5 Reasons Why Your Airtime Is Magically Disappearing And How To Deal With It
Internet access in Zimbabwe is typically packaged around social networks by most mobile network service providers. That basically means browsing anything outside Facebook or Whatsapp in Zimbabwe will cost you an arm and a leg. Below are 5 ways to avoid high cellular charges in Zimbabwe!
Restrict data access
Most Android phones have an option for you to restrict data access to apps you actively using only because the reason your airtime magically disappears is because apps run in the background and that cost you airtime and data.
Wifi
Using your office wifi or free public wifi like ZOL or any open wifi networks will save you from paying every time you browse anything. In Zimbabwe’s major towns you will find free wifi at public places including at airports,hotels,restaurants,shopping malls etc.If you need to make a call or browse the internet, just jump on to a free wifi network and save some money.
Use data Bundles
Browsing out of a data bundle costs you way more than browsing with data bundles. Bundled data is more efficient than direct data charges from your pre-paid airtime account. So if you are someone who exchanges photos,videos etc a lot,you may want to bundle always to avoid high data charges.
Utilise social media for all communications
These days, so many social media platforms have made it possible to call friends,family back home and still save cost. You even have the added advantage of video calling but don’t video call in Zimbabwe! Platforms like whatsapp,Skype,Facebook, messenger,Snapchat and Yahoo messenger allows you to call at all times through data usage but in Zimbabwe try limit all your activities to Whatsapp as much as possible.
When to call
There are certain times of the day when everyone is calling and this may tend to have an adverse effect on price and call quality since the networks may be overloaded and become expensive at peak hours.However,during certain times of the day, when a lot of people are either asleep or inactive, the phone lines may be clearer and you may talk for long paying less. Very late at night ,at dawn or very early in the morning is the best time to call.Unless it’s urgent, plan your calling times to suit the best time of day when you don’t have to pay much for it.
Turn off automatic downloads
Many people do not know that leaving automatic downloads and updates as well as running apps may cause higher charges than normal. When apps are not in use,try to turn them off to avoid unnecessary charges. Save money by cutting off the things you have control over. Update your apps when you need to.
Avoid Instagram
Instagram browsing in expensive ! Consumes most of your data. Stay away from Instagram at all costs. A couple images your 50mb bundle will vanish like it never existed.
