To be eligible for Volt, customers will need to have a broadband service from Virgin Media and a pay monthly mobile plan from O2.

The new joint offering comes four months after Virgin Media and O2 merged to become Virgin Media O2.

Customers who opt for a Volt plan will see their broadband speed boosted to the next tier available – for example 100Mbps boosted to 200Mbps. They will also get double the usual mobile data on all eligible O2 pay monthly plans – for example, 10GB boosted to 20GB.

Volt benefits also include up to £150 off a connected device such as a tablet or smartwatch when taking a new O2 pay monthly ‘custom’ plan, and WiFi Pods to bolster connectivity around the home.

Customers will also get mobile data roaming to 75 countries, including Australia and the US at no extra cost (normally £4.99 a day).

How do I get Volt?

You must be, or become, a customer of both Virgin Media broadband and O2 to claim Volt benefits.

Those new to either Virgin Media or O2 will be able to upgrade to Volt when they add relevant services to their package, while existing customers of both Virgin Media and O2 simply need to enrol via MyO2 to get their services ‘supercharged’.

Are the perks worth switching to O2 or Virgin Media for?

Analysis by MoneySavingExpert.com suggests that if you are already a Virgin Media and O2 customer, Volt will offer you additional benefits at no extra cost.

However, if you’re currently only either a Virgin Media broadband or O2 pay-monthly customer, or have neither service, you’ll need to weigh up if it’s worthwhile for you. If you don’t have a need for speed on your broadband or if you don’t use much mobile data each month, then it’s unlikely you’ll save any money with Volt, as there are cheaper deals currently available for low data SIMs and standard broadband speeds.

You’ll still be billed separately for both services. It’s worth noting that Virgin Media routinely offer tempting deals for new customers but significantly increase package prices after the minimum contract period – and Volt is no exception.

On the £45.99 a month package, you’ll pay Virgin Media £33.99 a month for 18 months, and O2 £12. But after 18 months, you’ll pay more than double for the Virgin Media part of the package as the cost will go up to £71 a month. The price you pay O2 will go up by the Retail Price Index (RPI) rate of inflation announced in February plus 3.9%.

What do the experts say?

Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch, said: “The Volt bundles announced today are the first step in ‘supercharging’ customers by rewarding them for using multiple broadband, TV and mobile offerings from the merged businesses.

“Doubling customers’ mobile data allowances and bumping them up to the next tier of broadband speeds is a great statement of intent, and will give existing users an immediate boost. Virgin Media O2 hopes to challenge the BT and EE partnership, which already offers monthly discounts to users who link their account.

“People should generally be mindful of getting their broadband and mobiles deals from a sole supplier, as they may be able to get better mobile coverage or a more stable broadband connection from different providers.

“However, if you are already using Virgin Media O2 for one of your services, switching to both could both save you money and improve your connections.”