Pay as you go or contract?

xrapidx

xrapidx

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Quick Question:

If I already have a phone, should I go for pay-as-you-go, or contract on Vodacom?

Really tired of being bound by a contract, and was thinking maybe pay-as-you-go is the way to go?
 
Thinking so to, my phonebill with MTN is about R1100/pm... and I bet on pay as you go I can halve it...

Till me something, can various data bundles be loaded onto the same prepaid sim with Vodacom? e.g. Data Bundle + SMS Bundle + Talk bundle?
 
For Data: Pre-Paid Data Bundles all the way :).
For Voice using an existing phone: a 4U contract if you don't make too many calls and want better than pre-paid call rates.
 
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Discounts make PAYG much cheaper than contract for data

The whole contract vs. PAYG debate depends a lot on whether you primarily want to access data or voice. Voice calls tend to be cheaper on contract (esp. if you count free minutes) but for data PAYG is absolutely the way to go, and nobody mentions the available DISCOUNTS as a major factor:

Any number of retailers (Pick&Pay, Jet, Pep etc.) offer small but significant discounts on PAYG airtime. If you REALLY want a good discount though, buy (from any outlet) the standard Vodacom R1,000 airtime -- in a deal which has been standard for years, you will actually get R1100 of airtime loaded on your phone. So if, for example, you buy a grand's worth of airtime from P&P, you get the standard Vodacom 10% when you load it, and P&P's usual 2% or so -- total around 12% discount over contract bundles, therefore.

Unfortunately MTN doesn't appear to offer anything similar, unless someone out there knows different and can share it with us?
 
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Another option is to buy the Vodacom Big Bonus Voucher. PnP sells it for R600 and you get R900 of airtime for 12 months. R75 is loaded onto your SIM every month. If you need more airtime during the month then top up with a normal voucher.

WireFree
 
PAYG

Don't have to worry about getting a wrong bill.
And there's no pressure to use your "free" minutes.
 
Roaming

I agree - PAYG is actually the cheapest way to go...one problem...if you travel often, it seems you cannot roam easily
 
Yeah... I usually just buy a prepaid sim when I land...

But doesn't Vodacom have that Vodafone rate thing in other countries, or is that just for contract?
 
The Vodafone partner networks offer a data rate of R15 per MB, but on a roaming contract only. I prefer to go this route.
In some countries like Japan prepaid sims are expensive and difficult to get.

For voice, if you don't have self discipline and chat too much, go the topup or prepaid route.
 
In my eyes contracts make sense if:
  • You want a phone with it.
  • You can't run out of airtime during you weekly talk with the prez of Uruguay/clients.
  • You spend 2k+ per month on cell bills.
I've got a pay as you go package and see no need to change it anytime soon.:)

And since Mboweni is talking about tightening our belts then a contract could be poor timing.
 
AFAIK, Vodacom only supports 14 Countries on Roaming for PAYG. And that only includes voice and SMS, no Data. So the best is to get a local SIM in the country you are going to, and get it activated for Data.
 
A lot of bleats for PAYG ???
In my (admittedly 10 years ago) experience PAYG was hideously overpriced per minute esp. during peak times. It was always the annoyance of waiting to make calls in off peak hours and still using up a R55 voucher in 2 calls, also sms was pricey ... has all that changed?
 
SlinkyMike said:
A lot of bleats for PAYG ???
In my (admittedly 10 years ago) experience PAYG was hideously overpriced per minute esp. during peak times. It was always the annoyance of waiting to make calls in off peak hours and still using up a R55 voucher in 2 calls, also sms was pricey ... has all that changed?
Click to expand...
My advice applies to Data [PPDBs] and not voice.
 
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