Problems paying your bill? We're here to help.
We’re here to support you if you don’t think you’ll be able to pay your bill on time. There are lots of options we can discuss to help you when times get tough. Get in touch with our Payment Management Team who will find a solution that’s right for you. The options could include:
- Changing your bill date
- Moving you to a different tariff, if you’re on an O2 Refresh tariff bought on or after 22 March 2018
- Adding or lowering your Spend Cap, if you have one
- Keeping an eye on your usage and bill in My O2
- Setting up an affordable repayment plan to help you clear your arrears. If we do this, we might restrict some of your services, to stop you incurring further charges
- Moving you to Pay As You Go. If you’re in contract, there'll be an early termination fee in line with our terms.
Get in touch
You can reach the Payment Management team on 0800 902 0217.
The opening times are:
Monday to Friday – 8am to 8pm
Saturday – 8am to 6pm
Sunday – 9am to 6pm
If you find it difficult to access any of our services due to a disability, you might find it helpful to register for our Access For You service. Once you’re registered, we can tailor our services to you whenever you contact us. This means you'll only have to tell us about your requirements once.
- Failed payments
Sometimes your Direct Debit payment might fail. If this happens we’ll try to take the payment again. We’ll also send you a text to let you know we haven’t had your payment.
You can check your bill amount and pay your bill in My O2 if your Direct Debit fails.- Late payment and defaults
A late payment record will be loaded on to your credit file when a bill is paid late. If the payment is paid 1 month late it will show as a '1', 2 months late will show as a '2' etc.
When making payment for an overdue bill, the credit file will show that the payment has been made, but the late payment loading remains on credit file reflecting that a bill was paid later than the due date.
A default will be loaded onto your credit file when an account balance remains unpaid for 6 consecutive months. Your account will have been through our full collections process before this happens.
When you pay your account after a default has been loaded, your credit file will show as'satisfied'. This reflects that there was an outstanding balance which went into default, showing the date it was due to be paid and the date it was cleared. The default record will stay on your credit file for six years from the default date.
We are legally obliged to keep a true and accurate record of your payment history with O2, which is shared with the credit agencies, so we cannot remove or amend a loading that is correct.- O2 errors or fraudulent activity
We only amend credit files where an O2 error or fraud has taken place. If our investigation shows the credit file loading is due to an O2 error or fraud we will update the information with Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.
Please allow up to 14 days for this to update if you're using Experian, Equifax or TransUnion. Other agencies will take longer as they get their information from these three agencies.
We recommend you obtain a new credit report to view any changes that have been made after this period.If you have made payment for an overdue bill or a default (that is not as a result of an O2 error) the credit file will automatically update within 30 to 60 days. Please speak directly to the credit agency if you have a question about the timescale.
- How to query a loading on your credit file
Firstly, obtain a copy of your credit file from the credit reference agency. If there are any disputed loadings that are a result of an O2 error or fraud, please get in touch with us.
Please have the following details available:
- Full Name
- Address
- O2 Account or Telephone Number
- A current copy of the credit file showing the disputed loading as you may be asked to supply this
Your O2 account needs to be up-to-date with no outstanding or queried balance on account to enable amendments to be made. If our investigation shows that loading is due to an O2 error or fraud, our service agents will pass this to the relevant team for review and aim to respond to you within 3 working days.
If you have made your query directly through a Credit Reference Agency then all agencies have 28 days to respond.
- What happens if my account has been transferred to a Debt Collection Agency?
When a defaulted O2 account is passed to a Debt Collection Agency,O2 stop loading account information to your credit file, and the Debt Collection Agency become responsible for any loadings or amendments.
If your O2 account has been sold to a Debt Collection Agency you will need to speak to the agency to discuss any disputed loadings or amendments. Their contact details can be found on the letter you will have received.
- What is a default notice?
A default notice is a notification asking customers to catch up with payments, and explains what action may be taken if payment isn't made. For example, a late payment loading and then a default loading if the balance remains unpaid for 6 months.
This is different from a credit file default which is a loading to credit files after 6 consecutive months of no payments.
- How to check information on your credit file
To find out more about the information held on your credit file or to check the status of any loadings, please contact a credit reference agency.O2 only uploads information with the following three agencies. This usually takes 30 to 60 days. Files viewed with other agencies may take longer to update, so please check with the relevant agency for their timescales.
Equifax
Equifax
PO Box 1140
Bradford
BD1 5US
www.equifax.co.uk
Experian Consumer Help Service
Experian Ltd
PO Box 7710
Nottingham
NG80 7WE
www.experian.co.uk
TransUnion Consumer Services
TransUnion International UK Limited
PO Box 491
Leeds
LS3 1WZ
www.transunion.co.uk
Your credit score
Missing and late payments can seriously affect your credit score and your chances of getting credit in the future. Want to learn more about your credit score? Here are some agencies you can get in touch with:
Support and advice
If you’re struggling to pay your bills, there are organisations and charities that offer free and independent advice. Here are some you can get in touch with if you need support:
StepChange help hundreds of thousands of people every year to take back control of their finances. The charity has nearly 30 years’ worth of experience providing free debt advice, with expert advisors offering practical help and debt solutions.
If you are interested in understanding your finances better you can take the first step right now and try their online debt advice tool today – it only takes a minute
You’ll be asked a few simple questions to help the team understand your needs, like whether you’re in full or part time employment, your location, housing situation, and the amount of money you owe.
Remember:
- Their service is free and completely confidential
- You can complete the advice session at your own pace
- You’ll get a personalised action plan and help to set up your solution
Whether you need debt advice, guidance on how to get your finances back on track, support with budgeting or even how to pay off debts more quickly, StepChange are there to help.
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