O2 (Virgin Media O2). Text BALANCE to 21202 to see what you have spent through O2's Charge to Mobile. We verified this against the operator's own published information on 13 August 2026; the sources are linked on this page.

I got a text from a short code I do not recognise – what should I do?

Do not tap any link in it and do not reply unless you are certain who the sender is. If it is marketing from a company you know, replying STOP to the short code shown in the message opts you out free. If it is unsolicited, forward it to 7726 free of charge and delete it - replying to an unknown sender only confirms your number is live.

21202 – Who Runs It, What It Costs & Is It Safe?

Q: Is 21202 free?

Free. Free text service for O2 customers.

Q: Is 21202 a scam number?

No. Messages arriving from a short code are a different matter. Sender IDs on inbound texts are easy to fake, and a fraudulent message can even land in the same thread as genuine ones. Never act on a link or a request for codes, passwords or payment in an inbound text, however convincing the sender looks.

Short code: 21202
Type: Text short code
Operated by: O2 (Virgin Media O2)
Cost: Free
Category: Mobile network self-service codes
Verified: 13 August 2026

What 21202 is for

Charge to Mobile lets you buy things and put them on your O2 bill or take them off your credit. 21202 is how you keep track of that spending between bills.

Purchases also appear within 48 hours under 'Things you've bought' on your online bill, and O2 texts a free receipt each time.

This is the code O2 publishes in its own help pages and Customer Code of Practice. The widely-quoted 20202 does not appear in either.

What it costs

Free. Free text service for O2 customers.

Text 21202 — how it works

Text the word BALANCE to 21202 from your O2 SIM.
Or check recent charges in the My O2 app.

Is 21202 safe, and is it spoofed?

Messages arriving from a short code are a different matter. Sender IDs on inbound texts are easy to fake, and a fraudulent message can even land in the same thread as genuine ones. Never act on a link or a request for codes, passwords or payment in an inbound text, however convincing the sender looks.

If a text or call is trying to rush you, threaten you, or get a password, one-time code or payment out of you, it is a scam whatever number it shows. Read our guide to the UK number ranges scammers use and how to spot a smishing text, and forward anything suspicious free to 7726.

Where this came from

We do not guess short codes. Every entry in this directory was checked against the organisation that runs the code, or against gov.uk or the regulator:

Checked against these sources on 13 August 2026. Short codes and their charges do change — if the operator’s page now says something different, believe the operator.

Checking an ordinary number instead

Short codes are not in Ofcom’s numbering data — only full UK numbers are. If it is a normal 01, 02, 03, 07, 08 or 09 number you want to identify, put it into the phone number checker and you will get its type, its area and the provider Ofcom allocated the range to.

Other UK short codes

150 · EE customer service and account texts 202 · O2 pay monthly customer service 4445 · O2 pay as you go customer service 4444 · O2 top-up service 2202 · O2 line for buying data and Bolt Ons 333 · Three UK customer services

All verified UK short codes › · UK area codes › · UK network operators ›

21202 — O2 Charge to Mobile balance