A few changes to Cell C’s prepaid data bundles. The most significant changes are:
Night data has been removed from all the 30 day bundles (also called DataExtanda) but pricing remains unchanged.
WhatsApp bundle is now limited to 600MB and now costs R12
Most of the daily (one day valid) bundles have increased in price by R1
One very positive change is the drop in Out of Bundle (OOB) rate on the 66c plan from 66c to 15c
In the second increase in 6 months Cell C is hiking prices of most of it’s contracts and bundles by approximately 10%.
Specific details are covered in this Cell C Letter.
Summary:
There are planned increases for Cell C’s Daily Bundles, Daily Nite Bundles, and Smartdata 30-Day bundles on 1 July 2016. The average increase is just under 10% and some bundles prices remain unchanged.
http://mybroadband.co.za/news/cellular/167090-cell-c-data-price-increases.html
If you are travelling to South Africa you need to stay connected with data, calling your airBnB agent and SMS (texts) as soon as you land. There is a variety of packages from each operator and it’s worth spending a minute or two to find the most suitable.
You will need to bring along your own unlocked GSM phone supporting 900Mhz/1800Mhz (most up to date GSM smartphones). Your charger must support 220v and it may require an adapter to the two round prong europlug often used in SA. All SIM sizes are offered by the operators.
It’s recommended to arrange a SIM at the airport as the retail outlets tend to be most experienced with international travellers. Due to the RICA law requirements any SIM will require the retailer to verify your passport and you proof of residence (hotel bookings are accepted) to activate the SIM.
MTN and Vodacom outlets are available all three international airports in Johannesburg (ORT), Cape Town and Durban airports whereas Cell C is only available at Johannesburg.
Firstly you need the widest coverage for your travel. Although Google and Here maps (my preferred offline map iOS and Android versions) can be used offline you should always have data on hand. Secondly smartphones are data hungry and in the absence of uncapped packages in SA a minimum of a 2GB bundle is recommended. Exceeding your data bundle will result in your airtime consumed at R2/MB. Lastly your package should offer cheap international calling to contact friends and family back home.
South Africa’s second largest network in coverage and numbers. Offers competitive data deals. MTN offers international calling bundles for reduced calls home.
MTN international calling bundle rates
Part of the Vodafone group South Africa’s largest network with widest coverage and also the most expensive. Vodacom offers international calling bundles for reduced calls home.
Vodacom international calling bundle rates
South Africa’s third network, also allows roaming on Vodacom and data coverage is spotty in rural areas.
Cell C international call rate listing
The smallest of the mobile networks. TM’s coverage is heavily dependant on MTN roaming outside major urban areas. TM lack complete international call rates on their website
TM International call rate listing
Prepaid is better than contract:
Gone are the day of free phones bundled into contracts. This isn’t Vodacom’s fault, to be fair you’re no longer wanting a Nokia 3210 but an IPhone 6 smart phone. You pay a monthly fee to get the phone on top of your contract price. So if I wanted a Apple IPhone 6 64Gb through Vodacom I’m in for R648.99 x 24 months which equates to R15575. The solution, pop into FNB connect and get the same phone for R575 x 24 months which means an all in cost of R13800, that’s a savings of R1775.
All in all, over the period of 24 months, including the phone and an itemised bill each month, you’re looking at a Vodacom price of R33 311. If I went the prepaid option and FNB, which provides full flexibility, over 24 months I’m paying R28 200.
That’s an overall saving of R5 111
Ms Tarr, a Vodacom customer set R50 contract limit yet she received a R20,000 bill. Her contract also had a R3,000 call limit and an R8,500 account limit, neither limit took effect. Vodacom says it has a disclaimer in its terms and conditions should a limit requested by a customer not kick in and the customer is therefor always liable.
Vodacom’s sets R50 limit and gets R50 000 bill