O2 is shutting down its pay-as-you-go data only mobile SIM services later this month. These SIMs allow you to pay for internet data which you have to use inside a certain number of days.
There are no calls or texts that come with it. You can either pay £3 for 1GB of data which lasts 24 hours, or £10 for 2GB for a total of 90 days. You can also opt to pay £20 for 8GB for 90 days, while £30 would present you with 12GB for a whole year, reports MirrorOnline.
O2 has now confirmed these data only SIMs for pay-as-you-go customers will be stopped on January 31. You’ll need to use up your data before the service is stopped, or if you still have data that you haven’t used by this date, then you’ll need to apply for a refund by calling O2 customer services on 0344 8090222.
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If you want to stay with O2, you’ll need to switch to a pay monthly data SIM, either on a 30-day rolling contract, a 12-month deal, or a 24-month plan. It comes after ISPreview revealed O2 had stopped selling these SIMs to new customers in August.
O2 customers who are affected have been sent the following email: “We’re sorry to let you know that we’re removing our Pay As You Go Mobile Broadband & iPad services from our portfolio on January 31, 2025. Our customer account management portal will be closing on December 17, 2024. You can continue to use your service until January 31, 2025, after which time your service shall cease.”
An O2 spokesperson said: “On 31 January we are removing our PAYG Mobile Broadband and iPad services, which have not been available for new customers since August. We have recently written to the small proportion of customers who will be impacted by this change and they can contact us directly should they require any further information or support. O2 customers can continue to benefit from a wide range of great-value PAYM SIMs across iPad, tablets and mobile broadband.”
It comes after Virgin Media O2 announced it has expanded its National Databank scheme to all of its UK stores. The allows people who are experiencing poverty to get a free O2 SIM with 25GB of monthly data for 12 months, along with free texts and calls.
O2 says this will help people access essential websites and manage everyday tasks, such as booking medical appointments, applying for work, and online training. You don’t need to be an O2 customers in order to access help through a National Databank – it is available to anyone on a low income. Once you’ve been set up with a SIM, you’ll get monthly top-up texts which contain a code that allows you to top-up your SIM.