EVO Plans - Be Careful

[Mobilemandan]

So just a heads up for anyone on Vodafone they only sell handsets on EVO plans now and this may cause a few headaches. 

now they even credit check upgrades and differently for addition lines

on the OLD way once you pay for A SIM for 3 months you can upgrade to a phone, and when you are due a phone upgrade you can pick any phone. 

also if you want to add an additional line once approved you can pick what you like. 

HOWEVER!

EVO has changed all that, now a sim only customer gets credit checked for an upgrade which might decline….. and worse…..

if you are on a handset plan and due an upgrade they check you for that too now, which means you can be due an upgrade, fail a new credit check and be declined your new upgrade phone meaning you usage to keep what you have or change to a sim only. 

also if you pay off your phone or choose to upgrade on 12 months it’s ANOTHER credit check being done on you to see if they will let you, not an internal one based on your bill history like before. 

when EVO was announced I thought it was amazing and excited to see the deals, however I have already known of someone who had an account with Vodafone already, had handsets only last month which were returned in order to order on the new EVO plans and get declined, and then declined upgrading their sim to a phone also. 

seems a backwards move so just a heads up to everyone to look into the details before getting too excited, personally if I paid my bill every month for 2yrs and then I got told I can’t upgrade to a new phone because of a credit check system I would end up just getting my PAC and going elsewhere 

[garethr]

With iPhones they’re always unbranded and all software and support is supplied by Apple direct. With zero interest on the Evo plans and some of the added extras that come with it, there is no difference between sourcing a device on Vodafone vs Apple direct. In some cases Evo may work out better as it allows payment over a longer period than iUp or the Barclays finance option.

As an aside, I’m not entirely sure what the fuss is about here with Evo. Vodafone have always credit checked upgrades and new contracts. They’ve always had a internal credit limit on the monthly spend/quantity of handsets they’ll allow on an account.

So what are they doing differently here now?

If you’ve got a good history of reasonably sized payments on time with Vodafone there should be no issue. 

[WelshPaul]

All of Vodafone's Android handsets come with Vodafone branded software and you can get up to three years interest free credit if you shop around online. Hell, I think people are crazy to take out a three year loan on a mobile phone! But it's there if one chooses too.

[WelshPaul]

Here is a comparison of the S21 Ultra...

SIM Free S21 Ultra 128GB Black

• Upfront Cost: £0
• Monthly Payment: £23.94 (48 months - Interest Free)
• Total price: £1149.12

Vodafone Evo S21 Ultra 128GB Black

• Upfront Cost: £29
• Monthly Payment: £32 (36 months - Interest Free)
• Total price: £1181

So yea, I don't understand why anyone bothers with Vodafone Evo personally. Not just Vodafone, but any of the other networks that do this too! 

[garethr]

I was only really referring to iPhones - which are unlocked and exactly the same price as direct from Apple. There’s no advantage in buying direct vs Evo. 

IMO the Android ecosystem is still a fractured mess of propriety bloatware and UIs, so a Google Pixel would be the only way to guarantee timely software updates and a pure experience anyway but I appreciate many Android users don’t especially care about these factors. Android devices are obviously also available discounted in plenty of places too so your point is valid here on price. 

Ultimately as a perennial annual upgrader I always evaluate the TCO over the months of having the device, which factors in resale value too. I guess if you’re looking to keep a handset for 12-36 months you’d still need to calculate the TCO vs sim only etc. 

[WelshPaul]

---

@garethr wrote:

I was only really referring to iPhones - which are unlocked and exactly the same price as direct from Apple. There’s no advantage in buying direct vs Evo. 

---

I just priced the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max and that too is more expensive on Evo, when compared to buying direct from Apple. Vodafone are charging an extra £80 for it! 

I do agree with your comments about the Android operating system though. However, Google, Samsung and Nokia provide fast monthly updates. Can't speak for the rest though. Anyway, this isn't a Apple V Android post, they both have their Pro's and Con's.

My advice is to put pen to paper and work out the actually cost of the Evo plan as you will likely end up paying more than if you go direct. 👍

[garethr]

Interesting re the iPhone 13 Pro Max costing - at preorder I’d costed it out and it was identical to Apple’s price so they must have risen. In fact I’d actually ordered it in both places in order to hedge my bets for launch day and ended up returning/cancelling the Vodafone one which in itself was a merry go round in a store as they really didn’t seem to know what they were doing with the Evo plans. 

[WelshPaul]

Vodafone EVO - Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

• Upfront Cost: £49
• Monthly Cost: £30 (36 Months)
• Total Cost: £1129

Apple Store - Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

• Upfront Cost: £0
• Monthly Cost: £43.70 (24 Months)
• Total Cost: £1048.80

Stormfront (Authorised Apple Premium Seller) - Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

• Upfront Cost: £0
• Monthly Cost: 32.79 (32 Months)
• Total Cost: £1049.28

I'm a family of five and Vodafone EVO would cost me an extra £400! 👀

[sm9690]

For some reason the 13 Pro is RRP

Your Phone Plan

Total Phone cost	£949
Upfront cost	£49
Interest rate (fixed)	0%
Total credit amount	£900
APR	0%
Length of contract	36 months
Creditor	Vodafone Ltd.
Monthly cost	£25

[WelshPaul]

You're comparing a different model... I clearly compared the Pro Max model. 👍

[sm9690]

Yes i'm fully aware of that. My point is that the 13 Pro EVO price is RRP but the 13 Pro Max EVO price is above RRP