Vodafone UK Hit Pay As You Go 1 Users with Huge 100 Percent Price Hike
Existing customers of UK mobile operator Vodafone, specifically those who take their Pay As You Go 1 plan, have been informed that the daily cost of the service will increase by 100% – from £1 to £2 – on 11th December 2024. The cost of data (broadband) usage per 50MB (charged after the first 250kb) is also rising from £1 to £2!
Just to be clear. Vodafone’s PAYG1 plan currently charges just £1 on the days you use your phone (£0 if you don’t use it), which grants access to the following allowances until midnight of each day (unlimited minutes, calls and just 50 MegaBytes of data). This is quite expensive when compared with many entry-level Pay Monthly or other PAYG plans, but it makes sense for infrequent mobile users who are unlikely to be going online.
Sadly, customers recently got somewhat of a shock when they received the following text message (credits to Steve for sharing with ISPreview): “Hello. We hope you’re enjoying your flexible Pay as you go 1 plan. From 11 December 2024 the cost of Pay as you go 1 will be changing from £1 to £2 a day. This applies only to the days you use your phone, where you’ll get unlimited minutes and texts plus 50MB data. For further info, visit vodafone.co.uk/2024-change.”
Advertisement
Increasing the price of such a plan by 100% represents a major change, one what would appear to make the plan significantly less attractive for its customers, which we suspect may be part of Vodafone’s intention (i.e. pushing customers toward their newer plans). But naturally, Vodafone’s price change page puts a different spin on things: “Changes to our Pay as you go 1 pricing are necessary to allow us to continue offering ultimate flexibility on our reliable, award-winning network.”
The operator states that they’ve given all impacted customers 30 days’ notice and the right to leave your agreement: “If you want to exercise your right to leave, you’ll need to tell us within that 30-day period. If no action is taken within the 30-day period, the new Pay as you go 1 charge will take effect from 10 December 2024.”
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
« Lightning Fibre Connect First FTTP Broadband Customer in Worthing
Smarty on the meerkats £5/month 1 month rolling contract 5GB data, unlimited calls & texts. You’d have to be a real infrequent user not to be worth that.
Lebara £5/30days is similar and on the Vodafone network.
Anyone who really is an infrequent user should be on a ‘true’ PAYG plan – i.e. one that just charges for those outgoing calls that are made and texts that are sent.
I expect the majority of the people on this plan never use it except once every 6 months to keep it active. I know someone who says their mobile is for ’emergencies only’, they will take it with them on car journeys then leave it in the glove box when they get to their destination. So for them it will go up from £2 a year to £4 a year unless there is an actual emergency…
They’re doing 60GB for £8 at the moment (via Uswitch) and still has free EU roaming I’m ditching my vodafone now and swapping to this deal. Three isn’t as good but im not paying 100% increase
£3.75 a month for unlimited calls, texts, 5gb of data on a £45 for the year sim only over on RWG. Why anyone would want to be on pay as you go is beyond me.
I suspect many affected by this 100% price increase will now #DEFUND Vodafone by looking elsewhere…..
That’s not what defund means.
I feel sorry for the very infrequent users who won’t see the text message before 10 December.
Nothing stopping messages being received. Allowances are all for outgoing minutes/calls/data.
@Mark
I imagine Mwood is referring to those who might not even have their phone turned on before 10 December (“very infrequent users”).
Also, there will inevitably be a number of non-savvy users who don’t look at text messages, and some might not really understand the concept of a text message.
People with bruner phones can afford this…
Spusu 1 Special IMHO
£3 – That would solve a good amount of these issues.
When 3 increased cost of their 321 PAYG deal for the 2nd time my dad got so annoyed at paying a tenner for a 30 min call to the doctors he finally took me up on a cheap sim deal I previously suggested.
1pmobile yearly talker is (was previously £36) £48 per year’s for all calls/text and 500mb per month.
My dad has gone from occasional mobile user to Mr Chatterbox, by his standards anyway.
So their are pretty decent deals for low data users who were previously PAYG.
O2 withdrew their 321 tariff O2 Classic from most retail channels a few years ago but kept it available for some independent distributors to sell. It’s still widely available on eBay for anyone who wants it. 1p per MB is not really suitable for any smartphone user though.
For my daughter as her first phone, I got her the o2 PAYG card on the 321 tariff (via eBay)… Working well for our current needs oh just sending iMessages/sms…
This is more worrying when Three become merger with Vodafone. Smarty might be gone sooner or later! As Vodafone are more expensive for mobile!
i wonder if their prices will increase another 100% when they get into bed with 3.
I fear it will happen!
I think, answer would be similar, to case of EE. Did their prices went up or down after T-Mobile and Orange merge?
Yes, but don’t worry, it’ll be good for competition………. :/
A preview of what will happen post merger…
The type of customers who would use these plans are almost the highest maintenance for High Street workers.
From what I’ve been told lots of the high street workers would just prefer a pay as you go to be turned off.
Personally turn pay as you go off, and make every network provide a £5 p/m un call text 1gb plan.
What exactly is a “high street worker” and what have they got to do with telecoms pricing? I don’t know anyone working on the high street that wants to pay MORE for anything.
I presume they mean shop/store workers that have to deal with someone trying to buy a top-up but being rather clueless about how to go about it.
Bring back street phone boxes with internet terminals – problem solved.
This is a part of networks moving towards bundles. It’s only a matter of time before the big networks phase out traditional PAYG and move to bundles only.
E.g. You pay £5 and get a month’s worth of more minutes, texts and data than you’d possibly need. For a low user that could be 500 minutes, 500 texts, 1GB data.
When this inevitably comes around in a year or two, I hope they do lower bundles. A £2.50 bundle would make those emergency SIMs useless. Top up £30 and it’s a year’s worth. Or do a yearly bundle that’s £20 and gives you a similar low but usable allowance.
A taste of what’s to come when Vodafone and Three merge. I really do hope the CMA block this merger going through. We need more competition between networks so consumers get the best prices possible and to prevent networks forming monopolies.
ASDA £4 payg looks a good bet for low users.
I believe Vodafone PAYG1 originally had the daily use capped at £1, so you could use it and spend less, eg just the cost of a text. Then they changed it to the current £1 taken each day you use it, but the £2 really seems to be pushing things too far – it isn’t PAYG1 and should be renamed PAYG2 really!
Only had the text about it on 1st of Nov…
If you make international calls whatever you spend does not count towards the £2 spend. Also it is important to join the international cheap calls section which is free.
If you are on PAYG 1 you can still be getting texts about big bundles to save you money, mentioning you are paying £1 a day currently on PAYG 1 although in fact you are paying £2 a day.
Well I never had a text or an email, yes it should be renamed PAYG2. Will now be considering alternative PAYG services (already have ASDA) when I’ve used my current credit or may PAC and ask for a refund!