Cellphones are no longer just for talking or texting.  Nowadays most of us also browse the web with it.  Well, whatever  you are using your cellphone for and however you are accessing the internet, it is important to know that Vodacom offers more than just Contract deals.   They also offer Prepaid and Top Up packages for talking (airtime) or for surfing the Net (data bundles).  Plus there are several ways to recharge your Prepaid.

When you run out of Prepaid airtime or data, what do you do?  You can recharge with Vodacom, at Vodashops or with other Vodacom approved dealers. You can buy data bundles directly at some places, or you can buy airtime and convert it into data.

When you opt for Prepaid, the question is, “What are your purchasing options and which one suits your lifestyle the best?”

Vodacom Prepaid AIRTIME

Lots of people choose Vodacom Prepaid AIRTIME because they don’t want to get locked into a Contract. Even though Contract airtime is cheaper than buying Prepaid airtime, many people find they save money because they are forced to manage their talk-time. With a Contract it is very easy to run up a huge bill because, unless you keep checking usage, you won’t be aware of how much airtime you have used. With Prepaid, you can decide what your budget is, and then when you have spent it, you either reconsider and buy more, or rely on people phoning you.

All you need to be able to utilise the Prepaid airtime option is a Prepaid or Top Up SIM which should, of course be registered with Rica. You can buy airtime from:

• Shops and supermarkets, in which case you’ll be given a slip with a long pin number you have to enter.
• A Vodashop, which will also supply you with a long pin number.
• The major commercial banks like ABSA, FNB, Nedbank and Standard Bank online when you do internet banking.  Every time you initiate the purchase they will SMS you an OTP (One Time Password) encryption number. The recharge is loaded to your phone within a few minutes.
• Vodacom using a credit card, providing you are registered with them and you are happy to share your credit card details via a “secure line”.
• Online using a secure and convenient EFT (electronic funds transfer) from an approved Vodacom dealer like Vtime, in which case your phone will be recharged directly and pinless within a few minutes.

Vodacom Prepaid DATA

The reasons why people choose Prepaid data are generally the same as why they choose Prepaid airtime, with one big exception:  Prepaid data is cheaper than Contract data. Unfortunately too many people still think that it is enough to simply buy airtime to fund their internet usage.  This is a big mistake, because at R2/MB (Prepaid out-of-bundle rates) your airtime will be gone before you can say, “But I recharged with R300 just the other day…”  Rather buy Prepaid data bundles and enjoy the cheaper in-bundle-rates.

A lot of people buy airtime and convert it into a data bundle for their modem SIM. This is probably because their outlet of choice is a shop or bank. Shops and supermarkets only sell airtime and sms bundles, as do most of the banks. Only FNB offers data bundles directly, but only Broadband Standard bundles.

There are other options, however, including the Vodacom credit card option and EFT from approved dealers, which is a particularly easy and effective option. Generally approved dealers only offer airtime (which means you’ll have to still convert it to data). Nivo is an approved Vodacom dealer that sells data bundles directly online via a credit card, and doesn’t utilise a pin. But they also only offer Broadband Standard data bundles.

Vtime is currently the only Vodacom approved dealer that offers both Broadband Standard and Advanced Data bundles online via EFT.  These data bundles are available pinless and go directly to your modem SIM. It really makes life simple, because it is so easy, effective and absolutely effortless.