Vodafone Red vs Unlimited vs Basics: Vodafone Price Plans Compared

Vodafone offers three types of price plan: Red, Unlimited and Basics. Find out how the different price plans compare.

If you’re choosing a new mobile phone or SIM card from Vodafone, there are currently three different types of price plan you’re able to choose from.

Comparing the Red, Unlimited and Basics price plans, you’ll need to decide whether you want unlimited data or a gigabyte allowance, the maximum download speeds you want on your plan and whether you need inclusive international roaming.

The cheapest available SIM cards are available on Vodafone Basics, where you’ll pay as little as £6/month for data at 4G speeds in the UK. Vodafone Red gives you a larger allowance of data along with 5G on most plans, with inclusive roaming when you travel abroad in Europe. Meanwhile, at the top-end, Vodafone Unlimited starts from £22/month for unlimited data at a range of different download speeds.

In this article, we’ll compare the three types of price plan from Vodafone. We’ll look at Vodafone Red, Vodafone Unlimited and Vodafone Basics in more detail. We’ll then showcase some of the best value SIM cards in each range before looking at the coverage available and how to keep your existing phone number.

Vodafone Basics vs Red vs Unlimited: At A Glance

In the UK, Vodafone offers three types of price plan: Basics, Red and Unlimited. The following table summarises the key differences between the three types of plan:

* Vodafone’s 5G coverage is subject to coverage in your area and having a 5G-ready smartphone.
† Wi-Fi Calling and 4G Calling are only available on compatible smartphones. Android devices may need to be purchased directly from Vodafone.

Prior to July 2019, Vodafone offered a slightly different line-up consisting of Essential, Red Extra and Red Entertainment plans. The features from these old plans have since been consolidated into Vodafone Red and Vodafone Unlimited (e.g. Entertainment is now available as an add-on to both Vodafone Red and Vodafone Unlimited).

Price Plans & Features

Basics Plans

If you’re looking for a low-cost SIM card that only includes “what you need for everyday use in the UK”, Vodafone offers a choice of five Basics price plans. Starting from just £7/month, the Basics price plans include unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and an allowance of data (e.g. the £10 plan includes 25GB of data per month).

On Basics, you’ll get the same 3G and 4G coverage as other Vodafone customers. For customers signing up after the 2nd October 2020, you’ll also get the fastest available 4G speeds on Vodafone (but without access to Vodafone’s 5G network).

Some lesser-used features are not available on Vodafone Basics. For instance, a Basics SIM card cannot be used outside the UK. Additionally, things like international calls, premium-rate calls and MMS picture messages are barred on the service.

Vodafone Basics is only available to new customers, and must be purchased through a special page on Vodafone’s website. For more information, please read our in-depth review of Vodafone Basics.

Red Plans

If you’d like a more fully-featured price plan, Vodafone Red starts from £14/month. This is sometimes also known as a “Gigabyte plan”.

On Vodafone Red, you’ll normally get a data allowance of either 1GB, 5GB or 20GB per month. Occasionally, larger data allowances may also be available on a promotional basis.

Access to Vodafone’s 5G network is possible on the 5GB and 20GB plans, subject to 5G coverage in your area and having a 5G-ready phone. There are no download speed limits on Vodafone Red so you can access the fastest available speeds supported by your phone and network coverage.

If you choose a Vodafone Red plan with 4 Xtra Benefits, you’ll get inclusive roaming when travelling to 51 European destinations. If your handset supports it, you can also use Wi-Fi Calling and 4G Calling capabilities.

You can also get a Vodafone Red price plan on contract with a range of different handsets, either directly from Vodafone or from retailers like Mobiles.co.uk and the Carphone Warehouse.

For an extra £7/month, an optional Entertainment package can be added to the Vodafone Red 20GB plan. This will give you access to YouTube Premium, Amazon Prime, Spotify Premium, the NOW TV Entertainment Pass or Sky Sports Mobile TV.

Unlimited Plans

At the top end, Vodafone’s flagship offer is their range of unlimited data plans. Starting from £22/month, you’ll be able to download as much as you like on these plans.

There are three unlimited data price plans to choose from:

• Unlimited Lite (from £22/month) gives you download speeds of up to 2Mbps.
• Unlimited (from £26/month) gives you download speeds of up to 10Mbps.
• Unlimited Max (from £30/month) gives you the fastest available speeds on Vodafone. In theory, this can go all the way up to 1Gbps (1,000Mbps). More realistically, however, it’ll normally be around 150-200Mbps on 5G and 25-35Mbps on 4G).

