New and upgrading Vodafone Red Plan users on a 12 or 24 month contract will soon have the ability to share plans, effectively creating one large shared data pool for up to 10 users or devices to split between themselves. Families are the main audience for this new payment system, but anyone who might benefit by joining their data with another person or device is also a potential customer.
The specifics are a little complicated, as are finding the benefits, but we’ll do our best to lay things out simply and effectively.
What is it?
Shared plans are a way for you to take multiple Vodafone plans and jam them together. There’s no added cost, but there still needs to be at least one plan per person or per device added to the shared pool.
Any plan inclusion, or plan feature/benefit, is thrown in to the pool for all to access, be it a limited or unlimited allocation.
You can add a variety of plans: contract, SIM-only or, tablet; but the primary plan has to be a 12 or 24 month Vodafone Red Plan. This primary plan is the one in control of the whole show. It has the ability to view which devices used how much of what service (phone, SMS or data) and when.
What’s the point?
Not everyone in a family uses their phones in the same way. Dad and Mum might need unlimited calls and texts, where the kids are likely to be more data-focused. This way you can buy one plan with unlimited calls and text (the primary Red Plan), which would then cover both parents and the kids, as well as a decent chunk of data to begin from, and then move on adding other plans from there.
You also get access to special features from some of Vodafone’s more premium plans, on cheaper plans that normally wouldn’t have them.
What plans can be added?
The primary plan, the one that’s in control, must be a 12 or 24 month Red Plan. These offer unlimited talk and text, 300 minutes of international calls per month, and 3GB, 4GB or 6GB of data (before you add any special offers).
| Red Plans | $70 | $80 | $100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract | 12/24 | 12/24 | 12/24 |
| Per month | $70 | $80 | $100 |
|
Calls and text (standard national) |
Infinite | Infinite | Infinite |
| Data | 3GB* | 4GB* | 6GB* |
| Spotify/SMH subscription | 6 months | 12 months | 12/24 months |
| International calls | 300 minutes | 300 minutes | 300 minutes |
| Min. cost over plan life | $840/$1680 | $960/$1920 | $1200/$2400 |
|
Check out the plans |
Details | Details | Details |
*Vodafone currently has two separate bonus data deals going on Red Plans with a 24 month contract. 12 month Red Plans are not eligible.
The plans that can be added once you have the primary Red Plan do not have to themselves be Red Plans. You can also add from one of the new shared SIM-only plans or the shared tablet plans. Both of these plan suites are new plans that are only available to customers signing up as a shared user.
| Shared SIM-Only Plans | $30 | $40 | $50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract | Month-to-month | Month-to-month | Month-to-month |
| Per month | $30 | $40 | $50 |
|
Calls and text (standard national) |
Infinite
(thanks to primary plan) |
Infinite
(thanks to primary plan) |
Infinite
(thanks to primary plan) |
| Data | 1GB | 2GB | 3GB |
| Spotify/SMH subscription? | No | No | No |
| International calls | Shared from other plans | Shared from other plans |
300 minutes
added to shared pool |
| Min. cost over 24 months | $720 | $960 | $1200 |
Don't forget the tablet plans.
| Tablet Plans | $10 | $30 |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | Month-to-month | Month-to-month |
| Data | 1GB | 4GB |
| Min. cost over 24 months | $240 | $720 |
Red features
Vodafone Red Plans have some great features, some of which are highly conducive to a share format.
Data Workout
Data Workout gives you unlimited data for the first 2 months of a plan. The good thing about unlimited data is that, no matter what way or how many times you split it, it’s still unlimited.
This is great for settling in to a new plan. It gives all the users an idea of how much data they use, as well as lets them experiment with new services without fear of going over.
Automated top-ups
Speaking of going over, Red Plans also feature $10 top-ups. Instead of costly per-MB fees, Vodafone charges you a one-off fee of $10 and adds 1GB to that month’s cap each time you go over. Go beyond that 1GB and it’s another $10 for another 1GB, however many times you like.
At the end of the month your plan reverts back to its original data allotment and monthly price.
$5 Red Roaming
Roaming costs are crazy expensive and finding a local SIM when you travel isn’t always easy. Vodafone offers roaming for $5 per day to select countries. This gives you full access to your regular plan.
Any day where you don’t use your phone (even for receiving a text) will not count and therefore not incur the $5 fee. This works for all Red, shared phone and shared tablet plans.
300 Minutes to overseas numbers
As part of the compulsory Red Plan, you’ll get at least 300 minutes to share for calls to select overseas countries. Each consecutive Red Plan added to the pool will bring another 300 minutes.
Alex Angove-Plumb
Digital Content Editor
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