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Out of the Big Three telcos, Vodafone has the cheapest range of plans that you can pair with a new phone. Its SIM-only plans offer lots and lots of data, plus, it's one of two providers that will let you keep browsing for free even when you hit your limit – at a reduced speed, of course.
Highlights
"Endless" data available on SIM-only mobile plans
Offers up to 150GB monthly
Unique 35-day prepaid expiries mean 1-2 fewer recharges per year
What kind of Vodafone plan are you after?
Compare Vodafone prepaid plans
Vodafone has 35-day expiries on some of its prepaid plans, meaning you can recharge a couple fewer times per year. Or, pick up a PAYG plan if you don't really need data and want your credit to stretch out for 6 to 12 months.
Compare Vodafone SIM-only plans
If you can't get enough data, Vodafone offers up to 150GB on a month-to-month SIM-only plan. And once you've hit your limit, you can keep browsing for free. You can also grab a new phone with one of these plans, too.
Compare Vodafone phone plans
The plans below are Vodafone's normal range of SIM-only plans, but they also come with a phone on a 12, 24 or 36-month contract. Your monthly bill will be the cost of the plan plus the handset repayment, which will depend on the contract length and the price of the phone. Click on the different tabs to see different phones or click "Filter results" to add in your own choice of handset.
Everything you need to know about Vodafone mobile plans
As one of the three major telcos, Vodafone has a full range of mobile plans available. These include prepaid plans, postpaid SIM-only plans and contract plans that come with a new phone.
Vodafone prepaid plans
Vodafone offers two types of prepaid plans: Combo Plus and Pay and Go.
A Combo Plus plan offers regular data and call inclusions, paid for at the start of the month. On a Pay and Go plan, you purchase a certain amount of credit and then pay a rate for calls, texts and data use.
Vodafone's Combo Plus prepaid plans are listed below:
$30 Combo Plus: 10GB for $30 with a 28-day expiry. You get a bonus 30GB when you sign up for an automatic recharge.
$40 Combo Plus: 20GB for $40 with a 35-day expiry. Receive a bonus 30GB when you sign up for automatic recharge.
$50 Combo Plus: 30GB for $50 with a 35-day expiry. Get a bonus 30GB when you sign up for automatic recharge.
These are the prepaid plans for people who use their phone regularly. You'll get data, calls, texts and even some international minutes.
All of Vodafone's Pay and Go plans have the same rates: 20c/min for calls, 20c/SMS sent and 4c/MB for data. The plans are as follows:
$30 Pay and Go: Credit comes with a 180-day expiry period.
$40 Pay and Go: Credit comes with a 365-day expiry period.
$50 Pay and Go: Credit comes with a 365-day expiry period.
Avoid Pay and Go plans if you plan to use mobile data. These rates work out to be about $40 for 1GB of data, compared to $1.70-$3 for 1GB, which the Combo Plus plans offer, even without the bonuses. The main advantage of the Pay and Go plans is that your credit will last for up to a year if you don't use your phone much.
Vodafone SIM-only plans
Vodafone's line of SIM Only plans are your "regular" phone plans, providing data and calls for normal users. All of its SIM only plans come with an "endless data" feature, where anything you use over your data limit is free, but capped at a particular download speed depending on your plan.
SIM Only Lite: 10GB for $40 per month. "Endless" data speed cap of 2Mbps.
SIM Only Lite+: 30GB for $45 per month. Includes 100 international minutes for countries in Zone 1. "Endless" data speed cap of 2Mbps.
SIM Only Super: 60GB for $55 per month. Includes 1,000 international minutes for Zone 1 countries, and 100 minutes for Zone 2 countries. "Endless" data speed cap of 10Mbps.
SIM Only Super+: 100GB for $65 per month. Includes unlimited international minutes to Zone 1 countries, and 200 minutes for Zone 2 countries. "Endless" data speed cap of 10Mbps.
SIM Only Ultra: 150GB for $120 per month. Includes unlimited international minutes to Zone 1 countries, and 300 minutes for Zone 2 countries. "Endless" data speed cap of 25Mbps.
Vodafone's SIM-only plans are big on data, with a wide range to choose from.
Vodafone phone plans
When you buy a phone on a plan with Vodafone, you'll get to choose from the same range of SIM only plans that are normally offered. Vodafone sits between Optus and Telstra in price - not quite as cheap as Optus, but not as expensive as Telstra.
When you buy a phone on a plan, you pick a 12, 24 or 36-month contract. Your monthly repayments will be the plan's base cost plus the monthly repayments for the handset, which will be lower for longer contract periods.
