1pMobile vs O2: Is the Cheaper EE SIM Worth Switching To?

Plan examples last checked 29 October 2026. The linked DealPriceCheck cards show the offers currently displayed.

For an O2 customer, switching to 1pMobile can cut the cost of UK data, but it changes your network from O2 to EE and may remove benefits you use. At our 29 October 2026 check, 1pMobile offered 50GB for £10 per 30-day Boost, while O2's 50GB prepaid Rolling Plan was £20 per renewal. That is a £10 difference per payment, not a guaranteed £120 saving for your own contract or a complete calendar year. Check EE reception, any O2 Priority or Volt eligibility, data rollover, international calls and roaming before moving your number. O2 Rolling Plans and O2 Pay Monthly are different products, with different exit costs and benefits.

Before you switch from O2: four checks

1. Which O2 product do you have? A prepaid Rolling Plan can usually be stopped without a long-term exit charge. A Pay Monthly SIM or handset agreement may carry a minimum term and separate finance.
2. Does EE cover your actual locations? 1pMobile connects through EE. O2's coverage can't travel with your number.
3. How much data do you need? Compare 10GB with 10GB and 50GB with 50GB before being swayed by larger promotional allowances.
4. Would losing an O2 benefit cost more than you'd save? Look at Priority, Volt, international minutes, roaming, leftover data and any household package.

To see current offers, browse 1pMobile SIM deals, O2 Rolling Plans, 1pMobile 10GB and 1pMobile 50GB.

1pMobile vs O2 at a glance

If EE works reliably where you live, a customer paying more for the same data on O2 Rolling should investigate 1pMobile's Boosts. If O2 reception is better, you use the international-minute allowance, or your household relies on eligible Volt benefits, a lower SIM price may not be a lower overall cost. Check the actual plan before making either decision.

How much do 1pMobile and O2 SIMs cost?

The linked catalogue cards were checked on 29 October 2026. O2's examples are prepaid Rolling Plans renewed by calendar month, not Pay Monthly contracts; 1pMobile's are 30-day Boosts, not Classic PAYG or the separate Family Bundle. Importantly, our O2 catalogue labels its Rolling cards “30-day rolling”, but O2's own terms define renewal as one calendar month. For an accurate cost comparison, use O2's contract terms rather than interpreting that label as a fixed 30-day cycle.

What about temporary O2 data bonuses? O2 sometimes increases the data on eligible Rolling Plans for a limited number of renewals. Its October 2026 offer, for example, provided additional data for up to three months, but promotional data could not be rolled over. Compare the normal allowance and renewal cost for an ongoing decision; check the current offer's dates and eligibility if your decision depends on a short-term bonus.

Price per gigabyte is the wrong first test

If you use 6–9GB a month, 1pMobile's 10GB Boost is the direct comparison with O2 10GB. Buying 50GB because it looks cheaper per GB means paying for data you won't use. Compare your phone's last three ordinary months of data use; allow for occasional busy months without paying indefinitely for a one-off spike. If you regularly go over 10GB, the 1pMobile 50GB card may suit you better even before you consider switching networks.

If you use 35–50GB, the 50GB-to-50GB gap of £10 versus £20 can justify testing EE. O2's Rolling Plan can still bring rollover and eligible international minutes, and a temporary promotion can make a renewal look better for a while. Decide on your likely next six to twelve months, not the biggest number in either advert.

See the plans behind the comparison: 1pMobile 10GB · 1pMobile 50GB · 1pMobile 75GB · O2 10GB Rolling · O2 50GB Rolling. Open Full plan details for the relevant tariff, then use its existing View Deal route.

How much could you save by switching: 12 payments or a full year?

Start with what your actual O2 bill says, not a headline saving. At the checked tariffs, the following arithmetic assumes unchanged prices, no extras and twelve payments. It is useful for comparing repeated charges, but it is not a calendar-year budget: twelve 1pMobile Boost renewals cover 360 days, while O2 Rolling Plans renew after one calendar month.

First 365 days: count every payment that falls due

If both services start on day one, 13 1pMobile payments are needed to cover the first 365 days; the thirteenth starts on day 361 and also covers time beyond the year. O2 Rolling renews by calendar month, so 12 monthly charges normally cover the corresponding year. These are estimated cash outlays during the first year, not equivalent lengths of purchased service or guaranteed future bills.

