A 50GB data plan will allow you to browse the internet for about 500 hours, stream 25,000 songs, or watch 63 hours of standard-definition video.
Nowadays, the main distinction between mobile phone plans is how many gigabytes of data it comes with.
If you're looking for a mobile phone plan with 50GB of data, prices currently start from £8/month in the UK. With your 50GB of data, you'll be able to browse the internet for approximately 500 hours per month, to stream 25,000 songs online, or to watch 63 hours of online video in standard definition.
In this article, we'll discuss what you can do with 50GB of data and how long you can expect your 50GB allowance to last for. We'll also discuss 50GB data plans, where you can find one in the UK and how much you can expect to pay.
Contents
- 1 How Much Is 50GB Data?
- 1.1 Pay Monthly SIM Cards
- 1.2 Pay As You Go SIM Cards
- 1.3 Alternatives
- 2 How Long Does 50GB Of Data Last?
- 3 More Information
How Much Is 50GB Data?
In the UK, a number of mobile networks offer 50GB data plans. There's a choice of 9 mobile networks if you're looking for a Pay Monthly SIM card, and a further choice of 6 networks if you're looking for a 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 50GB of data from £7.95/month. The following table shows a list of currently available deals:
| Network | Data | Monthly Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50GB | £7.95 1 month contract | See deal |
| 50GB | £8.00 1 month contract | See deal |
| 50GB | £10.00 12 month contract | See deal |
| 50GB | £12.90 1 month contract | See deal |
| 50GB | £15.00 1 month contract | See deal |
| 50GB | £18.00 12 month contract | See deal |
| 50GB | £20.00 1 month contract | See deal |
| 50GB | £20.00 12 month contract | See deal |
| 50GB | £24.00 12 month contract | See deal |
Contract lengths can vary on a Pay Monthly contract. You'll normally need to undergo a credit check when you take out a Pay Monthly contract.
Pay As You Go SIM Cards
If you're looking for more flexibility, a Pay As You Go bundle allows you to have this. You can get 50GB of data from £12.50/month on Pay As You Go. There's no commitment to renewing your bundle every month. You'll also be able to change 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 50GB of data per month:
| Network | Data | Monthly Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50GB | £12.50 No contract | See deal |
| 50GB | £15.00 No contract | See deal |
| 50GB | £20.00 No contract | See deal |
| 50GB | £20.00 No contract | See deal |
| 50GB | £20.00 No contract | See deal |
| 50GB | £20.00 No contract | See deal |
There's no need to undergo a credit check when you take a Pay As You Go bundle, making for a hassle-free signup process. In addition, it's normally possible to get a free Pay As You Go SIM card: you'll simply need to top it up with some credit to get started.
Alternatives
Instead of choosing a 50GB 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 | - | - |
| 500MB Data | - | - |
| 1GB Data | £2.90 £5 cheaper | £6.00 £6.5 cheaper |
| 2GB Data | £6.00 £2 cheaper | £6.00 £6.5 cheaper |
| 3GB Data | £5.00 £3 cheaper | £5.00 £7.5 cheaper |
| 4GB Data | £5.00 £3 cheaper | £7.50 £5 cheaper |
| 5GB Data | £4.50 £3.5 cheaper | £5.00 £7.5 cheaper |
| 6GB Data | £6.00 £2 cheaper | £9.90 £2.5 cheaper |
| 8GB Data | £5.95 £2 cheaper | £10.00 £2.5 cheaper |
| 10GB Data | £7.00 £1 cheaper | £8.00 £4.5 cheaper |
| 12GB Data | £9.00 £1 more | £10.88 £1.5 cheaper |
| 20GB Data | £8.00 £0 more | £10.00 £2.5 cheaper |
| 30GB Data | £6.95 £1 cheaper | £12.00 £0.5 cheaper |
| 40GB Data | £8.00 £0 more | £20.00 £7.5 more |
| 50GB Data | £7.95 | £12.50 |
| 100GB Data | £12.00 £4 more | £13.50 £1 more |
| Unlimited Data | £16.00 £8 more | £20.00 £7.5 more |
Some plans include a 'data rollover' feature that gives you a second opportunity to use your data allowance. Alternatively, an unlimited data plan could also be worth considering if you'd like a worry-free plan where you'll never run out of data.
