From tomorrow, O2 Switch Up will be automatically included with ‘Plus Plans’ at no extra cost, or can be added as a Bolt On to new Custom Plans for just £3.99 a month.

Once customers have O2 Switch Up as part of their plan, they can use it to switch to a new phone of their choice whenever they want to without the need to pay off their current contract. There are no limits about how long customers need to have had their current phone or how long is left on their existing contract.

When a O2 customer trades in their handset it will be checked to ensure it meets O2’s required condition criteria. A new handset and Plus Plan or Custom Plan will then be activated to complete the switch, with no need for customers to pay off the remainder of their previous plan.

The handset that is traded in will be refurbished and resold as a ‘Like New’ device to somebody else. O2 says this will both reduce waste and increase O2’s ‘Like New’ offering.

To date, O2 has refurbished and reused more than 3.5m devices through O2 Recycle, helping to extend the life cycle of devices for customers looking to buy second hand.

Gareth Turpin, chief commercial officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “We’re ripping up the rule book and giving our customers even more freedom and flexibility so that they’re in control. O2 Switch Up gives our customers the power to decide what phone they have and when they have it, all on their terms and with the peace of mind that their previous phone won’t go to waste.

“With a whole host of exciting new phones set to be released in the coming months we can’t wait to see our customers start switching and getting the most from their new handsets.”