Vodafone's revamped mobile contracts come with 4G as standard
Vodafone is introducing a host of new monthly plans today with 4G connectivity as standard. The change affects its range of 12 and 24 month contracts, now called "bundles," and mirrors the stance taken by other networks such as EE and Three. In short, customers want faster speeds, and now that 4G-enabled devices are cheaper and more prevalent, it makes sense for Vodafone to offer its full network capabilities to everyone.
The network's new "bundles" are split into three tiers: Standard Bundles, Red Bundles and Red Value Bundles. The new Standard Bundles are, unsurprisingly, its most affordable options, limiting subscribers to 500MB or 1GB of data each month. Customers will have a choice of monthly minutes and texts, but that's about it. The Red Bundles, meanwhile, start with 2GB of monthly data and climb to 20GB, again with a choice of minutes and texts. Finally, the Red Value Bundles include 2GB, 4GB, 6GB, 15GB or 25GB of monthly data. All of these plans, aside from the 2GB bundles, also include access to one of Vodafone's entertainment add-ons — Spotify Premium, Sky Sports Mobile TV or a NOW TV Entertainment Pass. Every option in this tier also boasts unlimited minutes and texts.
Here's a selection to give you a better idea of pricing:
| Price | Data | Minutes | Texts | Phones | Entertainment Pack? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £17 per month (Standard) | 500MB | 500 | Unlimited | Choice of five, including Nokia Lumia 635 | No |
| £25 per month (Standard) | 1GB | 1,000 | Unlimited | Choice of five, including Nokia Lumia 635 | No |
| £26 per month (Red) | 2GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | Choice of five, including Nokia Lumia 635 | No |
| £35 per month (Red) | 6GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | Choice of nine, including HTC One M8 | No |
| £40 per month (Red) | 10GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | Choice of nine, including HTC One M8 | No |
| £46 per month (Red) | 20GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | Choice of nine, including HTC One M8 | No |
| £47 per month (Red Value) | 25GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | Choice of five, including Nokia Lumia 635 | Yes |
| £51 per month (Red Value) | 25GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | Choice of nine, including HTC One M8 | Yes |
If you're on one of Vodafone's 3G plans at the moment, you have a couple of options. You can upgrade immediately for a one-off fee of £20, which the network will waive if your new monthly plan costs an extra £5 or more each month. Or, you can stick with what you have — Vodafone says it'll honour any 3G plans that customers sighed up for at the start of their contract. If you've been debating a switch away from EE or O2, now might be a good time to bust out your calculator and compare contracts; if you make the jump between now and June 30th, Vodafone will throw in a free £20 as a little thank you present.