By O2 offers Pay As You Go bundles from £10/month. Compare their top-up bundles, including Big Bundles & Rolling Plans.
In the UK, O2 offers a range of Pay As You Go bundles, starting from £10 per month. Available with no contract & no credit check, you can choose from a range of Big Bundles and Rolling Plans for your phone.
At present, you can get up to 10GB data for a £10 monthly top-up on O2. You’ll also get unlimited UK minutes and unlimited UK texts. There’s also data rollover included, along with access to O2 Priority and O2 Rewards.
Get O2 Pay As You Go SIM Card (Free) →
When you order a Pay As You Go SIM card through this link on the Big Bundles plan, you can claim £10 of free Pay As You Go credit once you’ve activated your SIM card.
In this article, we’ll review O2’s Pay As You Go service, along with the Big Bundles and the Rolling Plans that are available on it. We’ll also look at the features included, along with the coverage available and how you can keep your current phone number when you switch to O2.
| Bundles From: | £10 per month |
|---|---|
| Contract Length: | No contract & no credit check |
| Rolling Plans: |
Rolling plans are online-only and require automatic monthly payments to be set up. |
| Big Bundles: |
|
| Coverage: | 99% population coverage on 4G (check postcode) |
Contents
Bundles & Pricing
O2 is one of the UK’s largest Pay As You Go mobile networks. They currently offer two types of Pay As You Go plan:
- Big Bundles: O2’s Big Bundles start from 8GB data for £10 per month. You’ll be able to top-up your SIM card manually on Big Bundles (e.g. in store, by phone or online). There’s also the facility to set-up automatic monthly top-ups if you wish.
- Rolling Plans: O2’s Rolling Plans start from 10GB data for £10 per month. You’ll get more data included on these Rolling Plans but you’ll need to set-up automatic monthly payments to get them. They’re also only available when you order your SIM card online.
In both cases, there’s no contract and no credit check required. You’ll also benefit from data rollover, O2 Rewards, O2 Priority and EU roaming on both types of plan.
The following table shows a side-by-side comparison of O2’s Big Bundles and Rolling Plans:
| Big Bundles | Rolling Plans | |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
| Plans From: | £10 per month | £10 per month |
| Data Allowances | ||
| £10 per month: | 8GB data | 10GB data |
| £15 per month: | 25GB data | 30GB data |
| £20 per month: | 40GB data | 50GB data |
| £30 per month: | 125GB data | 150GB data |
| Plan Features | ||
| Payment Method: | Manual top-up or automatic payments |
Automatic payments only |
| UK Minutes & Texts: | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| International Calls: | None (£10 & £15 bundle) 50 minutes (£20 bundle) 250 minutes (£30 bundle) |
None (£10 rolling plan) 100 minutes (£15 & £20 rolling plan) 500 minutes (£30 rolling plan) |
| Data Rollover: | Yes (core data only) | Yes (core data only) |
| EU Roaming: | Yes (up to 25GB) | Yes (up to 25GB) |
| More Information: | O2 Big Bundles Webpage | O2 Rolling Plans Webpage |
Big Bundles
On O2’s Big Bundles plan, you can convert your Pay As You Go credit into a one-month allowance of UK minutes, texts and mobile data.
At present, you’ll get 8GB data for £10 per month. There’s also a £15, £20 and £30 Big Bundle available with even more data.
The following table shows O2’s Big Bundle plans:
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 8GB | £10.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 25GB | £15.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 40GB | £20.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 125GB | £30.00 |
Order O2 Pay As You Go SIM Card (Free) →
As a special offer, you’ll get £10 of free credit when you order your O2 Big Bundles SIM card online. Upon arrival, you’ll have 28 days to activate your SIM card. You can then text FREE10 to 21500 to claim your £10 of free credit.
You’ll get 50 international minutes included on the £20 Big Bundle and 250 international minutes included on the £30 Big Bundle. These are valid for calling 42 destinations.
In the past, O2 also offered a £5 Big Bundle. This is no longer available for new customers.
Rolling Plans
For a larger data allowance, it’s worth choosing one of O2’s rolling plans instead of a Big Bundle.
To get a rolling plan, you’ll need to order your SIM card online. When it arrives, you’ll need to set up automatic monthly top-ups before you’re able to buy a rolling plan. The automatic top-ups can save you time as there will be no need to manually top-up your phone every month. At the same time, you’ll retain the flexibility to pause, change or cancel your plan at any time.
You’ll get 10GB data on O2’s £10 rolling plan (increased from the 8GB data allowance on the £10 Big Bundle). For even more data, you can choose the £15, £20 or £30 rolling plans.
The following table shows O2’s rolling plans:
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 10GB | £10.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 30GB | £15.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 50GB | £20.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 150GB | £30.00 |
Order O2 Rolling Plan SIM Card (Free) →
You’ll also get 100 international minutes included on the £15 and £20 rolling plans from O2. Meanwhile, customers choosing the £30 rolling plan will get 500 international minutes included every month. These are valid for calling 42 destinations.
Bundle Codes
If you already have an O2 Pay As You Go SIM card, you can buy a Big Bundle through the My O2 app. Alternatively, you can send a text message as follows:
| Bundle Required | Bundle Code for Opting In |
|---|---|
| £5 Big Bundle (no data) | Text BIGBUNDLE5 to 21300 – for existing customers only |
| £10 Big Bundle (with 8GB data) | Text 10DATABB to 21300 |
| £15 Big Bundle (with 25GB data) | Text 15DATABB to 21300 |
| £20 Big Bundle (with 40GB data) | Text 20DATABB to 21300 |
| £30 Big Bundle (with 125GB data) | Text 30DATABB to 21300 |
For customers ordering a new SIM card through this link, it’s also possible to get £10 of free Pay As You Go credit by sending a text message as follows:
| O2 Pay As You Go Offer | SMS Code for Opting In |
|---|---|
| £10 of free credit (available for 28 days only after your ordering SIM through this page) |
Text FREE10 to 21500 |
It isn’t possible to buy a rolling plan by text message. Instead, you’ll need to order and activate your O2 rolling plan SIM card online.
