Vodafone SIM Only deals

Why choose a Vodafone SIM Only deal?

As a major network, Vodafone unsurprisingly offers a huge selection of SIM Only plans, so you’re sure to be able to find one (or more) that you like.

The options include 30-day, 12-month, and 24-month plans, with each duration offering up to unlimited data (though you can also get far lower allowances if you prefer).

Select Vodafone SIM Only plans also come with what Vodafone calls ‘Xtra benefits’. These include a subscription to a service of your choice, with the options being Amazon Prime, Spotify Premium, or YouTube Premium.

These Xtra benefits can also include free roaming in either 51 European destinations or 83 worldwide ones, unlimited picture messages, the ability to boost your monthly data limit to unlimited a certain number of times during your contract, and ‘Device Care’, which gets you device health checks and a valuation.

Vodafone’s SIM Only plans also all come with 5G (though note that some of its unlimited data plans have speed restrictions – more on which further down), and they all include Wi-Fi Calling, 4G Calling, and tethering, as well as access to Vodafone’s VeryMe Rewards service, which has treats, discounts, and prize draws from various brands.

Is Vodafone a good network?

Vodafone has been in the business for a long time, so it knows what it’s doing, and it has its own infrastructure too, so it’s not reliant on another company to provide signal, which helps with reliability.

The network has over 99% population coverage with 4G, while 5G is available in hundreds of towns and cities across the UK, with 5G coverage improving at a rapid rate. So you can be confident that you’ll be able to get a Vodafone signal in most places.

As for speeds, Vodafone was found in a September 2023 Opensignal report to have average download speeds of 27.9Mbps and average upload speeds of 8.0Mbps. That’s factoring in a mix of 5G, 4G, and 3G, but when looking just at 5G, its speeds are much higher. For that, the same report found that Vodafone’s average 5G download speed was 114.3Mbps, while a RootMetrics report from 2023 put Vodafone’s median 5G download speed at an even higher 131.5Mbps.

Of course, there’s more to a mobile network than speed, and in a 2023 customer service report from Ofcom, it was found that 86% of people were satisfied with the service on Vodafone overall, with 84% of people being satisfied with the reception or signal, 76% being satisfied with the value for money, 17% having a reason to complain, and 56% being satisfied with the way their complaint was handled.

The report also notes that there were 9 complaints to Ofcom per 100,000 customers, which is roughly average for the industry.

FAQ

Can I roam abroad with Vodafone?

Yes, you can roam abroad on Vodafone, with select plans offering inclusive roaming in either 51 European destinations or 83 global ones. The full global list includes the likes of Australia, Canada, the US, and many other popular holiday destinations.

If your plan doesn’t include roaming, then you’ll be charged £2.25 to use your day in Europe (with eight and 15-day passes available for a lower daily charge), or £6.85 per day to roam further afield. Vodafone also lets you access 5G when roaming in a growing number of places.

Note however that there’s a fair usage limit of 25GB of data per month when roaming.

Does Vodafone have credit checks?

Yes, Vodafone will credit check you when applying for a SIM Only contract. There are only a few networks that won’t, but if that’s of interest, check out who offers SIM Only deals with no credit check.

Can I keep my number when switching to Vodafone?

Yes, you can keep your number when switching to Vodafone, and the process is straightforward.

Basically, you just need to order and activate a Vodafone SIM card, and get a PAC (Porting Authorisation Code) from your old network. You can do these steps in either order, but to get the latter, simply text the word ‘PAC’ to 65075 from the number you want to keep.

Once you’ve completed both steps, just fill in Vodafone’s number transfer form.

Can I get unlimited data on Vodafone?

Yes, Vodafone offers a selection of SIM Only plans with unlimited data. These are split into three kinds – there’s Unlimited Lite, which limits your data speeds to 2Mbps, Unlimited, which tops out at 10Mbps, and Unlimited Max, offering the fastest available speeds.

2Mbps is enough for general web browsing and music streaming, while 10Mbps is additionally suitable for streaming HD videos, taking part in HD video calls, downloading and updating apps, sending files, and playing online single player games.

With uncapped speeds on an Unlimited Max plan, you can comfortably stream 4K content, play online games, and do everything else you might want to.