Using Text&Web Freebie and Extra Data together

[saguaro]

I currently have both a Text&Web Freebie and a 500 Mb Extra Data allowance active, because I accidentally used up my last Extra Data a couple of weeks early, so I topped up to get the Freebie allowance.  My problem is that as soon as the Extra Data renewed, according to the My Vodafone app, the system started counting my data usage against that rather than the Freebie. If that's actually what's happening, it means that if I use up the Extra data after the Freebie expires but before its own 30-day life is up, I will have no data allowance and no way of getting one until the Extra renews again. This doesn't seem right -- shouldn't the data be taken first from the allowance that expires first?

[BandOfBrothers]

That's my thought too. 

The data allowance would be used from the main tariff and if and when that's exhausted the extra data then kicks in. 

[Annie_N · Accepted solution]

I've queried this in the past, and understand that the Extra will always be used ahead of the Freebie or BVB. So you need to activate an Extra while there is is still some of your routine allowance left. BTW the Extra will auto renew if you have an adequate balance, unless you opt out before it expires. 

[saguaro]

Thanks. It still doesn't seem sensible, but I'll know in future. Did you mean 'don't need to activate an Extra ...'?

[Annie_N]

I think I was probably trying to address a slightly different point! But it's still important not to overrun your standard allowance before you buy an Extra, or you could find that you've incurred the £2 daily data charge. Ironically I discovered this behaviour of Extras right at the end of my Freebie, and it would actually have been cheaper to pay £2 for the final day than £5 for the Extra. But I was concentrating on the wrong issue! 

[saguaro]

Ah, OK, I see what you mean. In my case, for short gaps between allowances I tend to use my other SIM, which has 1p/Mb data but worse network coverage.  I very rarely make calls, so in principle, if I didn't keep doing silly things like turning off the wifi and forgetting to turn it back on for three days, I could get by on about four £10 top-ups a year on Vodafone and one on the other SIM (one month T&W, two months Extra Data with texts on the other SIM, top up and repeat), but I'm not quite organized enough to make that work in practice.

[Annie_N]

@saguaro Yes, I find I get caught out by that sort of thing - the reasons why one has the phone can be rather more interesting than the mechanics of getting the best bargain out of it!

Another way of bridging gaps between Freebies or Extras is to use Rewards Points to "buy" a 7-day bundle of data. They are bonus bundles, akin to the "top up by {amount} before {date} to get..." offers, and I think that they are used up ahead of any other products - after all there wouldn't be much point in having the bonus if you found that you didn't get the opportunity to use any of it. For light users, the Points don't really build up fast enough for the more exciting Rewards, but I find the occasional bundle of data useful if I'm going to be somewhere with better signal than I get around my home.