Pay As You Go Rates
If you don’t have an active Pay As You Go bundle on your account, you’ll pay O2’s standard Pay As You Go rates for any usage. These are 55p/minute, 30p/text and £2/day for up to 100MB of data.
The following table shows the out-of-bundle rates on O2 Pay As You Go:
| Calling Rates: | |
|---|---|
| Voice Calls | 55p/minute (any network, any time) |
| Calls to Voicemail | 35p/call (when outside of allowances) |
| Calls to Special Rate Numbers | 55p/minute access charge + service charge from the company you’re calling |
| Messaging Rates: | |
| Text Message (SMS) | 30p |
| Picture Message (MMS) | 55p |
| Internet Rates: | |
| Mobile Data | £2/day |
The prices in this table are stated for UK-to-UK only. If you’re travelling abroad or making an international phone call, higher charges will normally apply. Source for pricing information: O2 [1, 2].
If you have an old O2 SIM card on the Classic Pay As You Go plan, the Pay As You Go rates listed above will not apply to you.
O2 Pay As You Go Features
Data Rollover
You can benefit from data rollover on both the Big Bundles and rolling plans from O2. This is only available when your bundle renews automatically (so you’ll either need to have automatic top-ups, or you’ll need to top-up manually before your current bundle expires).
To give an example, if you have 1GB of unused data on the £10 Big Bundle, you’d receive an extra 1GB of data in the following month’s bundle. This would increase your data allowance from 8GB to 9GB per month. Data rollover is only available on your core data allowance, and excludes promotional data.
O2 Rewards & O2 Priority
As an O2 Pay As You Go customer, you’ll benefit from both O2 Rewards and the O2 Priority programme.
- With O2 Rewards, you’ll earn up to 10% of your top-ups back as a reward (5% for your first six months, then 10% after the first six months). This can be taken in the form of Pay As You Go credit, or used for discounts elsewhere (e.g. at an O2 store, at Ticketmaster or for selected high street vouchers).
- With O2 Priority, you’ll get exclusive access to Priority Tickets at gigs and other events across the UK. You can also benefit from other offers and freebies, such as a free coffee and a free sausage roll from Greggs each week.
Inclusive European Roaming
O2’s Pay As You Go plans come with inclusive roaming in 43 European destinations. You’ll be able to use the minutes, texts and data from your plan at no extra cost when you travel (up to a maximum of 25GB data per month).
For more information, see O2’s guide to roaming in Europe.
Network & Coverage
In the UK, O2 offers 99% population coverage. If you’re using an O2 Pay As You Go SIM card, you’ll have access to 2G, 3G and 4G coverage from O2.
Before you sign up for O2 Pay As You Go (either Big Bundles or a Rolling Plan), we’d strongly recommended checking O2’s coverage in your area. You can do this by entering your postcode on O2’s online coverage map:
Check O2 Coverage (o2.co.uk) →
It’s worth checking the coverage available at your home address, as well as other places where you regularly spend a lot of time (e.g. at your workplace, school, university, etc).
Unfortunately, 5G coverage isn’t currently available to O2 Pay As You Go customers. If you’d like access to 5G, you’ll need to get an O2 Pay Monthly SIM card instead. Alternatively, there are other 5G Pay As You Go providers using coverage from O2 (e.g. giffgaff).
Keeping Your Phone Number
If you’re switching from another mobile network to O2, it’s a straightforward process to keep your current phone number.
Start by asking your current mobile network to provide you with a PAC Code. You can get this through your mobile network’s website or app, or by texting PAC to 65075.
Once you have the PAC Code from your old network, order your new Pay As You Go phone or SIM card from O2’s website. When it arrives, you’ll be able to provide the PAC Code to O2 through this online form. Once you’ve submitted the form, the phone number transfer will be scheduled (normally for the next working day).
For a step-by-step guide on moving your phone number to O2, please select your current mobile network from the drop down menu below:
Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to move Pay As You Go credit from your old mobile network to O2. For this reason, you should try to use it up before you move your phone number to O2.
Frequently Asked Questions
| What Pay As You Go bundles are available on O2? | O2 currently offers the following Pay As You Go bundles:
If you’re happy to set up automatic monthly payments, you’ll get even more data included on O2’s rolling plans. For instance, the £10 rolling plan comes with 10GB data per month. |
|---|---|
| How do I get £10 of free credit on O2 Pay As You Go? | When you order an O2 Pay As You Go SIM card through this link, you’ll get £10 of free credit when you activate it and top-up your SIM card within 28 days. Once you’ve done this, text FREE10 to 21500 to claim your £10 of free credit. |
| How much do I need to top-up by each time? | On O2’s Pay As You Go service, there’s a minimum top-up of £10 each time. This would convert into a £10 Big Bundle giving you unlimited UK minutes, unlimited UK texts and 7GB data for one month. |
| What are the standard Pay As You Go rates on O2? | If you don’t have an active Pay As You Go bundle on your account, you’ll pay 55p/minute and 30p/text. You’ll also pay £2/day for using data on your phone. Because this can very quickly add up, we’d only recommend using your phone if you have an active bundle on your account. |
| What coverage will I get on O2 Pay As You Go? | You’ll get 99% population coverage on O2’s 2G, 3G and 4G mobile networks in the UK. You can check the availability of coverage in your area by entering your postcode on O2’s online coverage map. |
| Will I get access to 5G on O2 Pay As You Go? | No. 5G coverage isn’t currently available on O2’s Pay As You Go service. For access to 5G, you’ll need to choose an O2 Pay Monthly plan, or another 5G plan using coverage from O2. |
| Can I keep my current phone number? | Yes. It’s easy to keep your current phone number. Simply ask your current mobile network to provide you with a PAC Code. This can be obtained through your mobile network’s website or app, or by texting PAC to 65075. You should then provide this PAC Code to O2 once you’ve ordered your Pay As You Go plan.
