O2 Mobile deals Updated: 2024-07-24 08:30:26
The largest mobile network provider in the UK, O2 offers an excellent choice of handsets, pay monthly and SIM only deals.
The largest mobile network provider in the UK, O2 offers an excellent choice of handsets, pay monthly and SIM only deals.
- Regular discounts with O2 Priority
- Over 16,000 O2 WiFi hotspots across the UK
- Priority ticket booking for O2 venues
All you need to know about O2 Mobile
Owned and operated by Spanish Telefonica, O2 is one of the four mobile network providers in the UK. With 34 million customers (including those on MVNO networks) they are the largest mobile network provider in the UK.
Let's take a look in more detail at what O2 Mobile has to offer.
Pay monthly phone plans
O2 have an extensive selection of handsets available from all the major players like Apple and Samsung, plus a good choice mid-range and budget devices.
O2 Refresh
O2 Refresh plans are split into two parts. The first is the cost of the handset and the second is the tariff (Airtime plan). This means that once your handset has been paid off, you will only have your Airtime plan cost to pay each month. O2 will adjust your bill automatically so you won’t pay for a phone you already own.
A big advantage with this is that you are able to pay off the full cost of your handset at any time. This leaves you free to either enjoy the lower monthly payments, or upgrade to a shiny new handset.
O2 Refresh plans are also flexible, meaning you can change your Airtime tariff up or down, once a month.
Custom plans
O2 have recently introduced their custom plans. These let you choose the contract length, upfront cost and data allowance that suits you. You get to choose if you want to spread the balance for up to 36 months to keep the cost down – or choose as little as three months if you want to pay it off quicker.
The plan is still split into two parts like O2 Refresh, and whichever contract length or upfront cost you choose, the total cost of the device stays the same.
Both the pre set plans on O2 Refresh, and the custom plans come with unlimited texts and unlimited minutes.
SIM only plans
SIM only plans are ideal for those who are happy with their current handset and are just looking to switch providers or get a better deal.
O2 offer SIM only plans on 30 day, 12 month or 18 month contracts. Data allowances range from 500Mb up to unlimited. Most come with unlimited minutes and texts, but there are a couple of 30 day plans that come with 500 minutes and 500 texts.
Pay as you go plans
If you hardly use your phone then O2's pay as you go might be more what you're after. This works in the same way as the classic pay as you go, where you top up and pay per minute, text and Mb of data used.
You can also choose to buy a Big Bundle which gives better value than classic pay as you go. These give you a bundle of data, minutes and texts, and last for 30 days.
Pay monthly tablet plans
O2 has a selection of tablets available on pay monthly plans, from brands like Apple, Alcatel and Lenovo.
These work in the same way as the pay monthly phone plans with the bill split into two - the tablet cost and the tariff cost. Choose from one of O2's pre set plans, or customise your own by selecting your preferred upfront cost, contract length and data. The main difference is, as these plans are designed for tablets, there are no minutes included. They do come with 100 texts to use if your tablet supports this.
Data only plans
O2's SIM only data plans are designed for those who already have a tablet they are not looking to upgrade. Keep it flexible with a 30 day deal. Or get the best value with a 12 month tariff.
Data ranges from 2Gb to 50Gb, and come with 100 texts.
Family plans
With O2's family plans, you can get between 10%-40% off the Airtime plan of every new eligible Pay Monthly connection you add to your Family Plan. You can add up to 20 connections.
The discount works by giving 10% off the Airtime cost of the first extra connection, 20% off the second, 30% off the third and 40% off the fourth and any extras up to 20 more. The discount is not off the total monthly cost, just the Airtime plan part of your deal. The cost of the device itself stays the same.
Why choose O2 Mobile?
Customer rewards
O2 is pretty famous for their priority rewards. Take advantage of exclusive discounts and offers big and small, from free coffee and cheap meals to early booking for events at O2 venues, VIP hospitality tickets.
