Our latest update on COVID-19

Support while staying in your bubble.

We’re here for you

  • Our stores are now open, but we’ll continue responding to the latest government guidelines for our stores across the UK. Find out how we’re keeping you safe in our stores.
  • You can now click and collect to your local store or buy online and get free home delivery on all our devices, sims and accessories.
  • We realise connectivity is essential for customers, businesses and communities during this time. It’s why we invest £2 million every single day in our network to make it as reliable as possible. We’ve been playing our part in supporting the NHS and helping to Rebuild Britain. And in March 2020, we increased our capacity even further to help handle the extra demand.
  • In partnership with the Hubbub charity, we expanded our national plan to keep those most vulnerable connected over Christmas with Community Calling. We aim to gift 10,000 unused devices and 12 months of free connectivity to individuals in the most deprived areas of the UK. Find out more about Community Calling.
  • The Department for Education’s ‘Get Help with Technology’ scheme ended on 31 July. Find out more.

 

Someone needs your old smartphone

We all complain about junk emails or slow streaming speeds. But imagine not having access to health advice, employment services or your loved ones.

Lockdown has brought a world of new challenges to the 7 million people in the UK that don’t have access to the internet, and Community Calling is a great way to help.

How can you get involved? It’s simple. You donate your old smartphone. And we’ll deliver it to someone in need, with a year’s worth of data.

See if your old smartphone qualifies.

Our online shop, My O2 and phone lines are still open

You can still join, upgrade and manage your account online. And you'll get free next-working-day delivery with any device order you place before midnight.

Want to chat before you buy? Call us on 0808 002 0202, from 8am to 8pm.

National test and trace apps are now available to download

We’re supporting the UK’s test and trace apps and you can do the same. By using your national app, you’ll help protect your loved ones and your community. These apps use postcodes to understand the spread in different areas so local authorities can act quickly.

The more people who use these apps, the more chance we’ll have of stopping the spread of COVID-19 across the UK.

Please go to your national site for download links and FAQs.

I’m having problems paying my bill – what can I do?

We're here to support you when times get tough. There are lots of options we can discuss if you don't think you're able to pay your bill on time.
Please visit our payment support page for more detail.
 

What support services are free to access on O2?

Calls to the NHS 111 help line have always been free. And now you can also visit the NHS website without using your data, along with a number of other important websites that many people will rely on for support during this time.

  Website Category
1 citizensadvice.org.uk Citizens Advice Financial advice
2 moneyadviceservice.org.uk Financial advice
3 stepchange.org Financial advice
4 samaritans.org Emotional support
5 mind.org.uk Mental health/ emotional support
6 rethink.org Mental health/ emotional support
7 anxietyuk.org.uk Mental health/ emotional support
8 youngminds.org.uk Mental health/ young people
9 mindout.org.uk Mental health/ LGBTQ
10 ageuk.org.uk Older people
11 thesilverline.org.uk Older people
12 themix.org.uk Young people
13 childline.co.uk Children
14 alzheimers.org.uk Health - Alzheimer’s
15 macmillan.org.uk Health -  cancer support
16 asthma.org.uk Health - asthma
17 bhf.org.uk Health - heart
18 diabetes.org.uk Health - diabetes
19 scope.org.uk Disabled people - general
20 rnib.org.uk Disabled people - sight
21 actiononhearingloss.org.uk Disabled people – hearing
22 cruse.org.uk Bereavement
23 thesurvivorstrust.org Survivors Trust - umbrella agency for specialist rape and sexual abuse services
24 rapecrisis.org.uk Rape Crisis - Victims and survivors of rape and sexual assault
25 malesurvivor.co.uk Male Survivors Partnership - for male victims and survivors of rape and sexual assault
26 refuge.org.uk Refuge – providing support for victims and survivors of domestic abuse
27 womensaid.org.uk Women’s Aid – for victims and survivors of domestic abuse
28 victimsupport.org.uk Victim Support – for all victims of crime or traumatic events
29 Welshwomensaid.org.uk Welsh Women’s Aid
30 nationaldahelpline.org.uk National Domestic Abuse Helpline
31 adviceni.net Advice NI – Financial assistance
32 consumercouncil.org.uk Consumer Council for Northern Ireland - Financial assistance
33 selectyourcompliment.co.uk Providing access to supermarket vouchers for families entitled to free school meals
34 hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk Providing support for parents to support their child’s early learning
35 redcross.org.uk British Red Cross
36 thenational.academy Oak National Academy: Offering free lessons and teaching resources from Early Years Foundation Stage to Year 11.
I don’t know how My O2 works – how can I get help?

Check out our handy How-to guide to get started.

Business customer? Take a look at our My O2 Business guide.

I’m using up my data allowance faster than usual – what can I do?

Take a look at this advice from Ofcom that you may find useful.

How will you keep people safe in stores?

After reviewing our processes, we’re confident the changes we’ve put in place will keep our stores safe for everyone who enters them. Guru appointments and data transfers will be available at a safe social distance. However, some services will be initially unavailable. Take a look at our FAQs below for more information on what we're doing to keep you safe in our stores.


Q. How will I be protected in O2 stores?
A. We’ll have a virtual queue system to ensure you aren’t held in unnecessary queues or kept waiting. All our people will be wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves and face coverings. All stores will be equipped with hand sanitiser and all customers will be encouraged to use it when they enter the store. Face coverings will also be mandatory in our stores. We’ll be supporting NHS Test and Trace in our English and Welsh stores. QR codes will be ready to scan when you enter the store.

Q. Will O2 employees only use one desk or till per customer?
A. Yes. Each team member will be assigned a specific desk or till to use for the duration of their shift.

