What is a MB?
MB is an abbreviation for megabyte, a unit of measurement for data. Megabytes are smaller than gigabytes (GB), with approximately 1,000MB in 1GB.
How much is 250MB of data?
250MB isn’t a lot of data at all. It’s one of the smallest data plans out there, and not many networks offer it any more. For example, here at Asda mobile, our lowest data plan is 3GB (for just £5 a month).
According to Ofcom, people on average opt for 4.5GB of mobile data per month. This is increasing year on year, and a small amount like 250MB just isn’t enough for the majority of people anymore.
How long does 250MB of data last?
Before we can calculate how much 250MB of data would last you, we need to know how much MB or GB common tasks consume (on average).
|
Activity |
Data consumption |
|
Browsing the internet |
|
|
Listening to music |
Spotify 10.8MB per hour (24kbps) 43.2MB per hour (96kbps) 72MB per hour (160kbps) 144MB per hour (320kbps) |
|
Watching Netflix |
1GB per hour (standard definition) 3GB per hour (HD) |
|
Watching YouTube videos |
1.56GB per hour (1080p) 2.7GB per hour (4K) |
|
Browsing social media |
90MB per hour (scrolling) 156MB per hour (interacting) |
|
Using Skype / FaceTime |
Skype
FaceTime |
As you can see, some of the activities use up many gigabytes per hour! This means that you would only be able to do these activities, like watch Netflix or YouTube, for less than an hour before running out of your entire allowance.
Though watching video content is mostly out of the question, people with a 250MB bundle can still browse the web for a couple of hours, or FaceTime a loved one for just over an hour. It all depends on what you would need mobile data for each month.
But remember: once you’ve run out of your allowance, it won’t refresh again until the following month. It’s clear that with 250MB you need to be careful with how you use your data.
How many hours will 250MB of data last for?
Now you know how many MB or GB each activity consumes, we can calculate how long 250MB would last for each.
|
Activity |
Time duration with 250MB* |
|
Browsing the internet |
4 hours |
|
Listening to music |
Spotify 23 hours (24kbps) 5.7 hours (96kbps) 3.4 hours (160kbps) 1.7 hours (320kbps) |
|
Watching Netflix |
0.25 hours / 15 minutes (standard definition) 0.08 hours / 4 minutes (HD) |
|
Watching YouTube videos |
0.16 hours / 9 minutes (1080p) 0.09 hours / 5 minutes (4K) |
|
Browsing social media |
2.7 hours (scrolling) 1.6 hours (interacting) |
|
Using Skype / FaceTime |
Skype 0.92 hours / 55 minutes
FaceTime 1.3 hours |
*Calculated based on data consumption values in previous table - 250MB or 0.25GB / XXMB or XXGB
With 250MB of data, you would only be able to do the most data intensive tasks (streaming video content or video chatting) for a few minutes, which wouldn’t be worth using up your entire allowance for.
You can, however, stream music from the likes of Spotify for a couple of hours per month, depending on what quality you stream it in. You’d also be able to browse social media for a few hours before your data allowance drained.
Though it’s a small bundle, there are still options for the right user.
Is 250MB of data enough for me?
In all honesty, 250MB probably isn’t enough for anyone. It’s really only ideal for someone who tends to not use mobile data, but doesn’t mind paying for a small amount just in case they’d ever need it.
You shouldn’t opt for a bundle of this size if you like to stream content. 250MB is only enough to FaceTime once a month, browse the internet for a few minutes every day for the month, or listen to songs in their lowest quality for almost an entire day.
In saying this, it’ll be hard to find a network offering a SIM plan with such a low amount of data. In 2022, you can get a lot more data for just a few pounds, like 3GB for £5.
How can I save mobile data?
As 250MB is such a small amount, you might want to know how you can save mobile data. That way, when you do use it, you don’t drain your entire allowance in one go.
Download ahead of time
Before your next big outing, try downloading your files, Spotify playlists, YouTube videos, or Netflix episodes ahead of time before disconnecting from Wi-Fi.
This means they’ll already be stored on your phone and you won’t have to use up any mobile data to play them back.
Chrome data saver
If you use Chrome as your web browser, you can go into Settings and activate the Data Saver feature. This sends traffic via Google servers before it downloads on your device, which will reduce the amount of data your device downloads as Google compresses it first.
Many other web browsers, like Safari, also have a data saver feature.
Restrict background data
It’s widely known that apps can consume a lot of data in the background, without you even being aware of it. Apps like Facebook constantly update, which can secretly drain your remaining data even when you’re not doing anything on your phone. You can stop this from happening by restricting background activities on apps.
iPhone
Settings > General > Background App Refresh
Android
Settings > Data Usage > Restrict Background Data
Reduce quality
As you saw from the tables, the higher definition you play content in, the more data will be consumed.
You can choose to watch or listen to content in a lower (or its lowest) definition. You can also send photos in low quality so the email attachment doesn’t need to use as much data. Furthermore, you can download a free video compression app to compress the size of videos before sharing.
Bundles with Asda mobile
We don’t currently offer a 250MB data plan.
Our lowest bundle offers 3GB of data with unlimited minutes and texts for just £5 per month. Powered by Vodafone, you’ll have up to 99% UK population coverage.
We also have a number of other bundles with more data.
Discover more
If you’re not sure whether 250MB is the right data bundle for you, you can browse our guides to see how other bundles compare.