Vodafone also has a trade-in scheme. You can trade in good quality, eligible devices for credit that goes towards your Vodafone bills or a new device payment plan. You can only do so once a year, and you'll have to take your device to a Vodafone store so that they can judge its current condition.
Vodafone deals
To see all of Vodafone's deals in one place, check out our list below. You can click "View eligible plans" to quickly see which plans these offers are available on.
Deals last updated on 2020-10-31 at 11:06:32
Phone deals
Save $10/mth for new services - pay $45 instead of $55. T&Cs apply.
Vodafone is Australia's third largest telecommunications company, and the fourth largest mobile operator globally, directly serving 24 countries and a further 41 through its partners. It's been operating in Australia since 1993, and has a network that reaches around 23 million Australians.
Vodafone also acquired TPG Telecom as part of a controversial merger deal that went ahead in July 2020, which may affect the Vodafone brand in Australia in the coming months and years.
Here are the main draws of Vodafone's plans:
"Unlimited" data
On Vodafone's postpaid SIM only plans, you're given a set amount of "max speed" data. Once you hit your limit, you can keep using data as much as you want without an extra charge, but your speed will be capped depending on which plan you've bought.
$5 roaming
In one of the best roaming deals available, you can use your regular plan inclusions overseas for $5 a day. You do have to be in a country where $5 roaming is supported, otherwise, you'll be charged pay as you go rates.
Data banking
Vodafone's Combo Plus prepaid plans come with a data banking feature that lets you save up to 200GB of unused data between recharges. Make sure you recharge before your expiry period runs out to keep the data.
Vodafone student discount
Vodafone organises student discounts through UNiDAYs, a student deal website. By verifying your student identity there, you can access different student deals, like discounted plans or bonus data.
My Vodafone app
The My Vodafone app is available from both Google Play and the Apple App Store. Use the app to check your usage, manage your plan, change account details and more.
Vodafone customer service
Vodafone does have support available via phone call, though due to COVID-19, it's urging customers to use self-support channels instead. You can reach the customer service team through the My Vodafone app, Live Chat or Vodafone's support pages.
In addition to the major ones above, there are a few other features that Vodafone offers:
Data sharing. If you register multiple mobile or tablet plans on the same account, you can freely pool full-speed data between the different plans.
International minutes. Most of the postpaid SIM only plans come with minutes you can use for international calls. Countries are split into 20 Zone 1 destinations and 70 Zone 2 destinations.
Bundle and save. Vodafone offers potential discounts on your plans when you bundle them together on a single account.
As you'd expect from one of the Big Three carriers, Vodafone has several juicy extras on its plans. The $5 roaming is a standout compared to regular roaming deals, which are usually far more expensive for a lot less, and no excess data charges is a nice touch.
Here's a quick summary of what's on offer:
Feature
Does Vodafone have it?
Automatic prepaid recharge
Excess usage warning
Entertainment extras
Data-free media streaming
Roll-over data
Data sharing
International calls/texts
International roaming
Rewards program
Student/pensioner discounts
Should you go with Vodafone? We ask our utilities expert and writer, Sam Baran
This depends. Vodafone certainly isn't the cheapest around, with Optus consistently charging less for the same amount of data on its plans. Its prepaid plans offer solid value, as long as you're okay with automatic recharges.
One of the best features that Vodafone has is its $5 roaming, which is the best roaming offer on the market. Its other features are fairly standard, though "unlimited" data can be handy to avoid excess data charges.
Overall, you'll still end up paying more for a Vodafone plan than you would for a plan from a smaller provider, so it's up to you whether the brand and extras justify it. Consider also looking at SIM-only plans from an MVNO like Circles.Life or Vaya.
To see how Vodafone stands up to the competition, you can check out our more detailed guides on Vodafone's plans, where we compare its prepaid and SIM-only plans side by side with other offers.
If you're just after a quick look at the pros and cons of Vodafone's plans, we've broken them down below to help you with your decision.
Pros
"Unlimited" data on postpaid plans
$5 international roaming
35-day expiry on some prepaid plans
Cons
Less data value than smaller companies
Smaller network than Optus and Telstra
How does Vodafone roaming work?
Vodafone has a $5 roaming deal where you can use your regular mobile inclusions overseas in 80 different countries for $5 a day. If you're not in an included country, you can still usually access pay as you go roaming, though this is much more expensive.
International call destinations are split into two zones by Vodafone: Zone 1, which includes 20 countries, and Zone 2, which contains a further 70 countries. You can get unlimited calls and texts to Zone 1 on some plans, but otherwise you'll be given international minutes instead.