Q. How will you be enforcing social distancing in-store?
A. We have installed vinyl markers on store floors to indicate a safe social distance. You will also notice helpful messages in our windows and throughout the store. We’ll still have the same great deals but promoting in-store safety is our main priority right now.

Q. Will you limit the number of customers allowed in store at one time?
A. Yes. To avoid queuing and overcrowding, every customer needing assistance will join a virtual queue system. Non-assisted browsing will be permitted. Customers will be admitted in store one person at a time, making sensible allowances for children and carers. Please note that if you need to bring a child into store with you, they must always be closely supervised.

Q. Are customers allowed to interact with, and use demo devices?
A. Yes. We’ll have demo devices out for you to see, but please limit what you touch in store. We know how important getting the feel of a new phone is, and we have a wide range of devices that we’re excited to show you. However, all our demo devices have great content you can see without touching them. After assisting each customer, we’ll clean any devices that have been handled.

Q. How regularly will O2 stores be cleaned?
A. Our stores will have an enhanced cleaning process. Specifically, all product displays, furniture and chairs will be sanitised regularly.

Q. Will stores be open during their normal opening hours? Or have opening times been modified?
A. Where possible, we will be operating our normal opening hours. Please refer to https://www.o2.co.uk/storelocator for individual store opening information.

Q. Will your stores provide the same service and support they offered before the national lockdown?
A. For the time being, our stores will be limiting some services. Guru appointments and data transfers will be available at a safe social distance. Loan phones are not currently available in store. Wherever possible, we’ll advise our customers on self-service at home. If you made a click and collect order before stores closed, please contact Customer Service for further help. If you paid a deposit on a click and collect store order and haven’t yet had a refund after re-ordering online, please contact Customer Service – we won’t be able to help with this in stores.

Q. Can extended returns be made in store if ordered online?
A. Products ordered online will not be able to be returned in store. Customers can exchange devices by calling Customer Service.

Q. Will you keep store doors open to increase ventilation and reduce contact with handles?
A. Yes, our doors will be open. But we will be restricting entry to the store to  limit the number of customers in store at any one time. We have implemented an enhanced cleaning process, which includes regular cleaning of surfaces that are touched often, like door handles. According to government advice, air conditioning does not need to be adjusted.

Q. Will NHS and care workers get priority access to our stores?
A. Yes. NHS and care workers who show their ID badges will be given VIP access, enabling them to skip the queue and speak to an advisor in store.

Q. Do Pay As You Go customers need to go in store for age verification?
A. Yes, this policy hasn’t changed.

Q. Do you accept contactless payment?
A. Yes. We accept contactless payments including Apple Pay and Google Pay. Our contactless payment limit has been increased to £45 and you’ll be offered an email receipt.

Q. Can I still order online and collect in store?
A. Yes, you can still order online and collect in store. Check your local store for opening times. Alternatively you can still get free home delivery if you order online.

Before reopening our stores, we’ve made sure that we’re complying fully with the government's 'five steps to working safely'. See our statement of compliance.

I work for the NHS – what do I need to know?

We’re sorry, but you’ve missed out on our extra 50GB offer for NHS staff. If you’d like to read the terms for this offer, they’re here: Info On Extra 50GB Offer For NHS staff and Info On Extra 10GB Offer For NHS staff.  We hope you’ve been able to benefit from some of the other things we’ve been doing for our customers.

Please remember that as an NHS worker, you get VIP access to our stores. Just show your badge at the door and you’ll be able to skip the queue and speak to an advisor.

I’m planning to travel abroad – where can I get travelling advice?

If you’re planning on travelling overseas, the government advises you to be prepared and informed ahead of your trip. Read this guidance for travelling abroad during the coronavirus pandemic.

How is the delivery, return or repair of my device affected?

Thankfully, many parts of our business are still running as usual, so most deliveries, returns and repairs will still happen in the normal timeframe. If this changes, we’ll let you know.

Read our returns policy

I’m experiencing Network issues – what do I do?

Over the last few days, we've increased our capacity even further to deal with additional demand and network spikes so you can stay connected.

Use our network status checker to keep tabs on any faults or maintenance in your area or raise an issue yourself.

You can also download the My Network app to keep an eye on your coverage. When using the app, you can:

  • check the status of our network and be kept up to date on any faults in your area
  • test your network speeds
  • report any issues with your service
I’m worried about getting fraudulent texts – what do I do?

We’ll never email, text or call you and ask for a one-time code, password, or other security information you’ve set up on your My O2 account.

Here are some signs that an email, message or call might not be genuine:

  • it contains spelling mistakes
  • there’s a generic ‘dear customer’ header
  • it asks you to provide sensitive personal or financial information, passwords, or to make transactions by following a link in the message
  • there are suspect links or there’s a name in the header with extra letters, numbers or substitutions. For example, a phishing scam trying to imitate O2 might replace the letter ‘O’ with the number zero.
  • it asks you to call a certain number you don’t recognise. In this case, call your bank on a number that you trust, like the one on the back of your card to check the message is authentic

Receiving a suspicious email, text or voice call won’t harm you in any way. It’s only dangerous if you interact with it. Remember:

  • don’t click on links unless you’re 100% sure they’re genuine
  • take a moment to stop and think. Trust your instincts. If it looks suspicious or too good to be true, there’s probably a catch.
  • don’t give away any of your personal details

To report a suspicious email, text or website:

  • if you think you’ve received a fraudulent text, please forward the message, including the phone number or company name, to 7726. This won’t cost you anything and it means we can investigate the sender.
  • for emails claiming to be from O2, create a new email with ‘Phishing’ as the subject. Attach the suspicious email and send it to phishing@o2.com

You can find out more about unwanted calls and texts on our help pages.

Staying entertained