back to article O2 tariff rejig bundles tethering with data

O2 has revamped its pay monthly mobile phone package structure, adding a one-year contract option for existing customers. O2 already offers a 12-month contract, but it only applies to Sim-only deals - what you'd choose if you decide to keep your current phone when your existing contract ends. O2 Pay Monthly March 2011 The …

COMMENTS

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  1. DB2k
    WTF?

    £72?

    So if I want over 1300 minutes and a decent amount of data, its £72 a month? Sounds like a bargain. Sign me up :-/

  2. Andy 115

    Finally some common sense!

    Using data you have already paid to tether at no extra cost!

  3. justanotheruser

    O2 tariff rejig...

    but it isn't clear they checked what their competitors were charging.

    O2*: 300min + inf txt + 1GB data = £25.50

    Vodafone (iPhone): 300min + inf txt + 1GB data = £20

    Orange: 500min + inf txt + 500MB internet browsing = £20.42

    3: 300min + 3,000 txt + 1GB data = £15

    *O2 do at least say they include tethering in that 1GB.

    If you go up to £25 on 3 you get 2,000min + 5,000 txt + inf data with tethering. From what I've heard 3's customer service is terrible. If you're close to an Apple store you can bypass that if you're an iPhone user. Regardless, O2 should consider reviewing their prices.

    I'm with Vodafone right now, they offered a better package than Orange at the time and their tethering bundle is pretty reasonable if you're an occasional user. I'd have tried 3 but I couldn't get past all the horror stories I'd heard about them.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Good points...

      but none of the others include free unlimited* wifi (add £15 to the others) or a 12 month contract.

  4. Nigel Whitfield.

    Phone subsidy?

    These figures are just weird... I always imagined (and I'm sure that's why the phone companies say they do it) that part of the reason for higher prices on phone-included tariffs is to recoup the subsidy on the price of the phone.

    That's fine, and reasonable. But on the 600 and 900 minute deals here, O2 expects you to pay £5 or £5.50 extra for the privilege of already owning your own phone, if you won't want to tie in to a 12 month contract.

    So what exactly are they subsidising if you agree to a 12 month contract? A fiver seems a pretty hefty amount (around 25% on that 600 minute deal) to charge as a premium for wanting a month to month package.

    No thanks, O2. Nice try, but not interested on those terms.

  5. Sandy Ritchie
    FAIL

    meh

    £15.50 for 50mins and 250 txt..... Fail! And tied in for 12 months, double Fail!

    3 give you 100mins, 3000 txts, and 2 gig data for 1 month rolling contract.

    Sure you might not always have a 100% stable connection, but i'd rather that than a congested O2 connection.

    Its "Deals" like these that made me leave O2 2 years ago, after having foolishy been a loyal customer for 7 years.

  6. hexx
    FAIL

    not good for existing customers!

    just spent 25 mins on the chat with an o2 cs agent.

    I'm currently on O2 40 iPhone tariff which gives me ITS (discounted tariff for calling abroad), 600 mins and 500MB of data. all this for £40/month

    When I asked about tethering they told me that I can change my package to a new one. In order to keep ITS, 600mins and 500MB allowance I would need to pay £42/month.

    why? why do you screw your customers o2?

  7. Richard Gadsden 1

    Separating data from voice

    Separating data from voice is going to be really useful for heavy data users who get pulled onto a high tariff and don't really use all the data - you can take out a 50 min tariff and put 1GB on it for £20pcm/£30pcm (depending whether you want a phone or not)

  8. David Haworth

    current iphone contracts

    I wonder if they'll enable free tethering on current iphone contracts? it would be a useful extra and my contract's not due to end for some time yet.

  9. Real Name
    FAIL

    My current tarriff is now expensive

    £35 for 300 minutes and unlimited texts and Data on 18 month contract

    Now its

    £37 for 300 minutes and unlimited texts on 18 month contract. Get charged for using Data unless you get a bolt on at £6 a month for 500MB making it £43 a month instead of £35...

    I'll stay where I am, thanks.

    #ripoffbritain

  10. Si 1
    FAIL

    £3 for 100MB???

    Then again, O2's network is so slow you'd probably struggle to use that much in a month anyway.

  11. Havin_it
    Alert

    Clarification

    Article seems to suggest you get no data access at all on the basic tariffs, which isn't true: you get metered data usage with the cost capped at £1 a day. Worth being aware of for those who only occasionally need/want access to t'internet via the phone.

    And tethering? Meh, JoikuSpot always worked for me ;)

  12. Number6

    Promising

    So they've finally realised that if a customer pays for 500MB data, it makes no real difference whether they view the results on a phone or an attached laptop. Let's hope the others will follow suit, or I might be tempted to move to O2 at my next renewal.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What a joke ...

    ... compared to Three's offering. I was with O2 for some time but the cost is just silly, and the network no where as good, compared to Three.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    O2 tariffs

    I've been on a 12 month tariff with o2 for ages - since analog - it cost me about £25/YEAR (rebate for not wanting a free upgrade gets it down that low). Only voice though, and had to pay for texts. Suited me though.

    Just had a letter saying that tariff no longer exists so I need to go on to their new tariff at £10/month. That's nearly £100/yr more than I paid previously. For the same service. Thanks o2.

    I'm going PAYG now.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Sensible

    Data is data. Might tempt me back from nOrange. Who's best for connectivity in Central London these days?

  16. Hayden Clark Silver badge
    Unhappy

    Anybody noticed the cost of billed minutes?

    My old Simplicity 15 tariff is 20.4p/min+VAT. These tariffs are 35p+VAT!

  17. Vince

    Old tariffs still rule...

    Meanwhile my existing O2 tariff offers unlimited texts (no fair use policy), unlimited data (no fair use, tethering allowed, only "not allowed" service is "video streaming"... not that I care), unlimited mms, unlimited roaming texts (sent not just received), free incoming roaming calls in europe (no fair use), included roaming data, unlimited o2/o2 calls, free calls to 10 landlines, 1200 minutes for x-net/other landlines, 3 month usage rollover, double minutes bonus for 2400 total. Plus various other extras.

    Still on that tariff, still paying £45, still can't be beaten. Especially when abroad. Like now...

    The only downside to O2 is the pathettic 3G coverage. However, nobody else can even come close to the current deal so I'll be staying put.

    1. DannyAston

      Fair use?

      No fair use! Does that even exist?

  18. Tom 38
    WTF?

    What a rip off

    OK, so I'm not comparing like for like here (sim only vs contract), but I pay O2, £15/month (12 month contract) for 600 minutes, 600 texts and 1 GB data and the iphone bolt-on.

    Equivalent on this contract is £46 or £51/month (not sure if that includes iphone bolt on), or an extra £370-£432 a year - bargain..

  19. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Customer relations shambles

    I've spent a week trying to change to a tariff that includes tethering. The shop says yes you can change from a 30 ppm tariff to the 32ppm tariff with the separate data bolt on. They cant change it however. Then the call centre says no, then an email enquiry says pay another 7.50 as per the old tariff.

    Subsequent enquiry gets the response yes that's fine then when asked to go ahead I'm told you cant change to a cheaper tariff because the non-data portion is 26ppm.

    All I want to do is to pay 2 quid a month extra for something I can already do if I jailbreak the blasted thing!

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