Vodafone’s Big Value Bundles Review: Pay As You Go From £10/month
July 7th, 2017
Vodafone offers a choice of Big Value Bundles from £5/month on Pay As You Go.
On Vodafone Pay As You Go, the most popular tariff is currently Big Value Bundles which start from £5 per month. Previously known as Freedom Freebees, a Big Value Bundle will convert your Pay As You Go credit into a 30-day allowance of calls, texts and internet.
Vodafone’s popular £10 bundle comes with 150 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB of internet. Customers requiring a larger allowance can choose from higher-priced bundles costing £20 or £30 per month. Light users can choose a £5 bundle or customers who don’t want to top-up every month can choose a Freebie tariff which works more like traditional Pay As You Go. Freebie tariffs have a range of top-up offers from £10.
In this article, we’ll review Vodafone’s Pay As You Go service. We’ll look at Vodafone’s Big Value Bundles and also at the alternative Freebie tariffs offered on Vodafone. We’ll also compare Vodafone’s Pay As You Go service to rival networks before looking at the Vodafone Rewards scheme and at the coverage you can expect on Vodafone. Finally, we’ll discuss how you can keep an existing phone number when moving from your current mobile network to Vodafone.
Contents
Bundles & Prices
Vodafone currently offers a choice of five different tariffs on Pay As You Go: Big Value Bundles, Freebie Minutes, Freebie Texts, Freebie Data and Freebie International Minutes.
For most users (e.g. regular mobile users and anyone with a smartphone), Big Value Bundles will normally be Vodafone’s cheapest available tariff. Big Value Bundles start from £5/month and give you a 30-day allowance of calls, texts and mobile internet.
For light users who don’t have a smartphone, one of Vodafone’s Freebie tariffs can offer better value. With a Freebie tariff, there’s no need to top-up every month. You simply pay for your usage on a per-minute, per-text and per-day basis. You’ll also receive bonus allowances each time you top-up your phone by £10/month or more.
Order Vodafone SIM Card (Free) »
Big Value Bundles
For regular mobile users and for anyone with a smartphone, Vodafone’s Big Value Bundles normally offer the best value usage.
With Big Value Bundles, your top-ups are converted automatically each month into a 30-day allowance. There are currently four Big Value Bundles you’re able to choose from ranging in price from £5 to £30 per month:
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Internet | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 100 | 250 | 100MB | £5.00 |
| 200 | Unlimited | 1GB | £10.00 |
| 1,000 | Unlimited | 6GB | £20.00 |
| 3,000 | Unlimited | 20GB | £30.00 |
At the end of the 30 days, any unused minutes & texts will expire automatically with the bundle. Unused data can be rolled over for a maximum of one month. Vodafone will try to renew your bundle automatically if there’s a sufficient amount of credit remaining on your account. If you don’t want this to happen automatically, you can opt-out by calling 2345.
Out Of Bundle Charges
If you use up the inclusive allowances on your Big Value Bundle, you’ll pay the following rates for any further usage:
| Calling Rates: | |
|---|---|
| Voice Calls | 35p/minute (any network, any time) |
| Calls to Voicemail | 30p/minute |
| Calls to Special Rate Numbers | 45p/minute access charge + service charge from the company you’re calling |
| Messaging Rates: | |
| Text Message (SMS) | 14p |
| Picture Message (MMS) | 45p |
| Internet Rates: | |
| Mobile Internet | £2/day (up to 50MB) |
| Additional Data | 10p/MB |
Vodafone charges for all phone calls on a per-minute basis. This means the length of all phone calls is rounded up to a full minute before the charge is calculated and deducted from your balance. For instance, a phone call lasting 61 seconds will be rounded up and charged by Vodafone as a 2-minute call (it will therefore cost you 2 x 35p = 70p).
Other Pay As You Go Tariffs
There are four ‘Freebie’ tariffs where you aren’t required to top-up every month.
For lighter mobile users who don’t necessarily want to top-up every month, Vodafone also offers a choice of four ‘Freebie’ tariffs. These are classic Pay As You Go tariffs where you aren’t required to top-up every month and where your credit won’t be turned into a 30-day allowance. Instead, your top-up will remain as credit on your account and you’ll pay for usage on a per-minute, per-text and per-day basis.
Vodafone’s Pay As You Go rates on a Freebie tariff are currently 30p/minute, 14p/text and £2/day for up to 50MB of internet. Further usage beyond 50MB/day will be charged at an additional 10p/MB. The main selling point of Vodafone’s Freebie tariffs is you’ll get some additional free airtime when you top-up your phone with £10 or more:
- Freebie Minutes: Top up by £10 and you’ll get 150 minutes of free UK calling (lasts for up to 30 days). In addition to the free calls, you’ll keep the £10 of credit you topped-up by.