The last 1pMobile renewal includes days beyond the comparison window. Your start date, any changed rates, separate charges or an O2 contract that is not a Rolling Plan will change these results. The table also excludes any O2 Rewards you could actually redeem.

Work out the value of rewards, roaming and exit costs

A better personal calculation:

Switching benefit = O2 payments avoided − new 1pMobile payments − one-off costs − benefits or discounts you lose − any early-exit charge.

If you pay £20 for O2 Rolling 50GB and EE works reliably for you, 1pMobile's £10 Boost can materially reduce cash spending. But eligible O2 Rewards, redeemed O2 Priority offers, international minutes and household Volt benefits can narrow the economic advantage. For example, an opted-in O2 Rewards customer may earn 5% of qualifying payments for their first six months and 10% afterwards; an unclaimed reward is not cash saved. At a £20 monthly Rolling charge, those percentages would correspond to £18 in potential Rewards value across twelve payments (6 × £1 + 6 × £2), only if all payments qualify and the resulting rewards are redeemed at full personal value. This is an illustrative benefit, not a discount from the £240 phone bill or a guarantee of eligibility. A discounted personal O2 tariff or an exit fee could change the decision further.

Why an O2 Pay Monthly customer needs a separate calculation

A Pay Monthly SIM, especially on a longer agreement, isn't the same purchase as the Rolling Plans above. O2 has published a £2.50 rise each April for qualifying voice airtime plans from April 2027. A handset loan is a separate part of the bill. An existing contract may also carry an early-termination amount.

As an illustration, a qualifying £20 airtime plan with six payments at £20 and six at £22.50 after an April rise totals £255 across twelve payments, against £240 with no rise. That assumes the published £2.50 increase applies in that period, and your contract schedule controls the real bill. It isn't a quote for an O2 Rolling Plan, and the same sum shouldn't be applied to one.

Before ordering 1pMobile, check whether you're still inside an O2 minimum term and whether device finance, family lines or other services stay behind after your number moves. Our SIM-only price-rises guide covers the wider rules.

1pMobile Boost, Classic PAYG and Family Bundle: three different products

Mixing these up gives the wrong answer. Classic PAYG's 1p tariff doesn't include 50GB, and a single Unlimited Boost doesn't carry the family discount.

Boosts: the usual starting point for smartphone data

A Boost buys a set allowance of UK calls, texts and data for 30 days. The available 1pMobile cards include 5GB, 10GB, 50GB, 75GB, 100GB and larger packages, with 5G and eligible EU roaming. There is no 12- or 24-month minimum term, but renewal and credit settings matter. If a Boost payment fails and the Boost ceases, 1pMobile's terms say the service reverts to PAYG, where out-of-bundle charges and, for pure PAYG, minimum-spend rules can apply. Check payment settings before relying on the line for work or heavy data.

For a regular O2 user who messages, streams music and uses data daily, a 10GB Boost or 50GB Boost is usually a better comparison than Classic PAYG. Pick on your data use first. Buying 100GB to beat an O2 plan makes little sense if you use 4GB.

Classic PAYG: 1p per unit isn't a free month

1pMobile's Classic PAYG charges 1p per standard UK minute, 1p per standard UK text and 1p per MB of data. That can suit a lightly used spare phone. At 1p per MB, though, 1GB costs about £10 before calls and texts, so it's a poor way to buy regular smartphone data compared with a Boost.

The current terms also matter. For pure PAYG customers joining from 1 August 2026, there's a minimum of £10 of spend or usage in each 90-day commitment period, and a shortfall can be deducted from account credit. Earlier joiners have different commitment periods, and older 1pMobile help pages may still describe a 120-day cycle. Check the date you joined and the current terms before moving a rarely used O2 number across.

For example, four completed 90-day commitment periods require £40 of spend or usage in aggregate if you keep a new pure PAYG account active through them. That is 360 days, not an exact calendar year, and the required spend is not necessarily four fresh £10 top-ups: qualifying usage counts, and existing credit may be used to cover a shortfall. At the start of a period the terms require sufficient account credit and can trigger an automatic top-up; failures can lead to suspension. An almost-unused spare number can therefore cost more than its few calls suggest. See our PAYG vs SIM-only guide.

