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O2 roaming explained for international & EU countries

You can roam and use O2 within most countries around the world.

You can use your regular allowance for free within 48 European countries, with a data fair usage policy of 25GB per month.

With selected O2 Refresh, O2 SIM only plans and Volt plans, you also get the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On for free, which allows you to use unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts in 27 international destinations outside the EU.

Alternatively, all O2 mobile customers can get the O2 Travel Bolt On for £6 per day, which gives you unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts in 63 international destinations outside the EU.

What's the best O2 SIM for roaming?

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You can use your allowance for free within the EU with all O2 SIMs .

You can find the cheapest O2 SIM Only deals by using our comparison tools. O2 SIMs will work with all phones, including the latest Samsung Galaxy S24 and Apple iPhone 15 .

With O2 Europe Zone, you can continue to roam for free and use your allowance within the EU.

O2 Europe Zone is included with all plans at no additional cost.

O2 are one of the few networks which will not introduce charges for roaming within the EU after Brexit .

In accordance with the fair usage policy, if your regular allowance is greater than 25GB, you cannot exceed 25GB per month when roaming in the EU.

If you go over your regular allowance, or you exceed the fair usage policy of 25GB per month, you will be charged £3.50 for each additional GB you use when roaming in the EU.

You must also be considered a permanent UK resident. You cannot roam within qualifying European countries for excessive or consecutive periods at a time.

You can use your allowance for free within 48 European destinations:

• Canary Islands
• Czech Republic
• French Guiana
• Isle of Man
• Liechtenstein
• Netherlands
• Saint Barthelemy
• Saint Martin
• Switzerland
• Vatican City

With the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, you will get unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts within 27 international countries.

The O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On is included at no additional cost with selected O2 Refresh, O2 SIM only plans and Volt plans. It is not included with any 30 day SIM only plans or pay as you go plans.

If your plan doesn't include the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On for free, you can choose it as your O2 Extra with the following plans:

There is no fair usage policy on the amount of data you can use - you get unlimited data. However, excessive usage may see your data speeds temporarily restricted.

The following 27 international countries are covered by the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On:

• El Salvador
• New Zealand
• United States

If you’re not eligible for the free O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, you cannot pay for it. However, you can purchase the similar O2 Travel Bolt On, which covers 63 international destinations for £6 per day. See below for more information.

The O2 Travel Bolt On is available for £6 per day, and covers 63 international destinations.

Similar to the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, you get unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. However, there is a 2Mbps speed limit in place.

You can get the O2 Travel Bolt On by texting TRAVEL to 23336 or by enabling it via your O2 account.

The £6 daily fee will automatically be charged when you use mobile data, make a call or send a text message. Using Wi-Fi or receiving calls and texts will not trigger the charge.

The moment the charge is triggered, you'll have access for 24 hours, until the trigger resets. There are no limits on the amount of consecutive days you can trigger the Bolt On.

It is important to note you must enable the O2 Travel Bolt On before you use data, make a call or send a text. If you don't enable the Bolt On, you won't be charged the £6 daily fee - instead, you will be charged at a standard roaming rate, which can be expensive.

There is no fair usage policy on the amount of data you can use - you get unlimited data. However, there is a 2Mbps speed limit in place.

The O2 Travel Bolt On works in the following 63 destinations:

• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Dominican Republic
• Netherlands Antilles
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• South Africa
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turks & Caicos
• United Arab Emirates

The O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On is free with selected O2 Refresh, O2 SIM only plans and Volt plans. It works in 27 international countries. You cannot buy the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On if you are not eligible for free, however you can choose it as an O2 Extra with select tariffs.

On the other hand, the O2 Travel Bolt On is available to all pay monthly customers for £6 per day and works in 63 international destinations.

Both Bolt Ons give you unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. However, the O2 Travel Bolt On comes with a 2Mbps speed limit.

If you’re using your allowance for free within O2’s Europe Zone, you cannot exceed 25GB data per month if your regular allowance is greater than this amount. If you go over this limit, you will be charged £3.50 per GB until your allowance resets during the next month.

In addition, you cannot roam within the O2 Europe Zone for more than 63 days within a 4 month period - the offer is not intended for extended holidays. If O2 thinks you are abusing the free EU roaming policy, you will be given a 2 week notice, before a surcharge is applied:

The surcharge will be dropped when you return and stay in the UK for a reasonable time.

For the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, there is no fair usage policy on the amount of data you can use, however O2 states they may implement a temporary speed limit if your usage is deemed excessive. The O2 Travel Bolt On does not have a fair usage policy, however there is a permanent 2Mbps speed limit in place at all times.

If you exceed your data allowance or go over the 25GB limit when roaming for free in the Europe Zone, you will be charged £3.50 per GB, until your plan resets during the next month.

If you don't have an roaming Bolt On when travelling outside of Europe, or you're not in an eligible country, you will charged at a standard out of plan rate.

The out of plan rate is typically expensive, and varies between countries. For full charges, see O2 roaming rates

The following shows the O2 out of plan rates within a few international destinations.

No, 5G is only available within the UK with O2 . The maximum signal you can get when roaming with O2 is 4G.

Yes, all O2 customers can use their regular allowance for free with O2 Europe Zone, covering 48 European destinations.

Before roaming with O2 , you must enable roaming in your phone’s settings.

For Android users:

• Go to Settings
• Go to Connections -> Mobile networks -> Roaming
• Enable Data roaming

For iPhone users:

• Go to Mobile data -> Mobile Data Options
• Enable Data Roaming

If you're roaming in the EU and go over your data allowance or the 25GB limit, you will be charged £3.50 per GB until your plan resets at the next month.

Yes, you can tether to as many devices as you like when roaming with O2 . Any regular data limitations that apply when roaming will also apply when tethering while roaming.

The O2 Travel Bolt On is available with all pay monthly plans for £6 per day. You can get the O2 Travel Bolt On by texting TRAVEL to 23336 . Alternatively, you can purchase the Bolt On through your O2 account.

The O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On is available for free on selected O2 Refresh, O2 SIM only contracts and Volt plans. You may also choose it for free as an O2 Extra, with eligible plans.

Both Bolt Ons come with unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. However, they each cover different destinations.

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O2 international roaming FAQ

Staying connected while travelling abroad can be tricky and often costly. However, O2 has one of the most extensive international roaming policies of the UK's major networks – helping them to make the most of their mobile services while overseas.

EU roaming without charges

One of the standout features of O2's international roaming policy is its commitment to providing EU roaming without additional charges. Currently, O2 is the only major network operator that has continued to offer EU roaming without fees for data, calls, and texts up to 25GB. This means customers can use their mobile phones just like they would in the UK when travelling to any of the 48 destinations within O2's Europe Zone.

Those 48 destinations are:

Canary Islands

Czech Republic

French Guiana

Isle of Man

Liechtenstein

Netherlands

Saint Barthelemy

Saint Martin

Switzerland

United Kingdom

Vatican City

O2 Fair Usage Limit

To ensure international roaming remains fair for all users, O2 has implemented a Fair Usage Limit (FUP). This limit is designed to prevent continuous and excessive use of services outside the UK in its Europe Zone. 

Customers can use O2's services for periodic travel, such as holidays or short breaks. However, if you use O2’s services outside the UK in the Europe Zone for 63 or more days within any four-month period – and cannot demonstrate significant use or presence in the UK – charges may apply after two weeks. The charges for Pay Monthly customers include £3.50/GB for data, 3.3p/minute for calls, and 1p/text.

Roaming limits for O2 tariffs

The roaming limits differ based on the customer's monthly data allowance:

Tariffs with more than 25GB of monthly data: Customers with a UK monthly data allowance exceeding 25GB will have a roaming limit of 25GB within the Europe Zone. Once the limit is reached, customers can still use data, but they will be charged £3.50 per additional gigabyte until they return to the UK, use up their UK data allowance, or reach their next bill cycle.

Tariffs with 25GB or less of monthly data: These tariffs are not subject to the 25GB roaming limit within the Europe Zone. However, customers who exhaust their UK data allowance while roaming abroad will need to purchase a data Bolt On to continue using data. 

What's included and not included

O2's international roaming policy includes making calls and sending texts within the Europe Zone (excluding the UK), receiving calls and texts in the Europe Zone, and using your monthly data allowance while in the Europe Zone. 

However, it does not include making calls or sending texts from the UK to countries outside of the UK, making calls or sending texts to premium rate numbers, directory service numbers, and some non-geographic numbers. 

Additionally, mobile broadband tariffs are only valid for use within the UK, and mobile data usage while on a cruise ship is subject to separate charges.

O2 Travel Inclusive Zone and O2 Travel Bolt On

For travellers seeking even more extensive coverage and flexibility, O2 offers a couple of options:

1. O2 Travel Inclusive Zone

If you have a O2 Travel Inclusive Zone included in your tariff, you're in luck. This feature provides you with unlimited minutes, texts, and data roaming privileges in 27 destinations worldwide. Among the covered locations are popular destinations like the USA, Australia, and New Zealand, ensuring that you stay connected without worry during your international adventures. The full list of destinations included in the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone can be found here.  