How Long Does 50GB 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 50GB of data:
| 50GB data is equal to... | |
|---|---|
| 63 hours of SD video streaming (2 hours 5 minutes per day on YouTube, Netflix or TikTok) | |
| 17 hours of HD-quality video (35 minutes per day streaming HD video e.g. from Netflix) | |
| 63 hours of video calling (2 hours 5 minutes per day on Zoom or Teams) | |
| 100 hours of social media scrolling (3 hours 20 minutes per day on Facebook, Instagram or X) | |
| 500 hours of web browsing (17 hours per day of browsing, approx 25,000 web pages) | |
| 1250 hours of music streaming (42 hours per day on online radio & streaming apps like Spotify) | |
| Other Activities | |
| 250 mobile app downloads (standard app installs & updates, games may use more data) | |
| 16,500 photos uploaded or shared (on WhatsApp, or uploaded to the cloud e.g. iCloud & Google Photos) | |
| 17,500,000 text messages & emails (plain text messages, without attachments) | |
If you'd like to understand how different apps and activities contribute to your mobile data usage, see our guide to working out how much data you need.
As of 2024, the average UK mobile user consumes about 10GB of mobile data each month. This has grown fairly rapidly over the last few years (e.g. it was just 5.6GB per month in 2022, and 8.0GB per month in 2023). This means a 50GB data allowance is much more than the average consumer can use. It's worth double-checking to make sure you actually need all of this data, as you could otherwise end up paying for lots of data that you don't actually use.
Data use calculations for 50GB data, by app & activity:
- SD Video Streaming (63 hours): We’ve used a figure of 800MB per hour for a standard-quality video stream. This is based on testing of the following apps: TikTok (800MB per hour), BBC iPlayer (800MB per hour), and Netflix (700MB per hour for medium quality video). Therefore, a 50GB data allowance will allow you to stream SD video for 63 hours in total, which is equivalent to 2 hours 5 minutes per day.
- HD Video Streaming (17 hours): According to Netflix, you’ll need 3GB data per hour for a HD-quality video stream. Therefore, 50GB of data will allow you to stream 17 hours of HD-quality shows and movies, which is equivalent to 35 minutes per day.
- Video Calls (63 hours): You’ll need about 800MB data per hour for video calls on Zoom or Microsoft Team. Therefore, a 50GB data allowance will allow you to video call for 63 hours in total, which is equivalent to 2 hours 5 minutes per day.
- Social Media (100 hours): Our testing found that social media apps (e.g. Facebook & Instagram) used about 40MB of data during a 5-minute session. Therefore, a 50GB data allowance will allow you to scroll through social media for 100 hours in total, which is equivalent to 3 hours 20 minutes per day.
- Web Browsing (500 hours, or 25,000 web pages): As of 2024, the average size of a mobile web page is 2.4MB. Therefore, you’d be able to open 25,000 web pages with 50GB of data. Assuming you browse continuously and open 40 web pages per hour, you’d be able to browse for 500 hours in total, which is equivalent to 17 hours per day.
- Music Streaming & Radio (1250 hours, or 25,000 songs): At a typical bitrate of 96kbps, you’d be able to use your 50GB data allowance to listen to music or online radio for 1250 hours in total (roughly 25,000 songs). This is equivalent to 42 hours per day.
- Photo Uploads (16,500 photos): Assuming you have a 12-megapixel photo with a file size of around 3MB, you’d be able to share or upload 16,500 photos using 50GB of data.
- Mobile Apps (250 app downloads): Assuming you have a typical iOS or Android mobile application with a download size of 200MB, you’d be able to download 250 apps using 50GB of data. Do note, however, that many mobile games will use more data (up to 3GB per game). For this reason, it’s best to install and update on your apps on Wi-Fi where possible.
- Text Messages & Emails (17,500,000 messages): Text-only messages (e.g. WhatsApp and plain-text emails) use very little data. In fact, you can send or receive 17,500,000 text-only messages with 50GB of data.
More Information
Our full guide to mobile download limits has more information, including how to work 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.
