Will a refurbished iPhone 6 plus work and look the same as a new one?

I'm due to upgrade my phone (currently using iPhone 5) on O2. I looked on the iPhone 6 and 6 plus options, and I really wanted a 6 plus. The only thing is a new one is really expensive per month, almost £50. But a refurbished one is only around £35 per month. I'm going to be using this phone for 2 years and I don't want to have issues with it, will it come like a new phone (in sealed packaging, with the charger etc)? And look and work like a new phone?

Depends on who refurbished it. I'm a Senior iOS Technical Advisor for Apple. Based on my experience, it really just depends on who refurbished it. I would not recommend buying a refurbished one from a carrier because they tend to mess up. Since you are not in the US I'm not sure what the policy would be but if you can get one directly from us, honestly they work better than brand new ones. When a new one is made it goes on a diagnostic and tested and then shipped. Our "refurbished" phone get the same test and they are hand tested. And technically they are not refurbished. We don't get broke phones, replace a part and resell it. They are remanufactured meaning that we take the good pieces from broken phones, test them out and use those parts to build new phones so the phone itself has never actually been used. Called "Designated Replacement Units". I work for Apple, so I get a discount, but every Apple Product I own was purchased from our "refurbished" store.

Ask the carrier if a company called Asurion refurbished the device. If they say yes, just turn around leave because they are garbage