eSIM data bundle comparison in South African

Daniel Puchert

Daniel Puchert

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eSIM battle in South Africa

South Africans and tourists to the country have several eSIM options to choose from, and a comparison of several data bundles shows that local companies offer the most affordable prices.

eSIMs fulfil the same function as traditional subscriber identity module (SIM) cards, except they use a chip embedded in a device instead of a removable plastic card.
 
no mention of megsapp in you article? Their bundles dont expire - a significant advantage over the others.
 
Megsapp isnt mentioned here, but they are probably the best option for foreign tourists though.

There isn't any need for proof of residence for foreigners and the whole RICA process takes a second about 1 minute. This is in total contrast to Afrihost which needed multiple steps of verification, selfies and proof of residence
 
Do I need to go into a store to load an eSIM or can I just complete everything while sitting at the office? Guess I still need to RICA though?
 
Ecco said:
no mention of megsapp in you article? Their bundles dont expire - a significant advantage over the others.
Click to expand...
Howzirt
Apolgies for the silly questions .

How’s your experience been with megs app e-sim ?
I’ve never heard of them before 🙈
SA company ?
No hidden costs etc ?

The R99 for 6GB looks very tempting .

I have an iPhone and would like to use the eSIM for data use, and vodacom SIM card for voice calls.

Much Appreciated
 
JAM007 said:
Howzirt
Apolgies for the silly questions .

How’s your experience been with megs app e-sim ?
I’ve never heard of them before 🙈
SA company ?
No hidden costs etc ?

The R99 for 6GB looks very tempting .

I have an iPhone and would like to use the eSIM for data use, and vodacom SIM card for voice calls.

Much Appreciated
Click to expand...
I haven't used them...there is a thread somewhere here with some real life experiences and complaints etc see if you can find it.
 
Ecco said:
no mention of megsapp in you article? Their bundles dont expire - a significant advantage over the others.
Click to expand...
Their rates look great but how would a tourist meet their RICA requirements?

I'm no huge fan of Airalo but I have used them many times and their registration is a breeze.
 
bwana said:
Their rates look great but how would a tourist meet their RICA requirements?
Click to expand...
pstation said:
Megsapp isnt mentioned here, but they are probably the best option for foreign tourists though.

There isn't any need for proof of residence for foreigners and the whole RICA process takes a second about 1 minute. This is in total contrast to Afrihost which needed multiple steps of verification, selfies and proof of residence
Click to expand...
 
@Ecco - Ok - can confirm. Cost me £1.69 for their eSIM + 3GB Data (7-Days) × 1 bundle. No proof of address nor ID required. Just a selfie.
 
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pstation said:
Megsapp isnt mentioned here, but they are probably the best option for foreign tourists though.

There isn't any need for proof of residence for foreigners and the whole RICA process takes a second about 1 minute. This is in total contrast to Afrihost which needed multiple steps of verification, selfies and proof of residence
Click to expand...

Checking it out now seems you can't get an eSIM with Data Bundle that doesn't expire but only a real physical SIM?

All the eSim things have 7 day expiry.

****

Oh it seems it's rather a "free" bundle included with the eSim order and I guess after that you can buy what you want.

Will wait until Sunday and try it on my trip next week.
 
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Ecco said:
no mention of megsapp in you article? Their bundles dont expire - a significant advantage over the others.
Click to expand...
Yeah because their esims are a mess. Can't reregister mine and lost both. Avoid.
SauRoNZA said:
Checking it out now seems you can't get an eSIM with Data Bundle that doesn't expire but only a real physical SIM?

All the eSim things have 7 day expiry.
Click to expand...
You can buy non expiring data bundles afterwards via USSD or the app.
 
Willie Trombone said:
Their RICA requirements?
It’s really confusing but these are MTNs requirements:
View attachment 1758356

… but MegsApp, who resell MTN, only require:

View attachment 1758357


@Jan can you do a bit of digging? I find it very sus that an MTN provider can RICA without proof of residence and proof of ID. Lekker for scammers.
Click to expand...
RICA has always been a joke and selectively enforced. Even at the "official" shops they often don't really care about it unless you are taking out a contract with a subsidized device. Everyone involved knows that RICA is a silly measure that doesn't actually deter any criminals.
 
Has anyone tested their 5ber esim adaptors yet?
Keen to buy one but want to make sure I will be able to add my Vodacom contract profile. Also keen to know of it works with Melon Mobile.
 
lands911 said:
Has anyone tested their 5ber esim adaptors yet?
Keen to buy one but want to make sure I will be able to add my Vodacom contract profile. Also keen to know of it works with Melon Mobile.
Click to expand...
Doesn't look like it, from here:

5ber is another competitor in the eSIM adapter space. Although it is the cheapest option, it uses a closed-sourced Android app and does not allow users to add eSIM profiles from third-party eSIM providers.
 
RaeesD said:
I've ordered a 5ber eSIM to test out, R206 including delivery makes way more sense than the other options.
Click to expand...
Hi. Keen to buy a 5ber esim. What was your experience with it? Does it support the SAn networks too?
 
I see on the 5ber support page that it will support most networks unless the network has imposed restrictions. Just trying to find out if anyone has bought the 5ber adapter and tested it on the South African networks.
 
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