|
More Information
For more information, please see O2’s official website. You can also order a free Pay As You Go SIM card from O2.
Dan said:
Hi Ken,
how do these work with the VOLT and extra 75 countries? would I still be able to use my data allowance in the USA?
Ken replied:
Hi Dan,
Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, the Volt benefits are only available on O2’s Pay Monthly SIM cards so you won’t be able to get it on O2’s Pay As You Go or rolling plans 🙁 Sorry about that!
Ken
Pete Forman said:
O2 seem to take a Humpty Dumpty approach to their terminology*. For me PAYG means that if you don’t use the service you don’t pay. £10+ pm rather invalidates that.
* “When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’
Ken replied:
Hi Pete,
I do agree somewhat, though there is an important advantage compared to one-month rolling Pay Monthly plans in that you can decide to pause your plan at any time without your SIM card getting disconnected from the mobile network. For instance, you can decide to buy a one-month bundle for November and then switch it off for December (whilst still being able to receive incoming calls, text messages, etc). You could then resume it at some point next year. That gives you a bit of extra flexibility which some people find quite helpful (e.g. they’ll only buy a bundle in the months where they actually need it).
Ken
D said:
Triple data offer is available again on O2 Big Bundles (text 3XDATA to 2424).
https://www.whatmobile.net/News/article/o2-launches-pay-as-you-go-triple-data-deal
Spencer said:
If I got the £10 deal which is unlimited calls & text plus 6Gb data would that bring my account balance down to £0.00 ?
Like if I paid £3.00 on top of that for the International Bolt On 0.01p per minute would I need to have additional funds in my account? Or does it use the £10 that I put in for the bundle. Nothing really explains how all of that works.
Ken replied:
Hi Spencer,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, if you topped up by £10 and bought the £10 Big Bundle, that would reduce your account balance to zero. You’d then need to add additional money for other things (e.g. for buying the International Bolt-On or paying for your international calls).
As an example, you could decide to top-up your account with £15 to buy the £10 Big Bundle. This would give you £5 leftover to pay for other bolt-ons, calls, etc.
Hope this helps,
Ken
maloney said:
It’s irritating that o2 have got rid of the Classic PAYG. I no longer have a landline, as it was expensive and I was hardly using it. Instead, I back up my smartphone with a cheap moblle for emergency, e,g losing the smartphone. I rarely use the cheap phone and as it is on Classic, I hardly ever top it up. An occasional call to my smartphone keeps the plan active. Now Classic is no longer available to new users. I do realise that I can still continue with Classic, at least for the moment. I use Big Bundles £15 for the smartphone.
Dave replied:
Malony,
Although O2 does not sell classic PAYG SIM cards, you can still order one (with a big bundle), call them on 4445 and ask them to remove the Big Bundle before you top up the card. That way you can use it the old way.
Ken replied:
Hi Dave,
Thanks for your comment. Does this method definitely work? My understanding is you’ll pay the Big Bundle out-of-bundle rates instead as you won’t be on the Classic Pay As You Go plan.
Ken
Maloney replied:
Thanks for that. It would be a lot more expensive than Classic. 35 pence per minute, rather than 3 pence per minute. Still, if only used for emergencies, it might work. It remains irritating that O2 got rid of Classic.
R said:
I see the SIM cards for this plan are still available on ebay. I saw someone say they have an expiry on Dec 2020 (when they were for sale in Asda) and an ebay seller say as long as you top up by April 2021 they are valid. Reviews on ebay suggest that you can get this plan by activating a SIM off ebay even as a new customer. Do you know if that is true? Thanks
Ken replied:
Hi R,
Are you referring to Big Bundles or Classic Pay As You Go? For Big Bundles, you can get a SIM card from O2 for free online. However, Classic Pay As You Go SIM cards are no longer available directly from O2. If you find one (e.g. on eBay), I believe it’s still possible to activate it as long as the SIM pack is still valid and as long as it hasn’t expired.
Ken
R replied:
I was referring to Classic Pay As You Go, sorry for not being clear. Thank you.
Linda Hughes said:
Can you pay by direct debit for your 10.00 bundle
Ken replied:
Hi Linda,
Thanks for your comment. Sadly, it isn’t possible to pay for your O2 Pay As You Go service using Direct Debit. If you’d like to pay by Direct Debit, I’d recommend choosing a Pay Monthly SIM card instead.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Marion Evans said:
I am on a £5 big bundle what gigabyte is this ie 2? also can I log onto WhatsApp and is this free within the £5. I pay per month?
Ken replied:
Hi Marion,
Sadly, the £5 Big Bundle doesn’t include any mobile data. If you’d like to use mobile data, it’ll cost you £1/day for up to 50MB of data. This will very quickly add up to a lot of money so I’d recommend choosing a different mobile network or different plan if you’d like to do this.
