Editing SIM card (section)

=== SIM-only ===
Commonly sold as a product by mobile [[telecommunications]] companies, "SIM-only" refers to a type of [[Legal liability|legally liability]] contract between a mobile network provider and a customer. The contract itself takes the form of a credit agreement and is subject to a credit check.

SIM-only contracts can be ''pre-pay'' - where the subscriber buys ''credit'' before use (often called pay as you go, abbreviated to PAYG), or ''post-pay'', where the subscriber pays in arrears, typically monthly.

Within a SIM-only contract, the mobile network provider supplies their customer with just one piece of hardware, a SIM card, which includes an agreed amount of network usage in exchange for a monthly payment. Network usage within a SIM-only contract can be measured in minutes, text, data or any combination of these. The duration of a SIM-only contract varies depending on the deal selected by the customer, but in the UK they are typically available over 1, 3, 6, 12 or 24-month periods.

SIM-only contracts differ from mobile phone contracts in that they do not include any hardware other than a SIM card. In terms of network usage, SIM-only is typically more cost-effective than other contracts because the provider does not charge more to offset the cost of a mobile device over the contract period. The short contract length is one of the key features of SIM-only{{snd}} made possible by the absence of a mobile device.

SIM-only is increasing in popularity very quickly.<ref>{{cite web|title=A nation addicted to smartphones|url=http://media.ofcom.org.uk/2011/08/04/a-nation-addicted-to-smartphones/|publisher=Ofcom|access-date=6 July 2016|archive-date=23 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423214425/http://media.ofcom.org.uk/2011/08/04/a-nation-addicted-to-smartphones/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2010 pay monthly based mobile phone subscriptions grew from 41 percent to 49 percent of all UK mobile phone subscriptions.<ref>{{cite web|title=UK sales of SIM-only mobile contracts set a new record|url=http://thefonecast.com/Home/TabId/61/ArtMID/538/ArticleID/6219/UK-sales-of-SIM-only-mobile-contracts-set-a-new-record.aspx|publisher=The Fone Cast|access-date=29 October 2012|archive-date=25 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225052426/http://thefonecast.com/Home/TabId/61/ArtMID/538/ArticleID/6219/UK-sales-of-SIM-only-mobile-contracts-set-a-new-record.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> According to German research company [[GfK]], 250,000 SIM-only mobile contracts were taken up in the UK during July 2012 alone, the highest figure since GfK began keeping records.

Increasing smartphone penetration combined with financial concerns is leading customers to save money by moving onto a SIM-only when their initial contract term is over.