Vodafone mobile review 2024: Is it any good?
Dan Howdle | August 21st, 2024
Vodafone offers a range of contract, SIM-only and pay-as-you-go tariffs as well as a number of smart devices. There are also neat extras such as flexible contracts and the VeryMe Reward scheme offering exclusive discounts and prizes to customers.
Vodafone’s rollout of 5G is continuing apace, and its 4G coverage is excellent with plenty of unlimited data options available. So what else does Vodafone offer and what makes it stand out from the crowd? We take a look.
Tariffs and plans
All Vodafone’s handset pay monthly contracts are unique in that you can choose your own contract length and up-front amount to pay on the handset part of the deal. Contract lengths can be chosen from any number between three and 36 months. Upfront costs tend to have a minimum of £50, but you can pay more and get lower monthly bills as a result. This is more flexibility than any other provider and we commend Vodafone for it.
So-called 'Airtime plans' are the part of the deal that gives you minutes, data and texts and connects you to the Vodafone network. These vary enormously in terms of the data they offer and the extras thrown in. For example, 'Unlimited Max Xtra Global Roam' offers unlimited data and unlimited roaming to 83 global destinations, 'Unlimited Max Xtra Euro Roam' to 51 European destinations and so on. The very long names of Vodafone's Airtime packages reveal pretty much what you're going to get.
SIM only
Vodafone’s SIM-only deals arrive in the form of 24-month, 12-month or 30-day contracts and all include unlimited texts and a range of data deals. If you're prepared to sign up to a 24-month SIM-only deal, you get more choice of data, texts and calls.
As with the pay monthly options, Vodafone offers both Unlimited and Red plans with the option to choose an Entertainment extra with its SIM-only deals. However, unlike its pay monthly options, not all the SIM-only deals are 5G-ready.
Vodafone was the best network in terms of free-roaming destinations covered. However, as of January 31, 2022, it began charging for roaming via a tiered (or 'zoned' system). Zone A: the Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man. No roaming charges apply. Zone B: 49 destinations, most of which are in Europe and are EU member states. For anyone with a Vodafone Pay Monthly plan that started on or after 11 August 2021, roaming starts from £1 a day. Zone C: 32 destinations, from Australia and Barbados to the US and South Africa. For anyone with a Vodafone Pay Monthly plan that started on or after 11 August 2021, roaming costs £6 a day. Zone D: 73 destinations, from Afghanistan and Argentina to Uzbekistan and Vietnam. For anyone with a Vodafone Pay Monthly plan that started on or after 11 August 2021, roaming costs £6 a day.
Pay as you go
Vodafone also offers pay-as-you-go bundles that roll over unused data, minutes, and texts to the next 30-day period.
The standard out-of-bundle rates for PAYG cost just £1 per day. This gives you unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 50MB of data. And if you don’t use any of these services on a particular day, you won’t be charged at all.
PAYG customers can also benefit from Vodafone’s VeryMe Rewards, as long as you top up a minimum of £10 every six weeks.
Phone and device range
Vodafone offers a strong choice of brands including Apple, Samsung, Motorola, Honor, and Google Pixel. Some networks only offer the biggest brands and the latest models, but Vodafone offers handsets from smaller, more affordable brands, such as Doro and Fairphone/
Customer service
Vodafone may offer lots of choice of tariffs and handsets, but it falls down the pecking order when it comes to customer service. The latest Ofcom data shows it had only nine complaints to Ofcom per 100,000 customers, but that 56% were happy at how issues were handled – and while that may sound low, that's the highest satisfaction recorded of any major provider.
Satisfaction levels overall for Vodafone were 86%, compared to 87% across the sector. The proportion of Vodafone customers with a reason to complain was 17%, compared to the industry average of 12%.
There are plenty of ways to get in touch with Vodafone if you do have issues. You can visit any one of its branches across the UK, use live chat online, get in touch via social media, or post your query on a customer forum. Its phone lines are also open 24/7, where Ofcom data shows you will find waiting times of 2 minutes and 30 seconds, compared to an average of 2 minutes and 15 seconds in the sector.
Value for money
Vodafone may not be the cheapest network on the market, but you do get lots of good extras. There are also options to trade in your old handset from any network, which can reduce your upfront costs, while both pay-as-you-go users and pay-monthly customers can enjoy the benefit of Vodafone’s VeryMe Rewards, which offers regular discounts, giveaways and prize draws from some major brands.
Vodafone also offers more than just handsets, by offering its range of Smart Tech. Chargers and smart watches are available both on their own and bundled in with some handset contracts: Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy watches, and accessories including Apple AirPods, Samsung Galaxy Buds and Google Home products are all there for the taking.
Existing mobile customers can benefit from various special discounts, including 15% off an additional mobile plan, or a discount when signing up for Vodafone broadband with the Vodafone Together plan.
Network coverage
Vodafone has excellent 4G coverage across the UK and its 5G network is slowly growing. Although not as advanced as that of EE, Vodafone’s 5G signal is now available in 318 towns and cities across the UK, as well as 344 roaming locations across the EU.
If you are in a major UK city, you are more likely to get a decent 4G signal with Vodafone. Ofcom datashows that 84% of Vodafone users are happy with their mobile reception, which is above the average of 81% in the sector. If you want to be sure it is worth consulting Vodafone’s coverage checker, which will reveal how good its basic 3G, 4G and 5G signal is based on your postcode both indoors and outdoors.
Check Vodafone mobile coverage
Conclusion
Vodafone offers a decent variety of deals for contract, pay-as-you-go and SIM-only fans. It offers a wide range of data options, including several Unlimited plans, as well as many 5G-ready options.
The pricing overall isn’t the cheapest, but you can also earn yourself a bit of money back by trading in your old handset when setting up a Vodafone deal. And those deals are the most flexible in the business, allowing you to choose your contract length as you please.
The network is doing its best to tackle customer service issues and this has resulted in an improvement in recent Ofcom surveys. Industry data suggests you get good mobile signal with Vodafone, so if the customer service issues can be ironed out, this network is worth considering.
