O2 launches 4G on pay-as-you-go

The network is now offering 4G on its Pay & Go Go Go tariff, which gets better the longer you stick with it.

O2 is the latest network to bring 4G to pay-as-you-go.

The network’s Pay & Go Go Go tariff is now available with 4G for £15 a month, which gets you 500MB of data, 75 minutes and 500 texts.

But for loyal users, the deal doubles in value after three months. So you can get 1GB of data, 150 inclusive minutes and 1,000 texts if you stick with the tariff, for the same price. After six months you’ll get 10% back on top-ups and after nine months your texts become unlimited.

Existing O2 customers with three months already racked up on the Pay & Go Go Go plan can move straight onto the double value 4G bundle.

You can also buy data bolt-ons to increase your allowance. This includes 100MB of data for £3 (recurring monthly), 500MB for £6 (recurring monthly) or 1GB for £10 (available as a one-off or recurring monthly).

The 4G Pay & Go Go Go tariff will come with the same benefits as O2’s pay monthly tariffs which includes exclusive music, sport and gaming content.

But as this is a pay-as-you-go deal you will need to already have, or purchase, a 4G-ready handset. The cheapest available from O2 is the Nokia Lumia 625, which you can get for £150.

4G shake-up

4G is finally getting more affordable.

Back in October 2012, EE (a partnership between Orange and T-Mobile) was the only network to offer the superfast service, which meant it could charge a premium.

But that all changed in August this year, when Vodafone and O2 launched their 4G services.

And just a few weeks ago, Tesco Mobile announced it would be offering 4G for just £2.50 extra a month.

Plus from December Three will offer 4G at no extra cost.

This new competition has started to disrupt 4G prices. Now there are more and more affordable deals appearing.

The cheapest 4G deals

At the moment EE, Vodafone, O2 and Tesco Mobile are the only networks to offer 4G services. EE and O2 are the only two offering pay-as-you-go deals.

Last month EE became the first provider to launch 4G on a pay-as-you-go tariff, allowing you to choose how much you want to top-up and create your own combination of data, minutes and texts.

Data is available in bundles of 100MB (£3), 500MB (£6), 1GB (£10), 3GB (£15), 4GB (£20) or 10GB (£30). They come with the choice of 100mins (£3), 200mins (£5) or 500mins (£10). Finally you can add 400 texts (£2) or 3,000 texts (£5).

So the cheapest pay-as-you-go deal on EE can cost from £10, giving you 100MB of data, 100 minutes and 400 texts.

To beat O2’s Pay & Go Go Go tariff you would need to spend £20 a month on EE's pay-as-you-go plan, giving you 1GB data, 200 mins and 3,000 texts.

The next cheapest option for those that want 4G is a SIM-only deal. Here are the cheapest available from each of the main providers:

*Sign up by 31st January for 4GB extra.

But if you want a handset here are the cheapest 4G pay monthly deals, where a handset comes with no upfront cost.

Are you paying too much for your mobile phone? Check out the best deals at Recombu

4G coverage

Apart from getting the best price, the other factor to consider when going for a 4G deal is the coverage a network has.

As EE had a ten-month headstart on its rivals, its 4G service reaches the most. In total EE covers 60% of the population, with 30 out of 69 cities up and running.

Meanwhile O2's 4G service (and Tesco Mobile which shares its network) is only available in 11 cities, but is on course to cover 13 altogether by the end of the year.

Vodafone has the most catching up to do with only 11 cities currently up and running on its 4G service so far.

Compare the best home phone, broadband and TV deals in your area with broadbandchoices.co.uk

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