Customer service agents at the network will be trained to identify early signs of financial distress and connect affected individuals with Money Wellness experts.

Support will be available via direct transfers, scheduled appointments, or secure online links. Customers will have access to services such as financial health checks, income maximisation, and personalised budgeting advice.

This initiative builds on Virgin Media O2’s existing range of support measures, which include social tariffs for low-income users, free mobile data through the National Databank, zero-rating of charity websites, and protections for vulnerable customers from mid-contract price hikes.

The collaboration with Money Wellness represents a step beyond flexible payment plans or guidance focused solely on mobile and broadband contracts.

Burden

“We’ve long offered payment support and signposted customers to debt charities. This partnership means our agents can now connect customers directly to expert help. It takes the burden off the individual and ensures they get the right support at the right time,” said Alan Stott, Director of Customer Contact at Virgin Media O2.

Money Wellness provides free debt solutions online and by phone, with a strong focus on accessibility. Its services include translation into over 240 languages, relay services for people with hearing or speech impairments, and accessible document formats for those with visual impairments.

The first phase of the partnership focused on O2 customers with the most complex payment issues. A broader rollout, including Virgin Media customers, is expected in the coming weeks.

“Early intervention is key – and this partnership helps lower the barriers to that first step,” said Sebrina McCullough, Director of External Relations at Money Wellness (below).

The 30-day rolling contract, called the O2 Essential Plan, is available to new and existing customers who receive Income-based Employment Support Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Pension Credit, or Universal Credit. EU roaming is included at no extra cost.

Christian Hindennach, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Media O2, emphasized the company’s commitment to supporting people facing financial difficulties. “The launch of the O2 Essential Plan builds on our existing support for people experiencing financial difficulties,” he said.

Virgin Media O2 aims to connect a million people through affordable connectivity and services.

The company also offers the Essential Broadband and Essential Broadband Plus plans for those on benefits. Its National Databank, launched in partnership with the Good Things Foundation, provides free O2 mobile data, texts, and calls, with 25GB of data available monthly for up to 12 months.

Vodafone launched a similar scheme a year ago promoting its social tariffs to anyone on Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit, as well as those on Employment and Support Allowance, Reduced Earnings Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, or Pension Credit.

]]> https://mobilenewscwp.co.uk/news/article/10-virgin-media-o2-plan-benefits-low-income-customers/feed/ 0 https://mobilenewscwp.co.uk/news/article/virgin-media-o2-pushes-get-donated-devices-people-need/ https://mobilenewscwp.co.uk/news/article/virgin-media-o2-pushes-get-donated-devices-people-need/#respond Mon, 01 Jul 2024 13:09:51 +0000 https://mncwp.tailrd.cloud/virgin-media-o2-pushes-get-donated-devices-people-need/ Virgin Media O2 and environmental charity Hubbub are running a PR campaign to urge people to hand in their unwanted phones to the Community Calling scheme so the devices can be redistributed to people in need. Community Calling was established in 2020 in response to the pandemic to provide smartphones to help people who couldn’t

Virgin Media O2 and environmental charity Hubbub are running a PR campaign to urge people to hand in their unwanted phones to the Community Calling scheme so the devices can be redistributed to people in need.

Community Calling was established in 2020 in response to the pandemic to provide smartphones to help people who couldn’t afford devices or connectivity to get online.

The initiative has now donated 20,000 devices to those who need them across the country, including victims of domestic abuse, refugees, and disadvantaged communities.

Partners include Women’s Aid, Crisis, Migrant Help, and Supporting Children with Diabetes.

The devices are connected to free O2 mobile data plans from the National Databank, which was set up by Virgin Media O2 and the charity Good Things Foundation. Unwanted working smartphones can be sent to Community Calling for free, where accredited tech partner Genuine Solutions will data wipe the devices before passing them on to someone who needs them.

The charity is part of Virgin Media O2’s sustainability strategy, the Better Connections Plan, to encourage consumers to help tackle electronic waste.

A Virgin Media O2 survey found that 70 percent of people feel guilty for not doing enough to support charities or those in need. Nearly half of those surveyed said they would pass on an item to a good cause if they knew it would have a positive impact on someone’s life.

 

Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2, said “People want to do more to help communities in need. Wwith millions of unused phones stashed in drawers and garages, they’ve got the power to change lives by donating their devices to Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub’s Community Calling scheme.

Alex Robinson, CEO of Hubbub, said “We’ve made it straightforward, to encourage even more businesses and individuals to pass on their old devices to support those facing digital exclusion.”