2. O2 Travel Bolt On

If O2 Travel Inclusive Zone isn't part of your current plan you can still enjoy communication while abroad by adding the O2 Travel Bolt On to your account. For £6 per day Bolt On grants you unlimited minutes, texts, and data roaming access in 63 destinations worldwide. To explore the full list of destinations covered by the O2 Travel Bolt On, follow this link .

3. Virgin Media O2’s Volt

If you have a Virgin Media broadband connection and an O2 mobile contract, you can access the Inclusive Zone at no extra cost in all Plus Plans and Volt bundles which allows you unlimited data, texts and calls in 27 international destinations as well as in Europe. 

In the event that you're not eligible for O2 Travel Inclusive Zone and haven't opted for the O2 Travel Bolt On, or you find yourself roaming in a destination not encompassed by these services, O2's standard roaming rates will apply.

Read more...

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O2 takes on Three ‘Feel at Home’ with cheap roaming in 27 more countries

Stepping up its fight with Three, O2 has announced that it’s adding 27 more countries to its list of destinations you’ll be able to use your phone without receiving any additional charges. 

The additions bring the total number of countries you can roam to to 75, including the 48 countries O2 originally offered access to as part of its ‘O2 Europe Zone’.

This 75 total is four more than what’s offered in Three’s competing ‘Feel at Home’ package, which currently covers 71 international destinations.

However, while Three’s service gives you exactly the same allowances as your regular pay monthly plan (which is especially good for those lucky enough to still have unlimited data), O2’s service limits you to 120 minutes and 120 texts a day. O2 has confirmed to us that there’s no upper limit on the amount of data you can use.

You can gain access to the roaming allowance by ensuring that your plan includes the ‘O2 Travel’ bolt-on, which is included with certain O2 Refresh tariffs and can otherwise be added separately.

Related: Best smartphone 2018

A more flexible tariff

In addition to the increase in roaming destinations, O2 is also introducing a range of flexible tariffs, which will allow you to change your allowances on a month-to-month basis.

So the next time a Pokémon Go-style craze sweeps the nation, the small amount of data included in your regular plan shouldn’t prevent you from taking part in all the mayhem.

At a minimum you’ll have to stick on each tariff for a month, but that’s still a large increase in flexibility compared to what O2 previously offered.

Between these developments and Three’s roaming plans, it’s great to see competition between mobile operators leading to some really useful services. We’ll be interested to see how Vodafone and EE respond to the offers.

How important is international roaming to you? Let us know @TrustedReviews

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How does roaming work on O2?

Before you jump on a plane or a ferry, it pays to know exactly what the score is when you use your O2 (or Virgin Mobile) SIM in a country other than the UK. Do calls, text and data come out of your allowances or will you be slapped with a hefty bill just for checking Facebook?

We’ve got all the answers you need.

Can I roam on my O2 SIM?

Yes. But whether or not you’ll be charged depends upon where you’re going, how you pay and also which tariff you’re on.

O2 Travel is what you need to use your calls, text and data abroad, and you can log into your O2 account to see whether you have it as part of your package. Alternatively, dial 202 on your phone and just ask the customer service team.

To opt into O2 Travel, sign in to My O2 and then add the O2 Travel Bolt On. It doesn’t cost anything to do this: you will only be charged if you trigger the Bolt On by making a call, sending a text or using data in a country that’s outside of the Europe Zone .

Despite having removed them in 2017, following Brexit, three of the big four UK carriers reintroduced roaming charges across the EU. However, on 10 January 2022, Virgin Media O2 ‘s Chief Commercial Officer for Mobile, Gareth Turpin, confirmed that “we [Virgin Media O2] will not be reintroducing roaming fees in Europe for customers on O2 or Virgin Mobile.”

This means O2 (and Virgin Mobile) customers are in the best position, in terms of European roaming charges are concerned, as they don’t have really worry about them.

Note: Don’t forget to enable data roaming in your phone’s settings, otherwise, your apps and browsers will tell you there’s no internet connection.

Roaming in Europe

If you’re heading to Europe, great news. You don’t need to worry as your phone will work just like it does in the UK. Any calls or texts you make will come out of your normal allowance, and the same goes for data from your bundle.

Just check O2’s Europe Zone to make sure your destination country is included.

If you’re on a pay-as-you-go bundle, check out the included countries here (the list is different to the Pay Monthly list). Note that Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Monaco and Switzerland are excluded for PAYG customers. You can get 100MB of data for these destinations for £1.99 per day.

Also, note that using mobile data on a cruise ship isn’t covered, but you should be able to use the ship’s own Wi-Fi. Making and receiving calls on a ship costs £2 a minute, and sending each text costs 50p.

Roaming outside Europe

If you have a tariff that gives you free O2 Travel in the Inclusive Zone, the following countries are included and you won’t be charged for calls, texts or data as long as you don’t go over your usual allowance:

• El Salvador
• New Zealand
• United States

If you don’t have free O2 Travel on your tariff, then you’ll need to opt into O2 Travel (you can also do this by texting O2TRAVEL to 23336) before you head abroad.

You’ll be charged £4.99 per day, but only on the days that you ‘trigger’ the Bolt On. That means the first call you make, text you send or data you use will start O2 Travel for that day, which runs from midnight to midnight based on the capital city of the country you’re in.

What does O2 Travel include?

For your £4.99 per day, which you’ll be billed if you’re not eligible for the ‘Inclusive Zone’ or Europe, you get 120 minutes, 120 text and unlimited data.

O2 says there’s no cap on data at all, but that “speeds may vary” which, reading between the lines, means you’ll see a slow-down in your connection speed if you’re using more than the amount in O2’s fair use policy.

Is O2 good value for roaming?

Considering EE, Three and Vodafone have all reintroduced roaming charges – even within Europe – since Brexit went into effect, Virgin Media O2’s decision to abstain from reintroducing them is a huge win for customers; especially those who like to travel and are likely to find themselves hopping around Europe.

If you’re off to a destination where you can’t use your allowances, you might be able to get a better deal than the £4.99 per day charge for O2 Travel.

Pop into a phone shop – or pre-book online – and pick up a local pre-pay SIM when you arrive at your destination. This is often a way to use your phone – especially mobile data – for a much-reduced cost. Some operators even sell ‘tourist SIMs’ for exactly this reason. Do your research before you go and you could save a lot.

There are disadvantages of doing this, including the fact that people won’t be able to call you on your normal number while you’re using a different SIM. Of course, if you have a dual-SIM phone, then that’s not an issue, but do watch out if you intend to keep your O2 SIM in a phone, so people can contact you, as you might be charged for receiving calls and texts if you’re outside of the inclusive zones.

If you have SIMs with other operators, check out our other guides:

• What you need to know about roaming on EE
• What you need to know about roaming on Vodafone
• What you need to know about roaming on Three

Author: Jim Martin , Executive Editor

Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.

Recent stories by Jim Martin:

• How to make your own iPhone ringtone from a song for free
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A broadband speed boost to the next available level (up to a max of 1Gbps).

Double mobile data

Get double the mobile data on every eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan in your household.

Supercharged connectivity

WiFi guarantee included at no extra cost and up to 3 WiFi pods if needed. Plus O2 Travel Inclusive Zone. 

What type of customer are you?

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When you become a customer of both Virgin Media and O2, you’ll get access to exclusive Volt benefits as well as supercharged services and lightning-fast speeds. See our Volt bundles for new customers: *Monthly price shown will increase each April from April 2025 by the Retail Price Index rate of inflation announced in February each year plus 3.9%.

• Looking for endless entertainment? Browse our Volt TV bundles
• From Sky Cinema and TNT Sport to drama and documentaries
• Superfast fibre broadband with a broadband speed boost
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• Bundle with TV and phone for the complete package

• Our best all-in-one deal
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See more Volt bundles

*Monthly price of Virgin Media’s main services and O2 Airtime Plan will increase each April from April 2025 by the Retail Price Index rate of inflation announced in February each year plus 3.9%. Doesn’t apply to any add-ons you may have selected, out-of-bundle charges or admin costs, which may increase separately. See www.virginmedia.com/prices and www.o2.co.uk/prices for details

Add an O2 Pay Monthly phone, sim or tablet to unlock Volt benefits. *Monthly price of your Airtime Plan will increase each April from April 2025 by the Retail Price Index (RPI) rate of inflation announced in February each year plus 3.9%

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• O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On
• Up to £150 off an O2 Custom Plan for another connected device - just give O2 a ring or pop into an O2 shop
• From TV and movies, to music and books. Get an Extra on us, on selected tariffs.

Supercharged broadband speeds, data and WiFi:

• Double the data on every eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan in your household
• A broadband speed boost to the next available level (if you aren’t already on the fastest speeds you can get in your area)
• Supercharged connectivity: Up to 3 WiFi Pods if you find any WiFi blackspots in your home, and use your O2 phone or sim in 75 destinations, with O2 Travel Inclusive Zone

Take out a phone on a new O2 Custom Plan, get up to £150 off an O2 Custom Plan for a connected device – just give O2 a ring or pop into an O2 shop.

