O2: Deals and tariffs, customer service, and My O2

Why choose O2?

O2, the UK’s oldest mobile network, offers many benefits to its customers. With its wide range of tariffs, including flexible phone contracts and SIM-only plans, it caters to a variety of needs.

A major reason to choose the provider is its comprehensive UK coverage, which makes it accessible for almost everyone. Its network supports 4G technology, and its 5G coverage is growing.O2’s extensive range of rewards is also appealing and helps it stand out from competitors.

O2 coverage

O2’s 3G, 4G, and 5G networks can be accessed by 99% of the country. Other mobile providers pay to share O2’s network, which is a testament to its widespread availability. However, it’s best to check O2’s coverage in your area before signing up.

O2 speed

O2’s coverage is excellent, but it doesn’t deliver the fastest available speeds to its mobile data customers. The average UK O2 download speed is 15.6 megabytes per second (Mbps), which is slower than the speeds of EE, Three, and Vodafone.

Despite this, 92% of O2 users claimed they have ‘adequate’ speeds when browsing social media and the Internet. However, only 75% of O2 customers were satisfied with O2’s mobile data speeds when watching videos.

O2 customer service

O2 offers a good standard of support. In 2021, 91% of O2 customers were satisfied with the service. According to an Ofcom report, its customer service ranking was better than that of Three and Vodafone. However, EE scored 1% higher in this area.

What’s good about O2 benefits?

O2 is known for rewarding its customers with benefits.

• Roam freely:
  O2 customers can travel to many European countries without paying extra for calls, texts, or data – this is known as free roaming.O2’s Big Bundles are tariffs with unlimited texts and minutes. Purchasing a Big Bundle allows you to use your phone with no extra cost if you’re in O2’s Europe Zone.However, when in this zone, you’ll need to pay more to make calls to countries outside of Europe.

  For countries outside of the Europe Zone, you can use an Travel Bolt On to pay a fixed daily rate for texts, calls and data.

• Adjust your data allowance:
  By choosing an O2 custom plan, you can change your data allowance every month. This is ideal for customers’ whose data usage varies. For example, if you used 30GB of mobile data during the previous month and won’t need as much this month, you can easily switch to a 3GB monthly allowance.
• Interest-free financing:
  O2 has long offered monthly payment plans for phones, but this now applies to other devices, e.g. headphones. When purchasing a device, you can choose a 12-, 24- or 36-month payment plan while paying 0% annual percentage increase (APR). However, you may need to pay a small upfront fee.
• Extras:
  Selected O2 phone, tablet or SIM-only contracts will include a free bonus – known as an ‘extra’ – for up to six months. This might be a Disney+ subscription or an O2 Travel Inclusive Bolt On.

Perks at O2 venues

O2 sponsors a variety of venues, where customers are entitled to bonuses:

O2 Rewards and Priority

If you’re an Pay As You Go (PAYG) customer, you can access Rewards which returns 5-10% of your top-up fees every three months. O2 provides this as extra airtime credit, or you can save your rewards to pay less for new devices or concert tickets. You can also exchange your Rewards credit for shopping vouchers.

O2 also rewards customers through Priority. It’s free to join and offers several perks, including:

1. Food, drinks, and shopping discounts
2. Access to free prize draws
3. Access to advance tickets for acts at venues
4. Early access to Channel 4 programmes.

You can sign into O2 Priority on its website or mobile app.

What are the drawbacks of O2?

Although the provider offers great coverage, flexibility, and perks, there are some drawbacks to consider:

• O2 plans cost more than its competitors
• Other providers offer faster 4G speeds.

How do O2 prices compare to other mobile providers?

Their prices are better than two of its competitors, Vodafone and EE – but Three’s prices beat those of O2.

O2 tariffs, packages, and deals

The provider offers a range of tariffs and deals for SIM cards, as detailed below.

O2 Pay As You Go plans

The provider offers PAYG plans, which include a SIM card to use on your existing phone. These plans let you top up whenever, and include a specified quantity of calls, texts, and data.

They offer flexibility without the commitment of a contract. PAYG customers can also enjoy Priority, £10 free credit, and up to 10% of top-ups back with Rewards.

How to top up?

On an PAYG Plan, you can top up whenever you like. There are multiple ways to do this:

• Top up online with My O2.
• Set up auto top-ups on My O2.
• Call 4444 to top up with your card.
• Purchase a top-up voucher and call 4444.

O2 SIM-only deals

The provider allows you to choose between 30-day, 12-month, and 24-month SIM plans, with longer plans offering more data for less each month.

These are the top SIM-only deals currently offered, arranged by length of Airtime Plan.

