Years ago, Vodafone had the first 512kb of each data session 'free' on Pay as You Go plans.
It does not seem to be the case any longer.
Does anyone know of any pay as you go sims that do not charge for the 'first xxx kb of each data session'?
Looking for a cheap sim for my IoT device which only uses about 110kb per session, every 5 minutes, 24/7.
Thanks!
Thank you. I think it's network specific and since Vodafone has stopped doing it, it means all MVNOs who use Vodafone would also not be able to charge that way.
Is the cheapest as you go data 2c/MB please? Lebara?
You should check how that data is charged, most likely going to be in MB increments and if your IoT device draws data every 5 mins that's still going to be $5.76 a day.
Thank you! I have per kb charging which is nice. But i get your point!
The closest thing I know is the Dodo $10/month plan (4GB for the first 3 months, then 2GB). When you exceed your monthly allowance it still works, but slows to 1Mbps, which should be ok for your purposes (and you wouldn't exceed 1GB/month if your traffic estimation is correct anyway).
OK. The closest I've found to something useful is… get a discounted Vodafone sim starter pack. Sign up to Prepaid Pay and Go. eg $10 is good for 60 days. No inclusions, every phone call, SMS and every bit of data is charged as per schedule. Then buy a data add-on at $5 for 500MB for 28 days, or $10 for 1GB for 28 days. This must be done by SMS recharge to access your Pay and Go Credit (not the My Credit). I know it still sounds dear, but if you get a discounted sim starter pack, it would be cheaper than $10/GB. eg $5/GB.
I haven't actually tried the above yet. Here's why. I rang up Vodafone to double check that everything they said on the data add-on method is true, ie
Prepaid Pay and Go plan credits may also be used via TXT recharge at 1264
Using your recharge’s credit to get an Add-on by SMS is only available on Pay and Go and 365 Day recharges.
Anyways, the nice Vodafone man on the phone was quite adamant that I am wrong, and that there is no way for me to use my Pay and Go Credit for a data add-on. Only My Credit (of which I have $0) can be used to buy the add-on. How confusing.
In any case, I was pleasantly surprised to be offered 1GB add-on for free. But then again, how cheap is data really anyway, it's not really 'worth' the $10 they charge. But, all of my dealings with phoning up Vodafone have always been very pleasant. They are polite, and do offer to help, and want your feedback. And from memory, I may have gotten a freebie from them previously too. And given you can find discounted Vodafone starter packs around the traps year round… well, I call them a bargain!
So I will try to buy a data add-on when my 1GB runs out, in about a month… Will keep yous posted!
Isn't that like 1GB a month? Aren't you better off with a low end data plan? Aldi Mobile has a data-only plan, 30GB for 95$ with 365 day expiry.
Yes, 1GB a month as cheap as possible.
Thanks for the suggestion though! But i'm actually playing with some clearance vodafone sims, so I'll keep playing for now.
I don't.