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:

Basics Red Unlimited
Monthly Price From £7/month From £14/month From £30/month
Minutes Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Texts Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Data 2GB – 40GB 1GB – 200GB Unlimited
Contract Length 12 months 12 months
24 months
12 months
24 months
Other New customers only
SIM card only
Network & Coverage Features
5G Coverage * (5GB+ plans) *
Download Speed Uncapped 4G Uncapped 4G/5G Uncapped 4G/5G (Max)
Up to 10Mbps (Unlimited)
Up to 2Mbps (Lite)
Tethering
Wi-Fi Calling
4G Calling
International Roaming
Roaming Supported? UK-only use
Inclusive EU Roaming 51 destinations (plans with 4 Xtra Benefits)
(other plans)
51 destinations (plans with 4 Xtra Benefits)
(other plans)
Inclusive non-EU Roaming 32 destinations  (plans with 4 Xtra Benefits)
(other plans)
Roaming Data Limit
1GB – 20GB 25GB
Inclusive Entertainment
Entertainment Plan Add £7/month
(20GB plan only)
Add £7/month
(Unlimited & Max only)
Entertainment Services
Choose one:

  • YouTube Premium
  • Amazon Prime
  • Spotify Premium
  • NOW TV
  • Sky Sports Mobile TV
Choose one:

  • YouTube Premium
  • Amazon Prime
  • Spotify Premium
  • NOW TV
  • Sky Sports Mobile TV
Entertainment Length 12-24 months 12-24 months

* 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 40GB 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.

TariffMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
Basics
UnlimitedUnlimited6GB£7.00
12 months
Basics
UnlimitedUnlimited25GB£8.00
12 months
Basics
UnlimitedUnlimited40GB£10.00
12 months

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

5G coverage is available on Vodafone Red plans with more than 5GB of data.

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.

TariffMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited2GB£14.00
24 months
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited2GB£15.00
12 months
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited6GB£18.00
24 months
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited6GB£19.00
12 months
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited3GB£22.00
12 months
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited150GB£23.00
24 months
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited80GB£23.00
24 months
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited20GB£24.00
12 months
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited8GB£25.00
24 months
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited2GB£25.00
1 month
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited200GB£26.00
24 months
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited8GB£26.00
12 months
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited6GB£29.00
1 month
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited150GB£30.00
24 months
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited100GB£30.00
24 months
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited25GB£31.00
12 months
Red
UnlimitedUnlimited20GB£34.00
1 month
To show you the most relevant plans, 7 similar but more expensive plans have been hidden. .

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.

TariffMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
Unlimited
UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max
£30.00
24 months
Unlimited
UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max
£31.00
12 months
Unlimited
UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£33.00
24 months
Unlimited
UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£34.00
12 months
Unlimited
UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max
£37.00
24 months
Unlimited
UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max
£38.00
12 months
Unlimited
UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max
£39.00
24 months
Unlimited
UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£40.00
24 months
Unlimited
UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£41.00
12 months
Unlimited
UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max
£41.00
1 month
Unlimited
UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£42.00
24 months
Unlimited
UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£43.00
12 months
Unlimited
UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£44.00
1 month
To show you the most relevant plans, 11 similar but more expensive plans have been hidden. .

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:

Now Live100 towns and cities are live on Vodafone 5G (September 2023)
Aberdeen, Alexandria, Ambleside, Aughton, Basingstoke, Bebington, Belfast, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Bishopbriggs, Blaydon, Bolton, Bootle, Bournemouth, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheadle, Cheltenham, Chesterfield, Clydebank, Crawley, Crosby, Dewsbury, Dinas Powys, Droylsden, Dudley, Dundee, Eccles, Edinburgh, Eston and South Bank, Felling, Gateshead, Glasgow, Gloucester, Gosforth, Guildford, Hebburn, Helensburgh, Horwich, Huddersfield, Hull, Huyton-with-Roby, Isle of Scilly, Jarrow, Killingworth, Kingswood, Lancaster, Leeds, Lisburn, Liverpool, Llandudno, London, Longbenton, Manchester, Mangotsfield, Middlesbrough, Morley, Mosborough, Newbury, Newcastle, Newtownabbey, North Shields, Oldbury, Paisley, Penarth, Pendlebury, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Prescot, Prestwich, Pudsey, Rawmarsh, Reading, Rochdale, Rotherham, Salford, Sheffield, Shipley, Solihull, South Shields, Southampton, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent, Stranraer, Stretford, Sunderland, Sutton Coldfield, Swansea, Swinton, Tynemouth, Urmston, Wallasey, Wallsend, Warrington, Washington, Whitley Bay, Wolverhampton, York

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:

PAC Code Finder: Transfer Your Phone Number to Vodafone

Select your current mobile network:

