O2 Mobiles

O2 does not currently run an open-to-all O2 Mobiles military discount for new customers. The scheme that once carried a Reserves & Cadets code, O2 Open, closed to new and upgrading customers on 1 September 2026, so there is no fresh sign-up route for serving personnel, veterans or families right now.

The good news is that the latest O2 offers and deals are listed on this page and updated regularly, so forces personnel, veterans and families can still find genuine savings on SIM-only plans, handsets and Pay Monthly contracts without needing a dedicated military scheme.

Does O2 offer a military discount?

O2 previously offered a forces-friendly discount through O2 Open, its employee-style discount programme.
This discount was open to members of the armed forces, including reserves and cadets, and ministry of defence staff
.
The saving was worth up to 25% for airtime plans of 3GB or above, or up to 15% for plans below 3GB
, and it applied to new phones or tablets bought on O2 Refresh.

An MOD email address or payroll number was required to prove employment status
, and O2's own community team confirmed that
it is indeed serving forces only that get the discount
, which left veterans in an unclear position despite some in-store staff suggesting otherwise. The scheme was also restricted to O2 Refresh:
Pay As You Go, non-O2 Refresh tariffs, sharer plans, business accounts and SIM-only deals were excluded
.

Crucially, this is now historic.
From 1 September 2026, O2 Open is no longer available for new customers or existing customers who are upgrading
.
Anyone who already had an O2 Open airtime discount on that date continues to receive it until their Device Plan Credit Agreement ends
. In practice, that means no new O2 Mobiles military discount can be claimed today, though a small number of existing customers on old contracts will still see it applied. Defence Discount Service previously listed this same O2 Open route rather than running a separate O2 arrangement of its own, and there is no evidence of a live Blue Light Card partnership with O2 either.

How to get the best price at O2

1. Check the live O2 offers listed on this page first, since these are updated regularly and don't depend on military status.
2. Compare SIM-only, Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go tariffs side by side, as data allowance and contract length both affect price.
3. Look at trade-in value for your old device before buying a new handset, since O2 runs ongoing trade-in and recycling promotions.
4. Download the O2 Priority app if you're an O2 customer, since it unlocks separate weekly and monthly rewards on top of any contract saving.
5. Sign up to O2 email updates so you hear about seasonal SIM-only price drops and handset bundle offers as they land.

Who is eligible

With no live O2 Mobiles military discount for new sign-ups, the offers listed on this page are simply open to everyone in the forces community: serving Regulars, Reservists, veterans, cadet forces adult volunteers, MOD civil servants and their spouses, partners and families. Anyone already receiving the old O2 Open discount on an existing contract keeps it until that Device Plan agreement ends, but no new applications are being accepted.

Other ways to save at O2

Start with the O2 offers and deals listed on this page, since these are checked and refreshed regularly and don't require proof of service. Beyond that, O2 has several genuine ways to bring the price down:

• Family and multi-line savings:
  adding new Pay Monthly connections for family members to an existing tariff earns each new connection a discount on their monthly airtime
  , which can help forces families running more than one line.
• O2 Priority rewards:
  the free O2 Priority app for O2 mobile and Virgin Media broadband customers offers monthly rewards such as Greggs treats, Vue cinema tickets and lastminute.com holiday savings, plus early access to event ticket presales
  .
• O2 Extras:
  Pay Monthly customers can get discounted Disney+ and Amazon Prime memberships through the My O2 app
  .
• Free standard delivery:
  standard delivery is free on all devices, SIMs and accessories
  ,
  and this extends to Northern Ireland, the Highlands and Islands with longer delivery windows
  .
• Fair returns:
  O2 gives every new device buyer a 14-day change of mind window for a refund, with one exchange allowed, and a 30-day window for faulty device replacement, repair or refund
  .
• Student discount: separately from any forces scheme,
  university students can access a 20% discount on the airtime portion of an O2 Refresh contract
  through student verification, which may be useful for serving personnel's older children.

Check the offers at the top of this page before you commit to a contract, since a current promotion may beat any of the above on its own.

O2 and the forces community

O2 became the 2,000th organisation to sign the Armed Forces Covenant in December 2017, with Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson and O2's then chief executive co-signing at a ceremony in London
. As part of that pledge,
O2 committed to paid leave for Reservists completing annual training and to suspending mobile phone contracts for personnel deployed overseas
.
O2 also committed to flexibility around leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after deployment
, recognising the unpredictable nature of service life.

About O2

O2 is one of the UK's largest mobile networks, selling Pay Monthly, SIM-only and Pay As You Go plans alongside phones, tablets and mobile broadband devices from brands including Apple, Samsung and Google. Forces families use O2 for its UK-wide coverage, flexible contract lengths and the O2 Priority rewards app, which adds everyday savings on top of any mobile contract regardless of posting location.

O2 Mobiles military discount FAQs

Is there an O2 Mobiles military discount right now?

Not for new customers. O2's forces-related discount ran through O2 Open, which closed to new and upgrading customers on 1 September 2026. The best route to a saving today is the live offers listed on this page.

Is there an O2 veterans discount?

O2 confirmed through its own customer community that the O2 Open discount was for serving forces only, not veterans, despite some confusion in-store over ID requirements. There is no separate advertised O2 veterans discount, so veterans should use the offers on this page instead.

Can I use a Blue Light Card or Defence Discount Service at O2?

Defence Discount Service previously pointed members toward the same O2 Open scheme rather than running its own separate O2 partnership, and there's no evidence of an active Blue Light Card discount with O2. Neither scheme currently unlocks a discount that isn't already listed on this page.

What happens if I already have the O2 Open military discount?

If your discount was active before 1 September 2026, O2 says you'll keep receiving it until your Device Plan Credit Agreement ends. You won't be able to reapply or transfer it to a new contract once that agreement finishes.

Can I stack an O2 promo code with other offers?

O2 Open could not be combined with other airtime offers, and that principle generally carries over to other O2 promotions too. Always check the terms on the specific offer, and compare the total cost against the deals listed on this page before checkout.

Does O2 offer free delivery?

Yes. Standard delivery is free on devices, SIMs and accessories across mainland UK, with extended delivery windows available for Northern Ireland, the Highlands and Islands, which suits personnel and families based further from major delivery hubs.

Will O2 suspend my contract if I'm deployed overseas?

O2's Armed Forces Covenant pledge includes commercial fairness for personnel and families living abroad, covering contract suspension during overseas deployment. Contact O2 directly to arrange this, since it sits outside the standard online account tools.

Browse the live O2 offers listed at the top of this page for the fastest way to save today, and check our Mobile Phones category for other network deals worth comparing before you sign a new contract. If a SIM-only budget option suits you better, the 1pMobile military discount page is also worth a look, and our full Military Discount Offers hub lists every verified saving currently available to the forces community.