Desertroseas Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 Can anyone please tell me if I will beable to buy a pay-as-you-go starter pack/Sim card in Johannesburg for my Aussie iPhone ? Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titus Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 It depends where you bought your iPhone and if it's unlocked or not.... If you bought it from Vodafone/Optus then it's probably locked and would have to be unlocked before being able to use an RSA sim in it. If you bought it directly from the Apple store then it should already be unlocked....You can call Vodafone to arrange to have it unlocked... I think they charge a fee of around $40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enrica Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 All Iphones are locked, its a security feature , your need to tell your service provider that you are going to use you phones overseas and want to use a local sim in your phone to get it unlocked.I have a phone with telstra and had to call the Iphone division and get it unlocked, even when my son wanted to use his Aussie sim card in my Aussie fone!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Short&Tall Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 Just in case - remember you need to get RICAd to buy a SIM card in RSA - need ID and proof of address. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enrica Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 If you go to Vodafone or MTN kiosk at the airport at OT Airport, there is not such a big issue , as they know most of the people are tourists. I managed to get a sim and internet package within 10 minutes of arrival, no problem.You can also pre-order your sim and internet You can pre-order at least 1 week before you arrive fromhttp://www.b4igo.travel/home/Hope this helpsRegardsEnrica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titus Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 All Iphones are locked, its a security feature .FYI. It's not a security feature.... The reason many network providers SIM lock their phones is that they offer phones at a discount to customers in exchange for a contract to pay for the use of the network for a specified time period. This business model allows the company to recoup the cost of the phone over the life of the contract. If the phones were not locked, users might sign a contract with one company, get the discounted phone and start using the phone on another network or even sell the phone for a profit. SIM locking makes it more difficult to do this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enrica Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 I found this article on the net regarding Iphone and all Iphones being locked:-Getting ConnectedYou have three basic choices when it comes to connecting to a cellular network abroad. The first is the cheapest but requires a bit of research and a little leg work at your destination, while the other two are more expensive but just plain work with no hassle.1.Foreign SIM CardThis is the cheapest option which gives you the most flexibility, and depending on the country, even the possibility of having so much data at your disposal you won’t even need to monitor your usage. Unfortunately, it requires jailbreaking and unlocking your device. This has its own implications; I’ll leave it up to the reader to decide whether this is a path worth taking, and to figure out how to do it (the process and ability depends on your device and OS version, not to mention your tech savviness).If you do unlock your phone, you will be free to use any SIM you can find. You will quite likely want to use a contract-free prepaid SIM which will allow you to just pay for what you use and can usually be found all over, from airports to convenience stores to specialty phone shops. These options are country-specific, so if you’re traveling to three or more countries you’ll want to look into “global SIM” cards such as Telestial or GO-SIM.http://patik.com/blog/how-to-use-your-iphone-overseas/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enrica Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 Sorry I disagree with you regarding the Iphone, I purchased my Iphone outright my carrier is Telstra , and I still had to call Iphone division to get my phone unlocked to use in another country. This is a security feature on Iphone. Every other phone that I had on a Telsttra contract I could use whatever sim card I want to no problem , its only the Iphone that needs to be unlocked.My friends that have purchased their ifones outright have had the same issues as I did . Its just a fone call and no problem its done.I know that the cheaper carriers like Vodafone/Optus etc lock their fone iphone or other and that becomes an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansaPlease Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 Titus is right, it depends on where you bought it, they're not all unlocked. About buying a sim from the airport- just one thing to note, it could easily cost you R300, compared to a sim from a shop that can cost a couple of bucks. I nearly collapsed when the lady at the airport Vodacom stall told me the price. When I questioned it, she shrugged and said: 'it's the airport, everything is expensive here...'I waited a few hours and bought one from Pick and Pay for next to nothing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candivw Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 Iphone takes a special sim which i dont think pick n pay would have you may need to go to an apple outlet.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansaPlease Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 Iphone takes a special sim which i dont think pick n pay would have you may need to go to an apple outlet..Aha, very good point! The sim I bought wasn't for an iPhone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serendipity Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 Aha, very good point! The sim I bought wasn't for an iPhone... The sim the iPhone uses is the micro sim card, I had to change mine from the larger one before I could use the phone. This was with Telstra and cost nothing to do and took 2 minutes! Gat the new card there and then. Not sure about RSA and how it will all work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertroseas Posted November 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 Thank you everyone ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMupersan Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 It still doesn't answer the question... Can you buy an IPHONE MICRO SIM pay as you go in South Africa for when you're on holiday? I'm interested as well as I've got an iPhone and will be visiting my mom next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olgam Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 It still doesn't answer the question... Can you buy an IPHONE MICRO SIM pay as you go in South Africa for when you're on holiday? I'm interested as well as I've got an iPhone and will be visiting my mom next year.Yes you can. Go to a Vodashop where they will give you two sim cards: a normal and a microcard. Then they will make a "swop" to the micro sim. But I have to warn you - there is a cost involved for the swop. (Can't remember the amount - I think it was something like R200)Once you on the new micro sim you can treat it like any regular pay as you go card.Remember that the SIM must be RICA as well. Take your mom with and let her take it out on her name - its a lot less hassles.Hope this helps....RegardsOlga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21yearsoutofrsa Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 the cheap and easy method Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMupersan Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Thanks a million for that Olga. I'll do that. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin Posted November 10, 2011 Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 dilemma, only got an iphone a few months ago when there was no visa in site for years to come, ON CONTRACT, so if i want to close th contract it will cost me R 16 000 ! anyone else had this situation, guess theres not much you can do, would close my contract and still use my iphone in Oz on pre-paid however is there a chance to put a CAP on your contract usage, that way one could not cancel the contract cause you still have to pay every month (if opting not to do a straight immediate cancel) - then with the cap you know they cant smoke you from Oz side and you could still use your contract money to make calls to SA untill it hits the cap ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 I am so glad I own a Samsung Galaxy, don't have any issues, here or anywhere else in the world! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardH Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 dilemma, only got an iphone a few months ago when there was no visa in site for years to come, ON CONTRACT, so if i want to close th contract it will cost me R 16 000 ! anyone else had this situation, guess theres not much you can do, would close my contract and still use my iphone in Oz on pre-paid however is there a chance to put a CAP on your contract usage, that way one could not cancel the contract cause you still have to pay every month (if opting not to do a straight immediate cancel) - then with the cap you know they cant smoke you from Oz side and you could still use your contract money to make calls to SA untill it hits the cap ?With South African call rates on roaming using your sa sim to call SA from Aus to use up the cap would mean some very short phone calls.... I would put a cap on the contract in SA if you can and then give the SIM to someone in SA to use for the rest of the contract.I am busy waiting for a cell contract in SA to wind down (about 6 months left to go) and it irritates me that the bundles get unused but what can you do? It is much cheaper than cancellation. which with MTN is R1700 cancellation fee + Monthly fees x length of contract left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candivw Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 I am so glad I own a Samsung Galaxy, don't have any issues, here or anywhere else in the world!We have an iPhone and a Galaxy, prefer the iPhone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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