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Big Value Bundles and what happens if I don't use it?

KyG
2: Seeker
2: Seeker

Hi all,

 

I am new to Vodafone Pay as you go and bought £20 of credit which automatically became a big value bundle. It is now almost the end of my 30 day period and I understand the bundle is going to expire... The trouble is I have barely used the minutes and data; am I correct in assuming I will lose all remaining data and minutes if I don't top up with another £20 to allow the automatic renewal? Also, If I do this, I assume I will be getting another load of data and minutes that will take me an age to get through... Is any of the credit recoverable or is it best to opt out now, lose what I haven't used and go onto a smaller bundle or Freebie option?

 

Any advice appreciated

15 REPLIES 15

Annie_N
Community Champion (Retired)
Community Champion (Retired)

@merseyman If she doesn't manage to actually opt out of the BVB, it will go on trying for upto a week to renew itself. Therefore the main trick is to ensure that there's never enough balance there to let it renew.

 

Once she has opted out, and the active 30 days has finished, it should then be possible to opt in to another Freebie. Once the opt-in for that has taken effect, a topup of £10 or more will trigger the Freebie.

 

The phone will be perfectly usable in the meantime, it's just that you can't risk putting too much credit on it, and any credit you do put on at that stage won't trigger the Freebie.

Thanks,

We'll give it a go and see what happens.

KyG
2: Seeker
2: Seeker
Managed to opt out via 2345 after many options and listening to my balance recited over and over... I can't remember exactly but I know I pressed one first (know more instead of main menu) and then got down to 'mange bundle' which allowed me to opt out without waiting those 7 days... hope that helps...

I have loaded £10 now and will try and opt into something else once this bundle expires in 2 days even though I'm opted out.

Annie_N
Community Champion (Retired)
Community Champion (Retired)

Thanks for the reassurance, @KyG - the latest version of 2345 seems very comprehensive, so it probably does contain all the options, but may need greater concentration to find your way to the bit you need!

 

Once your bundle's active 30 days is finished, you'll be fine to opt in to one of the Freebies. But do be aware that the £10 you've already loaded won't trigger the Freebie - to get that, you have to top up after opting in.

One of the freebies!

How many are there?

 

PAYG is such a simple concept. Why does Vodafone have to complicate it so much?

Annie_N
Community Champion (Retired)
Community Champion (Retired)

@merseyman

 

Four different types - minutes, texts, data, or international minutes - and the idea is to choose the one that suits your likely usage. Oh, and different values for each type, determined solely by the amount of the top-up!

 

Go to http://www.vodafone.co.uk/shop/bundles-and-sims/pay-as-you-go-plans/ then scroll down until you get to What are you looking for? and choose the Freebies tab.

 

There is plain PAYG, which you can run with once the initial BVB has expired, but it actually works out quite expensive unless you are a very light user, if you don't take advantage of the most relevant Freebie. Exactly the same applies to most, if not all the networks - they have a traditional PAYG plan, but the alternatives will be more cost-effective for most customers. And the alternatives are very difficult to explain, although probably quite simple in practice.

 

Because I live in an area of poor signal for all networks, I have back-up phones with a couple of other networks. I did my best to sign up to the most suitable option with both, but I didn't go into it all that thoroughly. Both deals suit me well enough, but TBH I truly didn't understand until I had them exactly what they would (and wouldn't) do for me.

 

I think that the real explanation is that mobile phones have progressed beyond all imagining since they were first used, and people's requirements and expectations have changed and developed. So one size just doesn't fit all any longer, and the networks do their best to provide a range of options - but they are complicated, or rather they look complicated because they try to cover such a wide spectrum. Once you've found a reasonable match for your requirements, you'll get the hang of the fine details quite quickly!