Utility Warehouse's 'unlimited' data hid a 500GB cap in 'The legal bit'

On 5 March 2026 the mobile page at uw.co.uk/mobile stated 'Get the UK's best value SIM only deal… Enjoy unlimited data with 99% UK coverage, flexible monthly contracts with 5G and free EU roaming included'. A linked page said 'Enjoy endless surfing, streaming, and scrolling with the UK's cheapest SIM-only unlimited data deal'. Beneath both, an expandable section called 'The legal bit' disclosed a 500GB personal usage cap and a 14GB EU roaming cap.

A complainant challenged whether the 'unlimited' claim was misleading given the 500GB fair-use policy, and whether the restriction was made clear. Utility Warehouse said the fair-use policy served legitimate network management endorsed by Ofcom, that no customer had been de-prioritised or charged for exceeding 500GB, and that the cap was 'one click away' in a drop-down directly below the claim.

On 29 July 2026 the ASA partly upheld the complaint. The 'unlimited' claim itself was not misleading — legitimate users were not restricted by the 500GB threshold. But the qualification was only in an expandable section consumers were unlikely to open, so it could easily be overlooked and was not presented clearly. The ad breached CAP rules 3.1, 3.3, 3.9 and 3.10 and must not appear again without the fair-use terms directly qualifying the claim.