Asda Mobile customers will need to request a new SIM card before September to keep using their devices, as the MVNO moves to Vodafone’s mobile network.
As a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), the supermarket piggybacks on another provider’s network. Until recently, that’s been EE. But a partnership with Vodafone announced last autumn has finally taken effect.
From Monday 22 March 2021, all new Asda Mobile customers are being automatically connected to Vodafone’s network. Existing customers will be migrated to the red network over the next few months, with the transfer expected to be completed by mid-September 2021.
That means existing Asda Mobile customers will need to change their SIM cards by the end of September or their phones will stop working.
If you have a 30-day bundle of text, call minutes and data, you should wait to put in a new SIM until the last day before your bundle has expired or you’ve used it up. Moving sooner will mean you lose any remaining balance. However, Asda Mobile has promised to give all existing customers a free month’s bundle once they make the leap to Vodafone, to sweeten the move.
You can order a new SIM for free online, through your Asda Mobile account, or over the phone. The SIM will then be posted to you. You can also pick up a SIM for 50p at Asda Supermarkets. Once that new SIM is installed, you’ll automatically get that 50p back as Asda Mobile credit.
Asda Mobile exclusively sells pay-as-you-go mobile services, so anyone unhappy with the transfer to Vodafone—perhaps because you don’t have good service from the network in your local area—can leave without penalty.
Asda has said the move to Vodafone will allow its customers to access unlimited data SIMs and Vodafone’s growing 5G network. They’ll also be able to use a new network hub to buy bundles and top-up on the go.
Asda chief financial officer Rob McWilliam said last September: “We are confident our customers will find Asda Mobile offers even better value. Our partnership with Vodafone will also provide some of the very latest innovations, at a time when connected devices are playing an increasingly central role in all our lives. We look forward to working with Vodafone to provide great service for our customers.”
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