Gadgets6.12.2011

FNB special gets Samsung Galaxy devices

First national bank

First National Bank has added a number of Samsung’s Android-based Galaxy products to its catalogue of smartphone and tablet PCs on offer through its special for account holders.

The bank launched its smartphone and tablet PC promotion on 19 October 2011, which was initially only available to platinum and gold cheque account holders.

Until recently the devices available on the special were: Apple iPad 2 (16GB), HTC Wildfire S, HTC Sensation, HTC Flyer, and the BlackBerry Curve 8520.

The iPad 2 deal proved hugely popular, with many prospective buyers waiting a week or more to hear back from FNB after requesting a device.

When FNB launched the deals it also didn’t charge a courier fee, but this changed in November when the bank started asking R120 courier fee.

The table below shows the devices FNB has on offer, with the new Samsung deals on top.

Device Monthly price (for 24 months) Gold Cheque Account Platinum Cheque Account Private Clients Account
Contract is for 24 months. Account fees are R92 p/m for Gold, R110 p/m for Platinum and Private.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7” 16GB R219 R311 R329 R329
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1” 32GB R279 R371 R389 R389
Samsung Galaxy S2 Smartphone R225 R317 R335 R335
Samsung Galaxy Note R295 R387 R405 R405
Apple iPad 2 16GB 3G + Wi-Fi R229 R321 R339 R339
BlackBerry Curve 8520 R70 R162 R180 R180
HTC Wildfire S R70 R162 R180 R180
HTC Sensation R200 R292 R310 R310
HTC Flyer R200 R292 R310 R310

These deals compete head-on with the specials on offer through mobile operators and Apple Premium Resellers such as iStore and DigiCape.

Vodacom and MTN both have the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1” available on 2 year contracts for R369 which includes 2GB of data. The MTN deal also includes a Bluetooth keyboard.

iStore has the iPad available on MTN 2GB contracts from R389 per month for a 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model (R379 for Wi-Fi only with Mi-Fi portable hotspot device).

DigiCape has a similarly priced deals on Vodacom contracts (with Wi-Fi only iPad 2s also coming with Mi-Fi devices).

In the end, it’s up to the subscriber whether they prefer to have their tablet PC bundled with a data contract, or if they’d instead like to get the tablet for slightly cheaper but have to get mobile data services separately.

Terms and conditions

In addition to not providing a SIM card or data services with the device, FNB also places the following conditions on prospective buyers:

  • You must have an FNB cheque account with the mobile pricing option (this limits the number of ATM withdrawals).
  • Your salary must be paid into this cheque account.
  • You must switch your debit orders to this account.
  • Your credit report/record must be in good standing.
  • You must register for FNB online banking.

Related articles

Vodacom data and tablet PC promotions
iPad 2 with 2GB of data special
FNB iPad offer – is there a catch?
Cheap smartphones and tablet PCs from FNB come at a price
Cheap smartphones and tablets from FNB
Samsung Galaxy S2 review
Samsung Galaxy Note review

HTC Flyer review
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
HTC Sensation review

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