 | 1,000 | Unlimited | 2GB | £10.00 |
| 400 | Unlimited | 2GB | £10.00 |
 | 750 | 1,000 | 2GB | £15.00 |
| To show you the most relevant plans, 1 similar but more expensive 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 | £13.00 £8 more | - |
| 500MB Data | £6.00 £1 more | £5.00 |
| 1GB Data | £5.00 | £10.00 £5 more |
| 2GB Data | £5.00 | £5.00 |
| 3GB Data | £6.00 £1 more | £10.00 £5 more |
| 4GB Data | £6.00 £1 more | £10.00 £5 more |
| 5GB Data | £10.00 £5 more | £9.99 £5 more |
| 6GB Data | £7.00 £2 more | £10.00 £5 more |
| 8GB Data | £8.00 £3 more | £10.00 £5 more |
| 10GB Data | £8.00 £3 more | £10.00 £5 more |
| 12GB Data | £8.00 £3 more | £10.00 £5 more |
| 20GB Data | £12.00 £7 more | £15.00 £10 more |
| 30GB Data | £10.00 £5 more | £25.00 £20 more |
| 40GB Data | £13.00 £8 more | £20.00 £15 more |
| 50GB Data | £15.00 £10 more | £15.00 £10 more |
| 100GB Data | £16.00 £11 more | £30.00 £25 more |
| Unlimited Data | £16.00 £11 more | £25.00 £20 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.
Christopher said:
How many pixels is SD and HD? I’ve always thought that 720p is SD but I find different information sometimes?
Ken replied:
Hi Christopher,
Thanks for your comment.
SD (standard definition) is typically 480p.
HD (high definition) is typically 720p.
Full HD is typically 1080p.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Dave Boling replied:
I average about 110 GB a month in data through Netflix and gaming cost me about $111 is that normal
Elizabeth said:
I have been using a Mobile Hotspot since working from home this year. I buy 5GB of data and that has lasted me up to one month. Recently, however, I am only getting 5 working days out of my plan. I have not increased my internet activity at all. I simply check my Oulook email and calendar for my work. Do you know what the issue may be?
Ken replied:
Hi Elizabeth,
Great question! There are lots of things that might be using data, including automatic software updates on your computer. I’d recommend following the instructions here to see how much data each app on your laptop has used. This will allow you to diagnose the reason for your data allowance disappearing so quickly.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Gerry Dunn said:
I live in a rural area and do not get but approx 5 hrs of video per month, loading, spinning, etc… after complains for over a year, was told today… even if not using your other devices Hughes Net still gathers usage from them, not as much as watching a video but does use even if other devices are not in use.???? While on the phone to HughesNet, today watched what was left of my service plan … go from 5% to dropping to 2% then to 1% in an hours time, explain that to me!