Tesco Mobile to hike the cost of out-of-bundle calls and texts from February

The base price of pay-monthly and PAYG contracts are unaffected as they're covered by Tesco Mobile's 'Tariff Promise' that it won't hike prices mid-contract. Meanwhile, pay-monthly customers won't pay these fees if they stick within their calls and text limits. Pay-monthly and PAYG users can also escape the fees hike if they avoid using services that aren't included in their package. 

If you do regularly pay for out-of-bundle costs or you often go above your usage limits you may want to use this as an opportunity to check if you can switch and save with a new deal. See our Cheap Mobile Tips guide for help saving on the cost of a new contract or handset.

How much costs will rise by if you exceed your monthly allowance

The services in this first table are included in pay-monthly users' allowances but below are the costs faced if you go above your usage limits.

How much fees for out-of bundle services will rise by

The services in this second table below aren’t usually included in your pay-monthly or PAYG allowances, so you'll be charged a fee when you use any of them. Here's how much fees rill rise by: 

Tesco Mobile customers can set up a usage buffer to help prevent unwanted extra charges - but you can't leave penalty-free

Tesco says affected customers won't be able to cancel their contracts penalty-free as a result of the price hikes because the changes don't affect the basic contract rate people signed up to. 

However, if you're worried about the increased charges, you can establish a 'safety buffer' through your Tesco Mobile account page. This service enables you to manage the maximum limit you'll pay for charges above your allowance each month. And remember, if you're a high data user and you're constantly paying for more - use WiFi where you can to help use less data. 

For those looking to save even more money, consider turning on the 'zero bill cap' on your Tesco Mobile account page. This will prevent you from spending any more money above what you pay for your contract.

If you're out of contract, check if you can cut the cost by switching

Of course, if you're out of contract or on a PAYG tariff you should be able to switch penalty-free at any point.

Try our Cheap Mobile Finder tool to search 1,000s of deals from more than 40 retailers. If you're happy with your current handset, see our Sim Only guide, or if you're after a new phone, check out our Cheap iPhone and Samsung guides. 

What does Tesco Mobile say?

A Tesco Mobile spokesperson said: "We’ve contacted our customers to let them know that the cost of out of bundle services is changing. Customers will only be impacted if they choose to use certain services, such as non-standard calls, or if they exceed their monthly allowance. If not, their standard monthly bill remains the same."