Vodafone has a range of unlimited data plans with 4G & 5G coverage. Choose between Unlimited Max, Unlimited and Unlimited Lite download speeds.

In the UK, Vodafone offers a choice of three unlimited data plans, each one differing in the download speeds you’re able to get. The unlimited data plans from Vodafone start from £30/month. For this, you’ll get an unlimited data SIM card which also includes unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and access to 5G coverage.

When buying an unlimited data plan from Vodafone, you’ll need to choose between three different plans. Unlimited Max is Vodafone’s fastest available plan. Meanwhile, Unlimited is capped at a maximum download speed of 10Mbps and Unlimited Lite is capped at a maximum speed of 2Mbps.

Get unlimited data from £30/month →

In this article, we’ll compare Vodafone’s unlimited data plans. We’ll start by comparing the three plans in detail: Unlimited Max, Unlimited and Unlimited Lite. We’ll then take an in-depth look at the download speeds available and at how Vodafone’s unlimited data plans compare to the rest of the market. Finally, we’ll discuss the coverage available and how you can keep your phone number when moving to Vodafone.

Unlimited Data on Vodafone

Vodafone Unlimited Data Plans Compared

In the UK, Vodafone now offers unlimited data on a choice of three different plans.

Starting from £30/month, you can currently choose from the Vodafone Unlimited Max, Unlimited and Unlimited Lite plans. All of them will allow you to download as much as you like, with no hidden limits or fair usage policies.

However, the unlimited data plans differ in the speeds and features available:

  • Unlimited Max starts from £35/month and gives you the fastest available speeds on Vodafone’s network, including 5G if you have a 5G-ready phone and 5G coverage where you live.
  • Unlimited starts from £30/month and gives you download speeds of up to 10Mbps.
  • Unlimited Lite starts from £30/month and gives you download speeds of up to 2Mbps.

You can also get unlimited data on a range of Pay Monthly phones and on mobile broadband, with a range of different offers available.

Key Differences: At A Glance

The following table shows a side-by-side comparison between the Unlimited Max, Unlimited and Unlimited Lite plans. You can read on through the rest of this article for more information about each individual plan.

Unlimited Max Unlimited Unlimited Lite
Monthly Price From £40/month From £30/month From £22/month
Download Speed Fastest available speeds
(4G & 5G coverage)
Up to 10Mbps
(4G & 5G coverage)
Up to 2Mbps
(4G & 5G coverage)
Inclusive Allowances
Minutes Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Texts Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Data Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Tethering Not recommended
Entertainment Add £7/month
(12 & 24 months only)
Add £7/month
(12 & 24 months only)

If you’d like to use unlimited data for work or business, you can get a Vodafone business SIM card with unlimited data. This starts from £9.17/month for the first 6 months, followed by £18.33/month (excluding VAT).

In the rest of this section, we’ll look at each of Vodafone’s unlimited data plans in more detail.

Unlimited Max Plan

Unlimited Max is Vodafone’s flagship unlimited data plan. It gives you unlimited data with the fastest available download speeds.

On Unlimited Max, your download speeds can in theory go all the way up to 1,000Mbps when you’re connected to Vodafone’s 5G network. Alternatively, you can get download speeds of up to 450Mbps when connected to 4G.

In practice, you’ll rarely get these maximum possible speeds. A more typical range of download speeds is 150-200Mbps on 5G and 25-35Mbps on 4G. You can get an estimate of the download speeds in your area by entering your postcode on this page and then tapping on the “Data speed info” button.

Because you’ll get the fastest available speeds, Unlimited Max is perfect for downloading large files and for watching online video in ultra-HD (4K) quality. It’s also perfect if you want to tether to other devices, or if you want to use the Unlimited Max SIM card for 4G or 5G broadband.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
(may rise during contract)
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£35.00

See Unlimited Max plan offers →

At present, you can get an Unlimited Max SIM card for £40/month. If you like, you can add Entertainment to your plan for an extra £7/month. This gives you an inclusive subscription to either YouTube Premium, Amazon Prime or Spotify Premium for the length of your contract. You’ll also get 100 UK-to-EU minutes every month.

