Compare O2 deals in 2024

Compare O2 deals

O2 mobile phone contracts are often long, typically offering a minimum term of 36 months. However, if you’re looking for a shorter pay-monthly contract, the network also offers customisable deals. Once you’ve chosen the Apple or Android phone you want, you can customise your plan by choosing your contract length, upfront costs and airtime plan; and the price you pay will be weighed accordingly.

Compare O2 deals by taking a look at our comparison of the best available deals below. Find the right mobile phone deal for you, on a contract that fits both your needs and your budget:

Pay-monthly phones

A pay-monthly mobile plan offers a mobile phone and a SIM with set quantities of data, minutes and texts every month, all of which is paid for over the course of the contract. All O2 pay-monthly deals include unlimited texts and minutes, so you’ll only have to worry about choosing the perfect data allowance for you. The provider’s top picks tend to be iPhones and Samsung Galaxy devices with unlimited 5G data.

You’ll pay a fixed tariff for your mobile plan over 36 months, unless you customise a plan that lets you pay your phone off sooner – you could set it to as little as three months. You’ll also have to pay an amount up front that isn’t included in the monthly cost of the device. A few devices come with no upfront fee, but some can be as high as £90 depending on the phone you take out. With a customised plan, you can choose to pay more up front to reduce the price of your monthly payments.

Apple iPhone deals

The provider’s best pre-built plans with Apple iPhones on a 24 month-contract:

From time to time, there are offers on Apple products, where customers can get discounts on gadgets such as AirPods if purchased with an Apple handset. Students may even get AirPods free on certain deals.

Samsung Galaxy deals

Here are the provider’s best pre-built plans with Samsung Galaxy devices on a 24-month contract:

More handsets and tablets

Here are some of the best pre-built plans for other devices on a 24-month contract:

SIM-only deals

SIM-only deals are a great alternative to handset deals if you want to keep your current phone and benefit from a data allowance, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts every month.

O2 SIM-only contracts offer flexibility, with the choice between a 30-day rolling contract and a longer deal. If you want a cheaper SIM plan, note that 12-month and 24-month contracts tend to come with a lower monthly price. To get your SIM card , get a quote from us or visit the provider’s website, where you’ll be asked a few simple questions:

• Which phone do you have? Is it an iPhone?
• Can you get 5G on your device?
• Do you want to add a Spend Cap? If so, how much?

O2 will make sure you get your SIM within two working days. To activate it from home, follow the instructions in the box.

O2 SIM-only plans

12-month SIM contracts

• 1GB
• 5GB
• 20GB
• 100GB
• 150GB
• 250GB
• Unlimited data

24-month SIM contracts

• 5GB
• 12GB
• 25GB
• 60GB
• 150GB
• Unlimited data

30-day SIM contracts

• 1GB
• 3GB
• 9GB
• 15GB
• 25GB
• 50GB
• Unlimited data

A 30-day contract will renew itself automatically unless cancelled, in which case you only have to see out the remainder of the current 30-day period.

Pay-as-you-go plans

A pay-as-you-go (PAYG) contract, as the name suggests, only charges you for the allowances you use – in terms of calls, texts and data. O2 offers PAYG SIM and phones.

Pay-as-you-go phones

PAYG phones are flexible phone contracts that only require one initial payment to cover the cost of the phone and one month of data, minutes and texts. After the initial payment, you decide which airtime plan you need from month to month, and when you top up again.

The only downside to this flexible deal is that not all smartphones are available on PAYG, although you still get a great selection of iPhones, as well as Samsung and Android devices. The provider also offers tablets on PAYG, which can be ideal if you want a tablet with a data SIM card.

Pay-as-you-go SIM

PAYG SIM tariffs offer a contract-free data plan that can be added to your current phone. Just order your SIM from us or from the provider’s website and top-up on the My O2 App on a monthly basis.

All the provider’s PAYG plans come with unlimited minutes and unlimited texts, as well as offering data rollover, so no unused data ever goes to waste. Other perks include 10% cashback, £10 free credit with your first SIM and cinema tickets with O2 Priority.

The following PAYG tariffs are available to customers:

• 7GB
• 15GB
• 30GB
• 100 GB + 500 minutes to 29 countries

Network coverage

4G coverage

O2 primarily uses the 4G network, offering it to customers at the same price as 5G although the latter is at least five times faster. If you have the option to go for 5G with your phone, you can enjoy quicker speeds at no extra charge.

The average speeds available on the provider’s 4G network are:

• Average download speed: 18.3Mbps
• Average upload speed: 9.2Mbps

5G coverage

O2 has launched 5G in many large cities and towns across the UK, covering 179 locations. This covers most key business and transport areas in London, Birmingham and Manchester.

Average speeds available on the provider’s 5G network are:

• Average download speed: 155.02Mbps
• Average upload speed: 11.73Mbps

To get 5G, you’ll need to have a mobile device that supports this network. Newer iPhones and Samsung Galaxy devices are usually 5G-ready.

Perks and extras

O2 offers more perks than any other UK network provider. Customers can benefit from the following perks and extras:

Volt

O2 has partnered with Virgin Media to bring you Volt, whereby Virgin customers get a SIM card with additional benefits on certain Virgin Media broadband plans. Customers who get their broadband through Virgin Media get the following exclusive benefits:

• Double data on your monthly plan when you have Virgin Media Broadband.
• A boost to your broadband speed (if available in your area).
• A discounted custom plan with up to £150 off – only applies with a new custom plan.
• If you have Virgin Media WiFi Plus, you get O2 Travel for free, which includes roaming in 27 EU destinations, 120 minutes, and 120 texts.