Best 30-day deals:

Best 12-month deals:

Best 24-month deals:

O2 Plus Plans

Plus Plans refer to tariffs that include extra bonuses. You can get a Plus Plan with select phone, tablet, or Pay Monthly SIM deals.
Benefits include:

• Up to six months of free Apple Music
• A free O2 extra for up to six months
• International roaming in 75 countries
• A three-year warranty when you upgrade your phone.

Plus Plans are available for O2’s phone and tablet deals or its pay-monthly SIMs. You can choose a tariff with a data allowance of your preference.

The prices of the Plus Plans will vary depending on your chosen data allowance.

For example, a 150GB 12-month SIM card Plus Plan (£24 per month) costs less than an Unlimited data 12-month SIM card Plus Plan (£34 per month). Similarly, regardless of data allowance, 12-month contracts come with slightly higher monthly costs than 24-month plans, e.g. a 150GB 12-month Plus Plan costs £24 per month, while a 150GB 24-month Plus Plan costs £22 per month.

O2 custom plans

The provider offers you flexibility with its custom plans. These tariffs let you choose:

• Upfront costs
• Contract length and monthly payments
• Your monthly data allowance
• The included ‘extra’

For example, as opposed to choosing a pre-built plan for an iPhone 13, you can design your own custom plan. In this case, you’re in control of how much you pay upfront for the phone, which can be between £30 or £740. You can then choose a plan length between three and 36 months, and finally, you can choose a monthly data allowance between 3GB and Unlimited data.

The custom plans allow you to pay in a way that suits you. For instance, you could choose to pay £30 upfront for a 3GB per month, 24-month contract – or you could opt for a £50 upfront payment, Unlimited monthly data, and a 36-month contract. Essentially, you can customise and control the costs, data limits, and bonuses as you wish.

This freedom over every aspect of your plan allows you to decide how much you pay each month – which is ideal if you need a new device while on a tight budget.

O2’s deals and incentives

O2’s device and SIM card deals come with free incentives, which add extra value for customers. Here are some examples of the incentives that come with being an O2 customer:

What are O2 international call prices?

The table shows the standard international call prices for their customers:

Purchasing an O2 Bolt On deal helps you avoid expensive bills. These cost an extra £3 per month for calls to over 200 countries from just 1p per minute.

Alternatively, you can purchase an International Bundle, which offers cheaper calls from 1p per minute. These bundles also include unlimited texts, calls, and 100GB of data.

Can I use my O2 SIM abroad?

Your O2 SIM card works abroad, but the rates you pay vary by country and payment plans.

If you’re in the Europe Zone, you won’t need to pay extra for calls, texts, and data. If you’re outside this zone, you can avoid standard rates with a Travel Bolt On .

O2 Business offers

O2 also provides services specifically for businesses. The provider’s Business offers the following products and services:

• Work phones and tablets
• SIMs and tariffs
• Dongles and mobile WiFi solutions
• Microsoft 365 and McAfee apps
• Business broadband and landlines
• Digital collaboration tools.

You can purchase a business SIM-only tariff that´s good. These deals all come with unlimited texts and calls, but you can select a monthly allowance of 4G or 5G to meet your business’ needs:

How good is O2’s mobile coverage?

Their mobile coverage is extensive across the UK, so O2 customers can make calls, send texts, or use mobile data in most places.

What speeds can I get?

• O2 5G coverage:
  Although its 5G coverage is limited, the customers can get 5G in many major towns and cities. The rollout is ongoing, so its 5G coverage continues to improve.You can check O2 coverage near you with O2’s online checker.
• O2 4G coverage:
  99% of people in the UK can access O2’s 4G network – so coverage is excellent. Nevertheless, the company is still working to connect rural areas to the their 4G network.The average download speed when using their 4G network is 15.16Mbps. This speed is lower than the average 4G speeds of Three, Vodafone, and EE.
• O2 3G coverage:
  Although you can access O2’s 4G network in most places, their 3G network is still widely accessible. Its coverage includes 99% of the UK population, and the network offers download speeds of around 3Mbps. This is slower than the UK average download speed for 3G.

FAQ

How can I top up with O2?

There are several ways to top up your O2 balance:

• Top up online with My O2.
• Set up auto top-ups on My O2.
• Call 4444 to top up with your card.
• Purchase a top-up voucher and call 4444.

How can I contact O2?

Contact O2 by calling 0344 809 0202 or speak to an advisor on O2’s web chat.

How can I check my O2 balance?

You can see your O2 balance by logging into My O2 via its website or app, or dialling 4444 on your O2 mobile.

Does O2 offer SIM plans for bad credit?

It’s difficult to secure an O2 phone contract with a poor credit rating. However, the credit checks for SIM-only plans are easier to pass.