  More Options

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Vodafone Red compare to Vodafone Basics and Vodafone Unlimited?
Vodafone offers three types of Pay Monthly plan:
  • Vodafone Basics (from £7/month): Low cost SIM-only plans, with 4G coverage and UK-only usage. Some lesser used features are not available on Basics.
  • Vodafone Red (from £14/month): Fully-featured Pay Monthly and SIM-only plans, with a data allowance up to 200GB per month. Has access to most features on the Vodafone network, including 5G coverage on plans with at least 5GB of data and inclusive roaming in 51 European destinations.
  • Vodafone Unlimited (from £30/month): Vodafone’s flagship price plan with no limits on how much you can download. Has a choice of three different download speeds, with 5G coverage available on all plans. Global Roaming Plus is available in 81 destinations on the Unlimited Max plan.
What download speeds are available on Vodafone price plans?
The maximum download speeds available on Vodafone’s price plans are as follows:
  • Vodafone Basics: Uncapped 4G speeds (10Mbps prior to October 2020)
  • Vodafone Red 1GB: Uncapped 4G speeds
  • Vodafone Red 5GB+: Uncapped 4G & 5G speeds
  • Vodafone Unlimited Lite: Up to 2Mbps
  • Vodafone Unlimited: Up to 10Mbps
  • Vodafone Unlimited Max: Uncapped 4G & 5G speeds
Which Vodafone price plans come with international roaming?
You can use your mobile phone abroad on any Vodafone Red or Vodafone Unlimited price plan. If you choose a plan with 4 Xtra Benefits, this will come with the Vodafone Global Roaming service. This covers 51 European Roam-free destinations on Vodafone Red, plus a further 32 Roam-free destinations on Vodafone Unlimited. Unfortunately, international roaming is not available on Vodafone Basics.
How does the coverage compare across Vodafone price plans?
In the UK, Vodafone offers four types of coverage: 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G. All Vodafone Pay Monthly customers are able to access 99% population coverage on Vodafone’s 2G, 3G and 4G networks. To get access to Vodafone’s 5G network, you’ll need a Vodafone Red plan with at least 5GB of data per month or a Vodafone Unlimited plan.
Which Vodafone price plans come with inclusive Entertainment?
You can add a Entertainment package for £7/month to the Vodafone Red 20GB, Unlimited and Unlimited Max plans. The Entertainment package gives you access to either YouTube Premium, Amazon Prime, Spotify Premium, the NOW TV Entertainment Pass or Sky Sports Mobile TV for the duration of your contract.
Can I keep my current phone number when joining Vodafone?
Yes. It’s easy to keep your current phone number when moving to Vodafone. Start by asking your current mobile network for a PAC Code, either through their website or app, or by texting PAC to 65075. You should then provide this to Vodafone after you sign up.

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.

Your Comments 13 so far

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. So far, we've received 13 comments from readers. You can add your own comment here.

  • Hello,
    I theory yes, however Vodafone does it somehow that GBs disappear very quickly even if all attachments closed and you do literally nothing. My previous comment was that 1.3GB disappeared just browsing linkedIn, news, and checking emails with no video or music in 5 days. So I was keeping the only one app opened Vodafone writing that comment, and 0.1GB has just been written off! Miracle by Vodafone! So to do anything and listen to music it’s a must to have unlimited. Thinking about leaving Vodafone though.

  • Hello,
    Just moved from Basic 5GB plan (I paid £18+ for some reason) to Red 5GB plan which is £15.
    Recently noticed, even being on the previous plan, GB started disappearing very quickly even if you don’t do anything but browsing LinkedIn, etc. 5 days and 1.3 GB has gone. No music, no film watching, nothing, very basic stuff like reading news and checking emails, not downloading anything huge.
    I have no idea how Vodafone does that … I’m not saying they are cheating but that’s interesting how they do it anyway.

    • Hi Tony,
      Thanks for your comment. Out of interest, what does the data usage monitor on your smartphone say and how does this data usage differ from what Vodafone is reporting? I’d personally be really surprised if they’re measuring your data usage incorrectly. Instead, it’s often the case that something’s running in the background (e.g. background app updates, cloud sync & backup services, etc) meaning data is consumed on your device in the background without you knowing.
      Ken

      • Hi Ken,
        Thank you. Probably I went to the wrong forum. Sorry. I meant what I said. I don’t do sync or cloud services as I simply don’t use it. My phone is not backed up for ages, that’s what my phone says. How it can be running in this case.
        I just don’t need to back up. Nothing on it literally. What can be run without me knowing. All apps closed. Switched off and on. Looked a couple of times on LinkedIn and Facebook. 0.1 Gb have gone. I think Vodafone is trying to trick us burning our Gbs somehow thinking we are going to go for more allowance paying them more. They are wrong. When my Gbs finish I’ll turn mobile data off.

        • Hi Tony,
          That’s very strange – I’m not quite sure why that’s happening. If you were to contact Vodafone, they should be able to give you more details on the charges including how they were calculated if you’d like to interrogate it further.
          Ken

  • Hi.. I am coming to the end of a Vodafone Red Entertainment pack, which had 25gb + Spotify/Sky and Global Roaming included.
    It seems that the new policies on offer will not have Global Roaming included, rather, they will charge £5/day usage for North America. Or am I wrong?
    I was told by a representative that if I stay on my contract, I will only lose the ‘Entertainment Option’ ie. Spotify/Sky, but will still have Global Roaming included..

    I travel to North America once a month and would like to have North America included in my price plan, as opposed to paying a ££ daily rate.

    Any help or suggestions for another carrier?

    Many thanks,

    • Hi there,
      It’s still possible to get Global Roaming Plus, which gives you up to 25GB of data each month for use in 77 destinations including the USA, Canada and Mexico. To get it, you’ll need to choose the Unlimited Max price plan which starts from £30/month on a SIM-only basis. Entertainment will cost you an extra £6/month so the total package with Entertainment starts from £36/month.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

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