Customers of the UK mobile network O2 are being warned of an impending deadline related to unavoidable rising contract prices.

O2 announced in October it would increase the fixed annual price rise for all its Pay Monthly customers to £2.50 per year, up from the old promised rate of £1.80.

Recent changes implemented by regular Ofcom prohibit inflation based price rises, but these still leaves operators able to apply their own price rises, which are next applied to contracts from April 1, 2026.

Now, O2 customers are being reminded to act now if they want to avoid charges, both from the increase and then the cost of leaving a contract early. O2 has said it will allow customers to leave contracts without the usual penalty fee.

Go.Compare Mobile said customers can leave their contract without being charged termination costs, but they only have 30 days to do this from the they received notice from O2.

It means as of Thursday, November 13, affected O2 customers only have 13 days, until November 22, to leave their contract without incurring early termination charges.

“Although the O2 price rise doesn’t come into effect until April of next year, customers only have 30 days from receiving their notifications to switch without paying early termination fees,” said Catherine Hiley, Go.Compare Mobile spokesperson. “That means there’s still a short window to review your options if you’re thinking about making a change.”

She said now is the time to consider switching to another provider.

“It’s quite common to see mobile prices adjusted around this time of year, so it’s a good reminder to check whether or not your current plan still offers good value for money. If you’re happy with your service, you don’t need to do anything. But if you’ve been considering switching, it’s worth comparing deals now to see what’s available.”

Many pay monthly contracts from UK mobile operators are subject to annual price rises, but there are ways to avoid the charges.

If you already own a phone, or are on a contract where you have paid off the cost of the handset, you may be overpaying for you monthly plan. Unfortunately, it’s legal for operators to continue to charge you the same amount each month even after you’ve paid off your phone.

As an example, Giffgaff, which uses the O2 network but is not owned by O2, offers monthly rolling phone plans that you can cancel at any time, and never increase in price. Other smaller operators who ‘piggyback’ on the O2, EE, Vodafone and Three networks offer similar pricing structures.

If you are an O2 customer affected by the price rises coming in April, you could leave O2 before November 22 without incurring any fees, if applicable, and keep your number while you’re at it. You might find you can get the same monthly 5G data, calls and texts for a fixed price.