Why Vodafone?

Sick of Optus and Telstra? As Australia's third biggest telco, Vodafone continues to offer customers great value plans and better-than-ever network coverage. So if you're looking for a flexible postpaid or prepaid plan - especially one with loads of data, or international extras - Vodafone is worth considering. 

The company offers great priced prepaid and postpaid options, especially for customers happy to bring their own phone to a SIM-only plan. But if you're in the market for a brand-new smartphone, Vodafone's flexible payment options offer something for everyone. 

For customers tired of the standard two-year mobile plan on a contract, but without the funds available to drop on a full-price new smartphone outright, Vodafone now separates your mobile service from your phone repayments. 

You'll be able to pick any available device from Vodafone, and pay it off over a 12-, 24-, or 36-month interest-free repayment period. The phone's total price will be divided evenly over your repayment term, so your monthly payment will simply be added to your Vodafone bill. There's no extra fees or interest to pay - your phone's total price will be the same amount you'd pay if you bought it outright.

Types of Vodafone plans

Need a new phone? You can pair your new device with any of a huge selection of postpaid Vodafone Red plans, with prices starting from $30 per month for 4GB of data, plus unlimited national calls and texts. 

Red Data plans give you more data for your dollars, while Red Global plans include international calling minutes - up to 1000 minutes per month to eligible countries, depending on your plan. Vodafone also frequently adds limited-time bonus data or international minutes to plans, so check below to see if any promo deals apply to your intended plan.

If you're happy with your current device, you can sign on for any postpaid Red Data or Red Global plan on a contract-free, month-to-month basis. As Vodafone's phone payment plans are now separate from its mobile plans, you'll still get all the same inclusions and features on each plan, regardless of whether you buy a new device or bring your own phone. 

For customers looking for a prepaid option, Vodafone also offers a selection of pay-upfront plans. You can select from a Data Combo plan (more data for your dollars), Talk Combo (included international minutes), or a year-long, pay-as-you-go Prepaid 365 Plus plan. 

Prices for Talk and Data combo starter packs start at $25, with both plans featuring unlimited standard national calls and texts, plus data. 

How to switch to Vodafone

Changing your mobile phone provider can seem like a daunting proposition. We often get asked about how long it takes, whether you can keep your number, and when exactly your number changes hands. The good news is that it is very easy to change telco in Australia, and laws exist that protect your right to switch and ensure you always keep your phone number.

Your number is held by your provider, but only as long as you allow them to. If you want to swap to Vodafone, your old carrier will automatically relinquish your number and transfer it across when you activate your new service. 

Here's the process:

1. Find the Vodafone plan you're after and sign-up online or in-store. 
2. When signing up, you'll be asked whether you want to 'port' or transfer your current number to your new account. Simply put in your number, and specify your existing provider.
3. After you receive your SIM card (if you order online), you'll need to activate it. Doing this begins the process of transferring your number. If you bought a SIM in-store, this will happen as part of the initial setup.

Note that your old service will keep working until porting is completed. This typically takes somewhere between a couple of minutes and an hour or two, but there's cases where it can take a day or longer. You'll typically know your new Vodafone plan is live when your previous service stops working.

SIM cards store very little information these days, which means all of your contacts, phone numbers, emails and photos are either on your phone or in the cloud. Switching to Vodafone will not delete any of your personal information from your device.

Still not sure? We've gone over the steps of switching providers in this video:

Vodafone FAQ

What happens if I want to cancel my Vodafone plan?

All of Vodafone's postpaid plans are now contract-free, so you can cancel or switch your plan every month without penalty. However, if you're paying for your new phone on Vodafone's interest-free payment plans (over 12, 24, or 36 months), you will need to pay off the remaining balance of your device before you can cancel your Vodafone service. 

What happens if I go over my monthly data allowance? 

If you do exceed your plan's included data, you'll be automatically charged $10 for an additional 1GB of data. 

What kind of SIM cards does Vodafone use? 

Vodafone SIM cards come in nano SIM, micro SIM, and standard SIM sizes.

Does Vodafone have prepaid plans?

Vodafone offers several prepaid plans, starting from $25 per recharge. Data Combo and Talk Combo plans include unlimited Australian calls and texts and a 35- or 28-day expiry, with data and international inclusions available according to your recharge amount.

If you're an infrequent user, or prefer a long-expiry plan, Vodafone's Prepaid 365 Plus is a pay-as-you-go- option, with all credit lasting for 365 days. Calls are priced from $0.20 per minute, texts at $0.20 each, and data at $0.02 per megabyte. 

Does Vodafone still have a 2G network? 

Vodafone's 2G network is no longer active, so you'll need a 3G or 4G-capable device to sign up for a Vodafone plan.

Does Vodafone offer international roaming? 

If you're on an eligible plan, you can use all of your plan's talk, data, and text inclusions when roaming in over 55 countries, for just $5 per day (and free if you're in New Zealand). More info on Vodafone's $5 Roaming is available here, but the gist is: pay $5 for each day you use your device when overseas, for up to 90 days per calendar year. 

Pay-as-you-go roaming is also available in selected countries, with rates as follows:

Calls: $1.00 per minute to make and receive calls

SMS/MMS: 75c per text and MMS sent

Data: $1.00 per megabyte

Vodafone Feature Breakdown