Hand pick an Extra for up to 6 months, on us. Whether you’re into TV and movies, music, books, or audiobooks, or you want to keep in touch with loved ones overseas using O2’s International Bolt On, there’ll be an Extra for you. Find out more about Extras

Add an O2 Pay Monthly tablet

• Supercharged connectivity: Up to 3 WiFi Pods at no extra cost if you find any WiFi blackspots at home

Add an O2 Pay Monthly sim

*Monthly price of your Airtime Plan will increase each April from April 2025 by the Retail Price Index (RPI) rate of inflation announced in February each year plus 3.9%. See www.o2.co.uk/prices for details.

Pair your O2 Pay Monthly plan with a superfast broadband deal from Virgin Media to be eligible for Volt benefits. *Monthly price shown will increase each April from April 2025 by the Retail Price Index rate of inflation announced in February each year plus 3.9%.

Broadband, TV and phone

• Create the perfect all-in-one deal with our big bundles
• Includes superfast broadband, TV package and landline
• Choose from a range of speeds, channels and call plans
• Pause, rewind and record on the Virgin TV 360 box
• Double the data on your O2 sim

• Browse our range of superfast fibre broadband and find the right speed for your home
• With 99.86% network reliability
• Virgin Media WiFi Hub with Intelligent WiFi technology

Broadband and phone

• Combine reliable fibre broadband with a flexible phone plan
• From inclusive weekend and evening calls to anytime

See more supercharged bundles. O2 Pay As You Go customer? Find out how to switch to Pay Monthly. *Monthly price of Virgin Media’s main services and O2 Airtime Plan will increase each April from April 2025 by the Retail Price Index rate of inflation announced in February each year plus 3.9%. Doesn’t apply to any add-ons you may have selected, out-of-bundle charges or admin costs, which may increase separately. See www.virginmedia.com/prices and www.o2.co.uk/prices for details

Great to have you with us. Sign in to your account to check your eligibility and activate Volt benefits. To be eligible, you need to have broadband from Virgin Media and a Pay Monthly plan from O2, in your household.

The best of us both, always

With Volt benefits, you get faster internet from Virgin Media with a broadband speed boost to the next available level (up to a max of 1Gbps) and double the mobile data on every eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan in your household. Not to mention...

Reliable connections

• Bust any WiFi blackspots you might find in your home with up to three WiFi Pods, available at no extra cost with our superstrong WiFi guarantee
• Our signal boosting plug-in WiFi Pods extend your home WiFi coverage, bringing you faster, more reliable speeds to more rooms
• Whizz around the world using your phone or sim in 75 destinations at no extra cost, with O2 Travel Inclusive Zone

Amazing rewards

• Get exclusive access to perks and experiences with Priority from O2, as a thank you for being with us
• Bringing you offers from your favourite high street brands and gig tickets to the hottest artists, as well as access to the best entertainment
• Plus, you’ll get to handpick an Extra for up to 6 months, on us, with selected O2 Pay Monthly contracts. Whether you’re into TV, film, music or books

Help & Support

Already got Volt? If you’re a Volt customer and require help, check out our help and support page.

What are Volt benefits?

A product of Virgin Media and O2’s joint venture, Volt benefits gives customers of both brands, or every household signed up to both Virgin Media and O2, supercharged services. That means double the mobile data on every eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan in your household. A broadband speed boost to the next available level (up to a max of 1Gbps). WiFi guarantee included at no extra cost and up to 3 WiFi pods if needed. And O2 Travel Inclusive Zone, so you can use your O2 phone or sim in 75 destinations at no extra cost. All on top of lightning-fast speeds, reliability and great rewards with Priority and Extras from O2.

Who can get Volt benefits?

To get your exclusive Volt benefits, your household needs to have at least one O2 Pay Monthly mobile customer and one eligible Virgin Media broadband customer registered there.

• So, if you’re an existing customer of O2 Pay Monthly you'll either (i) need to sign up to an eligible broadband package from Virgin Media or (ii) live with a registered eligible Virgin Media broadband account holder.
• Or, if you’re an eligible Virgin Media broadband customer, you’ll also either (i) need to become an eligible O2 Pay Monthly customer or (ii) live with at least one registered eligible O2 Pay Monthly customer.

Check whether Virgin Media broadband is available in your area with Virgin Media's coverage checker* . Once you're a customer of both O2 and Virgin Media, or once your household becomes eligible to receive Volt benefits, you can check your eligibility in the My O2 app and opt in to get Volt benefits.

How do I get Volt benefits?

• Get an O2 Pay Monthly plan
• Activate Volt benefits in My O2
• Browse our products and choose the right package for you
• Complete a postcode check to see if Virgin Media is available where you live
• Activate your Volt benefits in My O2

I'm a customer of both Virgin Media and O2 You can check your eligibility and opt in for Volt benefits by visiting My O2 .

I'm already with both Virgin Media and O2, can I get a better deal now?

If your household has broadband from Virgin Media and a Pay Monthly plan from O2 then you should be eligible for Volt. You can check your eligibility and opt in for Volt benefits by visiting My O2 .

The legal stuff

SEPARATE CONTRACTS AND BILLING APPLY TO VIRGIN MEDIA AND O2 SERVICES

New customers only. SERVICES ONLY AVAILABLE IN ELIGIBLE VIRGIN MEDIA NETWORK AREAS. Subject to survey, network capacity and credit check. A minimum period applies to the services, please check basket for details.

*Monthly price of Virgin Media’s main services and O2 Airtime Plan will increase each April from April 2025 by the Retail Price Index rate of inflation announced in February each year plus 3.9%. Doesn’t apply to any add-ons you may have selected, out-of-bundle charges or admin costs, which may increase separately. See www.virginmedia.com/prices and www.o2.co.uk/prices for details. See www.virginmedia.com/prices and www.o2.co.uk/prices for details

Volt benefits : Volt benefits available if you have or sign up to both an eligible Virgin Media broadband service and an eligible O2 Pay Monthly tariff. Excludes Essential broadband customers from 10 November 2022. Volt benefits include (1) Virgin Media broadband speed boost to the next available level (up to a max of 1Gbps download speed) at the point you place your order to become supercharged with Volt. Doesn’t include Upload speed add-on; (2) Our moneyback WiFi coverage guarantee with WiFi Max at no extra cost ; (3) Double the O2 mobile data for each eligible O2 Pay Monthly Mobile SIMS in the Virgin Media account holder’s name in your household (if you don’t take or already have unlimited O2 mobile data); (4) Roam in 75 worldwide destinations. In O₂’s Europe Zone, your UK minutes, texts and data allowances apply, however if your UK monthly data allowance is over 25GB you’ll have a roaming limit of 25GB. After this you’ll be charged £3.50 per GB until you use up your monthly UK data allowance, you return to the UK or you reach your next bill cycle. In other inclusive international destinations outside of Europe, you get unlimited minutes, texts and data. Roaming subject to fair usage policy. Further terms apply. Benefits applied following purchase that fulfils eligibility criteria. Existing eligible customers must place order to unlock Volt benefits via My O2. Volt benefits applied up to 14 days following order (or up to 14 days following Virgin Media installation for existing eligible O2 customers purchasing Virgin Media broadband). Check Virgin Media broadband speeds availability at www.virginmedia.com/broadband/postcode-checker . Separate contracts and billing apply to your Virgin Media and O2 mobile services. Terms apply, www.virginmedia.com/legal and www.o2.co.uk/terms . If you already have a Virgin Mobile SIM and continue using it, your service shall be subject to Virgin Media’s standard pay monthly terms and conditions which can be found at www.virginmedia.com/legal .

All Volt products and benefits provided on the basis that you also have or purchase an eligible pay monthly O2 SIM – please see O2 tab for more details.

O2 (Priority and Extras)

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Supercharge your world

Say hello to Volt: exclusive benefits for being with both Virgin Media and O2. Supercharge your services.

Enter your postcode to see what’s available in your home:

Enjoy exclusive benefits when your household is with both Virgin Media and O2

Broadband speed boost.

A broadband speed boost to the next available level of Virgin Media fibre broadband (up to a max of 1Gbps).

Double mobile data

Get double the mobile data on every eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan in your household.

Supercharged connectivity

WiFi guarantee included at no extra cost and up to 3 WiFi pods if needed, plus use your O2 phone or SIM in 75 destinations at no extra cost, with O2 Travel Inclusive Zone .

Plus, the very best of both worlds

Life feels more supercharged when your household is with Virgin Media and O2. We’re talking epic 5G from O2, lightning-fast broadband from Virgin Media and exclusive access to perks and experiences with Priority.

Exclusive perks and experiences, as a reward for being with us. Things like getting tickets to the cinema, on us. Or getting closer to the hottest music artists. Or just picking up daily treats while you’re out and about. And we change it up for you every month, based on the things you like (with a few surprises thrown in too). Registration required.

