With Vodafone’s newest plans giving you the choice to pay off your chosen iPhone over 12, 24 or 36 months, its plans eschew the nonsense of leasing and should prove popular.
If you don’t like the idea of leasing a smartphone that will need to be returned, and want the option of interest-free repayments for your smartphone of choice, over 12, 24 or 36 months, then Vodafone wants you to know about its plans.
If was only on 16 August in fact, just over a month ago, that Vodafone unleashed its new customer-friendly plans designed to smash Optus and Telstra pricing, especially now that Vodafone’s 4G network is, for the most part, very competitive in the cities – and in various regional areas too, where Vodafone’s network has been expanding.
And, while Vodafone has had little luck as yet in getting roaming switched on so its customers can roam onto Telstra and Optus infrastructure in the bush and the cities, given black spots exist in both locations, that might yet happen despite whatever “draft” decisions have been made, and which would make Vodafone even more competitive stuff.
{loadposition alex08}So, back to Vodafone’s iPhone 8 and 8 Plus pre-order plans, which will obviously be the same once 22 September rolls around and official retail availability begins, which you can see in full for yourself at Vodafone here.
The list is too long to reprint here, and you can see if easily enough for yourself at the link given above.
Unlike Virgin Mobile, Vodafone hasn’t offered any indicative iPhone X pricing as yet, but then neither has Optus nor Telstra. But as the end of October rolls around, we’re sure to know it all soon enough.
And, while Vodafone has been listed as getting the cellular-capable Apple Watch Series 3 later this year during the Apple September keynote, Vodafone hasn't as yet made any information available about it, so Vodafone custoners wanting one from the carrier will just have to wait a bit longer before they're available.
In any case, Vodafone says its new plans “give customers the ability to choose interest-free device payment terms that suit them best: outright payment with Vodafone’s SIM-only 12 month or month to month plans; or on 12, 24 or 36 monthly instalments".
“If customers choose to pay off their device early, they simply pay the remainder of the recommended retail price rather than being locked in or paying a heavy exit penalty. Vodafone’s new plans give customers the most transparent and flexible way to get the latest device and phone plan without being locked into a contract.”
Vodafone also notes that its “Red Plans only available to customers who simultaneously purchase a phone from Vodafone under a Mobile Payment Plan (‘MPP’) of 12, 24 or 36 months duration (‘Commitment Period’)".
“No Early Exit Fees, however, if you choose to cancel, 100% of remaining MPP instalments will be applied to your next bill. MPP available to customers who simultaneously connect to eligible Vodafone Red plan".
So, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus pricing from the main players is now known, with further deals from MVNOs to come at some point, and outright sales from the usual online and offline retailers in Australia will come too.
That said, iPhone availability will presumably be tight as it is every year, even though the iPhone X beckons, with Apple going from two new iPhones per year, now to three new iPhones per year, although Apple did actually do that last year with the iPhone SE.
Given that an updated iPhone SE — in terms of storage sizes — did also debut this year, then I guess we are now at 4 new iPhones per year.
This is pretty amazing stuff… and, given the much larger range at various price points than a competitor like Samsung, still a pretty conservative number of new phones to be releasing in a single 12-month period.
Whichever iPhone you choose, if you choose one at all, and whichever carrier you feel is right for you, may the Force Touch be with you – except on the iPhone SE, which doesn’t offer that capability.
