Vodafone UK Adds Data Rollover to 4G PAYG Mobile Plans

A number of mobile operators have recently started offering data rollovers on their plans (e.g. Sky Mobile) and today Vodafone has decided to adopt a similar approach with their 4G Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) based Big Value Bundles.

Customers of the Big Value Bundles typically pay from £10 for a 30 day allowance that includes 500MB of Mobile Broadband data, 150 UK minutes and unlimited UK texts, which rises to £30 if you want 12GB of data with unlimited minutes and texts (this top tariff also includes a roaming allowance of 500MB, 100 minutes and 100 texts to use when travelling in Voda’s inclusive roaming zone).

However Vodafone has today decided to go back in time by attempting to “change the mobile industry’s ‘use it or lose it’ approach” and adding Data Rollover to the above PAYG bundles. Essentially anybody who renews their Big Value Bundle within the 30 day period will be able to rollover their data into the next 30 day period (maximum 1 month carry over).

Glafkos Persianis, Vodafone UK’s Commercial Director, said:

“We are delighted to be offering yet another industry first to our customers by introducing Data Rollover. Through listening to our customers, we’re determined to simplify our products and offer even better value for money, so that they can enjoy the UK’s winning network wherever they are.”

Despite what Glafkos says above, rolling data allowances over to the next month is not a new idea and in the past Vodafone has also offered PAYG data allowances that didn’t expire for a much longer period. We still have a 3G USB Dongle from them with a 1GB allowance that survived for several years before they abandoned that approach.

Similarly Sky Broadband’s new Sky Mobile (O2) service will allow subscribers to “roll over unused data into their online ‘piggybank’ each month (in 1GB increments), to use whenever they need for up to 3 years” and iD Mobile do something similar to Vodafone’s approach. Not forgetting that O2 do something like this too.

So not quite the “industry first” that they’re touting, but a welcome change none the less.