This topic has been one of my most requested blog posts but I never got around to it because I hardly review the things I buy. But also, I committed to it a while back and it has been in my drafts for a while now, so here’s my experience.
I’ve been using the Rain mobile network since it launched in June 2018. It is regarded as South Africa’s first data-only network (LTE) and the pricing is simple: 5c/MB. There are no in- and out-of-bundle rates, the sneaky way regular operators make money off you and before you know it, your airtime has run out.
I’ve been on prepaid my whole life, except that one time I took out a CONtract just for the phone and never used the airtime (I’ve grown up since lol) and now I prefer to save the cash and buy my phones outright (either in SA or when I travel). I got tired of paying ridiculous data prices on my network, and the numerous times I found that when I had run out of data, it used my airtime without me knowing (I managed to get refunded a few times) but eventually I got fed up.
Rain came at the right time, it was when realised I had spent over R800 in one month on prepaid data. I was too afraid to check beyond a month and because I buy data exclusively from the FNB app, it was easy to go back and look at my transactions.
Buying a Rain SIM card
The only way to buy a Rain SIM is online, directly through their website, rain.co.za. There are no physical stores, and no retailers that stock it. So if you want one, best you sign up on the website. I paid the full price of R120 delivery at the time on launch; it is currently R1 for delivery and the SIM card is R50. You also get 1 week free usage, a great way to see if you have signal where you are going to use it the most.
I used the coverage map for an indicator but I was on the border, and subsequently only got signal outside my house, but since they added more towers I’m fully covered at home. At home signal wasn’t a huge dealbreaker for me as I have uncapped WiFi; and this was mainly for being out and about. It certainly helps when my internet is down though, which worked during load shedding.
RICA and activation
When the SIM card gets delivered, you have to provide a copy of your ID and proof of address to the delivery person. They will hand it over to Rain who will process it, then your SIM will get activated. I can’t remember how long this takes. But if you don’t hear from them after 24 hours, try the call centre or log a ticket. They will send you the settings which you need to save, and your device should start working.
Although this might seem obvious, I’m going to state it anyway. As a data only network, the SIM card can only be used for data. It cannot receive SMSes and you cannot make calls with it. This means, it cannot be used to set up a Whatsapp account, or used for Uber etc. And if you’re interested in buying one, you obviously have another primary SIM card for calls. To use it, you would need either a dual-SIM phone or a MiFi device to put it into and hotspot from. I put mine into the test phones I have and hotspot from them (Mate 20 Pro is killer for this with its long-lasting battery). But Rain and a bunch of other retailers sell these dongles.
Data cost saving
Going back to the cost, it is a flat-rate of 5c/MB and R50/GB; there are no in- and out-of-bundle rates, therefore data doesn’t “expire”; you just pay this flat rate every time you access data. The primary network I am on charges R149/GB of data, so it makes no sense for me to pay anything more on another network if I have signal where I use it the most. This happens to be in and around Sandton, which has served me well so far. I pick up 50Mbps at home and slightly less elsewhere.
There is another option you can subscribe to called “unlimited off-peak” which is R250 a month but can be used for 19 hours a day. Everything here is month-to-month, there are no bundles or subscriptions. These hours are from 11pm-6pm daily. Anything you use from 6-11pm is regular R50/GB. If you think you use more than 5GB a month, this is the option for you.
I have not yet gone above R300 a month, so I’m monitoring my usage to see if I need this package option. As a regular user, I can also set a monthly cap; mine is R300 and if I’m at 80% of it, I will get a notification reminding me (I went above it during load-shedding). Everything about Rain so far has ensured I never spend more than I’m aware of. I hardly buy data on my primary network now, unless I really need to outside of Rain coverage. My bill is typically between R60-R200 a month, and our household has 2 SIM cards.
Other issues with Rain
I had an issue a few weeks ago with speed but since putting it into another device, it appears to be ok now. But also, I’m just questioning that speed indicator on the device to begin with because the speed test showed full speed. If anyone knows anything about this, let me know. I’ve not had other major issues with Rain so I can say my experience has been great. I’m very happy with my lower data costs these past eight months.
Image credit: Shutterstock
Is Rain worth it?
A lot of people ask me if Rain is worth it. My reply is always the same – it all comes down to cost and signal; if you have signal where you will use it the most, just get the SIM card. It costs R51 once-off (don’t buy yourself take-out coffee for 2 occasions) and there you have it. Your first week is free to use, so you won’t even be charged for the data while you decide. Use that week to determine if this is what works for you. That said, I do understand that you may need another device to hotspot from, so try use a previous phone for this, or find a deal online on a MiFi device, assuming you don’t have a dual-SIM phone.
