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.”
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.”