Saying that, if you’re only using wi-fi (e.g. whilst you’re at home), there will be no charge from O2 for this. Therefore, you could use WhatsApp on wi-fi without paying any extra.
Hope this helps,
Ken
nansija said:
so i am trying to start a £10 month bundle , but how do i get to have a £10 month unlimited credit please may you tell me .
Ken replied:
Hi Nansija,
Thanks for your comment. Are you looking to have £10 of credit that doesn’t have a time limit on how long you can use it? If so, you can switch to the Classic Pay As You Go plan. Alternatively, the £10 Big Bundle will give you 1 month of usage with 500 minutes, 5000 texts and 2GB of data.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Bigz replied:
What comes with the £10 UK & international bundle
Ken replied:
Hi there,
The £10 UK & International bundle comes with 250 minutes, 5000 texts and 2GB of data. The minutes can be used to call other UK phone numbers, or numbers in 40 selected countries abroad.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Francesca said:
Hi,
I’m moving abroad for a bit so have cancelled my contract for a pay as you go sim. I did this yesterday but stupidly didn’t ask what sim o2 would be sending me because I just assumed it would be a basic one. A Pay as you go £10 Data Big Bundle Triple Sim is on its way but does it get renewed automatically every month/ do I have to top up every month? Because I literally just need to use it until I go away (on Tuesday) and then when I come back (whenever that will be) so I will be going months without actually needing to use the sim.
Ken replied:
Hi Francesca,
Thanks for your comment. It’s absolutely no problem at all as you can easily change your plan to another type (e.g. to O2 Classic Pay As You Go). With Big Bundles, you will indeed need to top-up your SIM card every month. This isn’t the case if you switch to Classic Pay As You Go (though you’ll need to make sure you comply with their inactivity policy).Hope this helps,
Ken
Sharon replied:
Is it possible to get a bundle for 1 month and then go back to classic PAYG? I’m going on holiday and may not have WiFi access, so I’d like to have 3G available for a couple of weeks and then go back to regular PAYG.
Ken replied:
Hi Sharon,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, I believe it should be possible to do this. You’ll just need to switch back to Classic Pay As You Go before the Big Bundle tries to renew itself automatically after 30 days. You can do this by texting CLASSIC to 21300. Note that you won’t be able to access 321 rates whilst on the Big Bundles tariff: any out-of-allowance usage will be charged at the higher Big Bundle rates (35p/minute, 15p/text and £1/day for 50MB data). However, you’ll get access to the 321 rates again after changing back to Classic Pay As You Go.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Sharon replied:
Thanks, that’s really helpful!
Graham Dunnett said:
Hi Ken… I’ve run out of 20GB of data in the first 7 days. How can I get another 20GB without waiting for the end of the “official” month? I can’t figure it out…
Thanks, Graham
Ken replied:
Hi Graham,
I don’t think you can officially start a new bundle early, but O2 Customer Services might be able to sort this out for you. You can reach them on 4445 to enquire about this.
Ken
Graham Dunnett replied:
Managed to get a new bundle. It wiped out the last Gigabyte, but that’s not a problem. Thanks for being a star.
Roma said:
How do I cancel current paygo tariff to move straight away onto to a higher bundle? Sick fed up having to top up extra £10 before new one starts and paying ludicrous amounts daily for data till new bundle start date 😣
Ken replied:
Hi Roma,
I’m not sure it’s typically possible to renew your Big Bundle early. However, it might be worth giving O2 Customer Services a call on 4455 to see if they’re able to do this for you.
Ken
Graham said:
Does the data rollover?
Ken replied:
Hi Graham,
I do believe that O2 now offers data rollover on Big Bundles 🙂
Ken
Steve said:
Ken,
I’ll be in the UK in two weeks time and I’ll convert current Classic pay-as-go SIM to a Big-Bundle plan for the 5 weeks I’m in the UK.
I see in your write-up that you say “All Big Bundle packages will last for one calendar month”. What happens if I switch to a Big Bundle in the middle of September, will it only last until the end of the month or will carry through to say mid-October?
I’ll most likely opt for a 25 pound Big Bundle package with 8GB of data.
Cheers,
Steve
Ken replied:
Hi Steve,
Thanks for your comment. It will last for one month after you purchase the bundle. Therefore, if you buy the bundle in mid-September, it should last you through until mid-October 🙂
Hope this helps,
Ken
Steve said:
Hi Ken.
With an O2 pay-as-you-go SIM on a Big Bundle, does it allow you to use your phone as a Hot-Spot?
Cheers,
Steve
Ken replied:
Hi Steve,
Yes, you can tether & use personal hotspot on O2 Pay As You Go.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Steve replied:
Many thanks.
Steve
Stephen said:
HI Ken.
With an O2 Big Bundle Pay-as-you-go plan, is roaming in the Republic of Ireland included?
Cheers,
Steve
Ken replied:
Hi Stephen,
Yes – you can roam in the Republic of Ireland at no extra charge on O2’s Big Bundles Pay As You Go plan. You can also do this on most other UK networks since European roaming charges were removed.
Ken
Steve replied:
Ken,
two follow up questions:
1) am I able to use my big bundle data allowance when roaming in Ireland?
2) Are calls or text messages made back to the UK from Ireland charged separately to what my big bundle allowances include?
Steve
Ken replied:
Hi Steve,
Many thanks for your comment.
1) Yes, you can use your Big Bundle data allowance when roaming in the Republic of Ireland. Since July 2017, this has been possible on all UK networks.
