Updated: 21:30

IF YOU’RE THINKING about buying a phone unlocked, it’s recommended you look at the SIM-only plans for their price range.

Traditionally, unlocked phones are the same price as prepay phones since they’re not tied down to a network, but if you decide to buy a mid-range or budget device, then the final cost can usually be lower than if you bought it in store.

However, since many SIM-only plans are 30-day rolling contracts, they can end up being more expensive if paired with a high-end phone, so calculate the costs first before committing.

On the other hand, their flexibility means you can change providers pretty quickly, so it’s not all bad.

Here are how the SIM-only plans for the major providers stack up.

Read first: Here’s what you should consider before signing up for a plan >

Looking for a breakdown of bill pay deals? Go here.

Looking for a breakdown of prepay deals? Go here.

Vodafone

€30 per month - (30-day contract) Unlimited calls/texts to any network* + 1GB data.
€35 per month - (12-month contract) Unlimited calls/texts to any network* + 5GB data + 100 international minutes + 100 international texts.

*No limit was specified in the terms and conditions for Vodafone’s SIM-only plans.

Sam Boal / Photocall Ireland Sam Boal / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

Three

€25.41 per month - (30-day contract) 350 flexi-units (calls and texts) All you can eat data, Unlimited Three to Three calls.*

€39.75 per month - (30-day contract) Unlimited* flexi-units (calls and texts) Unlimited Three to Three calls.*

*Unlimited refers to 3,000 minutes per month regarding Three to Three calls, 10,000 flexi-units, and All you can eat data has a cap of 15GB where going over it could result in limited access.

Sam Boal / Photocall Ireland Sam Boal / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

Meteor

€12 per month – (30-day contract) 100 minutes, Unlimited texts, 1GB of data (No 4G)
€20 per month - (30-day contract) 400 minutes, Unlimited texts, 2GB of data
€24 per month - (30-day contract) Unlimited minutes and texts, 5GB of data
€31.20 per month - (30-day contract) Unlimited minutes and texts 50 EU roaming minutes and texts, 50 international minutes and texts, 15GB of data.

*Unlimited means 45,000 minutes and 10,000 texts.

Graham Hughes / Photocall Ireland Graham Hughes / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

Tesco Mobile

€10 per month - (30-day SIM) 100 minutes, 100 texts, 100MB of data.
€20 per month - (30-day SIM) 300 minutes, 300 texts, 500MB of data.
€25 per month - (30-day SIM) Unlimited* minutes and texts, 15GB of data.

*Unlimited means up to 10,000 minutes, 10,000 texts, and 15GB of data.

Sam Boal / Rollingnews.ie Sam Boal / Rollingnews.ie / Rollingnews.ie

ID Mobile

Due to the nature of ID’s plans, there are numerous variations to choose from so listing all of the possible combinations would be both long and impractical.

All SIM-only billpay plans are 30-day contracts and all amounts (minutes, calls and data) offered are listed alongside their cost.

Minutes - 100 (€3.50), 250 (€5), 500 (€6.50) 1,000 (€7.50) and 5,000 (€8).
Texts - 100 (€3.50), 250 (€5), 500 (€6.50) 1,000 (€7.50) and 5,000 (€8).
Data - 125MB (€3) 500MB (€5), 1GB (€7), 3GB (€10), 20GB (€13).

Virgin Media

Customers
€15 per month - 250 minutes, 250 texts, 1GB.
€25 per month - Unlimited calls, texts, and data.*

Non-customers
€20 per month - 250 minutes, 250 texts, 1GB.
€30 per month - Unlimited calls, texts, and data.*

*Unlimited means a monthly allowance of 10,000 minutes (landline and mobile), 10,000 texts and 30GB of data.

Originally published: 8.01pm. Updated to include changes in Tesco Mobile’s SIM-only plans.

Read: What should you keep in mind when buying a smartphone or tablet? >

Read: What you should consider before purchasing a laptop? >