How To Get O2 Priority Deals Without Being An O2 Contract Customer

How A Pay As You Go SIM Can Unlock O2 Priority Rewards

O2 Priority is one of those perks that many people have heard about but assume they cannot access unless they are an O2 mobile customer.

That is only partly true.

While the rewards platform is designed for O2 customers, some people can access the app without switching their main mobile provider. It is not completely free, but the small cost involved can often be recovered quickly if you actually use the deals.

If you enjoy discounted food, competitions, cinema offers and the occasional freebie, it can be worth understanding how the system works.

What Is O2 Priority?

O2 Priority is a rewards platform available through the Priority app. It is designed as a loyalty perk for O2 customers, giving them access to exclusive deals, competitions, free products and early access to event tickets.

Some offers appear for a short period, while others run regularly and have become favourites among people who check the app each week.

The deals usually fall into a few common categories.

• Food and drink offers • Discounted cinema tickets • Competitions and prize draws • Early access to concerts and events • Discounts with partner brands

The reason the app remains popular is that many of the offers are simple to use. If the brands involved are places you already visit, the deals can shave a few pounds off things you were likely to buy anyway.

Not every offer will be useful to everyone, and availability can vary depending on location, but if you check the app regularly, it is usually possible to pick up something worthwhile most weeks.

The Greggs Weekly Deal

One of the most popular offers currently available through O2 Priority is the weekly Greggs promotion.

Each week, Priority users can choose between a hot drink or a savoury treat from Greggs for £1. You have to choose which one you want, as the offer allows one redemption per person each week.

The promotion is released in limited numbers. Around 32,000 hot drink offers and 27,000 savoury treats are made available every week, so once those have been claimed, the offer disappears until the following week.

If Greggs is somewhere you already stop for breakfast or lunch, this can be a straightforward saving to make regularly. Even a small saving every week can add up over time.

Because availability is limited, it is usually worth opening the app early when the offer drops, as codes can disappear fairly quickly.

Blue Mondays And Weekly Prize Giveaways

Another feature many users look forward to is the Blue Mondays promotion.

Every Monday, O2 Priority users can enter a prize draw where everyone wins something. Most prizes are small rewards, but some people occasionally win larger prizes.

Over time, I have personally won quite a mix of things through Blue Mondays, including free Greggs products, free movie rentals, cosmetics, discounted cinema tickets, Uber discounts, free ebooks, chocolate bars, retailer gift cards for lunch and a 12-month Tastecard membership. My best wins were actually two separate £20 Pizza Express gift cards.

Most weeks, you will win something smaller rather than a big prize, but those smaller rewards can still be useful.

The Simple SIM Card Trick People Have Used

For years, people discovered that they could access O2 Priority without switching their main phone contract.

The trick was to order a free O2 Pay As You Go SIM card, activate it with a small amount of credit and then register that phone number with the Priority app.

Because the SIM was active, the system treated the account as an O2 customer, which allowed access to the rewards platform.

The credit could simply sit on the account while you used the Priority app. As long as the SIM was used occasionally, such as sending a text every six months, the number would stay active.

That made it a very low-cost way to unlock the app.

Important Update: Changes To O2 Pay As You Go

O2 has recently changed how its Pay As You Go plans work, which makes this workaround less easy to use.

The older O2 Classic Pay As You Go SIM cards allowed customers to top up normal credit without committing to a monthly bundle. That is why the trick worked so well.

Newer Pay As You Go SIMs are now structured around monthly bundles, with the cheapest option generally costing around £10 per month.

That means new customers activating a standard Pay As You Go SIM may now need to maintain a monthly plan rather than simply adding occasional credit.

Is The O2 Priority SIM Trick Ending?

The workaround is becoming harder to use, but it has not completely disappeared yet.

Some retailers on sites like Amazon and eBay still have stock of the older O2 Classic Pay As You Go SIM cards available, for under £2. These SIMs use the previous system that allows you to activate the SIM with standard credit rather than a recurring monthly bundle.

If you manage to get hold of one of these older SIM cards, the original trick still works. You can activate the SIM, register for the Priority app and keep the number active by sending the occasional text.

The catch is that these SIM cards are essentially leftover stock. Once they disappear, the workaround will likely become much harder to use.

At that point, the most straightforward ways to access O2 Priority will be either to have an O2 mobile plan or to receive access through Virgin Media services, which also include Priority as a customer perk.

Virgin Media Customers Already Have Access

Another thing many people do not realise is that Virgin Media customers often already receive access to O2 Priority.

If you have Virgin Media services, you may already be eligible to register for Priority through your Virgin Media account.

In my case, I actually receive access through both O2 and Virgin Media. Even though I can log in to Priority in two ways, I can still claim each offer only once.

Still, over time, it has allowed me to pick up a steady stream of small discounts and occasional freebies.

Frequently Asked Questions About O2 Priority

Can anyone use O2 Priority?

O2 Priority is designed for O2 customers, so normally you need an active O2 phone number to access the app.

However, some people access the platform by activating a Pay As You Go SIM card or through Virgin Media services that include Priority access.

Do you need an O2 contract to use O2 Priority?

No. A monthly O2 contract is not required. An active Pay As You Go SIM or access through Virgin Media services can also allow you to register for the Priority app.

Is O2 Priority free?

If you already have an O2 contract, Priority is included at no extra cost. If you activate a Pay As You Go SIM purely to access the app, there may be a small cost involved, depending on the plan you use.

What kind of deals does O2 Priority offer?

Offers change regularly but usually include food and drink discounts, cinema deals, prize draws, early access to events and occasional brand promotions.

Some deals appear briefly, while others return regularly and become weekly favourites among users.

Is O2 Priority worth using?

If the brands involved are places you already visit, the app can be a simple way to pick up occasional savings and freebies. If the participating brands are not relevant to you, the value will naturally be more limited, but for many users, the weekly deals and competitions make it worth checking the app from time to time.