Want to free your phone from Vodafone? Maybe you're planning on switching to a new plan or want to take your phone overseas and use a local or travel SIM. Or maybe you just don't like being locked in. Whatever your reason, unlocking your phone from Vodafone is easy. In fact, your phone may already be unlocked.
These days, most phones sold by Vodafone are unlocked by default. The main reason why you'd need to unlock your phone is if you bought it a really long time ago or if you bought it on a prepaid plan. If either of these options sounds like you, read on.
You may also need to unlock your phone if you bought it from 3 Mobile Australia or Crazy John's back in the day. Both of these companies were acquired by Vodafone and our instructions below should work for any devices bought through these providers.
In this guide:
- Quick guide to unlocking your Vodafone phone
- Find your IMEI number
- Unlock your Vodafone phone
- Unlock your iPhone
- Why unlock your phone?
- Get Vodafone coverage without Vodafone prices
- Other providers
Quick Guide to Unlock Vodafone Phones
- Retrieve the International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI) number from your phone.
- Jump online to Vodafone's unlock tool.
- Pay your unlock fee.
- Enter your unlock code.
Once your phone is unlocked, you may well find yourself looking for alternatives to your current Vodafone plan.
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SpinTel 
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Boost Mobile 
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Tangerine Telecom 
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Dodo 
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Optus 
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Boost Mobile
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Dodo
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SpinTel
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Boost Mobile
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Dodo
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Find your IMEI number
Before you do anything, you will need to know the International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI) number for your phone. This is a unique code specific to your phone, and you can find it on the box your phone came in or by calling:
*#06# (star - hash - zero - six - hash) from your handset.
When you make the call you should see your IMEI and serial numbers appear on the screen. Write down the IMEI number you see on screen - It should be the first 15 digits.
Unlock your Vodafone phone
When you have your IMEI you are ready to unlock your phone. If you bought your phone from Vodafone on a postpaid plan after August 1 2013, it should already be unlocked.
If you bought it before August 1 2013, or if you bought it with a prepaid SIM card, it's most likely locked to the Vodafone network.
You'll just need to visit Vodafone's unlock tool and enter your IMEI number. Once you've gone through the process you will receive an unlock code. Be careful to enter this code correctly, because too many invalid attempts and your device could get blocked entirely.
You are still able to get it unlocked, but you will need to visit a store and have your device sent to the manufacturer to lift the block.
Getting your Android unlocked from Vodafone is easy. But if you bought it on a prepaid plan, it's not free. Unlocking your prepaid Vodafone handset will cost you:
- $50 if you've had your device for less than 6 months
- $25 if you've had your device for more than 6 months
Can I unlock my Vodafone phone for free?
If you've got an Android phone and looking for a Vodafone unlock code for free, the bad news is that freedom comes at a price. If you've got an iPhone that you want to unlock for free though, the news is better. Read on below...
Unlock your Vodafone iPhone
If you have an iPhone, the good news is that, regardless of whether you bought it postpaid or prepaid, it's probably unlocked. With few exceptions, Vodafone started selling iPhones unlocked by default on August 1 2013. All iPhones sold by Vodafone before that time can be unlocked easily and for free. Here's how:
- If your iPhone is running iOS 7 or above, it's already unlocked. Congratulations, you don't need to do anything!
- If your iPhone is not running iOS 7 or above, all you need to do to unlock it is update to one of these operating systems. Easy peasey! Yay!
- If your iPhone is too old to update to iOS 7 or above, you'll need to restore your phone with iTunes. Then it will be unlocked. Restoring it will wipe it, though, so make sure you back it up first!
Why unlock your phone?
The main reason to unlock a phone is you want to change providers. Unlock your Vodafone phone, and you're free to take it to Optus, Telstra, amaysim, or basically any telco that offers SIM-only / BYO phone plans. If you're not ready to pay for a brand new device, unlocking your handset means you can switch plans and still keep the phone you own and love.
Another big plus to unlocking your phone? If you're heading overseas and want to buy a local SIM to save on roaming prices - or plan to buy a travel SIM before you fly - you also need to have an unlocked smartphone. If a phone is locked to a network, it prevents every other SIM card from working, not just ones from local competitors - so unlocking your Vodafone device means you can save money on overseas roaming.
Get Vodafone coverage without Vodafone prices
If you love the coverage you're getting from Vodafone, but want to cut down on your monthly mobile spending, there are several smaller providers (Mobile Virtual Network Operators, or MVNOs) who use Vodafone's network.
Taking your phone to one of the below telcos means you'll likely save plenty of cash every year in mobile plan costs.
Vodafone 4G Network MVNOs
After a plan on the Vodafone network? There are several carriers to choose from, apart from Vodafone. Check out the list and compare plans on the Vodafone network below.
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TPG 
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Kogan Mobile 
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Vodafone 
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Lebara Mobile 
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Other providers
Of course, you don't have to stick to Vodafone coverage if your phone is unlocked - as most Australians are equally as covered by Optus and Telstra's networks, you can also save dollars by switching to either of these telcos (or their own MVNOs).
If you're looking to save even more, you'll find great value plans from smaller providers using Optus and Telstra's network.
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SpinTel
Editor's Pick
$23 Mobile Plan
$12.00/mth
Min. cost $12
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#2
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Boost Mobile
$39 Prepaid
$39.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
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#3
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Tangerine Telecom
30GB 5G Mobile SIM
$30.00/mth
Min. cost $15
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#4
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Dodo
Editor's Pick
Medium Mobile Plan
$30.00/mth
Min. cost $15
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#5
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Optus
$60 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$39.00/mth
Min. cost $39
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#6
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Boost Mobile
$300 Prepaid
$300.00
Per 12 Month Renewal
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#7
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Dodo
Large Mobile Plan
$40.00/mth
Min. cost $20
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#8
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SpinTel
$29 Mobile Plan
$29.00/mth
Min. cost $29
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Having problems unlocking your phone?
If you get stuck at any place in this process, or the whole thing seems too difficult, there's an easy fix. Simply head into a Vodafone store, and one of the sales assistants will be able to unlock your phone on the spot.
Jacqui Dent
Editorial Strategist
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