Unlimited & Family Bundle: only if you're moving several lines

1pMobile sells a separate Unlimited & Family Bundle. At the October 2026 check, its lead Unlimited SIM was £25 per 30-day cycle and additional eligible unlimited SIMs were £12.50 each. That makes two SIMs £37.50 and four £62.50 per cycle, before any chargeable extras, subject to the bundle rules. This is not the same as buying separate 50GB Boosts or clicking an ordinary individual Unlimited card. Unlimited data also remains subject to fair-use conditions, including potential speed management for exceptionally heavy use.

If several lines in your household use O2, compare the whole household bill, including any O2 Multisave or Volt benefit, against the number of 1pMobile Family SIMs you'd need. Our family SIM guide explains the wider comparison. For this exact product, use our owner-approved 1pMobile Unlimited & Family Bundle Awin link, which targets product `SBUN1`. It is not an individual 50GB deal and is relevant only when comparing multiple unlimited lines. Confirm final eligibility and payments before ordering.

EE vs O2 coverage: will your phone work better?

1pMobile uses EE's network and O2 uses its own, so signal can change when you move, even with the same handset and number. Nobody can promise that a postcode prediction matches the inside of your home, a basement workplace or your commute.

Check Ofcom's Map Your Mobile for EE and O2 at home, at work and along regular journeys, and look at indoor 4G as well as 5G. If O2 works well indoors but EE looks weaker, don't switch for a £2 saving. If O2 struggles and EE looks stronger, a short 1pMobile Boost is a sensible test before you port your main number.

Using EE's radio network doesn't give a 1pMobile SIM every EE feature. Account services, premium 5G tiers, retailer perks and speed priority can differ. Being an MVNO doesn't prove your phone will always be slower either, since device, location, congestion and tariff all play a part. Our EE vs 1pMobile guide compares two sellers that both use EE; this article instead addresses what an existing O2 customer gains and loses by moving to 1pMobile. For detailed roaming destinations, see the separate EU roaming comparison.

What O2 benefits could you lose?

O2 Priority

O2 Priority offers eligible customers access to ticket presales, rewards and selected offers. It is also available to qualifying O2 Pay As You Go users, not just Pay Monthly customers. O2 states that Virgin Media broadband customers may also qualify independently; transferring your only eligible O2 number does not automatically prove you'll lose all Priority access. If an offer has not saved you money or secured something you wanted in the last three months, don't overvalue it. If you depend on it, check your actual eligibility after leaving.

O2 Rewards: the extra value often missing from price comparisons

Eligible O2 Pay As You Go users can opt in to O2 Rewards. O2 states that qualifying Rolling Plan payments count towards rewards calculated every three months: 5% during the first six months and 10% thereafter, subject to its published conditions and claim deadlines. You can use eligible rewards for such items as credit or vouchers, but unclaimed rewards can expire, and they are not an automatic reduction of the monthly plan charge. Check your personal balance, eligibility and what you would actually redeem before subtracting their value from a switching saving. This is separate from O2 Priority and Volt.

Volt

Volt doesn't come free with every O2 SIM. O2 says the household arrangement needs qualifying Virgin Media broadband and an eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan. Benefits can include extra mobile data, enhanced roaming and broadband-related advantages. An O2 Rolling Plan doesn't establish Volt entitlement by itself, and 1pMobile doesn't preserve an O2 Pay Monthly benefit if you stop meeting the rules.

If your household has Volt, check the effect on every affected line and on the broadband service, not just the SIM you want to move. A £5 or £10 mobile saving can be outweighed by losing benefits your household actually uses. However, leaving one O2 line need not end household Volt eligibility if another qualifying O2 Pay Monthly line and Virgin Media broadband remain eligible. Check the remaining household arrangement and the effect on other lines before you switch.

Rollover and international minutes

O2's £10, £15, £20 and £30 Rolling Plans include data rollover under published terms, unlike ordinary 1pMobile Boosts. Up to one standard monthly allowance can be carried into the following month; the total bundle cannot exceed twice the standard allowance, and unused promotional data does not roll over. For example, a 50GB Rolling Plan cannot accumulate unlimited spare gigabytes across multiple months. Rollover can help variable users, but if you routinely use only 8GB, buying an expensive 50GB bundle just to bank data is poor value.

O2's published Rolling terms give 100 international minutes on the 30GB and 50GB tiers and 500 minutes on the 150GB tier, for eligible calls to listed destinations. The 10GB tier does not list those included international minutes. Conditions apply by country and number type. If you regularly ring someone abroad, add that calling cost to your 1pMobile comparison. A standard 1pMobile UK Boost doesn't have O2's international-minute benefit.

