How to save mobile data with WhatsApp bundles
WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in South Africa and is installed on the majority of local smartphones.
The service has gained popularity locally not only because of its accessible and powerful features, but also its affordability.
Sending a text message or calling over WhatsApp is much cheaper than SMS or traditional cellular calls, and this has lead to a steady decline in voice and SMS revenue among mobile operators.
Buying mobile data for use with WhatsApp is cheapest when buying in bulk, although many South Africans cannot afford to consistently buy 1GB or larger data bundles to get the best rates.
Mobile networks have offered a solution in the form of WhatsApp data bundles, however, which include discounted data that can only be used on the WhatsApp platform.
Vodacom, MTN, and Cell C offer discrete WhatsApp or Social data bundles which are meant to be much cheaper than standard once-off bundles.
We compared the per-MB pricing of these operators’ WhatsApp and Social data bundles with their regular prepaid bundles to determine exactly how much South Africans can save per MB when buying these offerings.
Vodacom
Vodacom’s WhatsApp data bundles offer significant value to low-end consumers compared to other data bundles in the same price range.
The 1GB 30-Day bundle is especially attractive at R35 – far cheaper than the R149 conventional 30-Day bundle with equivalent all-platform data.
| Bundle | Data | Validity | Price | Per MB cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Data Bundles | ||||
| WhatsApp Ticket | 10MB | 1 Hour | R1 | R0.10 |
| WhatsApp Ticket | 50MB | 1 Day | R3 | R0.06 |
| WhatsApp Ticket | 250MB | 1 Day | R5 | R0.02 |
| WhatsApp Ticket | 100MB | 3 Days | R6 | R0.06 |
| WhatsApp Ticket | 250MB | 7 Days | R12 | R0.05 |
| WhatsApp Ticket | 1GB | 30 Days | R35 | R0.03 |
| Standard Once-Off Data Bundles | ||||
| Internet Daily | 250MB | 1 Day | R27 | R0.11 |
| Weekly Bundle | 500MB | 7 Days | R60 | R0.12 |
| Weekly Bundle | 1GB | 7 Days | R80 | R0.06 |
| Monthly Bundle | 250MB | 30 Days | R63 | R0.25 |
| Monthly Bundle | 500MB | 30 Days | R100 | R0.20 |
| Monthly Bundle | 1GB | 30 Days | R149 | R0.15 |
| Monthly Bundle | 2GB | 30 Days | R249 | R0.12 |
MTN
MTN also includes a variety of WhatsApp bundles which offer better value than its conventional bundles at the cost of usability outside of the messaging app.
The comparison below shows that MTN’s WhatsApp social bundles are consistently less expensive per MB than even its larger once-off bundles.
| Bundle | Data | Validity | Price | Per MB cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Data Bundles | ||||
| WhatsApp Social Bundle | 50MB | 1 Day | R2 | R0.04 |
| WhatsApp Social Bundle | 100MB | 3 Days | R5 | R0.05 |
| WhatsApp Social Bundle | 250MB | 7 Days | R10 | R0.04 |
| WhatsApp Social Bundle | 1GB | 20 Days | R30 | R0.03 |
| Standard Once-Off Data Bundles | ||||
| Hourly Data Bundle | 50MB | 1 Hour | R5.00 | R0.10 |
| Daily Data Bundle | 75MB | 1 Day | R12.00 | R0.16 |
| Weekly Data Bundle | 200MB | 7 Days | R25 | R0.13 |
| Weekly Data Bundle | 500MB | 7 Days | R55 | R0.11 |
| Monthly Data Bundle | 1GB | 30 Days | R149 | R0.15 |
| Monthly Data Bundle | 3GB | 30 Days | R299 | R0.10 |
Cell C
Cell C only offers a single 1GB 30-day WhatsApp bundle, but it is the cheapest out of all the mobile operators at R29.
It is also a great deal compared to normal prepaid data bundles, although the larger standard bundles do include a good amount of Nite data.
| Bundle | Data | Validity | Price | Per MB cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Data Bundles | ||||
| WhatsApp Bundle | 1GB | 30 Days | R29 | R0.03 |
| Standard Once-Off Data Bundles | ||||
| Daily Bundle | 25MB | 1 Day | R4 | R0.16 |
| Daily Bundle | 65MB | 1 Day | R9 | R0.14 |
| 5-Day Data Bundle | 80MB | 5 Days | R12 | R0.15 |
| 5-Day Data Bundle | 250MB | 5 Days | R25 | R0.10 |
| Monthly Data Bundle | 750MB + 1GB Nite | 30 Days | R80 | R0.11 |
| Monthly Data Bundle | 2GB + 4GB Nite | 30 Days | R199 | R0.10 |
Telkom
Telkom does not offer users specific social media bundles, but does sell FreeMe contracts and FreeMe prepaid bundles to customers, both of which include free WhatsApp data.
FreeMe prepaid data bundles include 500MB of mobile data for instant messaging and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) usage, which includes WhatsApp voice calling.
Telkom’s FreeMe contract packages include free WhatsApp calling and messaging, with a fair usage policy of 2GB per month.
Due to these general offerings across its prepaid bundles and contracts, Telkom’s offerings could not be compared in the same manner as the other operators.
However, as the free WhatsApp usage is included on top of its data offerings, Telkom offers some of the best value when it comes to WhatsApp usage in South Africa.
Now read: MTN prepaid bundle sale – Get up to 99% off
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