O2 Mini vs Classic vs Plus vs Ultimate: all the key differences

O2 divide their phone contracts and SIM only deals into four types of plan: Mini, Classic, Plus and Ultimate. Each step adds more benefits, but also increases the monthly price.

There’s not actually a huge difference in the core of what you get with each. You get the same coverage, speeds and EU roaming. What changes is things like subscriptions and extra roaming destinations.

Exclusive O2 Mini plans

Current O2 Classic plans

Current O2 Plus plans

Current O2 Ultimate plans

In the guide below, we explain what you do and don’t get with each tier and whether we think it is worth paying to upgrade.

O2’s Mini plans are the cheapest tier of plan. Despite the name, O2 haven’t made anything worse or smaller. You get the exact same O2 network and full 4G and 5G coverage as everyone else. You’re not deprioritised.

There are no speed caps either. A Mini plan will get you the fastest O2 speeds available in your area, just like Classic, Plus and Ultimate.

Get full speeds on these Mini SIM only plans

Independent network testers Opensignal measured average download speeds of 32.8 Mbps via O2’s network and 89.9 Mbps while connected to 5G. In reality, you will go faster and slower than that.

You also get unlimited minutes/texts, WiFi calling, eSIM, O2 Priority and roaming across O2’s 48 Europe Zone destinations. You can use up to 25GB of your normal UK data allowance abroad, without paying extra.

So Mini does not mean poorer coverage, slower speeds or fewer everyday network features. What you miss are the subscription trials, data rollover and wider international roaming added by the more expensive tiers.

If you check the SIM only plans on O2’s main part of their website, you’ll usually find they start only with Classic. Mini plans are generally only available via comparison websites like ours.

You still order directly from O2 and become an O2 customer in exactly the same way. Following one of our links simply takes you straight to the checkout for deals that aren’t advertised in O2’s main listings.

Compare our current O2 Mini plans

Mini plans are almost always considerably cheaper than O2’s regular Classic plans (literally a fraction of the cost). And because you’re not sacrificing coverage, speeds or EU roaming, we genuinely think they’ll be the best choice for most people.

If you go straight to O2’s main SIM only page, Classic is normally the first type of plan you’ll see. The only difference vs Mini is that you will also get an ‘Extra’ included for part of your contract.

O2 Extras are subscriptions and Bolt Ons billed through your O2 account. Choices include streaming services like Amazon Prime, Disney+ (see the latest full list here) or mobile services like cheaper international calls.

Compare current O2 Classic plans

If you genuinely want to try one of the services, the trial is handy, even if it’s not ground breaking.

Classic doesn’t get you faster speeds, better coverage or more roaming. It’s not really an upgrade vs Mini. When you know about the exclusive lower price Minis, the difference is never going to pay for itself.

If you do decide to activate an Extra, the important thing to remember is it does not simply stop after the free period. It automatically turns into a paid subscription and the cost is added to your O2 bill.

That’s not to say that you’ll be overpaying. Our recent comparison of Extra costs via O2 and buying directly from the streaming provider found few differences. And a monthly Extra is more flexible than contracts.

You can disable auto-renewal through My O2 and still use the Extra until the end of its introductory period. We’d recommend doing that straight away if you only want the free trial.

Overall, Classic makes sense if you’re buying from O2’s standard range of SIM only plans or joining on a phone contract. But really and truly, we’d go Mini. The savings far outweigh the cost of a trial.

At our last check, a Plus plan typically costs around £2 more each month than the equivalent Classic plan. In return, your free Extra lasts six months rather than three.

You also get data rollover. Any unused data from your main allowance carries over into the following month, giving you another chance to use it. That’s handy if your usage varies a lot (read more here).

But the biggest reason to upgrade is roaming at no extra cost in the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone. This expands your inclusive roaming to 75 destinations overall, adding these 27 countries outside Europe.

Compare current O2 Plus plans

That includes popular destinations like the United States and Australia, so we can see plenty of people genuinely getting good usage out of it.

If you don’t have worldwide roaming included, O2 charge a daily fee to use their Travel Bolt On. Day passes for the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia or New Zealand would cost £7 a day last time we checked.

So even one relatively short trip can make paying around £2 more each month for Plus worthwhile.

Compare current O2 Plus plans

Your roaming data outside Europe is limited to 2 Mbps though. That’s enough for messaging, maps, browsing and basic video, but it won’t feel anything like using O2’s full 5G speeds at home.

We think Plus is the best upgrade in O2’s range. The longer Extra trial and data rollover are useful but worldwide roaming is the benefit that can genuinely justify paying more.

At our last check, an Ultimate plan typically costs around £5 more than an equivalent Plus plan. For that, you get O2’s Ultimate travel roaming zone and a selected Extra for as long as you remain on the plan.

Currently, the ongoing Extras include Amazon Prime, Cafeyn or Disney+ Premium. If you already pay for one of these, its normal monthly price could cover much or all of the difference between Plus and Ultimate.

Compare current O2 Ultimate plans

So even if you don’t travel that regularly, Ultimate could save you against the full price of subscribing to those services.

But choose carefully. If you leave Ultimate within six months of activating your Extra, O2 may require you to pay for the remainder of its initial six-month period.

Ultimate extends inclusive roaming to 123 destinations overall, including 75 countries outside Europe. We think the most popular destinations not in Plus will be Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Thailand, Japan, India and Caribbean islands.

Compare current O2 Ultimate plans

You get unlimited minutes, texts and data within the Inclusive Zone, although data speeds are again restricted to 2 Mbps. Calls back to the UK and within the country you’re visiting are included, but calls to other countries are not.

This could be excellent value if you regularly travel across several of those destinations. But if you mainly take holidays in Europe or Plus destinations, you’re unlikely to get enough use from the larger zone.

Ultimate also includes O2 Satellite when you have a compatible phone. This can connect automatically when you’re somewhere without normal mobile coverage. Specific apps listed here can then use your data allowance via a satellite connection.

That could be useful on a remote walk, up a mountain or during a train journey through an area where ordinary mobile coverage disappears. But it is likely to be something most people use very occasionally rather than an everyday benefit.

Not every app is supported. And satellite connectivity can temporarily disappear as satellites move. Traditional mobile calls and SMS do not currently work through it. It’s not a like-for-like replacement for normal signal.

Compare current O2 Ultimate plans

Ultimate also includes unlimited MMS messages. But that feels like O2 scraping the barrel to find added benefits. Barely anyone pays to send picture messages now that WhatsApp and iMessage type apps exist.

Overall, Ultimate makes most sense if you regularly travel beyond Plus’s roaming zone or already pay for one of its ongoing Extras. For most other people, Mini or Plus will likely be better.