To Perk or Not To Perk

This week, we’re turning our attention to mobile phones — and not just calls, texts and data, but all the fun extras that now come bundled in. From free streaming to roaming and rewards, mobile contracts are increasingly selling us perks as well as minutes — but are they actually worth it?”

Q. What do we actually mean by “perks” on mobile phone contracts?

Perks are the extras bundled into your mobile contract on top of calls, texts and data. That might include things like music or TV streaming, free roaming, discounts on food or travel, or even device insurance. The key thing is they’re often marketed as “free” — but of course, they’re built into what you’re paying each month. So these are what I think of as potential FUNBEES – fun freebies. Except they are not free – they are wrapped up in the price of the monthly fee – but they can still be worth it, if you were going to buy them anyway.

Q: How do you go about working out if perks are worth it?

 Mobile phone perks are a bit like a hotel buffet breakfast. They look appealing, but often aren’t quite as good as it first seems and also makes the decision of what to have – a lot more complex. It also means you can pile your plate with stuff that you think you want, but in the end don’t and isn’t any good for you anyway.

Nonetheless, not to be too down on them, they can offer some genuine good offers and so it is worth seeing what you can get for nothing.

When comparing perks by network, start by looking at products and services you currently use. For example, a number of popular streaming services are offered as perks and you may already pay for them. These include Audible, discovery+, Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video. If you choose a network that offers your favourite streaming service as a perk, you can cancel your existing subscription and save.

Q. Are these perks genuinely good value, or mostly marketing fluff?

It depends whether you’d pay for them anyway. If you already subscribe to, say, a music or video service, getting it included can save you real money. But if you never use it, it’s just padding out the price. The danger is paying an extra £5–£10 a month for perks you forget about after the first week.

Q. What are the most common perks people should look out for?

The big ones are streaming services, EU or global roaming, cloud storage, and priority customer support. Some networks also throw in cashback or lifestyle rewards — like cinema tickets or food discounts. The most valuable perk is usually roaming, especially for frequent travellers, because paying for it separately can be expensive.

Q. Can perks ever lock you into a bad deal?

Yes — and this is where people trip up. A contract with flashy extras can distract from poor value on the basics, like high monthly fees or limited data. You might also feel reluctant to switch networks because you’d lose a perk, even if another deal is cheaper overall. Always compare the price without the perks in mind first.

Also – what grates with me is the perks, while being good for some people, also just add to an element of what I feel is ‘Confusion marketing.’ This is when mobile phone deals are not made easy to compare, so it’s hard for customers to work out what they’re really paying for or whether they’re getting good value.

Instead of one simple price, you’re faced with bundles, perks, add-ons, roaming passes, fair-use limits, price-rise clauses and time-limited extras. The deal sounds generous — “free streaming”, “unlimited data”, “inclusive roaming” — but the detail often hides restrictions, expiry dates or extra charges.

The result is that people focus on the headline perk and not the total cost over the contract, making it easier to overpay or stay loyal to a bad deal.

You can see this in the search to compare perks between providers, which is not at all straight forward.

Q. What’s the one simple rule for deciding if a perk is worth it?

Ask yourself one question: “Would I pay for this if it wasn’t included?” If the answer is no, ignore it and focus on getting the cheapest contract for your usage. Perks should be a bonus — not the reason you sign up.

Q: What are some of the best perks around?

I don’t know if you would call them perks or core services – but the thing I find most useful is free roaming in the EU.

Post-Brexit, UK mobile providers are no longer tied to an EU regulation that stated consumers will be able to 'roam like at home' with no additional charges. Many providers have subsequently brought roaming charges back.

Many charge around £2 a day to use roaming in the EU for calls and texts. One terrible case of a woman with a very small mobile company got charged £6,648 extra for calls she made while in New York which she didn’t realise she was going to incur.

Providers that often offer free EU roaming deals include:

Smarty

iD Mobile which says it offers free roaming to more destinations than any other network.

Tesco Mobile

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But do check as it may differ from one deal to the next within the same provider and deals change all the time.

Other Perks & Funbees (Fun, so called freebies)

A word of caution about perks – I spent the best part of a whole day trying to compare them between different providers. It’s not easy to be specific as it is often unclear who is entitled to them and anyway perks can change fairly regularly.

Generally if you buy Disney+ for instance anyway and it comes for free with a mobile plan, that really is worth taking into account – but generally I think the monthly cost and roaming fees, may be more important.

O2

O2 has a reputation as being good for perks. In addition to freebies and discounts on things like cinema tickets and takeaways, it has an O2 Priority access to live events. There are also regular competitions for O2 customers.

O2 customers can get Disney+, Prime, Amazon and Audible for free on O2 for various periods depending on the plan you are on. As an example, Disney+ costs between £5.99 and £14.99 a month – so these extras are not to be sniffed at.

VODAFONE

Following the recent merger between Vodafone and Three, customers can now automatically use either network, at no extra cost. This means customers’ devices will automatically connect to more coverage where available – whether that’s on the Vodafone or Three network.

• Caffe Nero - £1 coffee (fortnightly), free coffee instant win (fortnightly)

• ODEON – 2 tickets for £8, 4 tickets for £16

• Sainsbury’s – monthly “Little Lifts” giving away thousands of free treats

• Regular Spin to Wins with millions of prizes across the year including:

• What they call “money-can’t-buy tickets to sought-after events” - Glastonbury, Wimbledon and Guiness Six Nations

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On Three+ rewards app, Three claims that customers can “save up to £475 a year on activities, meals, and shopping, including weekly discounts at 100’s of family favourite restaurants and takeaways. They include:

• £1 drinks at cafés nationwide, 

• £3 weekend cinema tickets.

• Exclusive presales to gigs and entertainment events across the country, in 2025 they offered 179 events.

There Three Your Way plans means, they say that “customers can choose what works for them, a perk from day one. From inclusive roaming in over 160 worldwide destinations, up to 24 months of Paramount+ (worth £4.99 a month), free screen repairs, extended 3-year warranty and insurance”. 

EE

EE customers may get discounts on their phone bills when shopping with retailers such as Boots, Argos, and ASOS. They also can offer on some plans free Apple Music  Apple TV+, Netflix, Google One, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and TNT Sports on Discovery+.

Virgin Media

There are a wide variety of changing perks, but amongst those currently available are:

• Weekly £1 Greggs Hot Drink or Savoury Treat reward

• Get a free portion of Vegetable or Chicken gyoza when dining in at participating YO! Restaurants this January

• Two for £9 Vue tickets and four for £18 Vue tickets from 12 Jan

• Get 20% off Up at The O2 tickets

While this might look great, it highlights why it is worth checking out how valuable the perks really are. For instance, today I can book two tickets for Vue for £9.98. The Virgin offer saves me 98 pence. Not a fantastic offer – but worth it if you were going anyway.

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