I’m looking forward to the eSIM feature that is coming out this year, and well, 5G!
Nafisa Akabor
Related posts
Driven: VW Touareg
How to: Set up a new device
55 Comments
Comments are closed.
WELCOME
Welcome to Wired to the Web. My name is Nafisa Akabor and I’m a technology journalist covering business and consumer tech for the last 15 years. I’m passionate about start-ups, smartphones, mobile payments, travel tech and electric cars. βοΈ inbox@nafisa.co.za
How do i pay my rain sim ?
Ms Nafisa you are only on instagram,not on twitter?
I am on twitter, @nafisa1 – https://twitter.com/nafisa1 there is a link on my blog at the top to my social media profiles
Your point on whatsapp and uber is misleading
βThis means, it cannot be used to set up a Whatsapp account, or used for Uber etc. β
I use uber and whatsapp every day with a rain sim.
If you already have whatsapp / uber accounts and an existing mobile number you can use your new rain sim without problems.
If you do not have a mobile number youβll need to creat one to activate these services. There are a heap of apps that allow you to register mobile numbers such as burner.
Hi Nafisa,
I have squized through the internet about Rain as we don’t want to install fibre or pay for fees for wifi installation, yet I would like the benefits of a fast connection which is also mobile and has enough data to get through the month for myself and my daughter.
We are subscribed to Netflix, we you tube and the occasional online games.
How is the connection speed these days compared to when you first signed up, has it remained constant, do you lose connection or does it become too slow to stream?
I have seen alot of complaints on hello Peter where there are billing problems, not a good enough connection and bad service from Rain.
I also heard they have not prepared themselves for such an influx of customers and therefore speeds have dropped significantly.
Is this all true? Have you experienced any of the above issues?
The deals do seem very good and I can understand the sudden want for Rain.
Looking forward to your reply before making any decisions.
Regards
Roland
Hi
If I Wana cancell the rain wifi how do I go abt it.
Do you need to take out a contract for the rain unlimited plan ?
The one for R250
Is it R250 month
Remember with rain you have to pay every month regardless if you use it or not, otherwise you will need to cancel the sim and re-order another one if you decide to go back in the future. Also if you have bad signal theres pretty much nothing they can do about it.
Please don’t go around spreading false information. Do your research first. I’ve been with Rain for ages, you pay at the end of the month based on your usage. If you don’t have signal, therefore you can’t use it and you won’t pay anything. Chat to the call centre if you want someone to explain it to you.
I do want sim n I th know where to start help guys
How long does the delivery take ?
Hi thanks after reading the article i took it upon myself to try out the rain unlimited plan .to supplement i got a 20gb deal from Telkom for R139 to use during the peak hours.i have saved so much and my family is connected.your insight was clear & concise great job
Awesome, thanks for letting me know.
Hi, what if you don’t have a credit card and only have a debit card?
Hi. Did you try calling the call centre to ask?
Hey. When is the 1st billing? Is it after the 1st 7 free days or at the end of the month?
Hi. I would like to know does rain mobile work on Ultra Link N300 Wifi Router?
I want to buy a sim card where do I buy it
Hi good day I want the SIM card to use it 24hrs how much is the rate for that
And tell me the option you have but I would like to go for unlimited for the whole Month 2hrs
Hy thanx for the information,lf l may ask in a case where l don’t use the rain service for 2 months will they still deduct from my acc or l pay for what l use?
Hi. You only pay for what you use. If you don’t use it for 3 months, you don’t pay.
Hi The rain delivery guy said that my delivery note did not have my passport number and he went back… What do I do…
Update on getting a rain sim card :
Option 1 : Primary method: online, and delivered to your door (home or work address), by Ram Couriers (and you RICA on the spot with documents in hand).
Option 2 : (Best option so far) : Google search the nearest Tyme Bank kiosk (many Pick N Pay stores have them), take your RICA docs with, pay, enter details, activate, pop SIM in MiFi router, (Mine is Huawei E5573), log in on router, check settings, connection settings (APN / username, password), and let it connect. Done, you are now POA (Person on Air).
(Getting a home delivery, working all over Gauteng, was tricky, cause I leave early and get home late, seldom two days working in same place – Thus, the Tyme kiosk option worked great.
My use for rain : Between Pretoria (North, East, South), Midrand, Sandton, Randburg, all the way down to JHB Southern Suburbs, Grassmere, no issues found yet, even when on the highway.
Hope this helps.
Regards
NetNerd
Thanks for the feedback, it was very helpful. I am definitely going to a Rain deal I am sick and tired of the data rip-off from the various service providers (in my case Vodacom)
Hello, can I put the sim into a dongle and use for downloads on pc?
