What is O2 Refresh? 5 key facts you need to know

O2 Refresh is a chance to upgrade your phone at any time, bringing an end to the woes of those who can’t abide carting around an ailing, ageing handset. So, how does it work and is it worth stumping up for? Here are five key things you need to know about O2 Refresh.

1. O2 Refresh decouples phones and airtime

O2 Refresh essentially ends the idea of paying a monthly fee for a phone and airtime as part of a single package.

Instead, you pay a monthly fee for minutes, texts and data and then a separate amount every four weeks for your phone.

There are three separate airtime deals to choose from with O2:

• £18 for unlimited minutes and texts and 3GB data

• £27.99 for 150GB data and unlimited texts and calls

• £33.99 for unlimited texts, unlimited data and unlimited data

It’s then a monthly £20.99 fee for a phone, plus an upfront cost which varies depending on your selected handset.

2. You can change your phone whenever you want

The whole idea is that whenever you want to change your phone, you can. So if you get sick of your Samsung Galaxy S22, for example, you can swap it out for the iPhone 14 instead. That means that for hardcore users, they can get a new phone without having to pay up for a SIM-free device.

3. It’s not the cheapest option

When you change your phone, you need to pay the balance of your phone plan (not your airtime plan, the cost of which O2 waives).

That means you can find yourself spending a hefty amount to swap for something a bit more swanky than the phone that you’ve been using for the past few months.

4. But you can get money off

Because of O2’s Recycle plan, you can get up to £260 off the price of a new phone when you do decide to change. So if you change your handset a lot, this could be a smart way to go.

That said, if you have a hefty amount of cash going spare, SIM-free devices and a SIM-only deal look every bit as attractive.

5. O2’s handset line-up really is impressive

As well as classic handsets like the iPhone SE, there’s all the latest devices including iPhone 14 Pro Max, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 to name a few.

Check out our best O2 deals and see if you can get a fancy new handset for less than you might expect.

Latest O2 deals