- Freebie Texts: Top-up by £10 and you’ll get 1000 free UK text messages. The free texts will last for up to 30 days. You’ll also keep your £10 of credit for other things (e.g. for 33 minutes of calling).
- Freebie Data: Top-up by £10 and you’ll get 500MB of free mobile internet. The free allowance will last for up to 30 days. You’ll keep the £10 of credit you originally topped up by.
- Freebie International Minutes: Top-up by £10 and you’ll receive 60 minutes of free international calling to 61 selected countries. You can also opt in to Vodafone International on Pay As You Go to benefit from cheaper international phone calls. As with other Freebie tariffs, you’ll keep the £10 of credit you topped up by.
For more information, please refer to the Vodafone website for full details about each of the tariffs.
Vodafone has a minimum top-up of £5 each time but doesn’t currently offer any £5 top-up deals. You’ll need to top-up by at least £10/month to take advantage of one of the above deals.
By default, all Vodafone Pay As You Go SIM cards are enrolled on the Big Value Bundles tariff. If you’d like to change to a Freebie tariff, you’ll need to do this after receiving your new Vodafone SIM card. You can change tariff by following the instructions below.
Changing Tariff Or Bundle
If you’re a Vodafone Pay As You Go customer, you can change your tariff at any time by making a short phone call to Vodafone’s automated service:
| Your Chosen Tariff | Instructions For Changing Tariff |
|---|---|
| Big Value Bundle | Call 4354 from your Vodafone PAYG handset |
| Freebie Minutes | Call 4356 from your Vodafone PAYG handset |
| Freebie Texts | Call 4357 from your Vodafone PAYG handset |
| Freebie Data | Call 4358 from your Vodafone PAYG handset |
| Freebie International Minutes | Call 4351 from your Vodafone PAYG handset |
If you’re currently on the Big Value Bundles tariff, you can renew a bundle for 30-days by sending a text message as follows:
| Your Chosen Bundle | Instructions For Renewing Bundle |
|---|---|
| £10 Big Value Bundle | Text BVB10 to 49501 from your Vodafone PAYG handset |
| £15 Big Value Bundle | Text BVB15 to 49501 from your Vodafone PAYG handset |
| £20 Big Value Bundle | Text BVB20 to 49501 from your Vodafone PAYG handset |
| £30 Big Value Bundle | Text BVB30 to 49501 from your Vodafone PAYG handset |
By default, Vodafone will renew your bundle automatically at the end of 30 days. To disable automatic renewal of a Big Value Bundle, call 2345 from your Vodafone handset.
Comparison to Alternatives
In our view, Vodafone’s Big Value Bundles are relatively expensive when compared to other mobile networks. In the following section, we’ll compare Vodafone’s Big Value Bundles to rival offerings from other Pay As You Go networks:
£5 per month bundles
Vodafone offers a £5/month Pay As You Go bundle with 100 minutes, 250 texts and 100MB of data.
For a better value alternative, it might be worth investigating bundles from ASDA Mobile and giffgaff. For instance, ASDA Mobile offers 125 minutes, 2000 texts and 200MB of internet for £5/month (double the amount of data you’d get on Vodafone’s £5 Big Value Bundle).
Alternatively, £7/month will give you 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of internet (three times as many minutes and ten times as much data for an extra £2/month over Vodafone’s Big Value Bundle).
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Internet | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 125 | 2,000 | 200MB | £5.00 |
 | 150 | 500 | 100MB | £5.00 |
| 100 | 250 | 100MB | £5.00 |
| 300 | Unlimited | 1GB | £7.00 |
| 250 | Unlimited | 750MB | £7.50 |
£10 per month bundles
Vodafone’s cheapest Big Value Bundle costs £10 per month and comes with 200 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of internet.
For just £7 per month, ASDA Mobile offers a very similar deal with 100 extra minutes (ASDA Mobile offers 2G, 3G & 4G coverage from EE):
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Internet | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | Unlimited | 1GB | £7.00 |
| 200 | Unlimited | 1GB | £10.00 |
At the £10 per month price point, other Pay As You Go networks offer much larger allowances for the same monthly price. For instance, both ASDA Mobile and giffgaff offer 2GB of data (along with 600 minutes on ASDA and 500 minutes on giffgaff). ASDA Mobile makes use of coverage from EE, whilst giffgaff makes use of coverage from O2.
