Upgrading with O2 Switch Up

Help and support

How to upgrade with O2 Switch Up

Check your phone’s condition

Your phone needs to be in a good condition to upgrade with O2 Switch Up, no cracks, chips, deep scratches or any other kind of damage like water damage. See our phone condition guide.

If your phone doesn’t meet our grading criteria, we’ll let you know what other options are available.

Get ready to Switch Up

When you exchange your old phone, you'll need to transfer your data and reset the device. See our checklist for preparing your phone.

Start your O2 Switch Up

Pop into an O2 store to swap your phone on the spot.

If you’d rather swap by post, just give us a call on on 202 or log into My O2 to get started.

What happens next?

Once we’ve checked it’s in good nick, we’ll pay off your current contract and you’ll start a new Plus Plan or custom plan for whichever phone you’ve picked. We’ll make sure all the data on your old handset has been wiped and refurbish it for someone else to enjoy as one of our Like New phones.

Just so you know, if you choose to Switch Up by post and don’t return your old phone, you will continue to pay for that phone’s device plan until it ends – along with your new one.

Before you Switch Up

Before you exchange your phone, make sure you've followed these important steps:

	Back up everything you want to keep, like contacts and photos. Apple and Samsung provide cloud back-up systems to manage this.
	Turn off any passcodes you’ve set. See the Apple and Samsung websites or check your phone’s user guide for more information.
	Remove any security software you've installed.
	Double-check that you’re exchanging the correct device. The unique IMEI number needs to match the one we supplied. You can check your IMEI by dialing *#06# on your phone app’s keypad.

Additional steps when exchanging an Apple device:

	Make sure 'Find my iPhone' is disabled. See this guide on Apple's website for more information.
	If you have an Apple Watch, unpair it from your phone.
	You can transfer directly between Apple phones using QuickStart.

FAQs

How can I best prepare before I swap my phone?

Once you’ve decided to swap your phone for a new one, you’ll need to check your current phone meets our grading criteria (if it’s in good enough nick). If it does, remember to back up all your contacts, pictures, videos and whatever else you’ve got on your phone so you don’t lose them. You’ll also need to turn off any passwords you’ve set.

If you’re not sure how to do any of these things, pop into an O2 store and one of our advisers can talk you through it.

Can I swap any phone?

You can only switch the phone you originally bought as part of your Plus Plan, Ultimate Plan or Custom Plan. The only exception is if you’ve had a replacement phone through an insurance claim, as long as it’s the same make and model, or better.

What can I swap my current phone for?

You can switch your current phone for any other one you like, including our range of Like New phones. You can’t currently switch your phone for laptops, tablets smartwatches or any other connected devices.

Don’t forget, you’ll need to make sure you take out either a Plus Plan, Ultimate Plan or any other Custom Plan with O2 Switch Up added as a Bolt On if you want to switch your phone again.

What if I change my mind and want my old phone back?

We can’t give your old phone back once you’ve switched it for a new one, as we’ll have already started to refurbish it as one of our Like New phones. The good news is, as long as you’re still on a Plus Plan, Ultimate Plan or any other Custom Plan with O2 Switch Up added as a Bolt On, you can switch your phone to a new one, every 90 days.

When can I swap my current phone for a new one?

O2 Switch Up Plus Plan or Ultimate Plan customers

If you got O2 Switch Up as part of a Plus Plan or Ultimate Plan tariff before 3 August 2023 and have stayed on a Plus Plan or Ultimate Plan since then, you can continue to swap your phone whenever you like.

If you got O2 Switch Up as part of a Plus Plan or Ultimate Plan tariff from 3 August 2023, you can swap to a new phone every 90 days.

O2 Switch Up Bolt On customers

If you’ve got O2 Switch Up as a chargeable Bolt On with your Custom Plan before 3 August 2023, you can still swap your phone whenever you like.

If you’ve got O2 Switch Up as a chargeable Bolt On with your Custom Plan from 21 May 2024, you can swap to a new phone every 90 days.

What happens if I want to keep my phone but change my plan?

Our Custom Plans are flexible. This means you can change your airtime plan up or down, once a month. Find out more about our flexible tariffs and other benefits.

If you move from a plan that includes O2 Switch Up to any other Custom Plan, without upgrading or resigning, you’ll lose Switch Up as a benefit.

You’ll also keep Switch Up if you’re on a Custom Plan (with Switch Up added as a Bolt On) and you move to either a Plus Plan, Ultimate Plan or any other new Custom Plan.

If you move from your existing Plus Plan or Ultimate Plan to another Plus Plan or Ultimate Plan, you’ll keep Switch Up as normal.

What happens if I choose to upgrade my plan early?

If you’ve already got O2 Switch Up, you're free to swap to a new phone every 90 days. If you don’t have O2 Switch Up, you can still upgrade your plan early.

Will you take my phone back if it’s stolen or barred?