Amazing Extras

Grab selected O2 phone, tablet and SIM Only Pay Monthly contracts, and you'll get to hand pick an Extra for up to 6 months, on us. Whether you’re into TV and movies, music, books, or audiobooks, or you want to keep in touch with loved ones overseas using O2's International Bolt On, there’ll be an Extra for you.

What are Volt benefits?

When your household is with Virgin Media and O2 you’ll get supercharged speeds, data and WiFi. That means double the mobile data on every eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan in your household. A broadband speed boost to the next available level (up to a max of 1Gbps) and up to 3 WiFi Pods (if needed) at no extra cost. And O2 Travel Inclusive Zone, so you can use your O2 phone or SIM in 75 destinations at no extra cost.

All on top of the lightning-fast speeds, reliability and great rewards with Priority and Extras from O2.

Who can get Volt benefits?

To get your exclusive Volt benefits, your household needs to have at least one O2 Pay Monthly mobile customer and one eligible Virgin Media broadband customer registered there.

So, if you’re an existing customer of O2 Pay Monthly you'll either (i) need to sign up to an eligible broadband package from Virgin Media or (ii) live with a registered eligible Virgin Media broadband account holder.

Or, if you’re an eligible Virgin Media broadband customer, you’ll also either (i) need to become an eligible O2 Pay Monthly customer or (ii) live with at least one registered eligible O2 Pay Monthly customer.

Check whether Virgin Media broadband is available in your area with Virgin Media's coverage checker *. Once you're a customer of both O2 and Virgin Media, or once your household becomes eligible to receive Volt benefits, you can check your eligibility in the My O2 app and opt in to get Volt benefits.

How do I get Volt benefits?

I'm a Virgin Media customer

Join O2 and get double the mobile data on every eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan in your household, a broadband speed boost to the next available level (if you aren’t already on the fastest speeds you can get in your area), and supercharged connectivity at home and on the move. All when your household is with both Virgin Media and O2.

I'm an O2 customer

Join Virgin Media broadband and get double the mobile data on every eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan in your household, a broadband speed boost to the next available level (if you aren’t already on the fastest speeds you can get in your area), and supercharged connectivity at home and on the move. All when your household is with both Virgin Media and O2.

Join Virgin Media

I'm a customer of both Virgin Media and O2

When you’re with both Virgin Media and O2, you’ll get supercharged speeds, data and WiFi. That means double the mobile data on every eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan in your household. A broadband speed boost to the next available level (if you aren’t already on the fastest speeds you can get in your area) and up to 3 WiFi Pods (if needed) at no extra cost. And O2 Travel Inclusive Zone, so you can use your O2 phone or SIM in 75 destinations, at no extra cost.

You can check your eligibility and opt in for Volt benefits by visiting My O2 .

Find out more about Volt benefits from Virgin Media and O2 .

I’m a Virgin Media broadband customer with Volt benefits (as a result of living with an O2 Pay Monthly plan customer) When your household is with both Virgin Media and O2, you’ll get supercharged speeds, data and WiFi. That means double the mobile data on every eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan in your household. A broadband speed boost to the next available level (if you aren’t already on the fastest speeds you can get in your area) and up to 3 WiFi Pods (if needed) at no extra cost. And O2 Travel Inclusive Zone, so you can use your O2 phone or SIM in 75 destinations, at no extra cost.

I'm already with both Virgin Media and O2, can I get a better deal now?

When your household is with both Virgin Media and O2, you’ll get supercharged speeds, data and WiFi. That means double the mobile data on every eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan in your household. A broadband speed boost to the next available level (if you aren’t already on the fastest speeds you can get in your area). Up to 3 WiFi Pods at no extra cost if you find any WiFi blackspots in your home. And O2 Travel Inclusive Zone, so you can use your O2 phone or SIM in 75 destinations, at no extra cost.

Popular Links

The legal stuff.

SEPARATE CONTRACTS AND BILLING APPLY TO VIRGIN MEDIA AND O2 SERVICES New customers only. SERVICES ONLY AVAILABLE IN ELIGIBLE VIRGIN MEDIA NETWORK AREAS. Subject to survey, network capacity and credit check. A minimum period applies to the services, please check basket for details.

Volt benefits : Volt benefits available if you have or sign up to both an eligible Virgin Media broadband service and an eligible O2 Pay Monthly tariff. Excludes Essential broadband customers from 10 November 2022. Volt benefits include (1) Virgin Media broadband speed boost to the next available level (up to a max of 1Gbps download speed) at the point you place your order to become supercharged with Volt. Doesn’t include Upload speed add-on; (2) Our moneyback WiFi coverage guarantee with WiFi Max at no extra cost ; (3) Double the O2 mobile data for each eligible O2 Pay Monthly Mobile SIMS in the Virgin Media account holder’s name in your household (if you don’t take or already have unlimited O2 mobile data); (4) Roam in 75 worldwide destinations. In O₂’s Europe Zone, your UK minutes, texts and data allowances apply, however if your UK monthly data allowance is over 25GB you’ll have a roaming limit of 25GB. After this you’ll be charged £3.50 per GB until you use up your monthly UK data allowance, you return to the UK or you reach your next bill cycle. In other inclusive international destinations outside of Europe, you get unlimited minutes, texts and data. Roaming subject to fair usage policy. Further terms apply. Benefits applied following purchase that fulfils eligibility criteria. Existing eligible customers must place order to unlock Volt benefits via My O2. Volt benefits applied up to 14 days following order (or up to 14 days following Virgin Media installation for existing eligible O2 customers purchasing Virgin Media broadband). Check Virgin Media broadband speeds availability at www.virginmedia.com/broadband/postcode-checker . Separate contracts and billing apply to your Virgin Media and O2 mobile services. Terms apply, www.virginmedia.com/legal and www.o2.co.uk/terms . If you already have a Virgin Mobile SIM and continue using it, your service shall be subject to Virgin Media’s standard pay monthly terms and conditions which can be found at www.virginmedia.com/legal .

All Volt products and benefits provided on the basis that you also have or purchase an eligible pay monthly O2 SIM – please see O2 tab for more details.

*Monthly price of Virgin Media’s main services and O2 Airtime Plan will increase each April from April 2025 by the Retail Price Index rate of inflation announced in February each year plus 3.9%. Doesn’t apply to any add-ons you may have selected, out-of-bundle charges or admin costs, which may increase separately. See www.virginmedia.com/prices and www.o2.co.uk/prices for details

O2 (Priority and Extras)

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O2 review 2024: still the UK's slowest mobile network?

The retailers featured on this page may compensate us when our readers follow links to their websites and make a purchase. More

We joined O2 on a SIM only plan, to see if you should too. This is our experience of their 5G/4G coverage, speeds and other network benefits. Last updated: 8th June 2023.

• Overall rating

SIM Sherpa rates O2 as a very good network to be on ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ .star-icon {color:#E1DF38; font-size:1.4em; position:relative; top:2px;position: relative;}.star-icon.full:before {color: #E1DF38;content: '\2605'; /* Full star in UTF-8 */position: absolute; top:-4px;left: 0;}.star-icon.half:before {color: #E1DF38;content: '\2605'; /* Full star in UTF-8 */position: absolute; top:-4px;left: 0;width: 50%;overflow: hidden;}@-moz-document url-prefix() { /* Firefox Hack :( */.star-icon {font-size: 1.4em;} ( 3.5 /5, very good)

"For having signal to make calls and sends texts, no one beats O2. But their data coverage is beatable and their 4G speeds are a bit of a let down for advanced users. Their 5G is temperamental too.

They’ve got all the extra network features a main network must have, like 4G calling, WiFi calling and one of our favourite free hotspot schemes. O2 are a very safe pair of hands network-wise.

O2 have done well to keep EU roaming inclusive on every plan and even offer some worldwide locations on selected ones. Their customer service has an excellent record too.

The 3 best bits

1) Last major network to keep EU roaming 2) Excellent mix of coverage 3) Decent phone contracts

The 3 worst bits

1) Slowest 4G speeds on average 2) Tough phone contract credit requirements 3) No recent innovative extra benefits

Is O2 owned by BT?

No. O2 was long owned by the Spanish operator Telefonica but they have recently just been bought by Virgin Media.

Can I move my number to O2?

Yes. Text PAC to your old provider on your old SIM to the number 65075 and give O2 the code. They’ll transfer your number over within a working day.

Why is O2’s 4G so slow?

We think a lot of the reason O2 are slower for 4G than others is how they’ve implemented the technology. They don’t have as many frequency bands working together. And they’ve likely achieved bigger 4G coverage with longer range transmitters, at the expense of speed.

In our review of O2

Our verdict

• 4G/3G/2G coverage
• Data speeds
• WiFi calling
• Free WiFi hotspots

• Inclusive roaming
• Loyalty scheme
• Entertainment subscriptions
• Family plans
• Data rollover
• Spending caps
• What other networks do better

Special offers

SIM only plans

Phone contracts

Pay As You Go

• Mobile broadband

Customer service

• Ofcom complaints data

Is O2's network any good?

