Description
The O2 UK sim card with international calls is essential for anyone visiting the UK. It means that you can make phone calls and access mobile data for the same price as someone living the United Kingdom as opposed to the more expensive roaming rates you would be charged if you kept your regular sim card in your phone.
The O2 UK sim card features:
- A UK mobile phone number (your UK number is printed on the sim card packaging so you can give your number out to friends and family before you travel)
- Cheap European roaming (you can use your data allowance and you have calls to European numbers when travelling in many other European countries)
- 1000 call minutes to phones in the UK and over 40 other countries (including Australia, Canada and the USA) when using your sim card in the UK
- Free incoming calls (regardless of where the call originates)
- 15GB of high-speed data that you can use in both the UK and many other European countries
- Tethering is supported in the UK (you can use your phone as a mobile hotspot)
- The price of this sim card includes free delivery in Australia, New Caledonia, New Zealand and Singapore so you can get your sim card before you leave home
This sim card comes set up on the 15GB Premium International Big Bundle tariff
Your O2 UK sim card comes with your UK mobile phone number and it is already set up on the 15GB Premium International Big Bundle tariff. This tariff includes:
- 1000 call minutes to standard landline and mobile phones in the UK and over 40 other countries (including Australia, Canada and the USA)
- Free incoming calls (regardless of where the call originates)
- 5000 text messages to mobile numbers in the UK
- 15GB of high-speed data
- A UK mobile phone number (your UK number is printed on the sim card packaging so you can give your number out to friends and family before you travel)
- Cheap European roaming (you can use your data allowance and you have calls to European numbers when travelling in many other European countries)
Your service is good for one month from the date you arrive in the UK (this is the date that you specify when ordering your sim card) and your service will roll over to another month as long as you top up at least £20 credit to pay for the next month.
This means that if you top up with £25, your remaining balance will be £5 (after O2 take payment for your service) but you will have use of the included calls and data until the start of the next month of service. As long as your month is paid for, it is OK if your account balance is zero.
Your mobile service renews on the same date each month. For instance, if you start using your service on 23 January, your next month will start on 23 February. This means that it is slightly better value in October compared with February.
Using your O2 sim card in the United Kingdom
When using your O2 SIM card in the United Kingdom, your tariff’s inclusive value includes:
- 1000 call minutes to standard landline and mobile phones in the UK and over 40 other countries (including Australia, Canada and the USA)
- 250 additional call minutes to numbers in Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa
- Free incoming calls (regardless of where the call originates)
- 5000 text messages to mobile numbers in the UK
- 15GB of high-speed data
Premium calls and calls to countries outside the 44 countries that your inclusive call value is valid for incur an additional charge and you need to top up additional credit to cover these charges. Your included call minutes do not include calls to Australian numbers beginning with 13, nor do they include calls to UK numbers beginning with 084 and 087 as these are premium numbers similar to 13 and 1300 numbers in Australia.
This sim card includes 1000 call minutes included each month
O2’s 10GB UK & International Bundle tariff includes 1000 call minutes. These included call minutes can be used for:
- Calls to standard UK landline and mobile numbers. This includes calls to UK numbers starting with 01, 02, 03 and 07 but it does not include calls to premium numbers nor does it include calls to numbers in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man (which are international calls even though they share the same +44 country code as the United Kingdom).
- Calls to landline and mobile numbers in over 40 countries (when using your phone on the O2 network in the United Kingdom):
When using your phone in the UK, your included call minutes can be used to call the following countries:
| Australia | Austria |
| Bangladesh | Belgium |
| Brazil | Bulgaria |
| Canada | China |
| Colombia | Croatia |
| Cyprus | Czech Republic |
| Denmark | Estonia |
| Finland | France |
| Germany | Greece |
| Guam | Hong Kong |
| Hungary | Iceland |
| India | Ireland |
| Israel | Italy |
| Latvia | Lithuania |
| Luxembourg | Malta |
| Mexico | Mongolia |
| Netherlands | Norway |
| Peru | Poland |
| Portugal | Romania |
| Slovakia | Slovenia |
| South Korea | Spain |
| Sweden | United States of America |
Once your monthly mobile service has been paid for you can make calls from your 1000 minute call allowance even if your prepaid credit balance is zero.