When you take out selected O2 Refresh handset, tablet and sim only contracts, you'll also get to handpick an extra for up to six months. Choose from things like Disney+, Audible or Amazon Music.
Virgin Media O2 Volt
Volt is the first joint product following the merger of Virgin Media and O2 back in June 2021. The Volt products give customers access to special benefits simply by being customers of both brands.
VOLT bundles include the following extras:
- Free Virgin Media broadband speed boost to the next level (if you are not already on the fastest speed).
- Double mobile data for every O2 pay monthly mobile plan registered under your name in your household.
- Free Wi-Fi boosters (or Wi-Fi Pods, as Virgin calls them) to extend Wi-Fi coverage in your home.
- Roam in 75 destinations, with O2 Travel Inclusive Zone.
- Get up to £150 off an O2 Custom Plan for a connected device when you take out a phone on a new O2 Custom Plan.
Roaming
By law now every network in the UK must give free EU roaming, meaning no additional charges for using the minutes, texts and data already included within your allowance.
The O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On extends this to an extra O2 Travel Bolt On like the USA and Australia for those customers on selected O2 Refresh and sim only tariffs.
If you are travelling beyond these inclusive destinations then you can buy an O2 Travel Bolt On for £4.99 a day.
With these plans you get a daily allowance of 120 minutes and texts back to the UK. There is no cap on data but O2 do manage traffic and may need to slow down speeds depending on usage.
WiFi Hotspots
O2 has over 16,000 WiFi hotspots across the UK. If you are an O2 customer then your handset will automatically connect to 7000 of those hotspots without even having to register. Once connected at one of these hotspots your phone will automatically connect to all of O2's 16,000 hotspots nationwide.
WiFi calling
WiFi calling is supported on O2. WiFi calling lets you make calls anywhere you have WiFi. This is great for areas that struggle with mobile signal, such as rural locations or inside buildings with thick walls.
Tethering
You are free to tether with O2 (assuming your device supports this). Tethering is turning your phone into a personal hotspot so that you can use your mobile data allowance to get online with other devices like a laptop or tablet.
This can really chew through your data though so make sure to keep your eye on your allowance.
Roaming on O2
O2 are the only major network that isn’t bringing back EU roaming charges following Brexit. They made the announcement after Vodafone, EE and Three all confirmed they will be reintroducing EU roaming charges.
You can ‘Roam Freely’ in their Europe Zone, using your data (subject to a roaming limit), minutes and text allowances just like you do at home. If your UK monthly data allowance is over 25GB, you’ll have a Roaming Limit of 25GB.
If you’re travelling outside of O2’s Europe Zone, then their O2 Travel Bolt On is the perfect way to stay connected when you’re on holiday. You pay a single, fixed daily rate which will give you 120 minutes, 120 texts and all the data you need. There's no cap on data, but data speeds might vary.
O2 Travel Inclusive Zone
You can also choose the O2 Travel Inclusive Bolt On as one of your Extras on selected O2 Refresh and sim only tariffs. This gives you inclusive roaming across 27 non-EU destinations, including USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico.
If you’re going beyond the Inclusive Zone, you move to a tariff that doesn’t include free O2 Travel in their Inclusive Zone, or you just don’t want to choose it as one of your extras, then you can still subscribe to the full O2 Travel Bolt On.
What's bad about O2 Mobile?
No fixed price guarantee
O2 does not offer a fixed price guarantee for the duration of your contract. Each year your plan will be adjusted by the Retail Price Index (RPI) rate of inflation.
No data rollover for pay monthly customers
Data rollover is a big selling point for a lot of providers, giving customers the ability to roll over unused data into the next month. This isn't something that O2 offer to their pay monthly customers, it is only to those with pay as you go SIMS who purchase a bundle.
How do I switch to O2 Mobile?
Switching to O2 Mobile couldn't be easier. Once you have found the deal you want, simply click the ‘View Deal’ button. This will take you to O2’s website, who will guide you through the rest of the process. Or you can click the link below to go direct to the O2 website.
