When taking out an O2 Simplicity SIM only deal you will be given the option of buying an O2 bolt on. This amounts to a set fee added onto your monthly bill that will give you added extras per month such as free Internet allowance, free WiFi, free MMS and free mobile phone tethering.
Depending on what type of phone you have, your contract requirements and monthly budget you will have the option of choosing one of four bolt on options.
No Bolt On – £0 per month
If you do not need extras such as mobile Internet of WiFi access added to your phone then it is recommended that you do not select any bolt on option. Typically users on a tight budget that have a more traditional simplified phone and simply require a deal to make calls and texts would opt out of buying a bolt on. However, if you do use the Internet with no bolt on option then you will be on the O2 Web Daily scheme which will allow you to use up to 50MB data transfer per day without being charged more than £1 in total for the day.
To order an O2 Simplicity SIM only deal with no bolt on included you would need to go to the O2 SIM only page and select the “standard phone” option. This will then give you the option of selecting the “no thanks” option from the bolt on drop down option box.
The Basics Bolt On – £3 per month
The Basics bolt on is the cheapest bolt on available in the O2 SIM only range. It includes 100MB of free data transfer and allows free mobile phone tethering. If you intend to only occasionally use the Internet on your phone or tether your phone to your computer or laptop infrequently then The Basics bolt on would be a good option. For users of modern smartphones, iPhones or Blackberry phones or users that enjoy emailing, instant messaging or Facebook it is recommended that a bolt on with more data transfer than The Basics is selected.
In order to select The Basics bolt on you will need to go to the O2 SIM only order page and select the type of mobile device you own. The options range from “smart phone”, “iPhone” or “Blackberry”. Once you have chosen your device you will see a drop down box that will allow you to choose The Basics for £3 per month.
The All Rounder Bolt On – £6 per month
The All Rounder bolt on is the mid-range bolt on option offered by O2 and is a good option if you are a standard user of a smartphone, iPhone or Blackberry mobile phone. This bolt on includes 500MB of data transfer per month, 20 free media messages per month, unlimited public WiFi via The Cloud and BT Openzone hotspots, and free mobile tethering.
The All rounder is the most popular bolt on offered by O2 and it can be selected from the drop down box on O2 SIM only order page when you choose the “smart phone”, “iPhone” or “Blackberry” device option first.
The Works Bolt on – £10 per month
The Works is the top end bolt on offered by O2 and is recommended for users of data hungry mobile phones and those that use the Internet regularly. Included in The Works bolt on is 1GB of free data transfer, unlimited public WiFi at The Cloud and BT Openzone hotspots, 50 free MMS and free mobile tethering.
This is a good option for many iPhone and Blackberry users because it is unlikely that you will have to worry about going over data allowances with The Works bolt on applied to your SIM only plan.
To add The Works to your SIM only deal you simply need to select the “smart phone”, “iPhone” or “Blackberry” device option by clicking the respective radio button on the O2 SIM only order page and then from the bolt ons drop down box you can choose The Works.
General O2 Bolt On Information
If you aren’t sure which bolt on to choose you are able to alter which bolt on package you have selected as part of your SIM only contract once you get used to how much data you use each month.
For users of smartphones, Blackberry or iPhones we would recommend that either The All Rounder or The Works bolt on is selected. These types of phones tend to have features that naturally use data transfer quite heavily and given how well you can browse the Internet and send email on these types of phones it is worth selecting a bolt on with a higher level of data transfer.
If you are running short of data transfer during any given month you can buy a one-off data top up.
On all of the bolt on packages you will receive a text message when 80% of your data transfer has been used and also when 100% has been used.
If you exceed 100% of your bolt on data transfer allowance you will not be charged any additional fees for going over your allowance but O2 will slow your connection speed until the next billing date.
O2 bolt ons can be taken on the 12 month Simplicity SIM only deals or 30 day Simplicity SIM only deals.
On all bolt on packages you are able to take advantage of free mobile tethering. In other words you can share your O2 data connection with another Internet capable device by using your mobile phone as a modem (subject to phone capability). Please note that the data used whilst tethering will be deducted from the bolt on allowance.
Browse the O2 Simplicity SIM only range or go direct to the O2 online shop.