Cheap international calls
While using your phone on O2’s network in the United Kingdom the O2 UK sim card with international calls gives you 1000 minutes of free calls to 40 countries and it is cheap to call other countries that are not included in your inclusive call bundle. However, you will need to top up a little extra credit to cover the cost of these calls.
| Country | Call a landline phone | Call a mobile phone |
|---|---|---|
| Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man | 55p per minute | 55p per minute |
| Malaysia | 5p per minute | 5p per minute |
| New Zealand | 2p per minute | 10p per minute |
| Singapore | 5p per minute | 5p per minute |
| South Africa | 10p per minute | 12p per minute |
While it is unlikely that you will need to call the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey) or the Isle of Man, we include rates to these countries as there are several roaming travel sim cards that are advertised as having UK phone numbers but actually have Jersey phone numbers, which are much more expensive to call (despite sharing the +44 country code with the UK). If you’re travelling with someone with one of these sim cards it is a good idea to encourage them to buy an O2 sim instead so you can call each other using your inclusive call minutes.
Staying longer than one month
Your service is good for one month from the date you arrive in the United Kingdom. You have two options if you’re staying longer than one month:
- Top up another £20 to pay for another month (which will give you another month of your inclusive call and data value)
- Pay O2’s higher standard call and data rates
The first option is better value and it is what most people choose but if you’re only staying a couple of days longer than a month then it is better to simply pay a higher rate for those last couple of days rather than pay for another full month.
To choose the first option, simply top up enough credit to pay for your second month and when your first month has finished O2 will deduct £20 from your prepaid credit balance to pay for your next month. If you do this before your first month has finished, any unused data will roll over to the next month.
If you choose the second option, you will be charged the following rates (which will come out of any remaining value in your prepaid credit balance):
| Call UK landline | 35p/minute |
| Call UK mobile | 35p/minute |
| Send text message | 15p/message |
| Send picture message | 45p/message |
| Call O2 customer service or top-up line | Free |
| Voicemail | 35p/call |
| Data access | £1/day |
Because call charges are much more expensive if you choose the second option, this is only recommended if you are only going to be staying a few days longer than a month. If you do this, we recommend using an app such as Rebtel or Skype to make any calls.
Calls to premium service numbers
Your inclusive call value is good for calls to standard landline and mobile numbers in the United Kingdom. This is any UK number beginning in 01, 02, 03 and 07* as well as 0800 and 0808 (freephone) numbers but it does not include non-geographic service numbers and other premium numbers.
Numbers starting with 08 (except 0800 and 0808 freephone numbers), 09 and 118 are charged at a higher rate than regular phone numbers. Numbers beginning with 08 are a little bit like 1300 numbers in Australia where a lot of people think that they are free but they are actually considerably more expensive than standard phone calls.
These numbers are charged in two parts: the access charge (which goes to O2) and the service charge (which usually goes to the company you are calling but sometimes goes to the company they got the premium number from). O2’s access charge is 55p/minute and the service charge varies from nothing to 13p per minute bringing the maximum charge to call these numbers to 68p.
| Calls to numbers starting with 0843 | 55–62p/minute |
| Calls to numbers starting with 0844 | 55–62p/minute |
| Calls to numbers starting with 0845 | 55–62p/minute |
| Calls to numbers starting with 087 | 55–68p/minute |
| Calls to Ryanair, Travelodge and Premier Inn (0871 numbers) | 68p/minute |
Many service numbers are used by companies that need a non-geographic number that is not tied to a specific area so they can advertise one number nationwide that is diverted to the branch closest to the customer but some of these numbers are used by companies that simply want to either avoid talking to their customers or make a little more profit from each inbound phone call.
Numbers beginning with 03 are similar to 08 numbers in that they are non-geographic numbers but these are the same price as a regular phone call and you can call these for free using your 1000 inclusive call minutes. Some companies serving tourists (for instance easyJet and the YHA) have transitioned to 03 numbers to make it easier and cheaper for their customers to call them but other companies (like Ryanair, Premier Inn and Travelodge) still use expensive 0871 phone numbers.
*Numbers beginning in 070 have a much higher charge than regular mobile numbers as do mobile numbers in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man (which look similar to UK mobile numbers). It is unlikely that you will call one of these numbers but if you get a message saying that you don’t have enough credit to call a number starting with 07, that would be the reason.
Calls to other UK numbers
Several other UK phone numbers are priced differently to standard phone calls. These include:
| 999 | Emergency (UK-wide) | Free |
| 112 | Emergency (EU-wide) | Free |
| 111 | NHS (non-emergency) | Free |
| 101 | Police (non-emergency) | 15p per call |
| 0800 numbers | Toll-free | Free |
| 0808 numbers | Toll-free | Free |
You will need extra credit in your prepaid balance to dial 101 (the non-emergency police number).
