[3GScottishUser]

From M2.com (30/06/2006):

Mobile operator Vodafone UK will launch a new tariff for Pay As You Talk customers on 1 July 2006.

According to the company, Pay As You Talk customers who spend GBP5.00 during the week will get free calls to any UK network and texts at the weekend, while those who spend GBP2.50 will receive free texts at the weekend. The weekend starts at 1930 on Friday and ends at 0000 on Monday.

Free Weekends is available on all Smartplus and Smartstep Pay As You Talk price plans. Vodafone customers must opt-in for free to receive the offer, and they will receive a text message when they have reached the GBP2.50 or GBP5 limit to indicate that they will get free calls and texts at the weekend, the company claims.

http://www.m2.com/m2/web/story.php/20062EF4F50030C56FF28025719D0024191B

[Ben]

That's pretty cool! Especially the touch about starting the weekend at 7:30PM on Friday... perfect for the big night out. Texting subscribers in advance of the weekend to tell them of their entitlement is also excellent, it keeps everything simple and means, once registered, the customer need do nothing else other than enjoy their phone.

What a great value add-on! Vodafone obviously have excessive network capacity at the weekends!

[Hands0n]

What a great offer from Vodafone, this is most definitely the stuff we all want to see. Good to see Vodafone going for the PAYG market which is being ignored quite a bit by the main five, it seems. Some of the MVNOs are doing good stuff (i.e. easyMobile) but nothing like this on a regular basis!

Nice one :D

[solo12002]

Follow the link:

http://www.hughsymonscommunications.co.uk/documents/hscm/pdf/6_2006_hscm_pdf_6pric_jul.pdf
:)

[midlands_lad]

Hi All,

You can also have Vodafone Passport AND Stop the Clock with this priceplan.

This isn’t a promotion either.

P.S. Free SIM cards with this new price plan: visit http://v-store.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=sim_only.viewsimonly (Hurry, Offer is Limited)

[Ben]

Hello midlands lad, welcome to Talk3G :)

That sounds promising. STC, Passport and the free weekend calls and texts surely makes Vodafone PAYG pretty untouchable as an all-rounder?

I'm assuming this (priceplan?) is incompatible with the 500-free-sms PAYG one? i.e. you can't have 500 free texts *and* free calls and texts at the weekend.

[Hands0n]

Yes, incompatible but .... Vodafone Free Weekends it is a complete replacement for the 500 Free Text offer which ran during June 2006 only



This offer applies to new Pay as You Talk SIM Packs purchased from vodafone.co.uk between 1 and 30 June 2006 ("Eligible SIMs").

Source: Vodafone PAYT T&Cs


Referring to Vodafone's PAYT priceplan page http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=priceplan.PAYT



*Vodafone Free Weekends is available as an addition to the smartplus and smartstep price plans which customers can choose by calling 2345 or texting “free weekends” to 2345 and following the relevant instructions.


Isn't it a tad naughty requiring the punter to Opt In to the VFW deal? I'd be upset to find out about this months later :eek:

However, the free weekend calls and texts are available on both the Smartstep and Smartplus price plans (Stop The Clock is only available on Smartstep)

The full Vodafone T&Cs for Free Weekends is here (http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewTerms&viewTerms=1#33), as are the full set of conditions.

[Hands0n]

Oooh! Excellent news people. If you are already on PAYT, you can add "Vodafone Free Weekends" just by following the instructions to text "free weekends" to 2345 or log in to your "My Vodafone" account on their website and selecting the Free Weekends add on from there. It takes about 20 seconds to do the deed :D

I now have on my PAYT "Free Weekend Call/Free Weekend Text, Stop the Clock". Which is nice :)

[maxspank]

It maybe important to note that you don't need to top up that amount, you actually need to use £5 during the week, it's a good deal but only if you use your phone often enough to qualify. I've taken a ton of calls this week for people going on to the VFW tarrif, it's normally once every so often I'll take a PAYT call, but this week most of the calls I've taken is PAYT customer calling about this offer.

[Hands0n]

Good point well worth reiterating. What typically is the question being asked, if that is possible to quantify?

I'd have thought that the qualifying £5 is not going to take too long to hit on the Smartplus plan at £0.30p per minute. That is around 17 minutes in a week to hit the £5 threshold. That is not allowing for text usage in the fee-bearing part of the week which will help hit the £5 even sooner.

To be sure, PAYT is ordinarily too expensive for me to use (on Vodafone) for any great deal of time. But the combination of STC and VFW make for a tantalising deal depending on the actual use of the service.

In my opinion Smartplus with STC (only avail on that plan) and VFW is the better option to Smartstep and VFW only ......... But that only really fits my profile of typical usage socially.

I think that it is really great that Vodafone have extended this deal to existing PAYT users. Vodafone are doing some good stuff, more please :)

[crowfield99]

Sweet - I just got my FREE Texts!! Wooohooo any limits to the texts ? :)

[Hands0n]

I did read through the T&Cs and there are no stated limits, AUPs or anything else on the website! It looks like open season, once you hit the qualifying spend!

[crowfield99]

I did read through the T&Cs and there are no stated limits, AUPs or anything else on the website! It looks like open season, once you hit the qualifying spend!

Even better! Oh I do like Vodafone.... They are a GREAT Network :D Cover 3G a bit more in my area and your all mine mwhahaha lol :cool:

[Hands0n]

I did read through the T&Cs and there are no stated limits, AUPs or anything else on the website! It looks like open season, once you hit the qualifying spend!

It looks like the T&Cs have been revised online - there is in fact an AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) and certain terms that you need to be aware of when using Free Weekends. For full details refer to the Vodafone Price Plan Information (http://online.vodafone.co.uk/dispatch/Portal/appmanager/vodafone/wrp?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=Page_BOS_MainContent&pageID=AV_0578) page.

I've culled the salient points here, but would advise having a read of the full terms if you are in any doubt.

AUP


Vodafone Free Weekends may only be used for private non-commercial use and is not for resale, nor for non-voice services. All usage is subject to Vodafone’s fair use policy. If, in the reasonable opinion of Vodafone, your use is excessive, we may ask you to moderate your usage. If you then fail to do so, we reserve the right to charge you for the excessive element of your usage at your price plan's standard rate and/or remove you from Vodafone Free Weekends.

The above is entirely fair and reasonable, also very plainly worded. Congratulations for that Vodfone.

Call Length Limitation


A call that commences during a Qualifying Period and continues into a Weekend Period will not qualify as an Eligible Call. A call that starts during a Weekend Period and continues into the following Monday will be charged from the end of the Weekend Period at the standard price plan rate. An Eligible Call will be free of charge for the first 60 minutes. After this 60-minute period if a call is still in progress charging will recommence as per the standard price plan rate.


So be careful not to be holding marathon four-hour phone calls, your your credit will disappear pronto! Before your hour is up, hang up and re-call.

Usual Call Exclusions


Calls eligible for use with Vodafone Free Weekends include all standard calls (i.e. calls to Vodafone mobiles, other UK mobiles or landlines with a geographic STD code) made within the United Kingdom (excluding Isle of Man and the Channel Islands) that commence during the relevant Weekend Period (“Eligible Calls”). All other calls are excluded, e.g. calls to non-geographic numbers, such as 0845 numbers, premium rate numbers, voicemail calls and data calls.


No surprises there, but be aware of the exclusion from the plan of Voicemail calls, these will cost you at all times.