Coverage is strong point for o2, especially for calls.

✔ Check coverage in your area See coverage map

at O2.co.uk (opens in new window)

O2 are one of the four main UK networks, meaning they own the network they use to provide signal rather than depending on any other network (but they are now owned by Virgin Media).

Out of all networks, we’d say it’s O2 that has the best coverage for calls indoors and out. They’ve got the largest amount of the UK’s geographical landmass covered and use decent frequencies for indoor coverage .

Their 4G data signal ( see 5G here ) isn’t the most widespread of all networks as they’re a bit behind EE and Vodafone. Our real life tests had us bumped down to 3G on O2 more often than those, but this wasn’t an issue in cities.

We took our O2 SIM to different areas to see how good their coverage is for ourselves. We tested in built-up, suburban and more rural areas. We were on 4G basically all the time in built-up areas.

You’ll sometimes be left wandering the house trying to get signal on other networks, but we were able to get call signal and 4G signal all throughout the house.

It’s inevitable that signal will suffer in some places. That’s why it’s helpful to use O2’s signal map to see if they or the providers on their network are right for you. We found their map pretty close to reality.

It’s worth using O2’s coverage map here to see what signal will look like in your area. We imagine most people throughout the country will be happy with them, but it’s good to be sure before joining them.

Useful link: Other networks that use O2

Our coverage rating: ★★★★☆ (excellent)

Rank: Joint 2nd

Not as good as : EE

Better than: Three

  Compare deals >

4G data speeds can be underwhelming on O2

✔ Speeds are typically sluggish What O2 say

While O2 are good at providing 4G signal in lots of areas, we’ve found the actual speeds you get over 4G can tend to be a bit disappointing. That lines up with what the independent network testers say:

Opensignal take millions of measurements on real people’s phones and have shown typical 4G downloads at 16.8 Mbps on O2. That’s the slowest of all networks by a noticeable distance.

We wanted to see what speeds on O2 will look like in real life and how they compare to the results from Opensignal. We found that their results line up well with our tests.

Our speeds went down to around 6 - 7 Mbps in smaller towns and down to 5 Mbps in rural areas. However we did manage to get up to 95 Mbps in the city centre. But for the most part we got around 15 - 20 Mbps.

You won’t notice a massive difference in speeds when browsing the internet compared to other networks, but tethering to large screen devices will be noticeably slower when loading pages or videos.

Typically their speeds are around what you’d get from non-fibre home broadband. Streaming HD video should be decently smooth, but you’ll notice their slower speeds when doing things like file sharing or gaming.

You can get much faster and much slower speeds than that, depending on where you use your phone. Their typical speeds are what you’d get from old copper home broadband, so you might notice buffering on videos.

Before choosing whether or not to join O2, you should consider whether this is something that you care about. For basic social media, maps and browsing you probably won’t mind. Demanding users should think twice.

Useful link: You can test and return your SIM if you're not happy

Our speed rating: ★★☆☆☆ (average)

Rank: Joint last (with other networks who use O2)

Not as good as : EE, Vodafone (4G), Three

Better than: Vodafone (5G)

5G coverage is great but speeds lag behind other networks

✔ Lots of 5G live locations Check near you

As coverage improves and more people have 5G-ready phones, 5G data is becoming more important, as you’ll start to spend more time on it. We’d say 5G is a mixed bag on O2.

They have 5G live in 750+ UK towns and cities , which is more than any other UK network. And in our research for our best 5G networks list we found they were great at covering their locations.

You get 5G included on every O2 SIM only deal. Here are their best ones right now:

But again, O2 are held back by their middling speeds. Independent testers Speedtest and Opensignal put typical speeds on O2 between 80.57 - 92.3 Mbps with peak speeds up to 214.2 Mbps.

That’s not to say O2’s 5G is slow. It’s a massive and welcome step change from their 4G data. But if you’re after bragging rights, or you’re doing demanding stuff on your mobile you might prefer Three or EE .

Useful link: How is O2’s 5G rollout going?

Our 5G rating: ★★★☆☆ (great)

Not as good as : EE, Three, Vodafone

Better than: N/A

WiFi/4G calling on O2 is good enough for most users

✔ Check your phone model is compatible See supported phones

While O2 are typically good at getting call signal into buildings , you might still struggle to get signal indoors if there’s obstructions between you and the nearest mast. This is where WiFi/4G calling comes in handy.

WiFi calling allows you to make/take calls over WiFi signal where call signal is poor. 4G calling does the same thing with 4G signal. And you can also send/receive texts over WiFi and 4G too ( read our guide here ).

We tested both features using a manufacturer-bought Android phone and an iPhone we bought from a different network. We got WiFi calling and 4G calling to work on both, but we had to turn it on in our account first.

While other networks show a special symbol to let you know you’re calling over 4G, O2 don’t seem to have this. But that doesn’t mean it’s not working, so don’t panic.

WiFi calling will only “kick in” when you’re somewhere with very weak call signal, but it should work on its own. In our testing we struggled to get somewhere with weak enough call signal to get it working, however.

Calls over WiFi connected at the same speed as on conventional call signal and the call quality was good. And we switched from a WiFi call to a 4G call without it dropping (it will drop if you lose 4G signal).

If you take a phone from O2 directly it should be compatible for WiFi calling. The issues come when trying to get devices bought elsewhere to work with O2’s WiFi calling ( see if yours is compatible here ).

Most iPhone devices should work for WiFi calling, but O2 don’t say for certain if Android models not bought for them are compatible. But in our tests our manufacturer-bought Android model worked just fine.

Useful link: How to set up WiFi calling on O2

Our WiFi calling rating: ★★★☆☆ ( good )

Not as good as : Three, BT, EE, iD

Better than: Vodafone, Sky and all others

WiFi hotspots are the best of O2’s extra network features

✔ Automatically connect to 7000 hotspots How you get it

It’s good to know what extra network features O2 offer before joining them, so you can know what you’re getting out of your deal and whether they’re the right network for you:

O2 help you save data on the go with their network of 15,000+ WiFi hotspots around the UK and on the Underground. And you can automatically connect to 7000 of these, though you have to log in manually for the rest.

You can use your phone as a personal hotspot to tether other devices to your data signal with no limits on every O2 plan. You can do this even while you’re abroad too.

O2 also offer call forwarding , letting you keep one line free from incoming calls by automatically forwarding them to a different number. But this isn’t offered on Pay As You Go.

You can customise your voicemail however you want and are one of the few networks to include visual voicemail . If your phone supports it, this lets you sort through each of your voicemails one by one.

Finally, you can get an eSIM on O2 as well. However you have to wait for your SIM package to arrive to scan the QR code to get it working. But if you don’t mind waiting a couple of days this shouldn’t be an issue.

Useful link: How to get an eSIM on O2

Our free WiFi rating: ★★★☆☆ ( good )

Not as good as : BT Mobile, Virgin Mobile

Slightly better than: Everyone else

Where to next?

Perks & extras

O2's perks and extras reviewed

Inclusive eu roaming on all plans is a great benefit.

✔ Inclusive EU roaming on all plans Check countries

The other UK networks (EE, Three and Vodafone) have all removed inclusive EU roaming from their plans, while O2 have kept theirs in place. This means you can use your O2 SIM in the EU at no added cost.

You can roam in these 48 EU/EEA destinations on every O2 deal. While there you are limited to 25GB of your data allowance, unless you’re on a smaller plan than that in which case you can use your whole allowance.

And you can get their Travel Inclusive Zone benefit on O2’s premium plans. With this you can roam in these 27 non-EU countries with an allowance of 120 mins, 120 texts and a bit of data (probably 150MB) each day.

These offers let you roam in 75 destinations at no extra cost:

On top of that, once you’ve used up that small allowance you actually get unlimited data to use in their Travel Inclusive Zone, but it will be severely speed capped. And, again, this is only on their priciest plans.

O2 are better than their rival networks for EU roaming while also having a nice worldwide roaming scheme on top of that (Vodafone’s may be better for some). That’s why they’re our favourite overall roaming network .

Useful links: The best networks for going to the EU and beyond

Our roaming rating: ★★★★☆ ( excellent )

Not as good as : Vodafone (beyond the EU)

Slightly better than: All others

O2’s Priority rewards app is still a very popular benefit

✔ Money off shopping, dining and more What you get

Every customer benefits from O2’s popular Priority reward scheme , whether on pay monthly or Pay As You Go. This gives you extra rewards for staying loyal to O2.

These include discounts on high-street food, drink and entertainment which you can use online or in store. A few of these are entirely exclusive to the O2 Priority app, but not all of them.

And O2 can get you presale access to some music and sporting events hosted at O2-sponsored venues or by O2 themselves ( see what you can get here ). They call it O2 Priority.

It’s the best loyalty rewards scheme of them all, with Vodafone’s VeryMe as a close second. It helps you get better value out of your deal, which is nice considering the high cost of O2’s plans.

