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If you’re currently a Virgin Mobile customer then you’re going to soon see some changes in your plan. In fact, you’re probably already seeing some changes, as the underlying network has changed from Vodafone to O2 – but soon your plan itself will be an O2 one as well.
Virgin Mobile has announced that - as a result of Virgin Media's merger with O2 - from February it will start migrating customers to O2 plans. It’s a process that should in theory be smooth and seamless, and you’ll be notified at least 30 days before the migration happens – so if you’re in the first batch of customers to be migrated you might already have had that notification.
It’s also somewhat optional. You can’t stay on Virgin Mobile, but you will have the opportunity to cancel without penalty if you’d rather not make the move.
That said, it sounds like it’s going to be a beneficial move, as the company is promising to double your data at no extra cost, and customers on Virgin Mobile’s top plans will be given unlimited data – again, without a price increase.
You’ll also get access to O2 Priority, which offers freebies, discounts, priority tickets and other perks to O2 customers. And roaming in the EU will continue to be free, which isn’t universally the case on any other major UK network.
An uncertain future
What this means for Virgin Mobile as a brand is unclear. With customers being switched to O2 plans there seems little need for it, but the company claims that Virgin Mobile will continue selling SIM Only and handset plans this year (with all newly joined and existing customers moved to O2 plans by the end of the year).
After that, there’s apparently “a variety of options under consideration regarding the use of the Virgin Mobile brand in future.”
We’re not typically fans of seeing networks combined and potentially shuttered like this – after all, having more options is a good thing for customers and competition. But right now at least the move to O2 plans sounds like a beneficial one for Virgin Mobile customers.
