Best "Sim Only" Contract

[simonaberry]

I am about to move to SA from the UK. I am looking to buy an iPhone 4 or HTC Desire HD before moving.

In the UK you can sign up to "sim only" contracts - where the monthly fee is lower because you do not receive a handset. I have looked at the websites of vodacom, MTN and Cell C and it is not immediately obvious if similar packages exists in SA.

Can anyone recommend the best / cheapest option for signing up to a contract than can be used with a data heavy handset ? Maybe a cheapo handset that I throw away?

 

[BCR]

In the UK you can sign up to "sim only" contracts - where the monthly fee is lower ....
Can anyone recommend the best / cheapest option for signing up to a contract than can be used with a data heavy handset ? Maybe a cheapo handset that I throw away?

Perhaps the best option(s) are from Vodacom which offer TOP UP 75s , 135, 200, 275 & perhaps some other values' which aren't printed in a monthly magazine you'll be able to pick up from their Vodashops or Vodacom Shops - differently branded, but both under Vodacom.

These are for 24 months, whereby you pay approx. the Rand values listed above, respectively, and get the values in minutes to use each month on calls - someone who has one of these can comment more, if they see your thread. Unsure as to whether they can be converted to Data, but you can check with Vodacom when you get here.

In the July edition I've not yet thrown away (shd be better deals now), they show the Nokia 2330 FREE with a gift card of R200 on Top Up 75s.
This I think is the cheapest option for a contract in SA - best to visit the nearest Vodacom, MTN & Cell C (even VirginMobile) shops when you get here & weigh up the various options.

Here's a link which I presume is now outdated (via the old site), but will give you some idea :

http://old.vodacom.co.za/services/topup/topup.jsp

All the best over here.....

 

[ASD]

With TOP UP 75s , 135, 200, 275 you get R75, R135, R200, R275. And you can use it on anything you like.
Talk packages are in minutes which is 75-1000 minutes

 

[deweyzeph]

Don't waste your time, there is nothing in South Africa that comes even close to the value you get in the UK with month-to-month sim-only contracts. You're better off getting a prepaid sim card.

 

[Cycle]

You won't get this online, but have a look in the MTN shops: they do offer a SIM only contracts on most of their packages. From memory: the R100 value airtime contracts can be had without any handsets for R59-00.

 

[Acydebyte]

You do get these types of contracts on all the networks here but only via the stores....

 

[surfs-up]

What a few responses here alluded to, is that you mentioned you would buy your own phone there, and bring it over here.

What you are probably after is a "pay as you go" system. You buy a sim - these are available at all of the large grocery stores, for 99 cents ( about 8 pence). You are then required to register the card - go to a Vodacom store if it is a Vodacom sim etc, and give them your passport, and fixed address (a new national requirement for security - in case your phone is used in a robbery, before any sim can be activated on the networks) and they will enter the info. Your sim will become active within an hour.

Then use any phone that is unlocked - you can bring your UK phone, and use it with the sim. Your phone will be able to receive calls, but obviously, to make calls you will need to buy air time, which is available at many stores. This method here in SA is called "pay as you go", as opposed to locking yourself into a 2 year contract - I don't think you want to do that.

So, that is the cheapest option - it will basically cost you 8 pence to get your UK phone receiving calls, and then buy air-time, as and when you might need to make calls - these are available in various minute packages, and i don't believe they have an expiry date - so just use it, and when you are running low, then buy more

 

[deweyzeph]

What you are probably after is a "pay as you go" system. You buy a sim - these are available at all of the large grocery stores, for 99 cents ( about 8 pence). You are then required to register the card - go to a Vodacom store if it is a Vodacom sim etc, and give them your passport, and fixed address (a new national requirement, before any sim can be activated on the networks) and they will enter the info. Your sim will become active within an hour.
Then use any phone that is unlocked - you can bring your UK phone, and use it with the sim. Your phone will be able to receive calls, but obviously, to make calls you will need to buy air time, which is available at many stores. This method here in SA is called "pay as you go", as opposed to locking yourself into a 2 year contract - I don't think you want to do that.

So, that is the cheapest option - it will basically cost you 8 pence to get your UK phone receiving calls

LOL, I'm sure the OP knows what "pay as you go" means, but thanks for clearing it up. You are aware that prepaid sim cards are not just a South African phenomenon?

 

[surfs-up]

LOL, I'm sure the OP knows what "pay as you go" means, but thanks for clearing it up. You are aware that prepaid sim cards are not just a South African phenomenon?

Thanks for your pretentious sarcasm - the USA works differently - you CANNOT buy just the SIM card only, in any store. I know, I was there in May 2010, and that was my 16th trip to the USA. And it has been 5 years since I was last in the UK, so their system might work slightly differently to the way we do it, or they might call it something else, I have no idea....but at least I covered all the bases, huh

 

[chrissy]

4U contract. Month-to-month. No Handset. Per second billing.
Vodacom

 

[Jola]

Thanks for your pretentious sarcasm - the USA works differently - you CANNOT buy just the SIM card only, in any store. I know, I was there in May 2010, and that was my 16th trip to the USA. And it has been 5 years since I was last in the UK, so their system might work slightly differently to the way we do it, or they might call it something else, I have no idea....but at least I covered all the bases, huh

You can actually, AT&T will sell you a sim only for USD75.

