Lee,
I also have a pay-as-you-go plan (I own my iPhone 5 and buy Verizon service through Tracfone). What worked for your wife in December? Did she use her unlocked phone and buy a SIM card at the airport?

Hi Steve,

The answer to both of your questions is in the “Costs” section of the article.

– buying is cheaper in the city — as I mentioned, “as long as you don’t buy at the airport, staying connected is inexpensive in South Africa”.
– in terms of which company is cheapest, I said “if you’re a heavy data user, the data bonuses make MTN a cheaper option than Vodacom. For light to moderate use, there’s little difference.”

It’s been about a year since this post was written, so you may wish to do your own pricing research to see if there’s been a significant change (although I doubt it).

Probably a couple of weeks at least, maybe more. I’d suggest downloading the areas you intend to drive through ahead of time (details here for Google Maps) to save on data use as well.

I don’t know about renting a Wi-fi router outside the airports, I’m afraid — it may be possible, but you’ll need to check with Vodacom (or MTN) to find out. Given the low price of SIM cards and data packages, you’ve also got the option of just buying individual SIMs for anyone who has an unlocked device to put them in.

Hi Wil,

I’m not sure about tethering (on iPhone or otherwise), but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work in a MiFi. If tethering is something you’re going to need to rely on, I’d suggest confirming with Vodacom or MTN prior to purchase.

Very informative article. We will be traveling to Cape Town end of January. Is the SIM card and data package of 1GB shareable? Will it work in a MiFI (portable hotspot)? If installed in an iPhone, can it be tethered?

Thanks!

As per the article, he can buy either at the airport or in the cities, including Durban.