Using your O2 sim card outside the UK in Europe zone countries
The O2 UK sim card is a great option for use throughout Europe as roaming rates are very reasonable in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus*, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Martinique, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion and Mayotte, Romania, Saint Barthelemy (St Barts), St Martin, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the Vatican City.
*Northern Cyprus is not included in the Europe zone
When using your O2 SIM card in the above Europe zone countries outside the United Kingdom, your tariff’s inclusive value includes:
- 1000 call minutes to standard landline and mobile phones in the UK and to other countries within the Europe zone
- Free incoming calls (regardless of where the call originates)
- 5000 text messages to mobile numbers in the UK and to mobile phones within the Europe zone
- 15GB of high-speed data
When you’re travelling in Europe zone countries you can use your included call minutes to make calls anywhere within this zone. For instance if you’re in Barcelona, you can make a local call to your hotel, call ahead to your next destination in France, call friends in Germany or call other people you’re travelling with who also have O2 UK sim cards.
However, international calls to countries outside Europe (including calls that would otherwise be free if you were calling from the UK) are much more expensive when using your phone outside the United Kingdom in Europe zone countries. If you need to make an international call (to someone outside the Europe zone) then you should use an app such as FaceTime, Rebtel, Skype or Viber. You can call regular phones with Skype (not just other Skype users) as long as you have credit on a Skype account.
Using your O2 sim card outside Europe
Although an O2 SIM card is a great option when travelling within O2’s Europe zone countries, it is considerably more expensive (and not recommended) outside this zone. This even applies in other European countries such as Andorra, the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Switzerland that are not in the European Union as well as countries in Eastern Europe such as Albania, Belarus, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Northern Cyprus, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.
We activate your sim card for you
We activate your sim card for you so all you need to do is wait until you arrive in the UK, pop your sim card in your phone and turn it on.
Your sim card will be ready to use on the date you specify when you place your order.
Frequently asked questions
Is it possible to top up this sim card outside the United Kingdom?
Because this is a UK sim card, you can only buy credit at shops in the United Kingdom but you can also top up online. If you have a UK credit card (a credit card issued by a UK bank with a UK billing address) you can buy credit online directly from O2 and if you don’t have a UK credit card you can top up online at mobiletopup.co.uk.
Can this sim card be used in data-only devices?
This sim card is designed for use in a mobile phone and cannot be used in data-only devices such as tablets or pocket Wi-Fi devices. You need to visit a mobile phone shop in the UK to buy a data-only sim card to use in a tablet or similar data-only device.
Can I use my phone as a mobile hotspot?
Yes. Unlike many other European prepaid mobile services, O2 let you tether (use your phone as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot). This wasn’t always the case and up until early 2017 this was a service restricted to customers on contract, but now all O2 customers including prepaid customers can use their phone as a mobile hotspot.
A couple of important points:
- If you have an Apple iPhone, tethering will only work with an iPhone 5 or newer and it needs to be running iOS 10.1 or higher.
- Tethering is only supported when using your phone on the O2 network in the United Kingdom. There is no guarantee that it will work when roaming on other networks outside the UK.
Do I need to register my service and do I need to provide ID?
No. There is no requirement to register your service or show identification when activating a new mobile phone service in the United Kingdom. Simply put it in an unlocked phone, turn it on when you arrive in the UK and you’re ready to go.
Does my phone need to be unlocked?
Yes. Your phone must always be unlocked before using a sim card from a different network. Nowadays, many phones are sold already unlocked but it is best to check that your phone is unlocked prior to travelling. If you’re on a contract, most networks will unlock your phone and many will do this free of charge.
How will Brexit affect European roaming?
These cheap European roaming rates are a result of a European Union regulation that requires that EU mobile companies do not charge high roaming fees when their customers travel in other EU countries. Although the United Kingdom has left the European Union, several mobile operators (including O2) are continuing to offer cheap roaming. However, there is a chance that these cheap European roaming rates may be discontinued at some point in the future, particularly if European mobile networks decide to charge higher roaming fees to UK networks.
How long does delivery take?
These sim cards are posted from Melbourne, Australia and delivery should take around 2–3 business days if you live in southeastern Australia (including Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney) and up to a week for other parts of Australia.
We also ship to New Caledonia, New Zealand and Singapore and delivery takes around one week to these places.
It is best to allow an extra week or two in case of any delays in the postal service.
Can you recommend any resources for my UK trip?
We are a well-travelled bunch and we have been all over the United Kingdom. You’re welcome to call us for general travel advice. Alternatively, if your trip is focused on England take a look at englandrover.com for independent advice about accommodation, sightseeing and transport options in England. The people who run englandrover.com are happy to answer any specific enquiries on their Facebook page.