The fair comparison is the total price of the allowances and extras you would actually use, including any rewards you genuinely redeem.

O2 Rolling Plan vs O2 Pay Monthly: which are you leaving?

Both are loosely called SIM-only, but they aren't interchangeable.

A good move for an O2 Rolling user may be a bad one for someone on Pay Monthly who's still paying off a handset. Before porting your number, separate the airtime charge, device instalments, other lines and household discounts, and don't mistake the total bill for the price of the SIM.

EU roaming: when O2 is worth paying more for

On eligible 1pMobile Boosts, included roaming uses the smaller of your UK data allowance and 14GB in the listed European destinations. Classic PAYG follows its own PAYG rules rather than a Boost's allowance. Check your destination and out-of-allowance rates before you travel.

O2's eligible phone plans generally include Europe Zone roaming with a 25GB cap where the UK allowance is larger. If your UK plan has 10GB, you can't use 25GB abroad just because 25GB is the cap. O2's destination list isn't every European country. Turkey, for example, isn't automatically in the standard Europe Zone.

If you visit Europe once a year and use little data, 14GB is probably plenty. For frequent or long trips, O2's bigger allowance could outweigh part of the UK price gap. Volt and premium roaming perks are product-specific, not universal O2 entitlements. For wider options, see our EU roaming guide.

eSIM, Wi-Fi Calling, 5G and hotspot use

Both providers support 5G and eSIM with suitable hardware and plans. 1pMobile's official support material also confirms Wi-Fi Calling and VoLTE on supported devices, plus tethering. O2 supports these on eligible devices and tariffs. Third-party comparison tables that say 1pMobile lacks eSIM or VoLTE are out of date.

Provider-level support doesn't prove that a given product card, phone model or software version is eligible. Our 1pMobile deal cards don't state eSIM for every Boost, though 1pMobile offers eSIM at provider level. Check device compatibility, handset settings and the activation method before ordering.

If you're moving a work number, test incoming and outgoing calls, SMS, data, Wi-Fi Calling and voicemail before porting, not just a speed test. Banking one-time codes and two-factor authentication deserve a test after the port is complete, too. Wi-Fi Calling can matter more than top 5G speed in a thick-walled building. For hotspot use, read both providers' data and fair-use terms rather than assuming Unlimited means unlimited on every router, abroad or in all circumstances.

How to switch from O2 to 1pMobile and keep your number

You can move your O2 number to 1pMobile with a PAC. You don't need a new number, and you shouldn't cancel the O2 line first.

1. Check what you'd lose. In My O2, look at your contract end date, airtime bill, device payments, Volt or household eligibility and any remaining charge. Text INFO to 85075 for switching information. If your contract is still running, switching may trigger charges.
2. Test EE coverage. Use Ofcom's coverage map and, if practical, try a low-commitment 1pMobile SIM or eSIM where you spend most time. A temporary number lets you test before moving your main one.
3. Choose the right product. For regular smartphone use, compare the 10GB, 50GB or 100GB Boost. Don't pick Classic PAYG just because the name says 1p, and don't confuse a Family Bundle with an individual Boost.
4. Get your PAC. Text PAC to 65075 from the O2 number you want to keep and give the code to 1pMobile through its activation process. A PAC is normally valid for 30 days. For multiple numbers on the same account, Ofcom says you should request switching codes by calling O2 or through the account instead of relying on a single-number text.
5. Let the transfer finish. Keep the O2 service until the port completes, then test calls, SMS, banking verification, data and voicemail. Check the final O2 bill and any continuing device agreement.

If you don't want to keep the number, the separate STAC to 75075 process applies. Our guide to keeping your number when switching has the full timeline and troubleshooting.

Hold off if you're still inside an expensive O2 minimum term, EE is untested where calls matter, an eligible Volt bundle hasn't been recalculated, or you're about to travel and need more than 14GB of roaming.

Who should choose 1pMobile, and who should stay with O2?

Three common switching mistakes

Treating a £10 O2 Rolling Plan and a £10 1pMobile Boost as the same thing. Allowances may differ, renewals work differently, O2 has rollover and Priority, and 1pMobile uses EE. Price alone isn't enough.

Confusing O2 Priority with Volt. Priority is open to eligible O2 PAYG customers. Volt needs the Virgin Media and O2 Pay Monthly household setup. Losing each has a different consequence.

