Mobile phone plans

The battle of the smooth operators A1, Vivacom, and Yettel.

Bulgaria has three major mobile network providers A1, Vivacom, and Yettel (former Telenor). A1 is the leader with approximately 2.9 million customers (36% market share), the second place is taken by Vivacom with 2.6m customers (32% share), and Yettel is third with 2.3m customers (31% share).

Vivacom was the first in Bulgaria to launch a 5G network in the 27 district centers of the country in September 2020. Their 4G network is covering 99% of the country’s population. By the beginning of June 2020, full coverage is available in 2200 locations, including the 44 largest cities across the country. A1 Mobile 5G network covers over 100 towns and resorts and the 4G network covers over 99.4% of the population of Bulgaria.

All three of them offer both pre-paid sim cards, as well as monthly plans with a contract for 1 or 2 years.

The longer 2-year contract comes with a cheaper monthly plan compared to the 1-year contract. All providers are trying to encourage customers to pay online by offering them money off their bills, for example, 1 BGN monthly discount or an additional 500 MB of data.

Option A: Monthly plans with a 12 or 24-month contract (1 or 2 years)

Bulgaria mobile plan

 

Option B: Pre-paid sim card (pay as you go = no contract)

  • Vivacom FREE2GO 7.01 EUR comes with 0.51 EUR of credit plus 1,000 min and 25,000 MB of data
  • Future top-ups of 7.50 EUR would secure 600 min and 10,000 MB of data

But be mindful:

  • Sim card initial validity is 12 months. Every subsequent top-up extends validity.
  • The minutes already included are only valid for calls within the same network (Vivacom)
  • The credit balance has to be used within 60 days or otherwise is lost
  • The minutes and MB have to be used within 28 days or otherwise, is lost.

Existing customers

As of the beginning of each year, all three operators announce monthly plan price rise with the inflation. Depending on your current plat it could be 1 EUR per month.

Before your current contract runs out, most operators will try to offer you a personalized deal to try to keep you on for another term. The trick is not to accept it straight away. Always try to negotiate (haggle) a better deal than their initial offer. If you are not in a rush to renew, politely decline their initial offer. They will try and ring you again with an improved offer.

For example, my current A1 (2-year) contract expires on the 1st of August. The “Unlimited Special Plus 23” has a monthly fee of 23 BGN/ 11.76 EUR including unlimited national minutes, as well as unlimited data. The current offer on the table is “Unlimited Special Plus 32”. This is the equivalent of a 9 BGN/m or 4.50 EUR/m increase.

eSIM – an option for compatible smart devices only

Saily 5 GB – data only plan, with 30-day validity, would cost you about 6.00 EUR (circa 7.00 USD). All the latest Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPhone models are compatible.

What is an eSIM card? An eSIM is a digital SIM card integrated directly into your device. It replaces the physical SIM card and is easily activated by scanning a QR code.

You can continue to use WhatsApp for calls and messages with the above data plan. The eSIM does not provide you with a phone number or the ability to place or receive conventional telephone calls.

Tariff comparison tool

A free tariff comparison tool is available online courtesy of the Bulgarian communications regulator (Ofcom). For English click on “Език”.

https://comparetool.crc.bg/public -> Various filters are available for your search. For example, there is an option to choose between a subscription service or a pre-paid plan.