I’ve been looking over the numerous contract options and tremendous amount of cellphone choices available at Vodacom and at first glance, it really can seems to be an impossible task to establish what suits you.
After putting my “thinking cap” on I started evaluating each different contract option and most of the current cellphone models available. I established the below basic guide that you can use to insure you end up with the right option for your specific needs.
First things first, ask yourself how much airtime & data would you need on a monthly basis? Then also ask yourself if you want to buy additional airtime yourself as needed or would you prefer to be billed as you use.
After establishing this you can choose the closest option to your answer from the below. The first list are all top up contract options, meaning that once your airtime/data or SMS’s are finished you can buy more yourself. (It is normally wise to consider these contracts when taking out a contract for a child.)
- uChoose Flexi 55 – Gives you R55 Airtime Value each month.
- uChoose Flexi 110 – Gives you R110 Airtime Value each month.
- uChoose Flexi 150 – Gives you R150 Airtime Value each month.
- uChoose Flexi 200 – Gives you R200 Airtime Value each month.
- uChoose Flexi 350 – Gives you R350 Airtime Value each month.
- uChoose Flexi 500 – Gives you R500 Airtime Value each month.
- uChoose Flexi 750 – Gives you R750 Airtime Value each month.
- uChoose Smart XS – Gives you 50Anytime Minutes, 100MB data & 100 SMS’s
- uChoose Smart Small – Gives you 75 Anytime Minutes, 200MB data & 200 SMS’s
- uChoose Smart Medium – Gives you 120 Anytime Minutes, 300MB data & 300 SMS’s
- uChoose Smart Large – Gives you 250 Anytime Minutes, 500MB data & 500 SMS’s
- uChoose Smart Xtra Large – Gives you 400 Anytime Minutes, 800MB data & 800 SMS’s
The second list below are all open line contract options, this means that once you have used up the allocated airtime/minutes, data & SMS’s, you can continue calling, using data or SMS’ing but you will receive a bill each month for what you have used over what was provided to you.
Just like the above uChoose SMART plans there are also the SMART plans available as open contracts. You receive exactly the same allocation of minutes, data and SMS’s as mentioned above, but instead of topping up with extra airtime or data you will be billed based on usage.
Example: Smart Xtra Small – Gives you 50 Anytime minutes, 100MB data & 100SMS’s
Under the open lines Vodacom has also provided the below RED plans suitable for people that need more than the above options:
- Red Advantage – 700 Anytime Minutes, 1GB Data & Unlimited SMS’s
- Red Premium – 1200 Anytime Minutes, 1.6GB Data & Unlimited SMS’s
- Red VIP – Unlimited Anytime Minutes, 5GB Data & Unlimited SMS’s
Now that you have the right contract in mind for yourself let’s get to the fun part: choosing a phone. I have found that although it is about the efficiency of the phone it is also a lot about personal choice. Remember a cellphone is a reflection of your personality.
Below are the biggest differences between some major brands:
(If I had to list each phone with all their features this would change from a blog to a book. You can find the specs of each device when clicking on it in the Smartcom online shop.)
Samsung, Sony, Huawei & LG all run on Android (Google) systems – very user friendly and generally the most popular amongst cellphone users in South Africa.
Apple runs on its own IOS system – Generally preferred by your IT experts or more tech savvy users.
Microsoft (previously known as Nokia) runs on a Windows Microsoft system – If you are a “die hard” Windows fan you will like this brand.
BlackBerry use to run on mainly on BlackBerry’s own operating system, but newer BlackBerry devices also operate on Android.
I myself have found that I much more prefer the Android version phones as you have a huge variety of apps and they tend to be very user-friendly.
Remember to check with your friendly Smartcom Consultant on what your total cost will be for the contract combined with your preferred phone.
I hope the above will help as much as it has helped me.