Vodafone refines pre-paid plan offering

Vodafone has "="" prepaid="" with="" new="" monthly="" and="" daily="" plans"="" shortcode="link" asset-type="article" uuid="77de31c2-f1d3-437f-b90a-2d5206f49b82" slug="optus-streamlines-its-prepaid-plans" link-text="followed in Optus' footsteps" section="news" title="Optus " edition="us" data-key="link_bulk_key" api="{"id":"77de31c2-f1d3-437f-b90a-2d5206f49b82","slug":"optus-streamlines-its-prepaid-plans","contentType":null,"edition":"us","topic":{"slug":"phones"},"metaData":{"typeTitle":null,"hubTopicPathString":"Mobile^Phones","reviewType":null},"section":"news"}"> making a number of changes to its prepaid plans, including increases to data allowances and incentives to using online or app-based methods for payments.

Data wise, Vodafone has doubled the data on its AU$30 and AU$40 plans to 1GB and 2GB respectively, while the AU$50 plan now comes with 3GB. Customers who recharge their accounts online or via the MyVodafone app will get bonus data packs: 250MB on the AU$30 plan, and 500MB on both the AU$40 and AU$50.

The AU$50 pre-paid plan will also have infinite standard international calls to 10 different countries: China, India, USA, UK, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

At the moment the International call offer is only until January 6, 2015. When asked if this would be extended, Mehul Dave, GM of prepaid at Vodafone would only say that Vodafone was: "was committed to international calling, especially for prepaid."

Dave also noted that 37.73 percent of Vodafone pre-paid customers make an international call once a month.

"Pre-pay lags behind the post-pay customer for most telcos, but Vodafone is trying to change this," Dave said. "The value you get should not be based on the way you pay."

According to Vodafone's own internal data, 4G customers use twice as much data at 3G customers and 4G data use is up 61 percent since the start of 2014.

The new plans come into play on September 24 for both new and existing customers.