Almost every Vodafone prepaid mobile plan will get more expensive from April 10, in a sweeping change that will impact both new and existing customers. Most prepaid plans will see a $5 increase per recharge, but will have extra data.
Here are what Vodafone's new prepaid mobile plans will look like:
| Old Pricing | New Pricing |
|---|---|
| $10, 4GB, 7-day expiry | $12, 5GB, 7-day expiry |
| $20, 8GB, 18-day expiry | - |
| $30, 20GB, 28-day expiry | $35, 25GB, 28-day expiry |
| $40, 30GB, 28-day expiry | $45, 35GB, 28-day expiry |
| $50, 45GB, 28-day expiry | $55, 50GB, 28-day expiry |
| $60, 60GB, 28-day expiry | - |
| $150, 80GB, 185-day expiry | $160, 90GB, 185-day expiry |
| $250, 150GB, 365-day expiry | $250, 150GB, 365-day expiry |
| - | $320, 220GB, 365-day expiry |
Vodafone's $20 and $60 recharges are both being discontinued, and customers on these plans will be moved to the closest equivalent on the first recharge after April 10. A new high-end $320 365-day recharge is being introduced too, with a 220GB data allowance.
While the $250 365-day plan is the only plan that remains unchanged on paper, Vodafone has made tweaks to how auto-recharge works for long-expiry plans. Instead of getting a $5 discount for turning auto-recharge on, customers on long-expiry plans will get bonus data instead. 30GB for the $160 plan, 50GB for the $250 plan, and $320 for the 100GB plan.
Existing Vodafone prepaid customers will be able to recharge on their existing plans until April 10, after which they'll need to swap to one of the new options.
For comparison, here's a look at current prepaid plans with 10GB of data or more, with a minimum 28-day expiry:
And here are the cheapest 365-day long-expiry plans in our database:
A Vodafone spokesperson told us that the company increased prices due the high costs of doing business and to be able to continue to invest in technology, security, and network capabilities.
"We are refreshing our Vodafone prepaid plans, increasing the data allowance for most plans while also applying a cost increase for each recharge," said the spokesperson. "This is not a decision we have taken lightly."
Vodafone has also been increasing the price for many of its postpaid customers on older plans by $4 per month. Customers will receive between 10GB and 60GB bonus data, depending on how much they're spending, however. It started sending notices to impacted customers in February.
Customers who signed up to a new Vodafone plan after it increased its prices in January are exempt from this wave of price increases, as are customers who took up a Vodafone plan through an Apple Store. A Vodafone spokesperson also told us that it won't increase plan pricing for any Vodafone customer currently paying off a phone or on the $10 Financial Hardship plan.
Here's how Vodafone's current SIM-only plans compare to Telstra and Optus:
And here's a look at other mobile plans on the Vodafone network with at least 20GB:
Alex Choros
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