Useful link: O2 Priority help guide and FAQs

Our rewards rating: ★★★★★ (best choice)

Better than : Vodafone / VOXI

Way better than: Everyone else

O2’s Extras give you a nice bit of extra value on your plan

✔ Higher end plans give you more benefits See the choices

The main UK networks tend to offer pricier deals than the smaller providers on their networks. As such, O2 try to add as much value to their plans as possible by offering free entertainment trials on their plans.

You can also get a free trial to an entertainment service or app of your choice from the ones listed here on certain O2 SIM only and phone contracts. Usually the more your plan costs the longer your trial.

Here are the current best SIM only deals that include Extras:

These services include Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Music Unlimited and Audible. There are a couple other choices too. These trials only last between 3-6 months after which you’ll begin paying for it.

Once the free trials are over you’ll have to cancel them manually or else you’ll start being charged. These are great for getting extra value out of your plan, but are only worth it if you actually want them.

Useful link: The full terms and conditions of O2’s Extras

Our freebies rating: ★★☆☆☆ (average)

Rank: Joint last

Not as good as : EE, BT Mobile, Vodafone

Better than: All others

Families will love O2’s Multisave discount scheme

✔ Money off added deals on your account Family Plan discounts

Networks want to encourage customers to add extra users to their account, so a few of them offer family plan schemes to give them more of a reason to do so. These come in the form of extra benefits and discounts.

O2 offer a handy 20% discount on extra SIM only or usage (the SIM plan for your phone contract) plans added to your existing O2 account.

You should know that you only get a discount on the usage plan (mins, texts and data) of any phone contract you add to your account, not a discount to the actual cost of the device.

O2 used to offer Sharer plans that let you transfer data from one user on your account to another, but you can’t get these anymore. Overall, O2 offer a nice family plan that helps make up for their higher prices.

Useful link: Calculate Family Plan discounts

Our Family Plan rating: ★★☆☆☆ ( average )

Not as good as : BT Mobile, Tesco Mobile, Vodafone, EE, Three

Data rollover is a nice extra feature on O2’s PAYG bundles

✔ More time to use the data you paid for See PAYG SIMs

You’ll basically never use the exact same amount of data each month. You may end up using all your data one month then use hardly any the next. Some providers let you keep your unused data to help with this.

This is called data rollover and O2 are one of the networks that offer it ( read our guide here ). But they only include it on their Pay As You Go “Big Bundles” , not their regular pay monthly contracts.

O2 let you hold onto your unused data for a few months after your plan expires. There is a cap on how much data you can roll over, which tends to be the amount of data you get with your bundle.

Just make sure to renew your bundle every month or else you’ll lose your rolled over data. It’s a great scheme overall, we just wish it applied to their pay monthly contracts as well.

Useful link: O2’s terms and conditions for their Big Bundles

Our data rollover rating: ★★☆☆☆ (average)

Rank: Joint 5th

Not as good as : SMARTY, Sky Mobile, Virgin Mobile, iD Mobile

Equal to: EE and Vodafone

Other nice benefits of being on O2

✔ Set spending caps at these increments Read O2's guide

You will miss out on some of the extra benefits you’d get on other networks on O2, but before we go over those we’ll take you through the other small benefits of joining O2:

They let you set a limit on extra spending . Their caps are more flexible than some networks, but not as flexible as others that let you cap in £1 increments. And every network has to let you set a cap anyway.

O2 automatically block adult content over data signal, meaning you can be sure your kids are safe online. You will have to set separate content restrictions for your home WiFi, however.

And there are a few key benefits that O2 users miss out on. We’ll go over them in the next section.

Useful link: Our guide to the most flexible spending caps

Our spend cap rating: ★★★★☆ (excellent)

Not as good as : TBC

Equal to: TBC

What other networks do better than O2…

✔ Unlimited streaming data on Sky How it works

at Sky.com (opens in new window)

You don’t get unlimited streaming data on O2. This is something that Sky (who use O2’s network) offer for use with their TV apps , so TV customers watch their favourite shows on the go without using up their data.

And O2 don’t let you switch plans up or down during your contract (but they do let you do this on their phone contracts ). giffgaff piggyback off O2 for signal and let you switch plans each month however you like.

Extra data add-ons are expensive on O2 (1GB for £12!) so you’ll have to make sure not to go over your allowance. And international calls can also add up quickly, even with their “International Bolt-on” .

O2 will also up the cost of your SIM only or usage plan every year. Last year O2 customers saw a rise of 11.7% on what are already pricey plans. At least the cost of your device won’t go up on O2.

And you don’t get data rollover on their pay monthly deals. Sky Mobile have the best scheme of all networks, letting you store unused data in a piggybank for up to 3 years and withdraw it when you need.

Useful link: All providers on O2’s network

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Phone contracts on O2

We go over the pros and cons of O2’s phone contracts:

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✔ o2’s custom plans offer a nice bit of flexibility.

How custom plans work

O2 let you choose the length of your phone contract anywhere between 3 and 36 months over which you’ll pay off your phone. And you can choose how much you want to pay upfront and take a data plan that suits you.

The longer your contract length the less you pay per month. By choosing your contract length you can suit your plan to your budget depending on how much you wish to pay per month and how long you want to be paying.

This flexibility does make it harder to know what is the best possible deal you can get. However, O2 keep the cost of your device the same no matter how you set up your contract.

Some providers make you pay extra for a longer contract. While technically you’ll pay more on a longer contract by continuing to pay for your usage plan, the overall cost of your device stays the same on O2.

We’d still say it’s better to take the shortest contract you can to suit your budget, as once your contract is over you can change to a SIM plan on a cheaper provider.

Useful link: How building your own plan works

✔ O2’s Refresh contracts are a nice way to upgrade early

About early upgrades

O2 split the cost of your phone and usage plan (mins, texts and data) into separate payments which combine together to make your monthly bill.

O2 call these deals Refresh and they’re basically credit agreements for the cost of your device that you pay back over your contract. Sky Mobile , Virgin , giffgaff and Tesco all offer similar kinds of deals.

So you can upgrade early without having to wait for your contract to end if you can afford to pay off your remaining loan. Once you’ve done that then you’ll only have to pay for your SIM plan.

The main issue is that these phone contracts are basically loans worth a lot of money. That means it can be tougher to pass a credit check for one of these contracts than on some other networks.

Useful link: O2's full guide to their Refresh tariffs

O2's Pay As You Go

What options do you get to pay as you go on O2?

✔ O2’s PAYG bundles offer nice benefits at higher costs

See bundles

We went over O2’s “Big Bundles” above. These are bundles of mins, texts and data that you pay for every month. You no longer to Pay As You Go by topping up with credit and paying out of that.

The only provider on O2’s network that still offer a traditional Pay As You Go system are giffgaff. Here are their rates:

25p  per minute +  10p  per text + -->  10p  per MB data = -->  £0  a month (0‑month contract) See full deal

Or you can join 1pMobile who provide signal via EE’s network and have the cheapest tariffs of all UK providers:

1p  per minute +  1p  per text + -->  1p  per MB data = -->  £0  a month (0‑month contract) See full deal

O2’s bundles are higher cost than O2’s SIM only contracts. But you don’t have to pass a credit check and you’re not stuck on a contract. But you might just be better off joining Tesco or giffgaff on a pre-paid deal:

O2 customer service reviews

O2’s customer service record has got worse.

✔ 3 complaints per 100,000 customers See all O2's awards

It’s inevitable that users will have to get in contact with a network to resolve any issues they might be having. If a network fails to solve their customers’ issues, the customer still has options.

If a network is unable to resolve a customers’ issue online then that customer can make a complaint to government regulators Ofcom. Their record shows how many complaints they got about each network .

We ran into issues getting our O2 SIM to connect to 4G as it seemed to be stuck on 3G. We used this as an opportunity to contact O2’s customer service and gauge how helpful they were.

Their call agents were UK based and politely and professionally helped us in getting our issue resolved.

Our issue took a number of days to get fixed, but the customer service people were very apologetic and offered financial compensation for the wasted days without 4G.

In our experience we’ve found that O2 are good at getting their customers’ issues resolved, but they are a huge network under new ownership, so their complaint record could start changing.

O2 now sit at 3 complaints per 100,000 customers, which is more than the industry average. While that doesn’t sound good, the industry average itself has been falling too, so networks overall are getting better.

If you’ve run into issues with other providers, then you’ll find that O2 are better than some. While this blip on their record might be a bit of a worry, we think most users will still be happy with O2’s customer service.

Useful link: How to get help on O2

Districts [ edit ]

Central Moscow districts [ edit ]

Outlying districts [ edit ], understand [ edit ].

Moscow is the financial and political centre of Russia and the countries formerly comprising the Soviet Union. It has a population of around 13 million and an area of 2,511 square kilometres (970 sq mi) after an expansion in 2012. One-tenth of all Russian citizens live in the Moscow metropolitan area. Moscow is the second most populous city in Europe, after Istanbul , and has the most populous metropolitan area in Europe, with some 21 million residents. Moscow is in the UTC+3 time zone; there is no daylight saving time.

