Vodacom has launched summer bundles that price smartphone data at about a third of its standard rate, as long as customers count only the half they can use during the day.
The “Let’s Do Summer” deals are valid for 30 days and cost between R129 and R529. Each includes unlimited Vodacom-to-Vodacom calls, 5GB of YouTube data, 100 VodaBucks (Vodacom’s rewards currency) and a one-month YouTube Premium trial. The largest gives 150GB of anytime data and another 150GB of Night Owl data for R529.
That works out at R3.53/GB of anytime data. Vodacom’s standard 100GB smartphone bundle costs R999, or R9.99/GB.
The catch is that half of every Summer Deal is Night Owl data, which Vodacom’s terms restrict to between midnight and 5am. The smaller bundles are much less generous once that is taken into account:
| Bundle | Price | Anytime data | Price per anytime GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15GB | R129 | 7.5GB | R17.20 |
| 30GB | R199 | 15GB | R13.27 |
| 60GB | R279 | 30GB | R9.30 |
| 150GB | R429 | 75GB | R5.72 |
| 300GB | R529 | 150GB | R3.53 |
The deals bring the split between anytime and Night Owl data that Vodacom uses on its prepaid LTE bundles for routers to smartphones, and add free on-net calls. Price tracker DataCost lists a Vodacom router bundle of 50GB anytime and 50GB Night Owl data at R349, or R6.98 per anytime gigabyte.
Unlimited calling is subject to Vodacom’s fair-usage policy, but the statement doesn’t say what the limit is. Nor does it say how long the deals will be on sale or whether all prepaid customers qualify.
The price of mobile data is under scrutiny in South Africa. In September, communications regulator Icasa announced an inquiry into what South Africans pay to communicate. It withdrew the notice on 1 October, saying it would republish it with a draft questionnaire. Time-limited promotions let operators cut prices without lowering their standard rates. – © 2026 NewsCentral Media
