Remembering your mobile broadband number 
Before you file away your paperwork, make a note of the mobile number for your device.  You won’t remember it in the same way as you do your phone number. You’ll need this number if you’ve got a query about your account, to upgrade or if you need to cancel.

We recommend you register your account on the Pay As You Go mobile broadband page as soon as you can – it’s the easiest place to check your data usage.  Click ‘Remember me’, so you don’t need to add it every time you sign in.

Activating your Pay As You Go sim 
You can activate your sim in five simple steps:

  1. Pop out the right size sim for your device, put it in and switch it on.
  2. Visit the Pay As You Go mobile broadband page.
  3. Enter your mobile broadband number and click sign in. Your mobile broadband number will be in the pack that came with your sim.
  4. Follow the instructions to register and activate your data.
  5. You’re ready to go. Just restart your device so you can enjoy your data.

Topping up and checking your balance

Checking your data balance
To check your balance, visit the Pay As You Go mobile broadband page.

Enter your mobile broadband number. Your mobile broadband number will be in the pack that came with your sim. Or if you have an Android tablet, you can text NUMBER to 2020. Tick Remember me and then click Sign in.

You’ll be taken to your account summary page. Here you’ll see how much data you’ve got left and when it runs out.

Topping up your data
If you’re on Pay As You Go, turn off wifi and visit the Pay As You Go mobile broadband page.

Enter your mobile broadband number and click sign in. Your mobile broadband number will be in the pack that came with your sim. Or if you have an Android tablet, you can text NUMBER to 2020.

If this is your first top up, you’ll see the options you can choose from.

We offer two payment choices; one off or auto top-up.  The one off lasts for the amount of time you purchase and then runs out.  Once you use up your data or it expires, you’ll need to come back to the site to top up.  Our auto top-up option lets you set up an ongoing payment that will renew each month for you.  It’s not a contract so you can cancel it at any time.  The advantage of this option is that it’s 10% cheaper.

If you’ve topped up before, you’ll be taken to the My Account page. Underneath your remaining data you’ll see the top-up options.

We accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express. Your card must be registered in the UK.  We accept non-UK registered cards, but only for a one off top-up.

Data expiration

One off Pay As You Go data packages have expiration periods ranging from one day to one year. 

When you top up, you can choose the amount of data you want and how long you want it to last. Your data package will start as soon as you pay. It will last until the expiration date, or until it’s used up whichever is sooner. You can check when your data expires by signing in to your account. 

If you have data left over when you top up, it will be queued and only become active when your current data is used up or expires.

Pay As You Go monthly auto top-ups last one month, or until you’ve used all your data. Unused data does not rollover into the next month.

Buying Bolt Ons

If you have a recurring Pay As You Go plan, you can buy Bolt Ons to keep you going if your data is running low.

To add a Bolt On, visit the Pay As You Go mobile broadband page, sign in to your account to see the Bolt On options and choose the one you want.

If you have some data left, your Bolt On will be added once you run out. Your Bolt On will expire when your data plan renews whether you use it or not, so don’t get more data than you need.

Problems with topping up

If your top up didn’t work or your payment didn't go through, it might be because you don’t have enough money in your account or your card has expired. Try a different card or get in touch with your mobile broadband number handy.

Changing your Pay As You Go plan for tablets, pocket hotspots or dongles

Changing your plan
To change your tariff, visit the Pay As You Go mobile broadband page. Sign in to your account and click Change my Tariff. 

You can choose between one off top-ups or auto top ups plans. 

If you don’t want an auto top-up plan anymore, you need to cancel it before choosing a new one off plan.

Looking for a sim? See our Pay As You Go sim deals.

Changing your payment date

If you have a Steady Surfer plan, your payment date is the date you signed up. To change the payment date, you’ll need to cancel your plan and sign up again on the date you want the payment to be taken.

If you sign up on 29, 30 or 31 of the month, we’ll automatically change subsequent payment dates to 28.

Updating your payment details

To update your payment details, follow these steps:

  1. Visit the Pay As You Go mobile broadband page and sign in to your account.
  2. Click Edit payment details.
  3. Put in your new card details and click Save.
  4. You’ll see confirmation that your details have been updated.
Cancelling your plan

Visit the Pay As You Go mobile broadband page and sign in to your account.

On the My Account page, click Cancel Plan. You can get a new plan at any time.

Changing operator

You will not need a PAC code if you decide to leave O2 and get a mobile broadband account elsewhere.

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