O2 has just released a new Pay and Go tariff called Classic Pay As You Go.

Calls are 5p per minute, texts are 5p and data is 5p per MB.

Yes, it isn't quite as good for occasional users as Three's Pay As You Go at 3p/2p/1p respectively, or even Delight Mobile's tariff with the same prices, but it's a good step forward for the MNO Pay As You Go market and I hope others like EE and Vodafone follow suit.

Everyone on here (I presume) knows Three doesn't support 2G devices, and that Delight has some hidden clauses where any unused credit gets swiped after a short period of inactivity. This new O2 tariff, in my opinion, will be perfect for those occasional users with 2G handsets, those who have better O2 coverage in their area, or even perhaps those who want to use this SIM in a dual SIM phone in 2G standby mode.

From what I've seen, the minimum top up with these is £10 and as long as a chargeable event happens once every 180 days, the SIM and its associated credit remains live. This might prove to be a very suitable SIM for those who run home alarm systems with remote access and alerts.

If I'm honest, I'm surprised by this as it undercuts GiffGaff in terms of basic PAYG pricing.
Last edited by preecey : 17-11-2016 at 20:27

Not a bad deal, I'm quite surprised at O2 doing this actually.

Five times the price of Three for data isn't my idea of a good deal.

The call price isn't so bad, but Asda Mobile gives 200 mins and 2000 texts for a fiver, then 8ppm, so unless you are a very low user that might be a better bet for dumb phone users.

It's still a step in the right direction for basic Pay As You Go rates.

EE and Vodafone still charge between 30p and 40p per minute for calls and around 15p for texts on Pay As You Go. Even GiffGaff charges 15p per minute and nearly all the MVNOs out there charge more than 5p for calls. Yes, there is 1p Mobile but the credit validity period is only 30 days. With O2 it's six months.

Under cutting their own competition GiffGaff.

Giffgaff is all about the goodybags really though...

More so these days! Previously GiffGaff were pretty good at 8p/pm. That's risen to 15p/pm rather quickly.

Vodafone's own MVNO 'Talkmobile' has the cheapest PAYG calling rates known to man. 10p fixed fee for calls up to one hour duration (to standard UK mobile and landline numbers). 8p per minute for calls over one hour duration.

Basically, you can make a lot of long calls for only 10p.

It came across as a good deal to me initially, but what about the times when the call goes to voicemail? You've then paid 10p for a call that lasted only a couple of seconds.

Talkmobile's Happy Hour SIMs are good, but only for those who always make long phone calls and know that the people who they're calling will actually answer the phone.

I use Talkmobile on a spare phone for those long calls. It has saved me a fair bit. Data is set at 2p per MB. Well worth having.

Virgin are by far the most expensive MVNO for making calls at 35p per minute on PAYG.

The truly classic o2 tariff (as it was for years)

o2 and Landline Calls - 25p p/m for 3 minutes, then 5p for the rest of the day
Other Networks - 40p p/m
Texts - 10p
Video calls - 50p p/m
Picture messages - 25p
Voicemail - 10p per call
Internet - 10p per minute
o2 Customer Service - 20p

I'm surprised they didn't introduce this one.

Actually one of Virgin’s PAYG plans is 40p per minute (Starter).

--
Pete Forman
https://payg-petef.rhcloud.com/