At 2ml of liquid a day, prefilled pods cost about £75 a month and a refillable setup about £28, using our own shop prices. That is a difference of more than £500 a year. Here is the working, and a calculator to run your own figures.
The short version
- Worked example at 2ml a day: prefilled pods about £74.85 a month, refillables about £27.93.
- That is roughly £47 a month, or about £563 a year, before the one-off kit cost.
- Big-puff refill packs sit in between at about £34.75 a month.
- Your usage changes everything, so run your own numbers in the calculator.
The assumptions
Every cost comparison depends on how much you vape, so here is ours in plain sight. We have assumed 2ml of liquid a day, which is one prefilled pod a day, and a 30-day month.
For prefilled pods, we used Elfa Pro pods at £4.99 for two. For big-puff refills, the Lost Mary BM6000 refill pack at £6.95 for 12ml. For refillables, Elfliq 10ml nic salt at £2.99 and Xros Corex pods at £9.99 for four, assuming one pod a week.
Change any of these and the numbers move, which is why there is a calculator further down.
The monthly bill
Prefilled pods: 30 pods is 15 packs of two at £4.99, so £74.85.
Big-puff refill packs: 60ml is five BM6000 packs at £6.95, so £34.75.
Refillable pods: six 10ml bottles at £2.99 is £17.94, plus four Corex pods at £9.99, so £27.93.
The refillable figure leaves out the one-off kit, which costs from about £8 to £25. Even at the top of that range, it pays for itself well inside the first month for someone vaping at this level.
Put another way, the prefilled route costs about £2.50 a day here, and the refillable route a little over 90p.
Source: Spectrum Vaping prices; 2ml a day, 30 days, one refillable pod a week.
Run your own numbers
If you vape less, the gap shrinks; if you vape more, it grows. Pop your own figures into the calculator: how much liquid you get through, what you pay for it, and how often you change pods.
A tip for working out your usage: note the date when you open a 10ml bottle, and again when it runs out. Divide 10 by the number of days and you have your millilitres per day. For prefilled pods, count how many you get through in a week.
Remember that nicotine strength does not change the price of most liquids, so this works the same at 10mg or 20mg.
About £156 a year, or £9.00 a week
What you trade for the saving
Money is not the only factor. Prefilled pods win on convenience: no bottles, no filling, no priming, and the flavour is identical from pod to pod.
Refillables ask for a little effort. You fill the pod, give a new one five minutes to soak, and change it when the flavour fades. In return you get any flavour, any strength and the lowest running cost.
Many people settle on refillable at home and a prefilled or big-puff kit as a backup for nights out. Browse nic salt liquids if you want to see how big the flavour choice really is.
Which way to go
Answer one question and the decision usually makes itself. Light vapers who get through a pod every few days will not save much by switching, and may prefer the simplicity of prefilled. Heavy vapers will save hundreds of pounds a year.
Nicotine is addictive, and changing device is a good moment to think about strength. Keep it the same while you switch, so your new kit feels satisfying from day one.
For more on the formats themselves, see our big-puff kits vs refillable pods guide.
And if you do switch, keep one spare pod in your bag. Nothing tests a new habit like a pod that gives out halfway through a day.
How fast do you get through a prefilled pod?
Savings are modest. Stick with prefilled if you love the convenience.
A refillable kit will likely pay for itself within weeks.
Switch. At this rate you could save well over £500 a year.
Count your pods for one week, then use the calculator above.
Quick answers
Are refillable pods cheaper than prefilled pods?
Yes, by a lot for most users. In our example at 2ml a day, refillables cost about £27.93 a month against £74.85 for prefilled pods.
How often should I change a refillable pod?
Typically every week or so, sooner with very sweet liquids or heavy use. Change it when the flavour fades or tastes burnt.
Does the kit cost wipe out the saving?
Not for regular vapers. A refillable kit costs about £8 to £25 once, which is less than one month's saving in our example.
Are big-puff kits cheaper than prefilled pods?
In our example, BM6000 refill packs cost about £34.75 a month, less than half the prefilled pod figure.