2) These calls are also included. When you’re travelling in the Republic of Ireland or any other UK country, you can call phone numbers in any EU country using your Big Bundle allowances.
Hope this helps!
Ken
Alyson said:
Hello Ken
I have an O2 £10.00 bundle.
Can you please advise how I will be charged when I am in Gran Canaria and need to telephone a friend in England on their mobile which is not on an O2 contract? (she is with Tesco mobile)
Will my network data allowance reduce greatly?
Will she be charged at all?
Hope this makes sense!
Many thanks, Alyson
Ken replied:
Hi Alyson,
Many thanks for your comment. Since the changes were made last year to European roaming charges, you’ll be able to use your UK allowances at no extra charge when travelling in the EU (Gran Canaria is included in this, as part of Spain). You can therefore use your inclusive allowances to call friends and family in the UK at no extra cost.
With regards to your friend, she won’t need to pay anything extra to receive your phone call. In the UK, you’ll never be charged for picking up a phone call (all additional charges related to roaming are incurred by the person who goes abroad).
Hope this helps!
Ken
Alyson replied:
Hello Ken
Thank you for helping me again and your response was 100% correct. Very much appreciated.
Now another question re my O2 £10.00 bundle. In Gran Canaria, I would like to occasionally be able to send a photo or important message using Facebook but, so far, cannot do so. If I have WIFI access, there is no problem, but if I am out and about and cannot access any internet network it is impossible. I contacted O2 but could only ascertain they do not have a contract with Spain (Gran Canaria) that will allow me internet access without WIFI. Can this be correct?
Thank you again for your help….
Ken replied:
Hi Alyson,
No worries and really glad I could be of help!
Are you able to access the internet at all when you’re out and about (e.g. using your web browser or other applications like WhatsApp)? If not, it sounds like the “data roaming” setting has just been switched off on your phone – there’s more information here about how to enable it. Once you’ve done that, you should be able to use Facebook, WhatsApp, etc when you’re out and about. After returning to the UK, I’d probably recommend switching the setting off again (just in case you go somewhere outside of Europe in the future where data roaming won’t be chargeable).
Hope this helps,
Ken
Alyson replied:
Hi Ken
Thank you for your prompt response.
I have now spent over 90 minutes undertaking an online ‘chat’ with 02. The problem that I am unable to get network (internet) coverage remains unresolved.
In brief, during the online ‘chat’ it was confirmed that ‘roaming’ is switched on.
I was requested to try networks – YOIGO, Vodafone ES.
Movistar and Orange ES – no internet connection was possible with any of these providers.
It was suggested Network Mode 3G only be set on my phone – this also did not work, ie no internet connection.
A 5 day working timescale has been raised. Apparently O2 are going to correspond with networks in Spain now.
When I bought my Samsung Galaxy A5 smartphone with the 02 £10.00 PAYG bundle I was led to believe there would be no problem accessing the internet in Spain (Gran Canaria). It appears however this is only possible with WIFI access.
I do not think there is anything further I can do. Do you agree?
Thank you.
Ken replied:
Hi Alyson,
Thanks for getting back to me on this. Unfortunately, I don’t really know what to suggest except from continuing to persevere with O2 to resolve this for you. I do believe your service should work in Gran Canaria, so it is likely that this is being caused by a problem on their side. If you like, you can lodge a formal complaint in writing with O2 as they may consider giving you a refund for part of the service you weren’t able to use. Do please keep me updated, and let me if you get to a resolution with O2.
Ken
Alyson replied:
Hi Ken – I feel like you are my ‘penfriend’ with my continued correspondence! You are so knowledgeable and down to earth and your advice is much appreciated. I will certainly keep you updated with O2’s response and I will lodge a complaint with them. Thanks, as always. Alyson
Alyson replied:
Hello Ken
Thank you for your response dated 25 Feb at 6.34
The update is I received a ‘phone call from O2 in Leeds, UK.
Once I had confirmed data roaming was set on my smartphone, I was directed to “Access Point Names”. I had to add a new Access Point Name and with the information given, now have Internet data access!
I have looked at information of my previous Access Point Name and the only difference I can see is the Username is now ‘o2web’ where previously it was ‘payandgo’.
I am so pleased this has been resolved and thank you for your support.
Ken replied:
Hi Alyson,
Thank you for the update – I’m really pleased to know the problem was resolved for you, and thank you also for sharing the solution with me (I’ll bear this in mind if anyone asks the same question in the future). Hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Gran Canaria – I hope it is pleasantly warm (at the very least, warmer and less snowy than it is in the UK ;)).
Ken
guesume said:
o2 big bundles are unreasonable – they’re too expensive and offer not enough data allowance
Ken replied:
Hi there,
Yes – agreed, O2’s Big Bundles are fairly expensive compared to the rest of the market. giffgaff is a great alternative that uses O2 for coverage (e.g. you’ll get 500 minutes, unlimited texts and 3GB internet for £10/month). Alternatively, see my guide to Pay As You Go bundles for even more alternatives.
Ken
Jenny Mackenzie said:
Hi Ken! As you know, I’ve written to you before expressing satisfaction with O2, but have just had a sobering reality check. I’ve had a £30 Big Bundle for over two years, which gave me 3,000 UK minutes, 4,000 texts + 20GB data. But it ran out on 31st July when I was in Switzerland for work. I arrived back yesterday to learn when I tried to renew my bundle that because I’d skipped a month, I had to accept the new, revised allowance and was gobsmacked to discover that minutes had been reduced to just one-sixth of what I got previously: 500 minutes; texts were worse: a mere one-eighth of my old allowance at 500; data was unchanged at 20GB. I now apparently have international minutes “from 1p a minute” but I did anyway cos I kept a healthy credit balance on O2 WorldChat. How can they get away with slashing their offering so drastically? (For comparison, at the same £30 price even the much-maligned Vodafone still offers 3,000 minutes, unlimited texts, 20GB data PLUS rollover of unused allowances to the next month.) O2 just lost a very loyal advocate!
