Vodafone Invites Customers To Build Their Own Plan

Vodafone has today launched a new type of plan for prepaid customers — with fully customisable plans available under a service called MyMix. With plans ranging from a 7-day to a 90-day expiry, anywhere from 500MB to 8GB of data (with bonus data included for those who sign up in May), Vodafone aims to provide a more flexible option for prepaid customers.

So how does it work? All MyMix plans come with unlimited text, but potential customers are given a choice in every other aspect that makes up a prepaid plan — length of expiry, amount of data and minutes for both standard and international calls.

“We’ve set out to address one of the biggest pain points facing telco customers in Australia today, which is wasting good money on inclusions they don’t use,” says Vodafone’s Chief Marketing Officer, Loo Fun Chee. “The industry status quo dictates that people must settle for pre-packaged plans which have been designed to appeal to a broad range of people. With MyMix, prepaid customers can now decide for themselves the amount of inclusions they want and create a plan to fit their needs and lifestyle.”

Many of the people reading this will probably have a similar experience with phone plans — there’s never enough data, while you tend to have hundreds of minutes of calls (or even unlimited calls) that go mostly unused. With MyMix, a plan with the maximum 8GB of data, the minimum 120 hours of standard calls and no international calls will still set you back $50 for 28-day period.

That’s the best deal you’ll get for that much data with Vodafone (at least after tomorrow, when its bonus data deal for BYO SIM plans ends). Although other companies may offer similar prices for similar data inclusions without compromising on call minutes, Vodafone has been improving its service lately — investing in its 4G network, having recently overtaken Optus in network coverage and showing the greatest reduction in complaints of any Aussie telco.

Between now and the end of May, Vodafone is including bonus data for all activations or recharges within this period, however — so 2GB goes up to 3.5GB, 5GB increases to 9GB and 8GB increases to 12GB, giving more bang for your buck. Plans with 90 day exclusions also prove cheaper month-to-month, bringing the price of an 8GB plan (or 12GB with the bonus) down to $30 a month.

If you use your phone more for calling than browsing for some reason, then MyMix can work out a lot cheaper — even a plan with the maximum allocation of standard (unlimited) and international (300 minutes) calls only comes to $40 when paired with 500MB of data. MyMix recharges can only be used in Australia, however — you won’t be able to take advantage of Voda’s $5 international roaming here.

MyMix can be accessed through the MyVodafone app, or in browser on Vodafone’s website. The interface will price any combination of plan inclusions, so if you’re interested in what MyMix is offering, it’s worth checking out.

“The ultimate challenge was to do something ‘untelco’ like,” Loo Fun Chee said. “At the heart of MyMix’s design is a commitment to simplicity: push four buttons on your smartphone to get the recharge combination you want.”