Outside of included countries, you'll be charged pay as you go rates, which depend upon the plan you have and where you're calling.
How do I make a Vodafone insurance claim?
Vodafone offers two phone insurance policies for devices that are under 12 months old and in perfect condition. They are:
Keep Talking Basic. This covers the repair or replacement of your device if it's accidentally damaged, up to $3,000 minus the excess.
Keep Talking Plus. This covers the repair or replacement of your device if it's accidentally lost, damaged or stolen. You're insured for up to $3,000 on the cost of your device, $500 on unauthorised calls or data usage and $300 for accessories and getting a phone overseas if you need to.
To make a claim on your policy, you need to lodge an online form on the Vodafone website. If your claim is accepted, your repaired or refurbished device will be sent to you within 3-5 business days.
FAQ about Vodafone mobile plans
Is Vodafone 4G slow?
Vodafone 4G is capable of the same data speeds as other 4G network connections in Australia. The actual speed of your connection will depend on a number of factors, including your physical location, the weather, the device you're using and network congestion.
If your connection is consistently slow, we recommend that you contact the Vodafone support team for assistance.
Can I get a phone from Vodafone without a plan?
Yes. Vodafone has a small selection of prepaid phones locked to its network, only available to purchase in-store.
How do I get an upgrade from Vodafone?
You can trade-up your old device with Vodafone to get a discount on a more up-to-date model on a plan. Your device must be an eligible model, as well as be in good condition. Check out Vodafone's trade-in scheme for more information.
Do I need to unlock my phone from Vodafone?
You only have to unlock your device if you bought a prepaid phone outright from a Vodafone store. If your device is locked, it will display "Invalid SIM" or "SOS only" when you insert a non-Vodafone SIM. You'll need to use Vodafone's online unlocking tool to complete the process.
How do I end my contract with Vodafone?
You can cancel your phone contract with Vodafone at any time. If you're still paying off a phone on the contract, you'll have to pay the full remaining price of the handset as the price for switching or cancelling.
What happens if I stop paying my Vodafone contract?
As with most bills, if you stop making payments, you will be charged late payment fees and may ultimately have your debt passed on to a debt collection agency. Your service will also be cut off.
If you're unable to pay your bill, contact Vodafone about its financial hardship program. Vodafone will work with you to create a repayment plan for your debt or implement other measures such as spend controls, payment extensions or the waiving of late payment fees.
Sam Baran is a writer for Finder, covering topics across the tech, telco and utilities sectors. They enjoy decrypting technical jargon and helping people compare complex products easily. When they aren't writing, you'll find Sam's head buried in a book or working on their latest short story. Sam has a Bachelor of Advanced Science from the University of Sydney.
In the prepaid plans, it is written that there are certain selected countries you can call or text to outside Australia for 1000 or 90 minutes. How can I find what those selected countries are and what are the 1000 or 90 minutes per month?
You can find the fine print or specific details of most mobile phone plans by checking out their Critical Information Summary (CIS). Please check out the CIS of a specific mobile phone plan, from the mobile network’s homepage, to know the selected countries that are included in 1000 standard minutes of a specific mobile plan.
Thanks for your inquiry. Please note that we are not affiliated with any company we feature on our site and so we can only offer a general advice.
There is a variety of mobile plans that Vodafone is offering. The list of countries that is included in making international calls depends on the plan that you will get.
We suggest going to Vodafone official website to view the list of countries that is included in each plan.
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This depends. Vodafone certainly isn't the cheapest around, with Optus consistently charging less for the same amount of data on its plans. Its prepaid plans offer solid value, as long as you're okay with automatic recharges.
In the prepaid plans, it is written that there are certain selected countries you can call or text to outside Australia for 1000 or 90 minutes. How can I find what those selected countries are and what are the 1000 or 90 minutes per month?
Hi Dylan,
Thank you for your enquiry.
You can find the fine print or specific details of most mobile phone plans by checking out their Critical Information Summary (CIS). Please check out the CIS of a specific mobile phone plan, from the mobile network’s homepage, to know the selected countries that are included in 1000 standard minutes of a specific mobile plan.
I hope this helps.
Kind regards,
Jason
what international calls does vodafone give and to which countries?
Hi Rukshana,
Thanks for your inquiry. Please note that we are not affiliated with any company we feature on our site and so we can only offer a general advice.
There is a variety of mobile plans that Vodafone is offering. The list of countries that is included in making international calls depends on the plan that you will get.
We suggest going to Vodafone official website to view the list of countries that is included in each plan.
Hope this helps. Have a nice day!
Cheers,
Rench