Ken replied:
Hi Jenny,
Yes, unfortunately, O2 recently updated their bundles to reduce the number of minutes and to increase the amount of data (at least on lower-priced plans). It might be worth giving O2 Customer Services a quick call to see if they’ll possibly consider re-instating your minutes (you’re spending a fair bit with them so it’s possible they’ll overlook the skipped month and put you back on the old tariff). Alternatively, there are a number of mobile networks offering unlimited minutes & unlimited texts on Pay As You Go (e.g. £20/month on Three with 12GB of data, or £25/month with 30GB).
Ken
pip said:
Wow thanks for this article… I got all the info I needed and way more informative than the O2 website itself. Brilliant!
David Pemberton said:
Can I use y £10 big bundle abroad(Greece)
Ken replied:
Hi David,
Yes, you can use your Big Bundle allowances in most European countries. For more information, I’ve written a guide to European roaming.
Hope this helps!
Ken
Diane said:
Hi my brother is with o2 pay as you go he puts £10 a month on his phone but runs out of minutes how much more does he need to put on so he gets enough minutes to last the month
Ken replied:
Hi Diane,
Thanks for your comment. See the table here for a list of O2’s current Big Bundles. For instance, if your brother were to upgrade to the £15 Big Bundle, he would have 750 minutes per month which should hopefully be more suitable!
Ken
helen said:
I know most of the comments are about tariffs, but I’ve a question about unlocking phones, can only the place I’ve purchased the phone unlock it, I’m waiting for a delivery of a new phone from O2 I’ve not signed up to a tariff with them but they are sending a £10 Big Bundle triple sim but I want to used another network, but after looking on-line it’s looks like I’ve got to be with O2 12 months before I can request to be unlocked, the phone is a OnePlus 3T and is a Christmas present for my son.
Ken replied:
Hi Helen,
There’s more information here about unlocking your smartphone but in short: yes, the only “legitimate” way of unlocking your handset is directly from your mobile network (i.e. O2). Saying that, there are a couple of people on the OnePlus forum suggesting the handset might be provided unlocked (so possibly worth double-checking with O2 to see whether the handset is locked).
Ken
daz said:
How come 02 are way behind others? Us loyal customers don’t get any good deals like Giffgaff and ASDA. You are 100 times bigger company than those yet when you phone up and you manage to talk to someone there attitude is ‘well go with them then’.
Sort something out for your customers who have been with you a long time like myself. As for the gurus you have in store in, they are useless arrogant and most times too busy talking c**p
Edward Bowden said:
Hi Ken
Thanks as always for this clear page.
I’ve ordered an O2 phone online, and added a £10 big bundle sim, but it hasn’t charged me for the additional £10. Have I made £10, or will the SIM have no credit on it?
Ken replied:
Hi Edward,
Thanks for your comment. The SIM card itself should normally be free. Therefore, if you paid £10 for it, this will likely appear in the form of your first £10 Big Bundle. If they didn’t actually charge you anything, it’s possible the SIM card will have no money on it (in this case, you’ll need to top-up by £10 to get your first Big Bundle).
Hope this helps,
Ken
linda wildman said:
hi ive been a 02 customer for more years than i would like to admit, ive always been on £15 a month free calls and txt to 02 customers but lately my friends and family have been changing to other users as they have found better deals so now i’m paying in access of30/40 pounds a month where as before i could call and my allowance was always there as they were 02 I have tried to get in touch with customer service 4445 this is now transfered to 4444 and have to listen to all there top up etc. i have tried to chat on line but have not been able to get any joy when i ask what package would suit me with unlimited call and txt or calls to other than 02 customers the chat dies. Maybe you could advise me best deal I only use phone and txt small amount of data if any
Ken replied:
Hi Linda,
Thanks for your comment. It might be worth having a look at my guide to the best value Pay As You Go bundles. I think there are some really good deals out there – for instance you could get a free SIM card from ASDA Mobile which gives you 600 minutes and unlimited texts for £10/month (that’s any network, any time). You’ll also get 1.5GB of mobile internet.
If you really do need unlimited calls & unlimited texts, you’ll probably be best off a SIM-only deal. You’ll need to sign up for a 12 month contract to get the best deals but there are some really good ones e.g. Three currently has unlimited calls, unlimited texts and 4GB of data for £9/month (this is a time-limited deal).
Hope this helps,
Ken
Carrie said:
I have the 15BUNDLE and I’ve ran out of data, I have topped up another £15.00 and was wondering if anyone knows how to start your bundle early as I have tried and can’t get anywhere, my current big bundle runs out on the 6th Sept.
Ken replied:
Hi Carrie,
Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, I don’t believe it’s possible to renew your Big Bundle early on O2 (your only option is paying their out-of-bundle rates). If you do need to do this on a regular basis, it might be worth having a look at giffgaff instead as they allow you to renew goodybag bundles early.
Ken
Jenny replied:
Hi Carrie and Ken!