Unlimited Plan

If you don’t need the fastest available download speeds and inclusive roaming outside Europe, Vodafone Unlimited can be a good option that saves you around £4/month. At present, you can get a Vodafone Unlimited plan for £30/month.

On Vodafone Unlimited, the maximum download speed available is 10Mbps. This is equivalent to 4G speed, or the speed of a regular home broadband connection. This will allow you to do the majority of things you’d want to do on you smartphone, including streaming HD-quality video and making HD-quality video calls. However, you won’t be able to stream ultra-HD (4K quality) video. Tethering to multiple devices at the same time can also cause your connection to slow down (as the 10Mbps speed limit collectively applies to all of your tethered devices).

Of course, the 10Mbps speed limit doesn’t apply when you’re using Wi-Fi so you’ll still be able to watch ultra-HD video at home using Wi-Fi if you like.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
(may rise during contract)
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max
£30.00

See Unlimited plan offers →

The Vodafone Unlimited plan is available from £30/month. Like on Unlimited Max, you can also add an entertainment package for an extra £7/month.

Unlimited Lite Plan

If you want a low-cost unlimited data plan where you never need to worry about running out of data mid-month, Unlimited Lite can be a good value option. It starts from only £22/month. This is a saving of £8/month compared to the normal price of the Unlimited Max plan.

The main downside of Unlimited Lite is that download speeds are capped at a maximum of 2Mbps. This is roughly equivalent to the speed of a 3G connection. That’s enough for everyday usage like browsing the web, using social media, instant messaging, listening to music online and watching video in standard-definition quality. However, it won’t allow you to watch HD-quality video and tethering isn’t recommended as the 2Mbps doesn’t go far across multiple devices.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
No price plans could be found matching this criteria.

See Unlimited Lite plan offers →

You can get an Unlimited Lite SIM card for £22/month. There’s no option to add an entertainment package to Unlimited Lite.

Fair Usage Policy

Vodafone Unlimited Data SIM CardWithin the UK, there’s no fair usage limit on Vodafone’s unlimited data plans, except that it needs to be “for your personal and non-commercial use”. This differs from some other networks like EE and O2 who impose a fair usage limit for unlimited data (this is 600GB per month on EE and 650GB per month on O2).

If you’re using unlimited data for your work or business, you can choose a Vodafone business unlimited data plan from £9.17/month for the first 6 months, followed by £18.33/month (excluding VAT).

If you’re using a Vodafone Unlimited plan with 4 Xtra Benefits, you can use up to 25GB of data abroad at no extra cost each month.

SIM Cards For 4G & 5G Broadband

You can use Vodafone’s unlimited data SIM cards for 4G or 5G broadband. If you’d like to do this, we’d typically recommend choosing the Unlimited Max plan as this gives you the fastest available download speeds. This is important when you’re sharing the broadband connection with other devices, as each device will have its own additional bandwidth requirements.

Vodafone offers a choice of mobile broadband devices including a USB data dongle and a mobile wi-fi hotspot. Alternatively, if you have your own 4G or 5G mobile broadband device, you can simply use an unlimited data SIM card from Vodafone inside it.

Download Speeds

As mentioned, the primary difference between Vodafone’s unlimited data plans is the maximum download speed available on each one (2Mbps on Unlimited Lite and 10Mbps on Unlimited).

The following table shows a range of online activities and the download speed that’s required to use it on your phone. We’ve also shown whether you’ll be able to use each activity on the Unlimited Lite, Unlimited and Unlimited Max plans:

Activity Required
Speed
Unlimited Lite
(2Mbps)
Unlimited
(10Mbps)
Unlimited Max
(Fastest available)
General web browsing 0.1-1Mbps
Social media, instant messaging & e-mail <0.1Mbps
Skype/WhatsApp phone call 0.1Mbps
Skype/Zoom video call 0.5-0.8Mbps
Skype/Zoom video call (HD) 1.5-1.8Mbps
Zoom group video call (HD) 2.5-3Mbps
Listening to online radio 0.2Mbps
Streaming music (Spotify, Apple Music, etc) 0.4Mbps
Watching YouTube videos (basic quality) 0.5Mbps
Watching YouTube videos (720p HD quality) 2.5Mbps
Watching YouTube videos (1080p HD quality) 4Mbps
Watching iPlayer/Netflix (standard definition) 1.5Mbps
Watching iPlayer/Netflix (high definition) 5Mbps
Watching iPlayer/Netflix (4K UHD) 25Mbps
Online Gaming (Xbox One/PS4) 3Mbps

For most people, we think the regular Vodafone Unlimited plan is a good solid choice as it already supports the vast majority of what you’d do online. It doesn’t support ultra-HD video streaming and it isn’t great for tethering your phone to lots of devices at the same time.

For the ultimate experience, you can upgrade to Unlimited Max to get faster download speeds and inclusive roaming in another 30 destinations outside Europe. The extra speed is by no means necessary for most people but it can make things a little speedier and faster on your phone.

If you’d like to save a bit of money, Unlimited Lite will still support most of the things you’d like to do on your phone. It’s a good choice if you want peace of mind about never running out of data, but you’re restricted in some of the things you can do (e.g. watching HD-quality video). For this reason, it can be somewhat limited compared to what you’ll get on the other plans and may not be suitable for all types of usage.

Comparison to Alternatives

Besides Vodafone, numerous other UK mobile networks also offer an unlimited data plan.

Normally, Three is the cheapest mobile network for unlimited data in the UK. Currently, their unlimited data plans start from just £20/month. This includes 5G coverage at no extra cost, with no speed limits or hidden fair usage limits.

The following table shows a side-by-side comparison of Vodafone’s unlimited data plans and those available on other networks:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly Cost
(may rise during contract)
SmartyUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£16.00
1 month
iD MobileUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£16.00
12 months
ThreeUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£20.00
24 months
Lebara MobileUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£22.50
12 months
Tesco MobileUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£25.00
24 months
giffgaffUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£25.00
18 months
EEUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£29.00
24 months
VOXIUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£30.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max
£30.00
24 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£31.00
24 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£35.00
12 months

It’s important to note that several other mobile networks have a fair usage limit on their unlimited data plans (e.g. restrictions on personal hotspot usage or speed limits after a certain amount of data usage in one month). For more information, see our full guide to unlimited data plans in the UK.

Coverage

4G & 5G Coverage

In the UK, Vodafone offers 99% population coverage on their 4G network. In addition, 5G coverage is available in major urban areas.

Before you sign up to Vodafone’s unlimited data plan, it’s worth double-checking to make sure there’s coverage in your area. You can do this by entering your postcode on Vodafone’s online coverage map:

Check Vodafone Coverage (vodafone.co.uk) →

With 4G coverage, you can normally access download speeds of about 25-35Mbps on Vodafone. To get a more accurate figure for download speeds in your area, tap on the “Data speed info” button after entering your postcode.

Tethering & Personal Hotspot

Tethering or personal hotspot refers to the process of sharing your smartphone’s internet connection with another device (e.g. with your laptop or tablet).

On Vodafone’s unlimited data plans, it’s possible to tether and use personal hotspot without any restrictions. This means you can share your unlimited data allowance with other devices.

One thing, however, that’s worth remembering is that your download speed limit will be shared across all of your tethered devices. For instance, on the 10Mbps unlimited data plan, it’ll only be possible to stream HD-quality video on two devices at the same time (each HD-quality video stream uses around 5Mbps). For this reason, if you regularly use the personal hotspot feature on multiple devices, it might be worth choosing the Unlimited Max plan.

For more information, see our full guide to tethering and personal hotspot usage in the UK.

International Roaming

On Vodafone’s unlimited data plans with 4 Xtra Benefits, you can use up to 25GB of data abroad each month. This is through Vodafone’s Global Roaming Plus which gives you inclusive roaming in 83 destinations. It includes most of Europe, the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and more.