Many years since the break up of the Soviet Union, the economy has improved, and the modern era has brought upon a wide variety of construction projects, modern architecture and newer transport systems replacing the derelict ones during Soviet times.

Geography [ edit ]

Moscow is a large metropolis on the Moskva River, which bends its way through the city. The historical center is on the northern bank of the river. The other major waterway is the Yauza River, which flows into the Moskva east of the Kremlin.

Much of Moscow's geography is defined by the 3 'Ring Roads' that circle the city at various distances from the centre, roughly following the outline of the walls that used to surround Moscow. With Red Square and the Kremlin forming the very centre, the innermost ring road is the Boulevard Ring ( Bulvarnoye Koltso ), built in the 1820s where the 16th century walls used to be. It runs from the Christ the Savior Cathedral in south-west central Moscow, to the mouth of the Yauza in south-east central Moscow.

The next ring road, the Garden Ring ( Sadovoe Koltso ), derives its name from the fact that landowners near the road in Tsarist times were obligated to maintain gardens to make the road attractive. In Soviet times, the road was widened, and there are now no gardens there.

The Third Ring Road, completed in 2004, is not much use for tourists but is a heavily used motorway which absorbs a bit of Moscow's traffic. It roughly follows the outline of Kamer-Kollezhsky val , the customs boundary of Moscow in the 18th – early 20th century. The outer edge of Moscow is largely defined by the Moscow Ring Road (widely known by its abbreviation: MKAD-Moskovskaya kolcevaya avto doroga), a motorway which is 108 km (67 mi) long and encircles the entire city (similar to London's M25 and Paris' Périphérique ).

Climate [ edit ]

The climate of Moscow features warm summers and long, cold winters.

Get in [ edit ]

See Russia#Get in for visa requirements to Russia.

By train [ edit ]

Moscow is a railway hub, with connections to all parts of Russia and far into Europe and Asia. Due to its hub status, Moscow's train stations are often crowded; trains are the usual form of intercity transport for most Russians. The stations have a reputation for being unsafe but paradoxically the threat of terrorism has improved things: security gates, policing and surveillance deter the casual thugs and villains. Guard your valuables and yourself as you would in any big city.

All long-distance trains are operated by Russian Railways and its subsidiaries, except for a few international trains with other operators. Tickets can be bought at stations or online . For domestic trains, you can show the ticket officer your online boarding pass; however, international trains require a printed ticket. There are usually ticket counters with English-speaking personnel - they may be marked as such, or the clerk may direct you to another counter if they can't cope with your English. See Russia#By train 2 for more details on travelling in Russia by train.

From Europe [ edit ]

All trains from Europe halted since 2020

Train stations in Moscow [ edit ]

Moscow has 10 train stations, 9 of which are near metro stations close to the center of Moscow. Be sure to note the station from which your train is departing, which will be indicated on the ticket, or online . Three stations ( Leningradsky , Yaroslavsky , and Kazansky ) are on one huge square, informally known as the "Three Stations' Square". A running joke among Moscow taxi drivers since the Soviet times is to be able to pick up a fare from one of them to the other, taking the unwary tourist on an elaborate ride in circles. Be prepared for enormous queues trying to enter or exit the Metro at peak times, as people are getting off or on the commuter trains.

By car [ edit ]

Many entry points to Moscow over the Ring Road and into the city feature rotating roadblocks, where teams of traffic police may stop a vehicle, especially if it is not featuring Moscow plates. You may be stopped and questioned but you'll be allowed to proceed if you have all the proper documents.

Foreign cars, especially expensive cars, might attract unwelcome attention, and there is cumbersome paperwork involved to enter Russia by car.

By boat [ edit ]

There is no scheduled passenger service to Moscow by boat; however, cruise ships do provide service to the Northern River Terminal, on the Moscow Canal near the Khimki Reservoir. The pier is not convenient to the city and it can take over 2 hours to reach the city centre by car.

A system of navigable channels and locks connects the Moskva River with the Volga River, which is further connected to the Baltic Sea , White Sea, the Azov, the Black Sea, and the Caspian Sea. In the Soviet times this allowed the official propaganda to refer to Moscow as "a port on the five seas".

By bicycle [ edit ]

Moscow is the easternmost destination of the EuroVelo cycling routes . Eurovelo Route 2 , the Capitals Route, is a 5,500 km (3,400 mi) route starting in Galway , Ireland , passing through Dublin , London , Berlin , Warsaw and Minsk before terminating in Moscow.

By metro [ edit ]

The Metro is open from 05:30-01:00. Station entrances are closed at 01:00, and at this time the last trains depart from all of the termini stations. After 01:00, many locals will enter the train station using the exits, which are still open. Service on the ring line runs until 01:30, although entrances are closed at 01:00. The down escalators are also shut off at 01:00.

There is signage in the Metro stations in English and the Latin alphabet, but these signs are not everywhere. Each train carriage has a map in Latin script and there is one near the entrance to each station. Note the direction of the train before you alight. It is worth printing a map of the metro system in both Cyrillic and Latin letters to take with you.

All trains in the system have free WiFi onboard, but you will need to have a Russian phone number to get the authorization code to access the WiFi. Some of the older train cars are not climate controlled.

2 or 3 stations may be connected as transfer points but will each have a different name. There are 2 stations called Smolenskaya and 2 stations called Arbatskaya , but the station pairs are not connected to each other despite having the same name. Some of the stations are very deep underground, and transfer times between certain metro lines can take a lot of time. In the city centre, it can save time to go directly to the above-ground entrance of the line you want to take rather than to enter at a connecting station and transfer underground. On the escalators, stand on the right and walk on the left except for peak hours, when standing on the left side is also allowed.

Some of the train stations include beautiful architecture and it is worth taking a guided tour of the metro system. The most interesting stations in terms of decor are Komsomolskaya (ring line), Novoslobodskaya (ring line), Kievskaya (ring line), Kropotkinskaya (Line #1 - red), Kievskaya (Line #3 - dark blue), Arbatskaya (Line #3 - dark blue), Ploschad' Revolyutsii (Line #3 - dark blue), Mayakovskaya (Line #2 - dark green). Also look at the architecture of the ground entrance building of Arbatskaya (Line #4 - light blue) and Krasnye Vorota (Line #1 - red). History buffs may appreciate that Metro Line #1 (red) has the oldest stations, opened in 1935.

The Vorobyovy Gory Metro Station on Line #1 (red) is unique in that it is on a bridge crossing the Moscow River. This bridge also carries auto traffic road on another level. There is a beautiful view through the transparent sides of the station. A great observing point around Moscow is located nearby on Vorobyovy hills, next to the main building of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

There are a couple of unique trains operating through the system and you will be lucky if you get to ride them. Aquarelle (Watercolor) is a train that includes an art gallery. The train operates daily on Line #3 (dark blue). The Sokolniki Retro Train is a train modeled after the original 1930s trains and it occasionally is placed into service, usually around a major anniversary of the metro system.

The metro is relatively safe, although pickpockets are a problem, as they are in any environment where a lot of people are pressed together. Opportunistic petty crime, such as snatching someone's mobile phone and jumping out just as the doors are closing, is also commonplace. Take the usual precautions at night when gangs of inebriated teenagers may look for an excuse to beat someone up. There is no train guard or conductor, so the first car near the driver may be the safest. Every car is equipped with an intercom to the driver's cabin; they are beige boxes with a grill and a black button near doors, and mostly work, unless visibly vandalized.

By tram [ edit ]

There are several tram routes, although trams are not common in the city centre.

By monorail [ edit ]

Moscow Monorail is a 4.7 km (2.9 mi) monorail line with 6 stations. It is slower, less frequent, and has shorter operating hours when compared with the metro (every 30 min, 08:00-20:00). However, the view is picturesque. It is useful to get to the Ostankino Tower, or to get to the VDNKh exhibition centre from Metro Line #9 (silver). Interchanges between Moscow Metro and Monorail is free, no additional fee will be charged.

By hop-on-hop-off bus [ edit ]

The hop-on-hop-off bus is a convenient way for tourists to see the major sights quickly and efficiently. The buses feature English-speaking guides to answer any questions. A 1 day pass costs $24 for adults and $15 for children.

See [ edit ]

Do [ edit ].

Moscow has many attractions, but many of them are not friendly to a non-Russian-speaker. English-language newspapers like The Moscow Times , Element [dead link] , Moscow News and others can help to navigate towards English-language friendly attractions and services.

Circuses [ edit ]

Theatres [ edit ].

• Bolshoi Theatre , one of the oldest and best known ballet and opera companies in the world.

Learn [ edit ]

Moscow remains the educational center of Russia and the former USSR. There are 222 institutes of higher education, including 60 state universities & 90 colleges. Some of these offer a wide-spectrum of programs, but most are centered around a specific field. This is a hold-over from the days of the USSR, when Sovietwide there were only a handful of wide-spectrum "universities" and a large number of narrow-specialization "institutes" (mostly in Moscow & St.Petersburg). Moscow offers some of the best business/management, science, & arts schools in the world. Moscow is also a popular destination for foreign students to learn Russian.

