Vodafone’s new Bonus Bank scheme offers prepaid phone users credits to spend on new hardware every time they purchase recharges. Once you’ve signed up, the scheme is pretty simple: every time you purchase a recharge, 10% of the value of that recharge goes towards your Bonus Bank account which can then be used to purchase a handset from the Vodafone range.
The cheapest outright buy phone on Vodafone’s site is the $29 Nokia 1661, which doesn’t even sport a camera. To purchase that, you’d need to spend $290. True, you’ll have made all those calls, but a cheap postpaid phone will ultimately cost you less. To get an iPhone, you’d have to have spent a whopping $8790 on recharges.
Vodafone says it is considering expanding the range of redemption offers to include other options like additional recharges, and that would certainly make the bonuses more attainable. If you’re already a Vodafone prepaid customer, there’s no obvious reason not to sign up — just don’t expect a ‘free’ phone in a hurry.
