My experience with Safaricom no-expiry data bundles

Well, I am that guy: The guy who sometimes finds himself browsing Facebook using the mobile app while there is another Facebook opened on my office computer right in front of me.

I’m the guy whose idea of killing time is prying through WhatsApp statuses to see the subliminal and not-so-covert messages people are trying to pass; to register the latter-day “nakucheki (I see you)” where that someone you have not contacted since Delilah shaved Samson sees you seeing their stuff but no word is exchanged. So much for 21st century ghosting.

Being that guy means I spend quite a bit on data, and as such, I have done all things that can get someone some data. All legal things, I should add. From redeeming Bonga points to “Okoa-ring” to being “sambazwad” bundles, I have seen it all.

24-HOUR RING-FENCING

And so when Safaricom introduced the new data package without an expiry date, out of their renewed promise of being open and simple with their customers, the nosey me had to give it a try.

My self-assessment shows that my mobile data bleeds most when I’m at home, off duty, and that was the perfect time to try them.

Out of that experiment two weekends ago, now I prefer buying the data without expiry. I’ll share details of making the purchase at the end of this.

My realisation was that I was under no pressure to remember when the bundle expires. This being the connected age where you are sure to bump into free Wi-Fi at every corner (even my local mama mboga (grocery lady) has “promised” to install it for the benefit of bachelors who look lost as they wait for their veggies to be chopped), it helps to know that your data is ready when you are.

Those who know me know that I suck at committing things to my short-term memory. The data without expiry eliminates that need to beat the 24-hour ring-fencing before the data expires.

YOUR CHOICE

But there are also moments I would choose the normal bundle with an expiry date. For instance when I’m planning to stream a game (read all Manchester United games), I would prefer buying the normal bundle because it will get me data that I am sure to exhaust in the 1.75 hours that the match will last as Man U does what it does best — whipping teams black and blue and giving opponents lifelong nightmares.

Safaricom’s new offer also applies to call and SMS bundles. I have come to like the call and SMS bundles that do not expire because the nature of my communication might see me make volumes of calls in one month and just a few in the next. Same with texts.

So, the choice is yours too, and as promised, this is the way to buy data without an expiry date:

  1. Dial *544#
  2. Select the option for “Data Bundle (NO EXPIRY DATE)”
  3. Select whether you are buying for your number or another person’s. You also have the alternative of getting advance bundles, or “Okoa Data.”
  4. Enter the amount you wish to spend.
  5. Safaricom will automatically let you know how much data bundles that amount can get you.
  6. You can then pay with airtime or via M-Pesa.

Give it a try and share what you think.