O2 SIM only deals

Our best O2 SIMs this week

Why choose an O2 SIM? 

• Excellent coverage: O2's 4G network covers 99% of the UK while their 5G network covers over 77%.
• O2 Rewards offers and O2 Priority: O2's exclusive customer rewards scheme is one of the best around. You can get deals from high street brands, weekly treats, and priority ticket-booking to gigs at O2 venues.
• Free EU Roaming: O2 still offers inclusive EU roaming with its 12-month and 24-month SIM plans, meaning you can use their texts, calls and data allowance (up to 25GB) for no extra cost in any location that’s part of O2’s ‘Europe Zone’. For international roaming, Volt and Plus Plan customers get inclusive roaming in 27 destinations outside Europe, while Ultimate customers get inclusive roaming in 75 destinations.
• Data rollover: O2 customers can roll over any unused data at the end of the month if they're on a Plus or Ultimate plan.
• Free Wi-Fi: O2 offers free access to Wi-Fi hotspots in more than 15,000 locations across the UK. Customers can also make calls over Wi-Fi.
• Extra perks with SIM-only plans – Many SIM plans come with a free trial subscription to services like Apple Music, Prime Video, Disney+, among others. Plus, if you’re also a Virgin Media broadband customer, you can get double data on your O2 SIM plan and a broadband speed boost.

O2 Rewards and O2 Priority: what do you get? 

O2’s exclusive rewards scheme is one of its biggest draws. As well as tempting deals and discounts from high street shops and restaurants, customers have access to:

• O2 Priority presale tickets – If you enjoy live entertainment, you’ll be pleased to hear that O2 customers can buy tickets for events at any O2 venue 48 hours before they go on general sale
• Perks at O2 venues and Twickenham – You’ll be able to enjoy plenty of perks at O2 venues and Twickenham, such as priority queuing, lounge access, free cloakrooms, and food and drink deals
• Rewards, offers, and discounts - O2 Priority regularly release rewards and offers on retail, food, lifestyle, and entertainment brands.

Is O2 a good network?

O2's customer service

According to Ofcom's latest report, customers reported an 85% satisfaction rate which fell short of the 88% average.

Customer satisfaction with complaint handling improved since the last report, taking O2 to 63% and above with the network average of 61%.

Average call waiting time rose substantially, making O2's 3:27 wait times far higher than the mobile average of 1:52.

O2's coverage

Despite O2's wide-ranging 4G and 5G coverage, customers reported lower satisfaction with their reception and value for money compared with the network average.

However, 88% of customers surveyed were satisfied with Tesco Mobile's reception, which uses O2's network to power its service, meaning O2's lower score than average may reflect higher signal quality expectations rather than true issues with the service.

O2's EU and international roaming

O2 still let you use your minutes, texts, and data (up to 25GB) when travelling within O2's 'Europe Zone.'

For international roaming, Volt, Plus, and Ultimate customers can use their allowances in up to 75 destinations. If you're not a Volt, Plus, or Ultimate customer, O2's Travel Bolt On is £7 a day, letting you use your allowances in selected destinations.

Read our full O2 review for more info.

Cheap O2 SIM only deals

Does O2 offer SIM plans for bad credit?

O2 will run a credit check on you before you sign up to any of its Pay Monthly SIM-only plans. If you’ve got bad credit, it will be more difficult for you to be accepted for an O2 SIM contract.

However, O2 do offer security deposit options if certain criteria are met.

O2 SIMs with unlimited data

O2 offers unlimited data on a 30-day, 12-month or 24-month plan. This means you can stream movies, listen to music and play games without worrying about going over your data limit.

Though the data is unlimited, that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. As set out in O2's terms and conditions, there are some limitations. This says O2 will monitor your usage, and if “you regularly tether to 12 or more devices, have used 650GB of data twice within a 6 month period, or have connected to a device other than an eligible device…then we may investigate your usage further to ascertain whether your Unlimited Data usage is for the permitted use.”

All that said, it’s very rare that you’ll go over these limits.

Which networks offer good SIM plan alternatives?

Plenty of networks offer SIM-only deals, including:

• Three
• EE
• Vodafone
• Giffgaff
• Asda Mobile
• Virgin Mobile
• Talkmobile
• Sky Mobile
• iD Mobile
• VOXI
• SMARTY
• Lebara
• Lycamobile

Can I use my O2 SIM abroad?

Yes, O2 Roaming allows you to use your O2 SIM abroad. Depending on where you’re travelling to, roaming may be included in your SIM plan, or available as an add-on:

• EU roaming – O2 customers can use their normal allowance of texts, calls and data for no extra charge in any location that’s listed in O2’s Europe Zone
• International roaming – Travelling beyond Europe? There’s the O2 Travel Bolt On, which gives you unlimited calls, texts and data for a fixed daily charge. Some select O2 SIM-only tariffs come with the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, so you won’t have to pay anything extra

Do note, though, that inclusive EU roaming isn't available with 30-day SIM tariffs – only O2's 12-month and 24-month contracts.

For more on using your phone abroad, visit our page on roaming rules.

Can I get 5G enabled O2 SIMs?

Yes, all O2 SIM deals are 5G ready. Not to mention, O2 is among the best providers of 5G in the UK. However, be aware you'll need a 5G-compatible phone, too.

Can I keep my mobile number if I switch to an O2 SIM-only deal?

Yes, you can keep your old mobile phone number. If you’re moving from another network, you’ll need to get in touch with them to request your PAC (porting authorisation code). You will need to provide this to O2, who will then move your number over. Read our guide on keep your current mobile phone number for more information.

If you’re an existing O2 customer, you’ll need to fill in a ‘keep my number’ form on their website.

Do I need an unlocked phone to use an O2 SIM?

If your phone is from another provider, it may be locked to that network and therefore an O2 SIM would not work.

It’s easy to check whether your phone is locked by popping a friend or family’s SIM card (from a different provider to yours) into your phone.

If it works, then you’re good to go. Otherwise, you’ll need to contact your current operator and ask them to unlock it. Our page on how to check if your phone is unlocked goes into more detail.

Are O2 SIM-only deals cheaper than contract?

It's almost always cheaper in the long run to buy a phone outright and get a cheap SIM-only deal. However, because of the way O2's 'Refresh' contracts work, they're actually not that much more expensive than going SIM-only.

An O2 Refresh plan splits your monthly bill into two parts: the Device Plan, which is the cost of your device, and the Airtime Plan, which is the cost of your SIM with minutes, texts and data. This way, you can see that the only extra cost you pay on the handset is interest.