Bank statement charge
Who is Telefonica UK Limited on my bank statement?
Who charged you
O2 Telefonica UK Limited
Telefonica UK Limited is the company behind O2, the UK mobile network, and the company that collects O2's Direct Debits. A payment to it is usually your O2 bill: your airtime plan and any device plan, which O2 now takes as one Direct Debit for many customers.
How it can show on a statement
TELEFONICA UK LIMITEDTELEFONICA
Find out what it was
- 1
Compare the amount and date with your latest bill in the My O2 app or your O2 account online; the payment should match the bill total.
- 2
Open the Direct Debit list in your banking app: a new Direct Debit set up around the time an older O2 one ended is O2's own switch, not a new company.
- 3
Search your inbox and your post for O2's message about the Direct Debit change; O2 sends it by email, and by letter if it cannot reach you by email.
- 4
If you used to have a separate device plan payment, add the two old amounts together: the new single payment should match them.
- 5
Check whether anyone in your household has an O2 handset, tablet or SIM that is paid from your account.
- 6
Still a charge you did not agree to? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to O2, so you do not have to chase it yourself.
Not in any of your accounts? If nobody in your household made it, someone else may have used your card details. Your card issuer can stop the card, so the charges do not continue.
Why does it say “TELEFONICA UK LIMITED”?
Telefonica UK Limited is O2's registered company name; earlier names include Telefonica O2 UK Limited, O2 (UK) Limited and BT Cellnet Limited. O2's Direct Debit Guarantee names Telefonica UK Limited as the company that collects its Direct Debits, so your bank can show that name where you expect to see O2.
O2 has also been replacing customers' old Direct Debits with new ones under Service User Number 188911 and a new reference. During the switch your bank may mark a final payment under the old reference and a first payment under the new one. If you had one Direct Debit for airtime and another for a device plan, O2 now takes them as one payment for the same total, so a single larger line can replace two.
Why you might see this charge
- Your monthly O2 Pay Monthly bill, collected by Direct Debit.
- One combined payment for airtime and a device plan, which O2 now takes as a single Direct Debit where you used to have two.
- The first payment under O2's new Direct Debit, which your bank may label as a first payment while the old O2 Direct Debit shows a final one.
- A higher bill after roaming, add-ons or use outside your allowance in that bill period.
- An O2 handset, tablet or SIM for someone else in the household, or a Virgin Mobile account that has moved to O2, paid from your account.
Is TELEFONICA UK LIMITED legit?
Yes. Telefonica UK Limited is the company that runs O2, and a Direct Debit in its name is normally your O2 bill. O2 says its Direct Debit change is genuine, that customers do not need to do anything, and that the amount and payment dates stay the same.
If the name is new to you, compare the amount with your O2 bill before you change anything: a Telefonica UK Limited Direct Debit is normally O2's own. Messages that use O2's name to ask for bank details through a link are a different matter: check the bill in the My O2 app, never through a link in a message.
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Questions about TELEFONICA UK LIMITED
Who is Telefonica UK Limited?
It is the company behind O2, the UK mobile network. Its earlier names include O2 (UK) Limited and BT Cellnet Limited. It collects O2's Direct Debits and is the lender on O2 device plans.
Why does my O2 Direct Debit now say Telefonica?
Telefonica UK Limited is the company that collects O2's Direct Debits, so banks can show its name instead of O2. O2 has also replaced old Direct Debits with new ones under Service User Number 188911 and a new reference, combining airtime and device plan payments; O2 says the total and the payment dates stay the same.
Why is Telefonica UK Limited on my credit report?
An O2 device plan is a loan agreement, and O2 runs a credit check before you take one. The loan is with Telefonica UK Limited, so that name can turn up on a credit file even when your bank statement says O2.
What if I did not agree to a Telefonica UK Limited payment?
File a complaint on Complain.biz. We write it with you and send it to O2, so you do not have to chase it yourself.
Based on
- Direct Debit changes explained, with the Direct Debit Guarantee from Telefonica UK Limited (O2 Help)
- Migration FAQs: the new Direct Debit and Service User Number (O2 Help)
- How to buy a product on a Device Plan (O2 Help)
- TELEFONICA UK LIMITED, company 01743099: previous names (Companies House)