If you have an unlimited data plan with 4 Xtra Benefits, you’ll be able to use up to your 25GB of your data abroad at no extra charge. You’ll get inclusive roaming in 51 European destinations, plus another 32 destinations outside Europe when you choose an Unlimited plan with 4 Xtra Benefits.

The table above shows Vodafone Unlimited SIM cards on a 24-month contract. You’ll need to pay a little bit extra to get the SIM cards on a 12-month contract. Alternatively, you can get a new smartphone with unlimited data on Vodafone, either directly from their website or from retailers like Mobiles.co.uk and the Carphone Warehouse.

An optional £7/month Entertainment package can be added to the Unlimited and Unlimited Max plans. If you choose to add an Entertainment package, you’ll get inclusive access to either YouTube Premium, Amazon Prime, Spotify Premium, NOW TV or Sky Sports Mobile TV.

For more information, please read our full review of Vodafone’s unlimited data plans.

Coverage

2G, 3G & 4G Coverage

In the UK, Vodafone offers 99% population coverage on their 2G, 3G and 4G mobile network.

Regardless of whether you choose a Basics, Red or Unlimited price plan, you’ll have access to the exact same level of 2G, 3G and 4G mobile coverage. You can use Vodafone’s online coverage map to ensure there’s coverage available where you live:

Check Vodafone Coverage (vodafone.co.uk) →

With 4G coverage, you can typically get download speeds of around 25-35Mbps from Vodafone. A forecast of the download speeds available in your area can be found within Vodafone’s coverage map (tap on the Data speed info button once you’ve entered your postcode).

For more information, see our full guide to coverage on Vodafone or how mobile network coverage works in the UK.

5G Coverage

If you have a 5G-ready smartphone and price plan, you can access Vodafone’s 5G network in towns and cities where coverage has been switched on.

Access to 5G coverage is available on Vodafone Red price plans with at least 5GB of data per month and on all Vodafone unlimited data plans.

Vodafone’s 5G network is currently available in the following UK towns and cities:

Check 5G Coverage on Vodafone →

If you’re not able to access 5G coverage on your phone, you’ll still be able to access 2G, 3G and 4G coverage from Vodafone. For more information, see our full guide to 5G coverage in the UK.

Tethering & Personal Hotspot

Tethering or personal hotspot refers to the process of sharing your smartphone’s internet connection with other devices (e.g. with a laptop or tablet). It’s often a convenient way to get a mobile broadband connection without buying a separate device.

On Vodafone, it’s possible to use tethering and personal hotspot regardless of which price plan you choose. This means you can tether the entirety of your data allowance on Vodafone Basics, Red and Unlimited.

If you’re likely to tether fairly regularly from your phone, we’d recommend the £30/month Unlimited Max price plan. This gives you unlimited data with full 4G & 5G download speeds, and you can tether as much as you like to share the data with other devices. We wouldn’t recommend tethering on Unlimited Lite as the 2Mbps download speed is likely to make this a frustrating experience.

International Roaming

On plans with 4 Xtra Benefits, you can use your mobile phone abroad in other countries at no extra charge. This is available as part of Vodafone’s Global Roaming service.

• With Vodafone Basics, roaming is not available as Basics is a UK-only plan.
• With Vodafone Red, you can use your normal UK allowance at no extra charge in 51 European roam-free destinations if your plan comes with 4 Xtra Benefits.
• With Vodafone Unlimited, you can use up to 25GB of data abroad at no extra charge in 83 destinations as part of Vodafone Global Roaming Plus, if your plan includes 4 Xtra Benefits. This includes most of Europe, the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and more.

For more information, see our guide to Vodafone Global Roaming or Vodafone’s official website.

Keeping Your Phone Number

If you’re switching from another mobile network to Vodafone, it’s a straightforward process to keep your existing phone number.

To do so, start by contacting your old mobile network and asking them for a PAC Code. This is a nine-digit code that authorises the transfer of your phone number to Vodafone. You can get a PAC Code through your mobile network’s website or app, or by texting PAC to 65075.

Once you’ve gotten a PAC Code from your current network, order your new mobile phone or SIM card from the Vodafone website. After your new phone or SIM card arrives in the post, you can provide the PAC Code to Vodafone through this online form. They’ll then schedule the transfer of your phone number, normally for the next working day.

For a step-by-step guide on transferring your phone number to Vodafone, please select your current mobile network from the drop-down menu below:

Frequently Asked Questions

More Information

For more information, please see Vodafone’s official website. You can also read our in-depth reviews on Vodafone Basics, on Vodafone Unlimited and on Vodafone’s network and coverage.