Work [ edit ]

You will need a work visa which is not an easy process. The visa needs to be arranged well in advance of traveling. It is possible to work in Moscow, you just need to find a good company to support you. The main obstacle for many foreigners will be a mandatory Russian language exam required to obtain a work permit.

Shopping malls [ edit ]

Large shopping malls are common near metro stations.

Tipping [ edit ]

For information on tipping in restaurants, see Russia#Eat .

Ethnic food [ edit ]

Authentic ethnic food from countries of the nearby Caucasus ( Azerbaijan , Georgia , Armenia ) is common in Moscow. Japanese food, including sushi, rolls, tempura, and steakhouses are very popular in Moscow. Other Asian cuisines including Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese are becoming increasingly more common.

Budget [ edit ]

Street food [ edit ].

Free-standing kiosks serving sausages, meat pies, or kebobs are plentiful, although the origins of the meat served is questionable and the food has been known to occasionally make people sick.

Muscovites are also fond of their ice cream, consumed in any weather, even in the dead of winter, cheap and usually of superior quality; kiosks can be found all over the center and near all Metro stations.

Foodcourts 2.0 [ edit ]

This term is used in articles by local food critics: since 2016, several special food courts were opened with independent and small food chains, for those people who get bored of McDonald's-like food. They offer a wider choice of cuisines.

Clubs [ edit ]

Nightlife in Moscow is bustling, intense and exciting. It starts quite late; it's common for the headliners to start at 02:00-02:00. Most noticeable are areas near Solyanka street and Krasniy Oktyabr' place. At summer time a lot of clubs opening open-air terraces called "verandas". Most of clubs in Moscow are very picky of who they let in, so make sure you have a positive attitude and dress up if you are going to a fancy club.

Gazgolder [dead link] (not far from Kremlin) is among the best.

Cafes [ edit ]

Moscow has several café chains with great coffee including Coffeemania and Coffee Bean [dead link] . Moscow also has a good selection of tea saloons. High-quality infusion teas such as Newby, are widely available in cafes, both in packets and loose.

Asking to add boiling water to the tea you ordered earlier is a practice that some cafes don't welcome, but normally it's acceptable.

Sleep [ edit ]

Stay safe [ edit ].

Moscow enjoys a relatively low crime rate.

Drunk people are the most likely sources of problems. In the past years, lots of policemen were corrupt, and it was best to avoid them. Nowadays Moscow has a Tourist Police force, whose officers are able to speak foreign languages and help tourists. Police officers are equipped with body-cameras.

It is preferable to avoid some parts of the outer districts of Moscow, especially in the south. Some of those areas are notorious for gopniks (drunkards notorious for muggings and starting fights with strangers, and will do so seemingly unprovoked), who normally hang out in sparse residential areas and in industrial zones. The same problems can be witnessed in the surrounding regions and in other Russian cities as well.

While traveling in Moscow, as in the rest of Russia, you should always have your passport with you. If you look non-white, your papers may get checked more often than otherwise. The police may demand to see your papers to check if you have been registered within 7 business days of your arrival into Moscow. Always remember that if you stay in a hotel then you are automatically registered and will be handed a confirmation paper at a time of check-in, so don't worry in this case. The police are usually looking for migrants from Central Asia and unless you fit this profile, you are unlikely to be questioned.

Women should take caution walking alone late at night since they may receive unwanted attention from drunk men. Women should also stay clear of large companies of men in front of bars, restaurants, etc. It is best to walk with a friend if possible.

Streets can become very slippery in winter. Wear shoes or, even better, boots with decent grip to prevent twisted ankles. Ice patches can be hard to spot. A waterproof raincoat is also sensible.

Traffic is poorly handled, and vehicle accident rates are very high.

If you need help with translation, ask students or pupils: younger people are more likely to be able to help you than the older generations.

Connect [ edit ]

For information on using telephones and buying SIM cards in Russia, see Russia#Connect .

Mobile Internet is quite affordable in Russia, but you have to buy Russian SIM-card first.

Wireless Internet [ edit ]

Moscow Metro has Wi-Fi in all trains. It is ad-supported.

Mosgortrans has Wi-Fi spots on every bus, trolleybus and tram. Also sometimes you can find Wi-Fi spot on a public transport stop.

Beeline Wi-Fi [dead link] operates the largest network of both paid and free Wi-Fi access points. If there is a charge, you can pay online via credit card.

There is a large network of free Wi-Fi hotspots in the city centre; check your device in the middle of a busy area and you may find one.

Many cafes and restaurants offer Wi-Fi - ask for password. Most bookstores offer free Wi-Fi, including "Dom Knigi" on New Arbat Street or "Respublika" bookstore on Tverskaya near Mayakovskaya Metro Station.

Some establishments that offer free Wi-Fi may require you to verify an authorization code sent to a Russian phone number before gaining access, but for the most part, foreign numbers also work as of 2016.

Cope [ edit ]

Embassies [ edit ].

Moscow is one of the global diplomatic capitals, competing with Berlin , Brussels , Beijing , Paris , London , Tokyo and Washington D.C. . Most of the world's countries have their embassies in the city.

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Watch CBS News

Solar eclipse maps show 2024 totality path, peak times and how much of the eclipse people could see across the U.S.

By Aliza Chasan

Updated on: April 9, 2024 / 5:00 AM EDT / CBS News

A total solar eclipse  crossed North America Monday with parts of 15 U.S. states within the path of totality. Maps show  where and when astronomy fans could see the big event  as skies darkened in the middle of the day Monday, April 8.

The total eclipse first appeared along Mexico's Pacific Coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT, then traveled across a swath of the U.S., from Texas to Maine, and into Canada.

About 31.6 million people live in the path of totality , the area where the moon fully blocked out the sun , according to NASA. The path ranged between 108 and 122 miles wide. An additional 150 million people live within 200 miles of the path of totality.

Solar eclipse path of totality map for 2024

The total solar eclipse started over the Pacific Ocean, and the first location in continental North America that experienced totality was Mexico's Pacific Coast, around 11:07 a.m. PDT, according to NASA. From there, the path continued into Texas, crossing more than a dozen states before the eclipse enters Canada in southern Ontario. The eclipse exited continental North America at around 5:16 p.m. NDT from Newfoundland, Canada.

The path of totality included portions of the following states:

• Pennsylvania
• New Hampshire

Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan also experienced the total solar eclipse.

Several major cities across the U.S. were included in the eclipse's path of totality, while many others saw a partial eclipse. These were some of the best major cities for eclipse viewing — though the weather was a factor :

• San Antonio, Texas (partially under the path)
• Austin, Texas
• Waco, Texas
• Dallas, Texas
• Little Rock, Arkansas
• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Dayton, Ohio
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Buffalo, New York
• Rochester, New York
• Syracuse, New York
• Burlington, Vermont

Map of when the solar eclipse reached totality across its path

The eclipse began in the U.S. as a partial eclipse beginning at 12:06 p.m. CDT near Eagle Pass, Texas, before progressing to totality by about 1:27 p.m. CDT and then moving along its path to the northeast over the following few hours.

NASA shared times for several cities in the path of totality across the U.S. People could have also  checked their ZIP code on NASA's map  to see when the eclipse was to reach them if they were on, or near, the path of totality — or if they saw a partial eclipse instead.

How much of the eclipse did people see if they live outside the totality path?

While the April 8 eclipse covered a wide swath of the U.S., outside the path of totality observers may have spotted a partial eclipse, where the moon covers some, but not all, of the sun, according to NASA. The closer they were to the path of totality, the larger the portion of the sun that was hidden.

NASA allowed viewers to input a ZIP code and see how much of the sun was to be covered in their locations.

Could there be cloud cover be during the solar eclipse?

Some areas along the path of totality had a higher likelihood of cloud cover that could interfere with viewing the eclipse. Here is a map showing the historical trends in cloud cover this time of year. 

You could have checked the latest forecast for your location with our partners at The Weather Channel .

Where did the solar eclipse reach totality for the longest?

Eclipse viewers near Torreón, Mexico, got to experience totality for the longest. Totality there lasted 4 minutes, 28 seconds, according to NASA. 

Most places along the centerline of the path of totality saw a totality duration of between 3.5 and 4 minutes, according to NASA. Some places in the U.S. came close to the maximum; Kerrville, Texas, had a totality duration of 4 minutes, 24 seconds.

What is the path of totality for the 2044 solar eclipse?

The next total solar eclipse that will be visible from the contiguous U.S. will be on Aug. 23, 2044.

Astronomy fans in the U.S. will have far fewer opportunities to see the 2044 eclipse they had on April 8. NASA has not yet made maps available for the 2044 eclipse but, according to The Planetary Society , the path of totality will only touch three states.

The 2024 eclipse will start in Greenland, pass over Canada and end as the sun sets in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, according to the Planetary Society.

Aliza Chasan is a digital producer at 60 Minutes and CBSNews.com. She has previously written for outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition and DNAinfo. Aliza covers trending news, often focusing on crime and politics.

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