BootsnAll Travel Community

Trying to figure out the cheapest/easiest way to get a cell phone while in South Africa for 3 months...any ideas?

You can get a cellphone with a pay as you go simcard for about R1000 which is about $140. There are 4 service providers here... Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Virgin.

Another suggestion is bring a gsm cellphone from USA... as long as it's tri or quad band it'll work here, then all you need to buy is a pay as you go simcard!

Hope that helps... if you have any other questions, ask away!

Hi Brendans

Cell phones go from say R250 upwards (very basic), pay as you go sim-cards, can be had very cheaply around R40 I would recommend Virgin mobile. As Dopezyn said, bring your tri-band with you, get a card and away. (until you see our call rates

Kind regards

Philip

Is it worth it to buy one if I'm only there three weeks? Also, how is the coverage in rural areas for most cell phones?

Cheers

quote:

Originally posted by cmb:
Is it worth it to buy one if I'm only there three weeks? Also, how is the coverage in rural areas for most cell phones?

Cheers

Having a cellphone isn't a necessarity in this country, esp if you are only here for 3 weeks... if you really want one you can hire one at any of the major airports or buy a very cheap one!

Coverage in most rural areas is pretty good... most safari parks have coverage!

Cool, thanks. I was toying with buying a prepaid one at the start of my trip (in either Jo'burg or Durban) and trying to find some way to sell it to a backpacker in Cape Town. Does anyone have any good leads on how to do this? Also, does anyone know any particular hostels, locations, etc. in Jo'burg or Durban where I might have good luck buying a phone from a backpacker looking to get rid of one?

(This might not even be common, but I figured I'd ask!)

Cheers

I would suggest going to a "cash crusaders" of which there are many and pick up a cheapy (R200-R400 $25-$50) that is open to all networks. Then get a starter sim card from Pick'n'pay for either vodacom, MTN or Virgin (available from Musica or Clicks stores)

You can also sell the phone back to the same store for probably half what you paid for it. (you may need ID for this)

Thanks for the tip, Philip. If I bought something prepaid, how much do the minutes typically cost? Also, do they differentiate between local and long distance mobile calls?

Thanks!

Between R1 and R2.50 (14C and 30c) Depending on the network and who your calling. If you mean "long distance" within SA, it there is no difference. International calls on a mobile, can make a grown man cry.

In SA, you don't get charged for incoming calls like you do in the states (weirdest thing I ever heard)

Cool, thanks for the heads up. When I meant long distance I was thinking Durban to Cape Town kind of thing, so that sounds good. Sounds like I'm best just buying a regular phone card and using a pay phone to call the States instead of using the mobile?

If I were you I would just go to an internet cafe and use SKYPE or the local VOIP carrier. You'll save a ton of money over phone cards etc