]]> https://mobilenewscwp.co.uk/news/article/virgin-media-o2-pushes-get-donated-devices-people-need/feed/ 0 https://mobilenewscwp.co.uk/news/article/virgin-media-o2-joins-charity-supply-500-used-devices-people-need/ https://mobilenewscwp.co.uk/news/article/virgin-media-o2-joins-charity-supply-500-used-devices-people-need/#respond Tue, 26 Mar 2024 16:32:35 +0000 https://mncwp.tailrd.cloud/virgin-media-o2-joins-charity-supply-500-used-devices-people-need/ Virgin Media O2 and environmental charity  Hubbub, are providing more than 500 used tablets and smartphones to people in need. The equipment is financed by a £400,000 device lending scheme organised by the Tech Lending Community Scheme, established in 2022, aims to provide used devices to people in need, while also giving tech a second

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Virgin Media O2 and environmental charity  Hubbub, are providing more than 500 used tablets and smartphones to people in need.

The equipment is financed by a £400,000 device lending scheme organised by the Tech Lending Community Scheme, established in 2022, aims to provide used devices to people in need, while also giving tech a second life, preventing it ending up in landfill.

As part of a new round of funding, homelessness charities, Centrepoint andThames Reach. will get more than 500 tablets and smartphones connected by free O2 mobile data from the National Databank  set up by Virgin Media O2 and charity, Good Things Foundation.

Refuge, the charity supporting victims of domestic abuse, will also get continued funding and support for their device lending scheme. The project receives additional support from Reconome, a company which does refurbishing of second-hand devices.

Virgin Media O2’s sustainability strategy is called the Better Connections Plan and aims to connect a million deprived people through free and affordable services by the end of 2025

“Data and devices can be a lifeline for people in need. Initiatives like The Tech Lending Community scheme and National Databank are vital in addressing digital exclusion and data poverty, and help to transform people’s lives in communities across the UK.” said Virgin Media chief sustainability officer  Dana Haidan.

 

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Aound 1,600 stores will have access to the National Databank’s services, including free O2 data, texts, and calls.  The National Databank is run by the Good Things Foundation. which lobbies for digital inclusion.

Virgin Media O2 is lobbying the government to update its Digital Inclusion Strategy and reduce VAT on social tariffs from 20 per cent to five percent. Any VAT reduction will be refunded directly to consumers.

The network is also working with the public sector to increase awareness of available support, especially among hard-to-reach groups and will introduce a mobile social tariff to inform low-income households about available assistance with their connectivity needs.

More than five million Virgin Media broadband, TV, and landline customers will be send information with their monthly bills about the network’s social tariffs Essential Broadband and Essential Broadband Plus, the for individuals receiving certain benefits.

Virgin Media O2 is working with local authorities such as Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Slough Borough Council, Bradford Council, and Telford and Wrekin Council to leverage local knowledge and community channels to increase awareness about social tariffs.

“We’re boosting our awareness efforts to spread the word about the support measures we’ve put in place. Whether through monthly bill information or collaborations with local authorities, millions will be reminded about our Essential Broadband packages, catering to those facing financial difficulty.” Rob Orr, said Virgin Media O2, Chief Operations Officer Rob Orr.

The National Databank was created in 2021 by Virgin Media O2 to help more than 200,000 people get connected by the end of this year It was set up as a collaborative, community-led platform to provide free mobile data to those who can’t afford it.

The National Databank is open to all mobile operators to provide free data for community groups to distribute to those who need it. The Good Things Foundation runs the scheme and aims to ensure that everyone can use their phone freely whenever they need it.

Three’s one million gigabytes increase follows research that a third of the UK is in poverty, with 85 per cent of low-income households struggling to afford mobile connectivity

Three research indicates the average parent uses 6.9 terabytes of data in their lifetime to raise a child and that 39 per cent of parents are twice as likely to go over their data allowance as they find themselves on their phones more often with the devices becoming critically important in their lives after having a child.

Nearly 430 of 1,0000 polled parents said they had ‘no idea’ how people raised children before smartphones. A further 61 per cent revealed their device is the most helpful tool when it comes to raising their children.

Virgin Media O2 has begun a £2 million three-year strategic partnership with Good Things Foundation, to help disadvantaged people across the UK get online and gain vital digital skills.

Earlier this month, Virgin Media O2 announced that it is enabling more people than ever to sign up for its social broadband tariffs, Essential Broadband and Essential Broadband Plus.  It means 9.7 million people in the UK receiving Income-based Employment Support Allowance (I-ESA), Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (I-JSA), Income Support (IS), Pension Credit (PC) or Universal Credit (UC) are eligible for the tariffs.

This month the thousandth National Databank Hub to provide free mobile data. The initiative is part of the National Digital Inclusion Network, at Summit Learning Trust in Birmingham

The National Databank was set up by Virgin Media O2 and Good Things Foundation in July 2021 to provide free mobile data, texts, and calls, to help low-income people stay connected. They can access 20GB of free O2 data enough for around 220 hours of internet browsing a month. People can find their nearest National Databank Hub here.