Calling twelve £10 Boosts a “£120 a year saving” without checking the 30-day cycle, O2 Rewards or your exit charge. It is a twelve-payment difference. An uninterrupted year starting together means thirteen 1pMobile payments and twelve O2 calendar-month charges, so the basic 50GB cash-outlay gap becomes £110 before extras and personal benefits.

1pMobile vs O2: FAQs

Is 1pMobile cheaper than O2?

On the selected 10GB and 50GB plans we checked in October 2026, 1pMobile's recurring charge was lower than O2's comparable Rolling Plan. That doesn't mean it's cheaper than your O2 contract, an eligible short-term O2 promotion, a household discount or a differently sized tariff. Compare the whole payment schedule and allowances.

Is 1pMobile on O2 or EE?

1pMobile runs on EE. O2 is a separate network, so moving an O2 number to 1pMobile changes your underlying UK radio network. Check signal at your postcode before you port.

Does switching from O2 to 1pMobile need a credit check?

1pMobile is prepaid. You don't need to leave O2 to avoid a credit check, though, since O2 says its PAYG Rolling Plans are offered without one. O2 Pay Monthly applications do need a credit check, so check the exact product you're applying for.

Does 1pMobile have the same roaming as O2?

No. Eligible 1pMobile Boosts normally cap roaming data at 14GB, while qualifying O2 phone plans in the Europe Zone generally allow up to 25GB, or the UK allowance if smaller. Country lists and terms differ, and calling abroad from the UK is separate from roaming.

Is Classic 1pMobile PAYG just 1p a minute with no minimum?

No. The headline tariff is 1p per standard minute, text and MB, but new pure PAYG customers joining from 1 August 2026 have a £10 minimum spend or usage requirement in each 90-day commitment period under the current terms. Older accounts can have different dates and periods.

Can I keep O2 Priority if I move my number to 1pMobile?

A 1pMobile service doesn't provide O2 Priority. If you keep another eligible O2 or Virgin Media service, separate eligibility may apply, but don't assume access remains after moving your only qualifying service.

Will I lose Volt if I leave O2 for 1pMobile?

Possibly. Volt depends on qualifying Virgin Media broadband and an eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan. If moving your line ends eligibility, household benefits may change, and an O2 PAYG Rolling Plan alone doesn't guarantee Volt. Check your account before leaving.

Is the 1pMobile 100GB Boost better value than O2 150GB?

Only if you don't need the extra 50GB or O2-specific features. Our checked 1pMobile 100GB card was £15 per 30 days and O2's 150GB Rolling card was £30 per renewal. The allowances don't match, so they aren't the same product.

Can I move from O2 to 1pMobile and keep my number?

Yes. Check any outstanding O2 charges, text PAC to 65075 and give the code to 1pMobile. Don't cancel the old line before the transfer if you want to keep the number.

Does 1pMobile support eSIM, Wi-Fi Calling and 5G?

Yes, the provider supports all three on compatible devices and eligible service configurations. Confirm your tariff and handset, because provider-level support doesn't mean every device will activate.

Verdict: switch for the bill and the signal

1pMobile is worth considering when your O2 bill is higher for data you actually use and EE works in your locations. The 50GB comparison stands out: 1pMobile 50GB for £10 per 30 days against O2 50GB Rolling for £20 at the October 2026 snapshot. At those unchanged rates, the first-365-day cash difference would be around £110, not the £120 twelve-payment gap, and may be smaller in real value if you redeem O2 Rewards. Choosing it means choosing EE coverage and accepting its Boost, account-credit and roaming rules.

Staying with O2 can be the right call if its signal is clearly better, you rely on a Volt household arrangement, you use the international minutes or rollover, or the larger European roaming allowance genuinely saves money. Priority counts if you use it. The brand alone isn't a financial benefit. On an unexpired Pay Monthly contract, work out the exit cost before you act.

To start comparing, see 1pMobile 10GB, 50GB, 75GB or 100GB. For several unlimited lines, use the verified Family Bundle partner link. To weigh reasons to stay, see the O2 provider page. Open Full plan details before the relevant View Deal.

DealPriceCheck may earn a commission from eligible tracked partner purchases at no extra cost to you. Prices, offers, network capabilities, benefits and contract terms can change, so check the final tariff summary before ordering.

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