Still better to buy a sim&phone for USD25 and throw the phone away, that's what I did last year (it was a crappy phone). Best Buy is a good source for these deals.

Edit : See that prices have gone up ! But it's a better phone !

 

[BCR]

... And it has been 5 years since I was last in the UK, so their system might work slightly differently to the way we do it, ....

I looked into it on the net when I last went to England a few years ago, and the best prepaid deal I could find was about £10 - £15 for a SIM incl. some airtime - think it was via Virgin M.
Wasn't worth it for the short time I was there & who I needed to be in touch with.

Easy enough to look up on one of their sites what Prepaid's called, but similar to the way it's termed here - haven't bothered to do so now.

 

[surfs-up]

You can actually, AT&T will sell you a sim only for USD75.

Still better to buy a sim&phone for USD25 and throw the phone away, that's what I did last year (it was a crappy phone). Best Buy is a good source for these deals.

Edit : See that prices have gone up ! But it's a better phone !

I was there again in May,in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, and like in all my past trips (I thought they might change), I asked if I could buy a sim only - like you can do here at Checkers. Everyone I went to said no - (I went to Sprint, Verizon and AT&T). They said I had to buy a phone, and it would come with a sim, but then would be on contract.....but I couldn't get a contract anyway because i was not a permanent resident.

I ended up going to a Walmart 24hr super-store and buying a $ 29.95 NET10 Samsung phone, which comes with it's sim installed, and 300 minutes included in the package. I do this every year i go there. When my 300 minutes is used up, I buy a new phone and sim, but the 300 minutes easily last me for the 3 weeks that i am there. It cost $29.95 which got me the Samsung flip-phone, wall charger, car charger, sim and 300 anytime minutes countrywide. It seems to be encouraging the citizens into becoming a throw-away nation. Sad that I have got all these American phones here in my cupboard, from previous trips, that are almost new, but I cannot use them.

All I would want to do, is take my iPhone there, buy a SIM, and buy airtime like you can do here....but I could never do it. I guess this is just making China richer, making millions of phones that get used for a few weeks and then thrown away/put in a cupboard. (and increasing the USA deficit - what, passed $ 3 trillion now)

 

[Jola]

I walked into a few AT&T stores in San Francisco, they were quite happy to sell me a pre-paid sim for USD75.

But I rather went with the pre-paid phone&sim at Best Buy for USD25 (at the time). That deal included USD15 airtime, and I also bought a voucher for USD20 additional airtime.

Next time that I visit I will do the Best Buy thing again.

 

[surfs-up]

I walked into a few AT&T stores in San Francisco, they were quite happy to sell me a pre-paid sim for USD75.

But I rather went with the pre-paid phone&sim at Best Buy for USD25 (at the time). That deal included USD15 airtime, and I also bought a voucher for USD20 additional airtime.

Next time that I visit I will do the Best Buy thing again.

Yeah, my problem is that I cannot bring myself to throwing these phones away after the airtime runs out. I have a cupboard here with about 6 USA phones, all still like new (3 weeks use each). I can't use them here, and if I take them back on my next trip I would have to pay the same amount ( $30.00) for 300 minutes to load my phone with, or I can just get a new phone with 300 minutes for the same price - all ready loaded with the air-time. Crazy.

I know, we have digressed from the topic, but it is interesting

 

[GrootBaas]

I got my iphone from my brother so when it was time for an upgrade I just went with the Vodacom TopUp 315 with the cheapest phone (which I keep as backup as I don't have insurance) and they gave my a R1000 gift voucher. Cost is R240 a month. And of course there were some initial fees like R275.

The best would be to visit a store because the sales guys can personalise a deal for you on the system - I actually found that the Vodashop in Stellenbosch Square could (for some reason) give me a better deal (and service) than one in Hermanus.

 

[taajir]

maybe u can take out a cellc contract 24 months
u get 100 anytime minutes
depends on the phone it could cost u from bout R70 PER MONTH.bout 6 pounds
100 anytime minutes.
if u use the 100 minutes exclusively durin the day thats worth about R250
(i dnt work 4 cellc nor am i an agent 4 them.lol)

 

[rajharie]

All I would want to do, is take my iPhone there, buy a SIM, and buy airtime like you can do here....but I could never do it. I guess this is just making China richer, making millions of phones that get used for a few weeks and then thrown away/put in a cupboard. (and increasing the USA deficit - what, passed $ 3 trillion now)

nope you cannot use pre pay with the iPhone even on AT&T. They dont have the data capacity on the mobile networks to allow you to use it on pre paid.

@OP: I am on a use your own phone contract with MTN. I get R500 airtime a month for R359. They are available but the store associates discourage them and will initially tell you that they are not available. Force them to look at the dealer price lists and they will find it in there.

 

[surfs-up]

nope you cannot use pre pay with the iPhone even on AT&T. They dont have the data capacity on the mobile networks to allow you to use it on pre paid.

I don't think you read my post carefully - I said "all I WOULD want to do....." in other words - "that WOULD have been better".....but yes I know it is not possible, and that is why I explained carefully that everytime I travel to the USA, I buy a NET10 cellphone package from Walmart which includes 300 minutes talktime for $ 29.95. But it WOULD have been great if they offered PAYG sims like they do here in SA