Family plans - are these available?

[jimthing0]

I listen to many US-based tech podcasts all the time. And they always go on about "family plans" and "adding extra lines" to them for certain discounts/bonuses? 

Does O2 (or any UK network) offer "family plans", as it would be much easier to deal with several family iPhones under one plan. 

It would be even better if you could have a family plan with many devices on it, including iPads for example. 

This idea of having to get separate plans for each device in multi-device households, and have the hassle of dealing with each one separately in the online portal, is behind the times, in an age of multi-device users. 

[MI5]

@jimthing0 

Yes, with O2 it's called multisave.

Full details here Guide: O2 Open & Friends and Family discounts - How to sign up 

[jimthing0]

That's not really the same thing, as they're highly limited discounts, every device still gets treated separately, with its own data, and own separate website account login. Hardly grouped management, like other countries. 

What about other UK networks, like EE et al. – any better? 

[jimthing0]

On reflection, I suspect when it comes specifically to 'Family plans', they have the problem of data-access handling. O2 and other UK networks don't want the hassle of dealing with complications. 

eg. Person 1 on an account accessing plan info & making decisions for Persons 2/3/4/etc. and vice-versa. 

However, I can't see why one user multi-device plans are not available, so one owner has ONE plan, with X amount of data on it, and several devices (phones/pads/watches/smart devices) under it. 

They already offer Apple Watch (and Samsung Watch) as add-on 'associated' devices under a phone. So this must be a business decision that benefits O2 more than it does the customer: more separate plans = more money spent on data (whether actually used or not), but also more management needed by each user for each and every device. 😐

[MI5]

Smartwatches don't share data with the phone account as they have their own data allowance.

Sharing data used to be available with O2 but was withdrawn last year.

[jimthing0]

Sure they don't share data, but as I said, they already share an account as an 'associated device', because they have to be linked to a mobile phone contract, rather than having their own account.  

Given this, it really should be made possible to have iPads, tablets, and other phones from the same user all handled under one account, rather than separate ones for each. 

[jimthing0]

---

@MI5 wrote:

@jimthing0 

Yes, with O2 it's called multisave.

Full details here Guide: O2 Open & Friends and Family discounts - How to sign up 

---

This is absolutely rubbish. Just tried, and after 3 working days to respond, finally get message

"Only valid for 28 days after you join O2".

As if that should make any difference as to whether you should be getting a discount or not when having more than one device in you household paying them money.

Highly self-limiting policy, and ridiculously bad to needlessly limit family discounts to 28-day-old accounts, while long term account holders are expected to pay more for the same thing. 

Hence why I don't have any of the other 8 devices in my household paying O2 anything, and use other carriers. Bravo O2 for shooting yourselves in the foot. 🙄