Upgrading with O2 Switch Up

Help and support

Upgrading with O2 Switch Up | Help and support | O2

Check your phone’s condition

Your phone needs to be in a good condition to upgrade with O2 Switch Up, no cracks, chips, deep scratches or any other kind of damage like water damage. See our phone condition guide.

Get ready to Switch Up

When you exchange your old phone, you'll need to transfer your data and reset the device. See our checklist for preparing your phone.

Head to your local store

To upgrade with O2 Switch Up, you'll need to visit one of our stores. You can't use O2 Switch Up to upgrade online at the moment.

Switch Up on the spot

Once your phone’s been checked by one of our team, we’ll swap it for a shiny new one and start you on a new plan. We’ll refurbish your old phone and make sure your data’s been wiped, then sell it as one of our Like New phones.

Before you Switch Up

Before you exchange your phone, make sure you've followed these important steps:

	Back up everything you want to keep, like contacts and photos. Apple and Samsung provide cloud back-up systems to manage this.
	Turn off any passcodes you’ve set. See the Apple and Samsung websites or check your phone’s user guide for more information.
	Remove any security software you've installed.
	Double-check that you’re exchanging the correct device. The unique IMEI number needs to match the one we supplied. You can check your IMEI by dialing *#06# on your phone app’s keypad.

Additional steps when exchanging an Apple device:

	Make sure 'Find my iPhone' is disabled. See this guide on Apple's website for more information.
	If you have an Apple Watch, unpair it from your phone.
	You can transfer directly between Apple phones using QuickStart.

FAQs

When can I swap my current phone for a new one?

With O2 Switch Up, you can swap your current phone for a new one every 90 days. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve got left on your current contract – we’ll pay it off for you.

How can I best prepare before I swap my phone?

Once you’ve decided to swap your phone for a new one, you’ll need to check your current phone meets our grading criteria (if it’s in good enough nick). If it does, remember to back up all your contacts, pictures, videos and whatever else you’ve got on your phone so you don’t lose them. You’ll also need to turn off any passwords you’ve set.

If you’re not sure how to do any of these things, pop into an O2 store and one of our advisers can talk you through it.

Can I bring in any phone to swap?

No. You can only swap the phone you originally bought as part of your Plus Plan. The only exception is if you’ve had a replacement phone through an insurance claim, provided it’s the same make and model or better.

What can I swap my current phone for?

You can swap your current phone for a new one every 90 days. You can’t currently swap your phone for laptops, tablets, smartwatches or any other connected devices.

Don’t forget, you’ll need to make sure you take out a new Plus Plan if you want to use O2 Switch Up again.

What if I change my mind and want my old phone back?

We can’t give your old phone back once you’ve swapped it for a new one, as we’ll have already started to refurbish it as one of our Like New phones. The good news is, as long as you’re still on a Plus Plan, you're free to swap to a new phone every 90 days.

When can I swap my current phone for a new one?

O2 Switch Up Plus Plan customers

If you got O2 Switch Up as part of a Plus Plan tariff before 3 August 2023 and have stayed on a Plus Plan since then, you can continue to swap your phone whenever you like.

If you got O2 Switch Up as part of a Plus Plan tariff from 3 August 2023, you can swap to a new phone every 90 days.

O2 Switch Up Bolt On customers

If you’ve got O2 Switch Up as a chargeable Bolt On with your custom plan, you can still swap your phone whenever you like. When you next upgrade, you’ll need to get a Plus Plan with Switch Up included if you want to swap your phone again later.

What happens if I want to keep my phone but change my plan?

If you move from a Plus Plan to any other custom plan, without swapping your phone for a new one, you’ll lose O2 Switch Up as a benefit.

If you move from your existing Plus Plan to another Plus Plan, you’ll keep O2 Switch Up as normal.

What happens if I choose to upgrade my plan early?

If you’ve already got O2 Switch Up, you're free to swap to a new phone every 90 days. If you don’t have O2 Switch Up, you can still upgrade your plan early.

Will you take my phone back if it’s stolen or barred?