If you’re using an unlimited data plan without 4 Xtra Benefits, you’ll pay £2/day to use your phone in Europe and £6/day to use your phone outside Europe.

According to Vodafone, they offer 4G roaming in more destinations than any other mobile network. At the time of writing, 4G roaming is available in 137 destinations. 5G roaming is also available in 68 European towns and cities across Italy, Spain, Germany and Ireland (including Milan, Rome, Naples, Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cork and Dublin).

For more information, see the Vodafone Global Roaming webpage or check the international roaming rates on Vodafone’s website.

Keeping Your Phone Number

It’s a straightforward process to keep your current phone number when changing from another mobile network to Vodafone.

Start by ordering your new unlimited data SIM card from Vodafone’s website. Once you’ve done that, you can request a PAC Code from your old mobile network. You can get one free of charge through your mobile network’s website or app, or by texting PAC to 65075.

Once your new unlimited data SIM card arrives from Vodafone, place it inside your mobile phone. You can then give your PAC Code to Vodafone. They’ll schedule the transfer of your phone number, normally for the next working day after you submit this form.

For a step-by-step guide on how to transfer 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

What’s the difference between Unlimited Lite, Unlimited and Unlimited Max?
The main difference between Unlimited Lite, Unlimited and Unlimited Max is the download speeds you’re able to get:
  • Unlimited Lite: Up to 2Mbps
  • Unlimited: Up to 10Mbps
  • Unlimited Max: Fastest available speeds (4G and 5G)

On Unlimited Max, you’ll also get Vodafone Global Roaming Plus. This gives you inclusive roaming in 81 destinations.

How much does unlimited data cost on Vodafone?
If you’re looking for a SIM-only deal, you’ll pay the following to get unlimited data on Vodafone:
  • Unlimited Lite: £22/month
  • Unlimited: From £30/month
  • Unlimited Max: From £35/month

It’s also possible to get unlimited data on a Pay Monthly phone from Vodafone, such as the iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy phone.

Is there a fair usage policy for unlimited data for Vodafone?
No. On Vodafone, there is no fair usage limit for unlimited data in the UK. It just needs to be “for your personal and non-commercial use”. Unlimited data plans for business are also available on Vodafone from £18.33/month (excluding VAT).

If you’re travelling abroad outside the UK, you can use up to 25GB of data abroad in other countries each month.

Can I use tethering or personal hotspot with unlimited data on Vodafone?
Yes. You can use tethering and personal hotspot to share your unlimited data allowance with other devices. However, any download speed limits will also be shared across tethered devices. For this reason, it might be worth choosing the Unlimited Max plan if you regularly tether to multiple devices.
What coverage can I access on Vodafone unlimited data plan?
You’ll get access to Vodafone’s 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G network. At present, there’s 99% population coverage available on 2G, 3G and 4G. Meanwhile, 5G coverage has started to roll out in major UK towns and cities. You can use Vodafone’s online coverage map to see what is available in your area.
Can I keep my current phone number?
Yes. It’s easy to keep your current phone number. Simply ask your current mobile network to provide you with a PAC Code. You can get one through your mobile network’s app or website, or by texting PAC to 65075. You should then provide Vodafone with this PAC Code after ordering your new unlimited data SIM card.

More Information

For more information on Vodafone’s unlimited data plans, please see their official website.

Your Comments 18 so far

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. So far, we've received 18 comments from readers. You can add your own comment here.

  • Hi Ken,

    This is very useful (thanks!) but do you know if any data is available for Vodafone upload speeds.

    We’ve had some problems with our Vodafone broadband, especially on the upload. I suspect it is the old copper (I’m told) cabling. It’s gone from consistent 15-20 Mbps upload, to consistent c.10 Mbps in December, to consistent 3-4 Mbps recently. Might providers be having to limit upload speeds because much more bandwidth is used up these days (Zoom, Teams etc.)?

    We’re pretty central Bristol, close to cabinet (<100m) and the Bristol West exchange (10Mbps upload.

