Vodafone halves excess data charges in Australia and overseas

Vodafone is slashing its fees on excess data for customers on post-paid mobile phone, tablet and mobile broadband accounts, with the current $10/GB excess data charge dropping to $5/GB.

This not only applies within Australia but also overseas, when visiting destinations covered by Vodafone’s $5/day roaming.

Once international travel returns – which is expected to be well before the year ends, at least to a handful of 'safe' nearby destinations including New Zealand and other Pacific islands – Vodafone subscribers who blast past the data included in their plan will also be up for just $5 per additional GB.

This charge for excess data consumption has always been levied in addition to the $5 daily roaming fee, although the extra data purchased remains valid until the end of the customer’s current billing period, not merely for the remainder of the ‘roaming day’.

When at home, Vodafone’s excess charge is also similarly reduced from $10 to $5 per GB for customers who exceed their plan’s normal data allowance, and aren’t subscribed to a ‘Plus Plan’ which offers unlimited data within Australia: albeit at reduced speeds.

Plus Plan customers are still billed for excess data when overseas at the same rate of $5 per GB, as unlimited data is only available in Australia.

These plans have a ‘Max Speed’ data allowance, which is the amount of data the customer can use in Australia before speeds reduce, or when using $5 roaming overseas before additional data charges apply.

Unlike some other price changes Vodafone is making on a temporary basis – such as reducing plan fees to $10/month for eligible customers – the carrier confirms its price change on excess data is ongoing, rather than a short-term measure, and is effective immediately.

Normal data charges continue to apply when travelling to countries not covered by Vodafone’s $5/day roaming. Typically, the charge is $1 per MB – translating into a whopping $1,024 per GB – compared to the revised and more affordable $5/GB fee in roaming-friendly destinations.

Also read: Vodafone switches on 5G global roaming for $5/day

Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.