Anyone who doesn’t want to be locked into a contract can now get 5G on a PAYG contract on Vodafone. But the mobile provider actually snuck out the same option last year via its youth-focused brand called VOXI.
You might not recognise the name, but if you’ve seen the creepy adverts starring roaming, disembodied thumbs then you will have come across VOXI before.
The company offers contract-free plans that grant you unfettered access to your favourite social media apps. Crucially, VOXI also launched a 5G-ready, sim-only contract-free package last year. At the time, it would set you back £30 per month for access to Unlimited data.
The VOXI unlimited deal has now shot up to £35, but parent company Vodafone has announced a slightly cheaper 5G option – a £30 60GB contract-free SIM. You can also get a £40 Unlimited bundle from Vodafone too, but we can’t spot any obvious benefits in doing this. VOXI relies on the same 5G masts and has the slightly cheaper £35 option, so you might as well go for that if you need more than 60GB.
Related: Best 5G phones
Obviously, to access the full 5G coverage, you’ll need to have a 5G ready phone in addition to one of the 5G-friendly sims.
Vodafone’s UK coverage isn’t as good as its main competitors – the network only has 40 cities covered compared to Three’s 50. But, it is winning when it comes to European hotspots, covering 68 locations. All of the other UK network providers cover a big fat zero, so Vodafone’s PAYG options could be a useful back up for travelers.
It’s not super cheap. Despite the network claiming that it doesn’t charge extra for access to 5G, you can only get access to it by buying the higher priced bundles. If you get the measly £10 9GB option, you won’t get a sniff of 5G.
Related: Read our 5G explainer
Presumably, what Vodafone really means is that it hasn’t hiked up the prices on these top-tier bundles despite adding 5G into the mix, but it’s a sneaky way of phrasing this.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.