mr_norris
Expert Member
I finally got myself a decent phone, and now I'm looking for the best "bang-for-buck" contract.
I hardly make any calls, I send a few SMSes here and there, but I mostly want data. All on a budget
The less money, the better!
Currently I'm on CellC prepaid. It's not perfect, but it does the job. Most of the time. I regularly buy 100 meg bundles as I use them up. I average about R50 a month on data / calls / SMSes.
There are two options that I can think of. The first I almost went for, but my desire for being on a more stable network put me off:
CellC Prepaid + Better bundle
I stick with CellC. And go for the 6GB SmartData bundle (500 megs every 30 days for 12 months). It costs R499 once off, works out to around R42 a month.
The downsides here are:
- Still on CellC
- 500 megs isn't a lot
- I wouldn't really want to ditch it until it was used up, otherwise it would be a waste of money. So I'd almost be stuck for a year.
Pro's:
- It's cheap(ish)
- I'm still on prepaid, so I have the freedom to bail if something else comes out that's better. Kind of contradicts what I said above, but still
MTN MTNChoice25 contract + Afrihost Mobile
This is what I'm leaning towards.
Pro's:
- 25 minutes a month
- 30 SMSes a month
- Cheap data via AfriHost (worst case, their double deal disappears and I'll have to go for a higher option)
- R39 a month (for the contract alone)
- MTN > CellC
- Freedom to increase / lower data as I need to
Con's:
- It's a 24 month contract
I suppose in the great scheme of things, R39 a month isn't that much to lose. But if something better comes along, I'm trapped.
- I'll be paying contract prices for calls / SMSes if I go past the given minutes / SMSes. I can't imagine the pricing being that great, even if it's a top-up.
Uncertainties:
- I'm unsure how this contract works. I'm hoping it's a top-up like contract. Couldn't find anything that explains it on the MTN website.
- Is it likely that my phone would switch from AfriHosts APN to MTN's, then I become a victim of the OOB shark? I'm not quite sure how it's managed.
A couple of things to note about other networks:
- I haven't considered going prepaid with MTN as data bundles are rather excessive, and AfriHost Mobile can't be used with prepaid SIM's
- I haven't considered going contract with CellC as there is little to no benefit.
- I haven't considered going contract / Prepaid with Vodacom as their pricing is quite high. Unless I am unaware of a good package to go for.
- I haven't considered going contract / Prepaid with Telkom Mobile, as reception around work / home doesn't look so great based on their network coverage map on their site. Which means I'd be bumming of MTN, which means I'll fall in the "off-net" bracket for charges - not appealing.
From my perspective, the MTN option seems to be the best. Am I missing something? And does anyone have anything to share about going the MTN route?
Thanks!
I hardly make any calls, I send a few SMSes here and there, but I mostly want data. All on a budget
The less money, the better!Currently I'm on CellC prepaid. It's not perfect, but it does the job. Most of the time. I regularly buy 100 meg bundles as I use them up. I average about R50 a month on data / calls / SMSes.
There are two options that I can think of. The first I almost went for, but my desire for being on a more stable network put me off:
CellC Prepaid + Better bundle
I stick with CellC. And go for the 6GB SmartData bundle (500 megs every 30 days for 12 months). It costs R499 once off, works out to around R42 a month.
The downsides here are:
- Still on CellC
- 500 megs isn't a lot
- I wouldn't really want to ditch it until it was used up, otherwise it would be a waste of money. So I'd almost be stuck for a year.
Pro's:
- It's cheap(ish)
- I'm still on prepaid, so I have the freedom to bail if something else comes out that's better. Kind of contradicts what I said above, but still
MTN MTNChoice25 contract + Afrihost Mobile
This is what I'm leaning towards.
Pro's:
- 25 minutes a month
- 30 SMSes a month
- Cheap data via AfriHost (worst case, their double deal disappears and I'll have to go for a higher option)
- R39 a month (for the contract alone)
- MTN > CellC
- Freedom to increase / lower data as I need to
Con's:
- It's a 24 month contract
I suppose in the great scheme of things, R39 a month isn't that much to lose. But if something better comes along, I'm trapped. - I'll be paying contract prices for calls / SMSes if I go past the given minutes / SMSes. I can't imagine the pricing being that great, even if it's a top-up.
Uncertainties:
- I'm unsure how this contract works. I'm hoping it's a top-up like contract. Couldn't find anything that explains it on the MTN website.
- Is it likely that my phone would switch from AfriHosts APN to MTN's, then I become a victim of the OOB shark? I'm not quite sure how it's managed.
A couple of things to note about other networks:
- I haven't considered going prepaid with MTN as data bundles are rather excessive, and AfriHost Mobile can't be used with prepaid SIM's
- I haven't considered going contract with CellC as there is little to no benefit.
- I haven't considered going contract / Prepaid with Vodacom as their pricing is quite high. Unless I am unaware of a good package to go for.
- I haven't considered going contract / Prepaid with Telkom Mobile, as reception around work / home doesn't look so great based on their network coverage map on their site. Which means I'd be bumming of MTN, which means I'll fall in the "off-net" bracket for charges - not appealing.
From my perspective, the MTN option seems to be the best. Am I missing something? And does anyone have anything to share about going the MTN route?
Thanks!