Since it was set up the National Databank has provided more than 70,000 free O2 SIM cards and 50,000 free O2 data vouchers. Virgin Media O2 has committed more than 61 million GB of free O2 data to the initiative by the end of 2025. At the end of last year, brought the National Databank to the High Street for the first time, trialling the initiative at 10 O2 stores over the Christmas period.

The National Databank website has had double the number of visits so far this year compared to the same period in 2022. last year as people search for how they can get help in staying connected during the cost-of-living crisis. 

Television personality, Gail Porter is appearing in a campaign to raise awareness of how the National Databank is helping people access free mobile data.

Good Things Foundation is a digital inclusion charity which works with thousands of Digital Inclusion Hubs to deliver access to the National Databank, the National Device Bank and free online courses on the Learn My Way platform.

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Virgin Media O2 has announced it will support all Big Issue vendors with free O2 SIMs and data vouchers this Christmas.

In 2021, O2 gave over 200 Big Issue vendors free data plans in order for them to accept contactless payments.

In the UK, 90pc of in-person transactions are via contactless, and vendors who use contactless make 30pc more than those who do not.

This year, the company will offer monthly data to the magazine’s entire network of vendors. This follows reports that 18.7 million people are said to be digitally excluded through the cost of living crisis.

Russell Blackman, Managing Director at The Big Issue, said: “We are delighted to be continuing our invaluable work with Virgin Media O2, following its successful launch last year of the National Databank. 

“By extending this opportunity out to all Big Issue vendors, it will enable and empower them to boost their sales through cashless payments at this vital time of year, as well as being able to access essential online services.”

Gareth Turpin, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Media O2 added: “This year we wanted our Christmas campaign to not only help raise awareness of the support available via the National Databank, but to get data into the hands of those facing an unconnected Christmas.

“As part of this, we’re proud to be partnering with the Big Issue for the second year in a row to offer all vendors access to free mobile data each month. We know from the success of last year that this connectivity is crucial to facilitating mobile payments in an increasingly cashless society, as well as helping vendors to stay connected to loved ones and get access to key services.”

Virgin Media O2 is helping people access free mobile data by adding the National Databank on the High Street through 10 O2 stores across the UK.

The National Databank was founded by Virgin Media O2 and digital inclusion charity Good Things Foundation and provides free mobile data, texts and calls.

People can access the National Databank via O2 stores and receive 20GB of free O2 data per month for up to six months.

The O2 stores taking part are in Ballymena, Broadstairs, Colchester, Hastings, Hull, Norwich, Newport, Perth, Plymouth, and Stockton-on-Tees- as these towns and cities are areas where free data will help those most in need.

Those eligible can go to a participating O2 store and ask for a 20GB data voucher, or they can access the National Databank through 650 participating community partners. 

O2 Christmas SIM cards

Virgin Media O2 is also providing one million GB of free O2 data to help people stay connected at Christmas.

New ‘O2 Christmas SIM Cards’ are now available in O2 stores nationwide and online- helping customers who need it access 7GB of free data.

The SIM card can be gifted to anyone who needs it and they can get a free O2 SIM card to enable them to use data and access the internet.

Gareth Turpin, Chief Commercial at Virgin Media O2, said: “It’s now going to be easier than ever for those in need to access the National Databank directly on the High Street via our O2 stores, so they can get online and connect to essential services – from medical appointments to applying for jobs.

“And with our additional 1 million GB of free data available via special Christmas SIM Cards, Virgin Media O2 is helping more people get the data they need, so they can stay in touch with loved ones over the festive period.”

Just after the introduction of the cheapest social tariffs by Virgin Media O2, it has further extended their support to help low-income families.

It includes fuel poverty, debt advice, and financial support organisations to the list of initiatives- and customers of O2 and Virgin media can access websites such as National Debtline, Business Debtline, Turn2us, Debt Advice Foundation and National Energy Action without using any of their mobile data allowance.

Virgin media O2 recently revealed that two-thirds of low-income households say that they fear running out of data, and half of those have said that they could not afford to buy more if they ran out. Ofcom also claims that data poverty is an issue for around two million households in the UK.

The provider was the first to create a National Databank to tackle data poverty and now as an extension, customers can access these sites without using their data and can get trusted and impartial advice to manage their finances and clear their debts.

Jane Tully, director of external affairs and partnerships at the Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline and Business Debtline, said: “Ensuring people are able to receive free, independent advice they need is more important than ever. This is a positive step and should make access to a range of support websites even easier.”