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Internet | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600 | Unlimited | 2GB | £10.00 |
| 500 | Unlimited | 2GB | £10.00 |
 | 3,000 | 3,000 | 1GB | £10.00 |
| 200 | Unlimited | 1GB | £10.00 |
 | 100 | 100 | 1GB | £10.00 |
 | 150 | Unlimited | 500MB | £10.00 |
Order ASDA Mobile SIM Card (Free) »
ASDA’s £10 bundle comes with 600 minutes, unlimited texts and 2GB internet (coverage from EE)
£15 per month bundles
Vodafone no longer offers a £15 Big Value Bundle (this was withdrawn from sale in July 2017).
At the £15 price point, there are a number of attractive deals from rival mobile networks. For instance, both ASDA Mobile and giffgaff offer 1,000 minutes, unlimited texts and 5GB of 4G internet for £15/month.
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Internet | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,000 | 3,000 | 5GB | £15.00 |
| 1,000 | Unlimited | 5GB | £15.00 |
| 1,000 | Unlimited | 5GB | £15.00 |
| 250 | 250 | 4GB | £15.00 |
| 500 | Unlimited | 2GB | £15.00 |
£20 per month bundles
Vodafone’s £20 Big Value Bundle bundle comes with 1000 minutes, unlimited texts and 6GB of 4G internet.
For just £18/month, giffgaff offers 2000 minutes, unlimited texts and 6GB of 4G internet. Alternatively, Three has an All-in-One 20 bundle with 300 minutes, 3000 texts and 12GB of 4G internet.
| Network | Minutes | Texts | Internet | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 | Unlimited | 6GB | £18.00 |
| 3,000 | 3,000 | 12GB | £20.00 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | 8GB | £20.00 |
| 1,000 | Unlimited | 6GB | £20.00 |
| 250 | 250 | 6GB | £20.00 |
| 750 | Unlimited | 3GB | £20.00 |
For more information, please see our full comparison of the UK’s best value Pay As You Go bundles.
If you’re willing to undergo a credit check and to sign a Pay Monthly contract, it may also be worth having a look at some of the best value Pay Monthly SIM cards. With a Pay Monthly SIM card, you can sometimes get better value for money and there’s also no need to manually top-up your phone.
Pay As You Go Reward Points
Vodafone has a Pay As You Go loyalty scheme known as Vodafone Rewards. With Rewards, you’ll earn points every time you top-up your phone (a £10 top-up gives you 100 Reward points). You also get 50 bonus Reward points whenever you buy a Big Value Bundle. Customers buying a £10 Big Value Bundle every month can therefore expect to earn 1,800 Reward points per year.
Each Reward Point is worth approximately 1p. You can use them for a number of rewards including the following:
| Reward | Cost |
|---|---|
| Now TV Sky Sports Day Pass (worth £6.99) | 700 Reward Points |
| Splash Selfie Stick (worth £8) | 800 Reward Points |
| Pocket Cube Speaker (worth £13) | 1,300 Reward Points |
| £20 Amazon Gift Card (worth £20) | 2,000 Reward Points |
A full list of available rewards can be seen in the Vodafone rewards catalogue.
Please note: Reward points will automatically expire two years after you receive them. This can make it exceptionally difficult to earn the larger rewards. You’ll also need to opt-in to collect your rewards every time you top-up your phone. You can do this by texting COLLECT to 27822 or by visiting vodafone.co.uk/rewards and entering your details.
Handsets
There are two ways to join Vodafone Pay As You Go.
If you’d like a brand new smartphone, you can buy a Pay As You Go phone from the Vodafone website. At the time of writing, handsets start from just £10 when you also buy a Big Value Bundle. You can also buy a Vodafone Pay As You Go handset from third-party retailers like Argos and Amazon.
If you already have an unlocked smartphone that you’re happy to keep, you can order a free Vodafone SIM card to go in that handset. If your mobile phone is currently locked to a network, see our guides on unlocking an iPhone and unlocking a Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
Coverage
2G, 3G and 4G Coverage
Vodafone offers 98% population coverage across the UK.
Vodafone offers 98% population coverage across the UK. This includes 89% population coverage on 3G and 86% population coverage on 4G.
Before joining Vodafone Pay As You Go, we strongly recommend checking the coverage in your area. You can do this by entering your postcode on Vodafone’s online coverage map:
Check Vodafone Coverage (vodafone.co.uk) »
For customers living in an area with poor Vodafone coverage (e.g. in a rural area or a basement flat), the £69 Vodafone Sure Signal will give you a guaranteed five-bar signal at home.
Tethering Isn’t Permitted
Tethering or personal hotspot refers to the process of sharing your smartphone’s internet connection with other devices (e.g. with your laptop or tablet).
Customers on Vodafone Pay As You Go should be able to tether, but numerous readers have experienced difficulties doing so (e.g. when attempting to tether from some iPhones).