Hi Nafisa
Will the RAIN sim work with all sim routers or only the mobile type? I mainly want to use it at home with my HUAWEI B315s router?
Thanks
Steve
Hey there.
Which battery-powered MIFI device would you recommend to be on the go? For Rain that is.
Hi,
I hear that you say it cannot be used for setting up WhattsApp.
My question is, if my WhatsApp/Facebook/Instagram/Twitter was prior setup already, will I then be able to use the Rain Sim data for all those social sites mention above?
Thanks for your informative article. I just have one question. Can I use the SIM on my Vodacom K3570 modem? Thanks π
Hi Nafisa,
This sounds like a really good deal. However, I am base in Steynsburg in the Eastern Cape, a very small, almost rural area. Will I not have trouble with the signal?
What if you don’t have a credit card.
How will payment be made to start this rain Account,
And I live central Durban is this service available in this area.
Rain it’s a good sim card
I used it daily and you download fast
Watch movies
Hi
I wanted to know the first 7 days is it free for the 19hours or for the whole day?
Thanks
hi Nafisa
Hope this wont sound stupid but here is goes….,
i just received my sim card and caaaaaaan’t wait till i get home. I
Question is- how will I know when they(rain) will debit my account?
Can i choose when they(rain) can debit? or its simply – last day of the month?
can i change my plan at any moment?
Does this 19 hrs count during ur trail period?? Or it doesn’t
Hi, Thank you for the useful information. I was wondering how it bills you, does it just take the money at the end of the month or does it allow you to do an EFT or… I am sure it makes little difference to most people but it makes a difference to me.
Hi. It takes the money off your account. You cannot do an EFT.
Hi Nafisa do you have uncapped LTE bundles for during peak hours and what would the cost be?
How do rain deducted from your account
credit card, you pay at the end of the month.
I’ve been on this network for two months now and spending R250 is now good for me. I have never bought any data bundles for over 3 years due to it being to expensive for the less fortunate enough except for those monthly WhatsApp bundles. Now everything that I wanted to research is super easy ( even though I use a cheap mifi pocket router). Having the network off between 6pm and 11pm is ok with me because I consider that family time.
Thank you for the extra information on this, just can’t wait for coverage all over Cape town.
That’s great, so glad it’s working out for you! I also hardly buy bundles on my primary network, always hotspotting off Rain, signal dependent.
Thank You for your Broad Info reqarding Rain Sim as I just ordered mine….was doubtful for 2 years since my friend told me about csit sounded too good to be true.bt i have monitored my usage and my son and wife so i think mightwork for us
Thanks for your article. I read it before anything else so that I can get to grips with the concept. Succinct and clear.
Hi nafisa. Can you make WhatsApp calls using the rain simcard?
Hi. Only if you are connected to Rain via WiFi hotspot.
Good evening, pls advise if there is rain coverage in reservoir hills, Durban kwa Zulu natal
Thank you
Hi Nafisa, I’m interested in getting the rain sim card, but I don’t want to tie myself the R250 deal in case on some months or won’t be able to cough up that money. When asked to enter my card details it also states that they’ll be used for the once off SIM payment and monthly data fees. So basically my question is can I opt for the R50 SIM and only decide to pay for data on months I know I’ll have the money. Like pay at the beginning of the month from data to be used ? I’m not sure if my question is clear enough
Hi Abigail. Yes, it’s a pay-as-you-use solution. They need your credit card info for billing, but you don’t have to use any data every month if you don’t want to. You don’t have to take out the R250 option either. I only added that to my billing this year, after using it for months. You are billed when the month is over, based on how much you use. You can’t decide this amount in the beginning of the month unless you specifically monitor your data usage weekly etc to see how much is being used.
Hi Nafisa, i want to buy data but it seems i have to re order a new sim yet i have one after 1st delivery last week. How to top up only
Hi. You just carry on using your SIM card like normal and you will get billed at the end of the month. There are no “top ups”.
Is it 19 hours unlimited per day or 19 hours unlimited forthe whole month ?
Hi. Did you read my post?
Thank you, it was a very informative and positive read. Definitely helped me make my choice π
I’m taking a 20gb package with router via Afrihost for peak hours and doubling up for the remainder of my update/browsing/youtubing needs with the Rain off-peak package. All the data I can need on decent speed for R555 a month, decent router included and paid off in 6 months. Sounds like a very decent LTE solution to me π
Thank you for reading and your comment! So glad to help you make your final decision. Thatβs a good deal for sure. Cheaper than my uncapped fibre solution but LTE ftw.