O2 Refresh is a chance to upgrade your phone at any time, bringing an end to the woes of those who can’t abide carting around an ailing, ageing handset. So, how does it work and is it worth stumping up for? Here are five key things you need to know about O2 Refresh.
What is O2 Refresh?
O2 splits your monthly bill into two parts: the “Device Plan” is the cost of your physical phone, and the “Airtime Plan” is the monthly fee for minutes, texts and data. This essentially ends the idea of paying a monthly fee for a phone and airtime as part of a single package.
O2 Refresh still charges you a single amount, meaning you only need one Direct Debit, but it’s clearly separated on your bill.
A closer look at decoupling phones and airtime
For example, let’s say you were looking at the iPhone 16. There are three separate airtime deals to choose from with O2.
These are the current costs for a 36-month contract in 2025:
- £20.80 for 1GB of data and unlimited UK minutes and texts
- £25.80 for 25GB of data and unlimited UK texts and calls
- £33.79 for 150GB of data and unlimited UK minutes and texts
It’s then a monthly fee of £19.98 for the phone, plus an upfront cost of £30, which is standard for most of the newer handsets.
Flexible phone upgrades
With O2 Refresh, the whole idea is that whenever you want to change your phone, you can. So if you get sick of your iPhone 16, for example, you can swap it out for the Galaxy S25 instead.
This means that for hardcore users, they can get a new phone without having to pay up for a SIM-free device, meaning O2 Refresh could be worth the cost.
O2 Refresh pricing comparison
The benefit of O2 Refresh lies in the fact that once you pay your device off, if you’re still within your O2 contract, your bill will automatically go down without you having to do anything.
Normally with other providers, if you change to a new tariff before the end of your contract, you’ll be hit with cancellation fees. With O2 Refresh, O2 waives these fees – though you’ll still have to pay the Device Plan if there’s any amount remaining.
Explore the best mobile phone plans with Uswitch.
Discount opportunities
Because of O2’s Recycle plan, you can get up to £260 off the price of a new phone when you do decide to change, and you can put that money towards the remainder of your Device Plan. So if you change your handset a lot, O2 Refresh could be a smart way to go. Plus, if you have O2 Switch Up, you can upgrade to a new phone for free every 90 days.
That said, if you have a hefty amount of cash going spare, SIM-free devices and a SIM-only deal might look every bit as attractive.
Check out our best O2 deals and see if you can get a fancy new handset for less than you might expect.
