Vodafone puts prepaid cards at a disadvantage. In order not to lose your phone number, you will have to recharge your credit more often – MobilMania.cz

Vodafone is preparing a change in the conditions for topping up prepaid cards. News is announced to customers via SMS, in which they refer to the online Self-Service. Here the customer in the section News from Vodafone learn more details.

The necessity of more frequent top-up of prepaid cards

Probably the most fundamental change is shortening the validity period of the credit and the period for top-up. While currently the top-up credit is valid for 10 months, under the new conditions it will be a quarter of a year shorter – i.e. only 7 months. After this period, the customer’s credit will be forfeited, however, if he recharges it within the next three months, he will get his original credit back.

TechForum customer support explains that free (incoming) services will continue to be available during these three months. He cites the effort to maintain the necessary quality of the network as the reason for adjusting the conditions, stating that “the vast majority of customers top up their credit after 6 months at the latest”.

Logically so shortens the time after which the SIM card will be deactivated and the phone number will be canceled. While until now it was enough for Vodafone clients to charge at least once every 13 months, now it will be necessary to do so in a maximum period of ten months. The operator laconically notes that “However, if you regularly top up your prepaid card, the change will not affect you.” The changes should apply to all recharges after the specified date.

Competition offers better conditions

This is a rather unexpected step on the part of Vodafone. The competition will then offer prepaid cards with slightly longer validity – in the case of O2 and T-Mobile, it is 12 months from the last top-up. If you do not agree with the above changes, you can cancel your card before the effective date without any penalty, or switch to a competitor.

Another change is adjustment and unification of top-up rewards within the Vodafone rewards program. Customers will be able to get 20% Extra credit, valid for 7 days, only for recharging through web self-service or the Můj Vodafone mobile application, using the Smart Recharge service or in the operator’s branded stores. Only members of the Vodafone rewards program will receive a reward for recharging via the Smart Recharge service.

Document from Vodafone

At the moment, the exact date when the mentioned changes should enter into force is not known. The operator states in the message that this will happen “during July 2024 (probably from 7/24/2024)”. The specific date of the changes will be specified on the vodafone.cz/podminky website no later than one month in advance.