    All iPhones and I’ve turned off low data mode, I case that was throttling it.

    Any ideas,

    Many thanks,

    P

    • Hi Paul,
      Thanks for your comment. This article is about Vodafone’s unlimited data plans for mobile – it’s very different for their home broadband service (see here for more information on the broadband speeds).
      For broadband, I don’t believe they have an average upload figure – only a maximum of 10Mbps on Superfast 1 and 20Mbps on Superfast 2. If you’re seeing a reduction in performance, I’d probably recommend reaching out to Vodafone directly as they can run some tests from their side to diagnose what might have happened inside their network.
      Ken

  • Thanks again, Ken. I have a further question – which is unrelated to the AI cube.
    Not sure if I should post it here, or in another review which you did?
    It relates to the upload / download speed for SIM cards. I read carefully about different unlimited SIM plans offered by Vodafone – it seems the more expensive one (Max) would have the fastest upload / download speed. In reality, does this actually work? – ie if we go for the Unlimited max the speed would be much faster than for the Unlimited light?
    I currently have a Three sim card as it gives me free roaming in 72 countries – I do travel a bit, so have found that to be useful for text messages or brief emails. However, I do understand that Three throttles the speed when roaming overseas – 2G and 3G, and a lot of time I have had no sensible signal at all. Some people have complained about this. Also Three does not allow hotspotting while overseas.
    If I have a Vodafone unlimited max sim card, it will give me free 71 roaming countries (not the same list as Three) – which is useful for my travel. Do you know if Vodafone will throttle the speed when roaming overseas (like Three)? Also, I read in one of your reviews that Vodafone does allow hotspotting while overseas (Three does not allow this). Is this correct?
    Sorry, too many questions. But, appreciate your thoughts on the above.

    • Hi Dragonfly,
      Thanks for your comment. I’ve taken the liberty to move your comment to my blog post on Vodafone’s unlimited data plans. I hope you don’t mind me doing this (I’m hoping it will just be more useful for other people here, in case they also have the same questions as you)!
      The answer to this is it really depends. You can see a bit more information about this in my guide to download speeds, but I’d typically expect download speeds of about 30Mbit/s on a modern 4G connection (even more if you’re connected to 5G). This differs, however, depending on your location, your proximity to the nearest phone mast, the amount of congestion, etc.
      With Unlimited Max, you’ll get the maximum possible speeds available on Vodafone’s network. Assuming the speeds available in your area are more than 10Mbit/s, you would get a faster experience when using the Unlimited Max plan. If the speeds available in your area are less than 10Mbit/s, there wouldn’t be much of a difference between your experience on the two.
      The other side of this is really what download speeds you need, and what impact this has on what you can actually do. Something like a HD quality video stream only uses about 5Mbit/s, so you may not actually have a need for the higher speeds above 10Mbit/s. Similarly, if you’re downloading a file, it may only save you one or two seconds (in which case, the extra speeds may not be justified).
      With regards to roaming, I believe Vodafone should give you full-speed roaming when you travel abroad. As far as I know, there are no limitations on tethering/personal hotspot, like Three has when you’re travelling outside the EU. On Unlimited Max, you’ll get Global Roaming Plus (inclusive roaming in 77 destinations).
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

  • Has anybody switched to Voda unlimited from Three? Like many others I am suffering from throttling with Three, and am about to reject my deal as unfit for purpose, and switch to Voda unlimited. I just wondered what other new users think about Voda’s speed and service.

    • Ee are to be releasing unlimited data soon, with the fastest download speeds in the uk for a mobile network may be worth the switch to them

    • I moved over from Three couple days ago been with them (3) for 10 years, but they once again shafted me with “getting rid of old plans” this is the second time.

      Previously was when they got rid of the “One Plan” was paying £15 per month SIMO.

      Currently was on unlimited everything with tethering for £18 wanted to move me over to £23 for same service.

      Out of principle moved to vodafone £30 max. First speed test on 4G i got 200 Mbps down on my S10

      Vodafone speeds seem substantially better than Three at most I’ve gotten was 80 Mbps

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