I didn’t think it was possible, to renew early either, Ken. So when a couple of months ago, I had used up my 5GB data on my £25 bundle a week before my renewal date, I bought a “bolt-on”, paying £6 for 500MB of data. (Still far cheaper than out-of-bundle rates.) But then I was told by Customer Services that in fact I could renew my Big Bundle at any time (though of course, it meant I lost unexpired minutes and texts). They also explained that my bolt-on hadn’t been a good option because the new £30 bundle gave me 20GB data – or an extra 15GB – for just £5 extra. I changed my bundle from the £25 to the £30 one and, to my surprise, the customer service rep told me she was reimbursing my unused £6 bolt-on. Of course, O2 isn’t ignoring the fact that they will now be renewing my bundle at £30 instead of £25 now, but it suits my needs too, so it’s win-win really. However, Carrie, I don’t think you can renew simply by text; you must call O2 to request it. But it’s a free call and done in 2 minutes. Hope this helps! 🙂
Ken replied:
Hi Jenny,
Fantastic news! Sounds like some really good customer service from the team at O2 and really awesome they were able to do this for you. As you say, this is ultimately a win-win situation: they’re making more money from you in the long-run and you’re getting a more appropriate package for your needs. I wasn’t aware they were able to start bundles early over the phone, but it’s really good to know this is possible.
Ken
Jenny said:
Previously a Lebara customer, I became fed up with the frequent changes in my UK pass allowance (always downward) and poor customer service. I switched to O2 when I discovered that a £25 bundle actually bought me FAR more. That was in December 2015 and I couldn’t be more satisfied. I now subscribe to the new £30 Big Bundle which gives me 3,000 UK minutes, 4,000 SMS, and 20GB of 4G data. Best of all, voicemail is included in the bundle and I have found customer service to be excellent. Finally, whilst it IS true that O2 international calling rates can be exhorbitant, the O2 WorldChat app brings them down dramatically (1p a minute to Switzerland, for example). I guess there is no “One-size-fits-all” answer to the best operator question, but, personally, I value the premium service a mainstream operator provides, and by choosing a bundle to suit one’s individual needs, plus the app for International calls, it can actually be cheaper than the deals offered by the no-frills virtual operators. Oh! I almost forget to say a huge “Thank You” Ken, for all the work you put into this great website!! 🙂
Ken replied:
Hi Jenny,
Thanks for the kind feedback – this made my day!
I definitely agree that there isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” best mobile network for everyone and it’s definitely worth researching around to find the best network for you. I think some of the international calling MVNOs have struggled in recent years as there are now lots of alternative ways of calling abroad (e.g. using VoIP applications like O2 WorldChat, Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc). This means it is therefore possible to now use a mainstream mobile network whilst also benefiting from the lower international costs.
For me, it comes down to a combination of things like bundles, coverage, ability to tether, customer service, etc. For other people, there could also be other considerations e.g. the cost of international calling & international travel, the credit expiry policy, the ease of topping up, customer offers, etc. With this website, I’m hoping therefore we can help people to make a well-informed all-round decision rather than one based solely on the cheapest available price.
Once again, thank you for the kind feedback as nice comments like this make everything worthwhile! Do please let your friends know about the website and feel free to get in touch if you have ideas for a new guide!
Thanks again,
Ken
Jenny replied:
Thank you for your comprehensive reply Ken! May I have a second bite at my cherry in order to respond to your very important point about tethering? (And, rest assured, I’m definitely NOT paid by O2 to be their advocate!! 🙂 ) But other users of this site might like to know that O2 has now dropped its ban on tethering which previously discriminated unfairly against their PAYG customers. I travel a lot for business, and am outraged that in 2016 several of the major hotel chains still expect their guests to pay for an often unreliable, unsecured public WiFi. That’s where the 20GB allowance in my £30 bundle is a lifeline cos I can create my own secure WiFi hotspot, & find the 4G service fast enough to enjoy the occasional streamed Amazon movie – a definite plus before bed in yet another soulless hotel room!!
Ryan said:
Hi just to let you know £30 big bundles now inc 20gb of data
Ken replied:
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for the heads up about this! I’ve just updated this in the article above and also on our comparison of Pay As You Go bundles.
Thanks again – much appreciated,
Ken
Bridie said:
I don’t top up every month , last time I did was before Christmas and it was my first month of big bundles, I’m going to top up in the next couple of days, do I need to select the big bundles tarif again or if I top up normally over the phone will it give me the big bundles package?
Ken replied:
Hi Bridie,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, your phone should still be on the Big Bundles tariff so you can just top it up again to get the bundle 🙂
Hope this helps,
Ken
Glenn said:
Hi Ken,
Just wondering if you can help me? I bought a new phone Pay-As-You-Go from O2 shop near where I live and also a £10 a month sim. Over the month I have added an extra 10 top up twice, and currenly low on credit, but have 2900 texts, but when I send a text my credit goes down.
How do I get access to using those texts?
Cheers
Ken replied:
Hi Glenn,
Thanks for your comment. Are you currently on Big Bundles or Big Talker? With Big Bundles, you can use the inclusive SMS to send a message to any UK network. With Big Talker, the free texts can only be sent to other O2 customers. If you’re using the latter, I suspect this is why you’re currently being charged for some of the text messages.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Ryan said:
O2 is currently offering 50% extra data for new and existing customers for three months. hopes this helps someone,
Janie said:
I topped up £10.00 and noticed after several texes my credit had gone down, I phoned 4444 and my big bundle had 250 mins 500 megabite but zero texes, as I only use this to tex my grandchildren I am unsure if someone could help me thank you so much, my credit is nearly zero from texting my son and grandchildren in a few hours. I am not sure how these work and I am sorry to bother you thank you
Ken replied:
Hi Janie,
It’s really odd that your Big Bundle is listed as having no inclusive texts. It’s probably a technical glitch on the side of O2… to get this resolved, it’s probably best to call O2 Customer Services on 4445 from your Pay As You Go mobile.
