O2 Pay as you go - built up credit?

creditcardnewbie

Hello to you all,

I am currently on O2 Pay as you go Unlimited.

I have built up a balance of £165 and I was wondering if any of you had any ideas on how I could best use this?

After speaking with O2 they tell me I cannot request a refund for this credit but that I could transfer the credit to a contract with O2 but this does not suit me at the moment as it is uncertain whether I will have a job in 2 months.

Ideally I would like to use this balance to purchase something rather than let it run down by simply not topping up. I have been searching around on this topic and could only find the following topic but it is from a long time ago.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/784141

Many thanks in advance for any ideas you have on this.

creditcardnewbie :beer:

pepdavies

Why would you top up this much?

creditcardnewbie

pepdavies wrote: »

Why would you top up this much?

Hi pep,

Thank you for your reply. The reason I topped up so much was because I was mis-informed by an O2 rep that if I topped up regularly every month, any excess credit could then be used towards purchasing a new handset.

Unfortunately, I now know that this isn't possible after speaking with O2 hence I am left with this large balance and not sure what to do with it.

JJ_Egan

You can transfer the credit to a contract as O2 said .Or buy something that charges your mobile phone . Usually that is an expensive way of buying anything .

pepdavies

At least you won't need to top up for a year or two! I never have more than £10 credit, I'd rather keep the money in the bank. Are O2 the cheapest place to buy a new handset anyway?

creditcardnewbie

pepdavies wrote: »

At least you won't need to top up for a year or two! I never have more than £10 credit, I'd rather keep the money in the bank. Are O2 the cheapest place to buy a new handset anyway?

Yeah, that is true. One option for me is to run the credit down and not top up for a while. By doing this though I will lose any free calls, texts etc. I would have been due by topping up. This is why I was looking to purchase something if possible to make better use of the credit.

O2 probably isn't the cheapest place to be honest but by topping up every month I was also getting 10% back every month on each top up with O2 which I was able to convert into shopping vouchers. This was quite handy but unfortunately this excess credit cannot be converted into vouchers that way.

I basically just got into a rhythm of topping up every month and didn't miss the money. It was when I had enough money topped up I queried purchasing a new handset and was told there no chance.

gcn504

You could buy iTunes vouchers with your credit which you could either use or possibly sell. If you sell I guess you'd probably not get the full amount back.

See here for details:

http://www.o2vouchers.co.uk/

creditcardnewbie

gcn504 wrote: »

You could buy iTunes vouchers with your credit which you could either use or possibly sell. If you sell I guess you'd probably not get the full amount back.

See here for details:

http://www.o2vouchers.co.uk/

gcn,

Thank you for your post. This is an excellent find, thank you.

Definitely something I would be interested in. :beer:

analyst_2

creditcardnewbie wrote: »

. . I was mis-informed by an O2 rep that if I topped up regularly every month, any excess credit could then be used towards purchasing a new handset.

I now know that this isn't possible after speaking with O2 . . .

In that case you were entered into a contract to purchase based on false/misleading information.
In my opinion, you ought to be following up on the basis of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 or Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 depending on the circumstances of the sale

cklass

creditcardnewbie wrote: »

By doing this though I will lose any free calls, texts etc. I would have been due by topping up.

O2 probably isn't the cheapest place to be honest but by topping up every month I was also getting 10% back every month on each top up with O2 which I was able to convert into shopping vouchers. This was quite handy but unfortunately this excess credit cannot be converted into vouchers that way.

Anything that requires you to pay money in order to receive something for 'free' isn't really free. Those minutes and texts are covered by your regular top ups.

You should calculate your monthly usage and then take a look at some of the cheaper tariffs available from Three, Giffgaff and Lycamobile. There's a strong possibility that they workout cheaper even when you take into account the 10% you get back from O2 via high street vouchers.

As for your excess credit, the iTunes voucher does seem like the best option for you. Alternatively, if you are looking for a decent budget phone, then O2 has the Lumia 635. Your £165 credit would cover the first 11 months or so, after which, unless there are price hikes, you'd be paying £15 per month for 13 months. Obviously you can't consider this option until you know what is happening with your job, but hopefully everything will be OK, and if you're currently spending a lot of money on top ups anyway, this could work for you.

analyst wrote: »

In that case you were entered into a contract to purchase based on false/misleading information.
In my opinion, you ought to be following up on the basis of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 or Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 depending on the circumstances of the sale

I don't think a rep incorrectly claiming that excess credit can be used to purchase a new handset constitutes a contract, and even if some sort of verbal contract was made, it would be up to the OP to prove it. Unless the OP happened to record the call, there is no proof of this. The OP could always complain to O2 nonetheless and see what happens, but without any evidence, they would be lucky to get a small gesture of goodwill, which is typically additional mobile credit!

oldharryrocks

Just a thought. How about if the OP took out a £9 sim card only deal.

https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/simplicity/

o2 would transfer their credit balance to that.

Would O2 refund the balance if they then cancelled it ?