Vodacom and B4i Travel have jointly launched a cost-effective Tourist Sim Bundle to give overseas visitors a viable option for staying connected while travelling in South Africa.
The base option costs R399 for 3GB data, 30 minutes of local calls, 30 SMSs and R30 airtime for international calls. This compares to similar options in Europe costing, for example, 20 Euro from Vodafone Spain (about R340 at airports) or 15 pounds from EE in the UK (about R300 at airports). Google Fi in the USA charges $30 (about R440 at the airport) for unlimited calls and texts, but only 1GB of data, and $10 increments per 1GB.
Many cheaper options are available if one shops around, but buying a SIM card at the airport adds a convenience factor that often far outweighs the savings.
The Vodacom Travel Bundles offer three options. Aside from the R399 bundle, travellers cam also purchase:
For R549: 5GB data, 50 minutes of local calls, 50 sms and R50 airtime;
For R799: 10GB data, 100 minutes of local calls, 100 sms and R100 airtime.
All the bundles include Vodacom’s International Calling Plan, which allows Tourist to call home at rates from 89 cents per minute. The International Calling Plan rates are country specific.
The bundles are all valid for 30 days, and are available from Vodacom Stores at OR Tambo International, Cape Town International and King Shaka International. Travellers who missed out on purchasing a SIM on arrival can still purchase it from Cellucity at the V&A Waterfront, or online at www.b4i.travel .