Ken
Richard said:
Hi
I’m on £15 per month big bundles.
A simple question please, I’m going to Paris for my 50 soon I have an iPhone 5 I do not want to get charged heavily if I need to use my phone, any tips please?
What do I need to turn off so not to come home to a killer bill.
Great Site
BW
Richard
Ken replied:
Hi Richard,
Thanks for your comment. On O2 Pay As You Go, it’s £1.99/day for 50MB of data in Europe. If you want to use this, you can add extra money to your O2 account (e.g. £10 of credit if you want 5 days of usage). If you don’t want to pay the daily charge for data, you can turn “data roaming” off on your phone. There’s more information on how you can do this here (short version: go to Settings > General > Mobile Data > Data Roaming and select Off.
Hope this helps and have a lovely time in Paris!
Ken
Sheryl Banks said:
I’m a very unhappy existing customer!
I pay £10 per month for the works bolt on and all I’m getting is GPRS or E no 3G everytime I sit and be patient and wait for the reception to come on it’s eating into my allowance which isn’t fair
So what can you do about that because if I don’t get back some compensation of £50 credit onto my phone allowance and the works bolt on to start working again then I’m afraid I’m moving mobile phone providers I don’t think £50 is an unfair amount and I think to have the works bolt on to start working properly again isn’t such an unreasonable request
So I will give you a week to resolve this and if it hasn’t been successful then I’m going to go to a different mobile provider
Ken replied:
Hi Sheryl,
Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, the website you’ve reached doesn’t belong to O2 (this is an independent website writing about mobile phone deals in the UK). My recommendation is you contact O2 directly with details of your complaint – they’ll be able to take more of an in-depth look for you.
Good luck,
Ken
Paula said:
Hi, does anyone know why I can’t send picture messages through my O2 big bundles package? Thanks..
Ken replied:
Hi Paula,
Thanks for your comment. On O2’s Big Bundles tariff, you can send MMS picture messages for 35p each. As you aren’t able to use your inclusive allowances, you’ll need to have extra credit on your SIM card. If you still aren’t able to send a picture message, it’s possible you need to download O2’s picture message settings. You can do this by texting ACTIVE to 2020.
Ken
Asif said:
I want to switch my current O2 pay as you go deal to big bundle deal but I want to keep my current number.is this ok
Ken replied:
Hi Asif,
Thanks for your comment. Yep: this is no problem at all. You can join the Big Bundles tariff by following the instructions here (text “Big 10” to 21300 for the £10 Big Bundle, “Big 15” for the £15 Big Bundle, etc). You can also change tariffs by dialling 2202 or by logging in to the My O2 website. You’ll keep the same phone number after changing your tariff.
Ken
NJ said:
O2 will be boosting their PAYG Big Bundles from 7th May 2015.
Details : http://www.o2.co.uk/pricing?g=B
Ken replied:
Hi NJ,
Thanks – that’s really good news for O2 Pay & Go customers. I’ll be sure to update this article on the 7th May 🙂
Ken
Annee said:
o2 deals aren’t great, if anything expensive. As for showincasing other phone providers such as GiffGaff – whose PAYG I tried last month. It was a total disaster as once I purchased a £12 Goodybag I found I could only call and text but NO internet. I tried to download their app only to receive notice that my device not suitable – am on Samsung Galaxy S2 still on Gingerbread version. I complained ontheir site and since to their Chief Ecxecutive but aside from a response for more details, which I dutifully provided – to date no response! There’s a brighter ending as I received a free £10 voucher at Sainsbury’s Till though a couple of staff claimed there includiny a Till Supervisor claimed there was no free credit and that
Ken replied:
Hi Annee,
Thanks for the feedback. Regarding giffgaff only allowing you to call or text, it sounds as if you need to configure the APN settings for giffgaff on your handset. You can do this without the giffgaff app –follow the information provided on this guide.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Annee replied:
Hi Ken
Many thanks for your response.
My earlier comment – I did on my small mobile screen and inadvertently hadn’t finished it.
When I had the GiffGaff sim – the first thing I did was to follow their instructions re APN, but not every guideline followed allowed me to complete the process. This was mentioned to GiffGaff, but no response.
Although GiffGaff comes highly recommended on all the various sites, I won’t be using their service again, because they have failed to respond in a timely manner nor seek to resolve our issues. Even my partner who started using GiffGaff around the same time as me has issues from the beginning (different to mine) and he’s explained in detail via their online service, but their GiffGaff responder was extremely offhand in his response! Very rude! Unsurprisingly their Chief Executive – has not sought to resolve each our issues and has remained incommunicado since sending him all the info he requested when he first responded! So I’m afraid we won’t be singing the praises of GiffGaff – in fact the reverse.
With a bit of luck on my side – 2 days ago Sainsbury’s Mobile issued me an unexpected free £10 voucher (at their till) to use their service, although I had conflicting info from 2 members of their store staff including a Till Supervisor, who claimed I’ll only get a free Sim and had to be in possession of a Nectar card. However, I pursued it and returned later that day and spoke to someone else and she said – the voucher is for free £10 top up credit along with free Sim and without being in possession of a Nectar card. She was prompt and helpful in providing me what I was entitled to. As the top up credit is for calls only I have since bought one of their one off packages, which includes internet and have had no complaints! Its been very easy to set up, a great service all round, at home and away from home!
Thanks again for your response.
Annee
sam said:
O2 are way too dear… you don’t get any thing back. useless!