O2 Priority

O2 Priority gives customers access to unique offers on events, entertainment, shops, bars and restaurants, including Virgin Experience days and discounts on hotels through Booking.com. Use the O2 Priority app to see and use all of your available offers.

O2 Rewards

As a pay-as-you-go customer, you get reimbursed up to 10% of the total of all your top-ups every third month. Alternatively, you can cash your PAYG rewards in via the My O2 app and claim extra data, vouchers for high-street brands, money-off entertainment events or a new phone at a discounted price.

Bolt-ons

Top up your airtime plan with minutes, texts and data at any point with the bolt-ons feature. Bolt-ons can help when you’re running low on data and your data plan won’t be renewed until next month. O2 offers the following bolt-ons packages:

Calls and texts bolt-ons

• Send 50 messages with picture or video content.
• Call internationally from 1p a minute.

Data bolt-ons

While bolt-ons can be a fast and easy way to top up your data, they can be expensive. Consider increasing your data allowance if you find you’re often running low on data – it will be much cheaper in the long-term.

Multisave with family offers

You will save money when you take out a phone contract or SIM for the whole family under the same account.

Thanks to Mates’ Rates, you’ll also be able to enjoy up to 20% off your airtime plan or handset deals linked to the same account. The network also offers discounted prices on activities and entertainment for you and the family on O2 Priority.

Entertainment

O2’s top-pick pay-monthly and SIM plans come with inclusive entertainment. Choose six months of Disney+ or Amazon Music, or 12 months of Audible or Amazon Prime Video. You also get up to six months of Apple Music.

Spend Cap

Spend Cap helps you manage your spending by letting you set a limit on how much you’re willing to spend outside of your mobile phone plan.

Your Spend Cap limit can be set to anywhere between £0 and £200, allowing you to choose how much additional data usage you can access outside of your deal, if any. Use the O2 app to set or adjust your Spend Cap limit.

Recycling

Get paid for recycling your old phone with O2 Recycle. The other perks of recycling your phone include:

• Helping to protect the environment – the phone is repaired and reused or used for parts.
• Your phone won’t end up in a landfill site – the network has a zero-waste policy.

To find out how much your old phone is worth, visit the network’s website. You can trade in your old phone instead and put the money towards a new mobile phone contract.

O2 Community

The O2 Community brings customers together via an online forum where they can give and receive advice about the network’s services. There are more than 42,000 members in this group.

My O2 app

The My O2 mobile app helps you manage your plans, and access information about your accounts. Functions include:

• Checking your bill.
• Changing your tariff.
• Checking your data usage.
• Topping up your pay-as-you-go credit.
• Seeing exclusive deals.
• Access to discounts on phones, tablets and other gadgets and accessories.

Roaming

O2 offers inclusive roaming with any contract. Here’s how roaming works in and out of the EU:

Roaming in the EU

Use your texts, minutes and data as you would in the UK when you’re in a country that’s part of the O2 Europe Zone. Inclusive EU roaming is available on any contract for now, including SIM plans and pay-as-you-go SIMs.

Bear in mind, however, you can’t use more than 25GB of data abroad, so if your allowance is over this limit, you will be charged. If you surpass the limit, there is a charge of £3.50 per GB data you use. But don’t worry, the network will notify you when you’re nearing the end of your data allowance.

Roam free-of-charge in the following 52 European destinations:

1. Austria
2. Azores
3. Belgium
4. Bulgaria
5. Canary Islands
6. Croatia
7. Cyprus
8. Czechia
9. Denmark
10. Estonia
11. Finland
12. France
13. French Guiana
14. Germany
15. Gibraltar
16. Greece
17. Guadeloupe
18. Guernsey
19. Hungary
20. Iceland
21. Ireland
22. Isle of Man
23. Italy
24. Jersey
25. Latvia
26. Liechtenstein
27. Lithuania
28. Luxembourg
29. Madeira
30. Malta
31. Martinique
32. Mayotte
33. Monaco
34. Netherlands
35. Norway
36. Poland
37. Portugal
38. Reunion
39. Romania
40. Portugal
41. Reunion
42. Romania
43. Saint Barthelemy
44. Saint Martin
45. San Marino
46. Slovakia
47. Slovenia
48. Spain
49. Sweden
50. Switzerland
51. United Kingdom
52. Vatican City

Roaming outside the EU

The network offers inclusive international roaming in 27 destinations worldwide on selected SIM plans and O2 Refresh deals. There’s always the option to add international travel perks to your plan for an extra £4.99 a day. The fixed roaming rate gives you 120 minutes, 120 texts and unlimited data.

International travel zones include:

1. Argentina
2. Honduras
3. Australia
4. Botswana
5. Mexico
6. Madagascar
7. Canada
8. Myanmar
9. Chile
10. New Zealand
11. Colombia
12. Nicaragua
13. Costa Rica
14. Panama
15. Ecuador
16. Paraguay
17. El Salvador
18. Peru
19. Greenland
20. Rwanda
21. Guatemala
22. United States
23. Guinea
24. Uruguay
25. Guyana
26. Venezuela
27. Yemen

About O2

O2 is one of the UK’s ‘big four’ mobile networks, alongside EE, Three and Vodafone. The provider also offers fast 4G and 5G internet speeds, with 3G and 4G coverage across 99% of the UK.

It’s also an award-winning network, and in recent years has been awarded the following prizes:

• Best Network Performance in 2021, Mobile News Awards.
• Best Network for Reliability (2018- 2021), Global Wireless Solutions.
• Network of the Year in 2021, Mobile Industry Awards.
• Best Network for Coverage in 2021, Uswitch.