Roaming Costs in Africa
africa cost giffgaff maxroam. vodafone mobile roaming truphone · 3 comments · 400 words · read ~422 times.
As I've mentioned, I'm off to Africa.
I was wondering what the rates are going to be for roaming. I could get a local SIM - but as I'm only there for a few days, it seems a bit pointless - no one will have the number & I'll lose any credit at the end of the trip.
So, how do the various roaming SIMs stack up against my Vodafone SIM?
TruPhone's list of prices is very simple
| Country | Make a call | Receiving a call | Send a text | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya, Nigeria,
South Africa |
120p a min | 78p a min | 36p | 600p per MB |
GiffGaff's list of prices now include data roaming. Again, a simple tariff.
| Country | Make a call | Receiving a call | Send a text | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya, Nigeria,
South Africa |
100p a min | 100p a min | 30p | 500p per MB |
MaxRoam's prices are slightly more complicated
| Country | Make a call | Receiving a call | Send a text | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 351p a min | 140p a min | 43p | 780p per MB |
| Nigeria & South Africa | 263p a min | 140p a min | 43p | 780p per MB |
Vodafone's price plans for roaming are very competitive.
| Country | Make a call | Receiving a call | Send a text | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 80p a min | 75p a min | 35p | 500p a day for 25MB |
| Kenya and Nigeria | 165p a min | 130p a min | 35p | 500p a day for 25MB |
Conclusion
Stone the crows! It looks like my domestic Vodafone SIM might just be the cheapest way to roam in Africa!
MaxRoam has some really innovative features - but the costs are insanely high.
TruSIM is good in UK, USA, and Australia, but not so good elsewhere. While the rates are marginally cheaper in Kenya and Nigeria, the data costs really are prohibitive.
The new MVNO GiffGaff has some great prices - and the cheapest SMS price.
But, overall, it has to be Vodafone. Not least because of the pricing model for data. A fiver for 25MB is much more generous than the other providers - and using email or GTalk will be much cheaper than SMS. While the costs are marginally higher in Kenya and Nigeria - I'll be spending the majority of my time in South Africa. Crucially, I get to keep my number - so I'm not out of contact.
Have I missed something? Are there any better roaming deals?
Chris says:
Vodafone is actually even cheaper than your tables (I think) as their 'Passport' tariff is very competitive.
However, a local SIM would surely be your best option, even if you are only going for a few days.
Chris
Gersbo says:
I've just ordered a SIM from http://www.abroadband.com - it's data only, but at €0.59 per MB. I looked at MaxRoam as well, but they are not cheaper than roaming with my Danish SIM.
I work for http://www.aether-mobile.com. Our rates in SA are 40p to make a call and free to receive!
As you say, if you get a local SIM and have any credit left at the end of your trip, you'll lose it. Aether Mobile's SIM doesn't expire, and neither does the credit on it.
There are no monthly subscription charges and there are no annual charges.