For more information, see our in-depth guide to tethering on UK mobile networks.
Keeping Your Phone Number
It’s easy to keep your existing phone number when moving to Vodafone.
To transfer your phone number to Vodafone, start by contacting your current network and asking them for a PAC Code. A PAC Code is nine-digits long and will authorise Vodafone to take control of your phone number.
Once you have the PAC Code from your old network, you can give it to Vodafone through this online form. Vodafone will then handle the transfer of your phone number to their network (it should normally take place on the next working day).
As it’s not possible to transfer Pay As You Go credit from another network to Vodafone, you should try to use up the remaining credit on your old network before moving your phone number to Vodafone.
For a step-by-step guide on transferring your phone number to Vodafone, please select your current mobile network:
| PAC Code Finder: Transfer Your Phone Number to Vodafone |
|---|
More Information
For more information on Vodafone’s Big Value Bundles, please refer to the official Vodafone website. You can also order a new Pay As You Go handset or a free SIM card on the Big Value Bundles tariff.
About Ken
My passion is helping people to get the most out of their mobile phone. I've been blogging at Ken's Tech Tips since 2005.
Aside from writing about mobile technology, my interests are in software development, digital marketing and physics. Outside of the blog, I work with numerous technology companies helping them to explain their product and helping them to market it to consumers. Please get in touch for more information.
Hi Ken!
First and foremost, a huge “Thank You” for all the hard work you put into continuing to maintain this brilliant resource! 🙂 If I may I’d like to correct a couple of things about the Vodafone bundles, and also to share my experience with PAYG here in the UK.
Vodafone have modified the £30 bundle, since 1st July. It now offers Unlimited texts, 3000 minutes of UK calls, and 20GB data. Another point worth highlighting is that unused data ROLLS OVER – which I think is unique among the PAYG offers.
ALSO important to note: the bundle can be used exactly as in the UK in many non-EU countries (obviously within the EU, roaming charges have been abolished by all carriers). My own situation is that I divide my time between (non-EU) Switzerland and the UK for work, and I need a generous allowance of both calls and data here, but as a part-time resident, I cannot commit to a monthly contract. However, I can afford a decent bundle.
In fact TWO: I have the £30 bundles from both O2 and Vodafone. Both have their strengths and their weaknesses – fortunately not the same!! But it means I have a combined 40GB of tetherable data, up to 20GB of which can be rolled over to the next month, and when I arrive back in Switzerland I don’t need to rush to insert a local SIM before using my phone or fear horrific costs.
O2 offer great customer service; Vodafone’s is virtually non-existent.
O2 doesn’t allow me to roll over data, or use my bundle in another country, but it offers great international rates from the UK via O2 WorldChat.
I do realise that £60 a month will seem OTT to some readers, but in the end it comes down to “horses for courses” doesn’t it? I have no landline, no broadband in this country. So that sum represents the totality of my telephone and internet spend with two reliable 4G carriers. I regularly tether to my laptop and tablet, and have no problems either uploading work or relaxing with Netflix or Amazon video.
Anyway, forgive the lengthy post, but I hope it might help some other trans-national professional like me to find reliable, cost-effective communications solutions, which can be very difficult for folk without a permanent address in the UK.
Hi Jenny,
Wow, thank you so much for your super detailed contribution as well! I’ll update the information about Vodafone’s new Big Value Bundles very shortly. Thanks also for the information about EU roaming – you might also be interested to take a look at this article which discusses the new EU roaming legislation (including which mobile networks allow you to roam in Switzerland, fair usage policies for roaming in Europe, etc).
Thanks again!
Ken
Hi namesake,
There is an error in your report.
“ASDA Mobile makes use of coverage from EE, whilst giffgaff makes use of coverage from Vodafone.”
giffgaff actually makes use of coverage from O2.
Love your column, thanks for all the interesting info.
Best regards,
Ken.
Hi there fellow Ken,
Many thanks for the heads up about this! Looks like I made a typo and failed to pick up on it whilst proof-reading it over! I’ve now amended it as suggested – thanks so much for letting me know about this!
Ken
ive been with Vodafone for years but over time there service has gotton so bad where i live i decided to look for a better network. In my location im at now the 4g signal is terrible and nearly every network i see is cheaper than Vodafone,ive decidded to move over to giffgaff which has the o2 network with great signal on 4g in my area,and the £10 buddle much cheaper than Vodafone.
I was able to keep the same number also u just need the pac code from Vodafone and pump the code and number you want to keep in your account settings on giffgaff website and 4 days later you have the same number.The move from Vodafone was very easy and they gave me he pac code by phone and also followed with a text ty for that Vodafone,thought it would be a nightmaire but it all went well