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South Africa eSIM

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Your trip length

Any whole number of days from 1 to 90.

Picks the plan for your trip length.

Choose your data

This is the full price. Nothing gets added at checkout.

See all South Africa plansThe full list has every plan we sell here.

Your plan

Pick a plan above to see your total.

If your eSIM won't connect and we can't fix it within 24 hours of you contacting us, we refund your plan to your original payment method. Read the refund policy

A plan's clock, from buying it to the day it startsThree marks on one line. Buy and Install both show a stopped clock, because buying and installing do not start a plan on their own. First connect is ringed, the clock starts running and the plan's first day begins there, and the plan runs for the days it lists from that point. Depending on the plan it starts when you install the eSIM, when it first connects at your destination, or when you buy it. If you're not sure when yours starts, email us before you install.BuyClock stoppedInstallStill stoppedFirst connectDay 1
Most plans start on first connection. Your plan page says.
  • Card
  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay
Check my phone

What you get with every South Africa plan

  • Where it works

    South Africa

  • Networks

    Vodacom

  • Hotspot

    Allowed

  • When your plan starts

    When you land

  • Install by

    Within 180 days of buying

Where it works

Where your plan works.
  • Vodacom (5G)

How it works

  • The phone checker, with a model typed in and a yes backThis site's own phone checker, drawn. A phone model is typed into the Phone model field, and under the Check my phone button the answer says the phone supports eSIM, ticked and marked Supports eSIM. The checker answers from one list of phones, checked against each manufacturer's own page, and it never guesses: a phone that is not on the list gets told so. Your phone also needs to be unlocked.Phone modeliPhone 15 ProCheck my phoneSupports eSIMYes, the iPhone 15 Prosupports eSIM.
    I'll show you how it works
    01

    Check your phone.

    Type your phone model. We say if it works.
    Check my phone
  • The Mobile data screen at home, with the new line listed and roaming offA phone's Mobile data screen with two lines on it. Main, your home carrier, is still ticked for mobile data. The new line, labelled Travel, is the Ryvo eSIM, newly listed under it. Data roaming is off, so nothing has connected and the plan's clock is stopped. Beside the phone, a Wi-Fi symbol: install over Wi-Fi or your home data, any time after you buy, and give the line a label like Travel so you can tell your lines apart.9:41Mobile dataMainHome carrierTravelRyvo eSIMData roamingOFFAt homeNot started
    02

    Buy and install.

    Install at home on Wi-Fi. Nothing starts yet.
  • The same screen after landing, with the travel line chosen and roaming onThe same Mobile data screen after you land. Travel, the Ryvo eSIM, is now ticked for mobile data, and Data roaming is on for it. Beside the phone, signal bars and a running clock: the eSIM has connected to a partner network, and on a plan that starts on first connection that is where its first day begins. Your own plan page says when yours starts.9:41Mobile dataMainHome carrierTravelRyvo eSIMData roamingONConnectedDay 1
    Turn me on and you're connected.
    03

    Connect on arrival.

    Land, turn roaming on. Your days start now.

Drawn from Apple and Android settings. Checked October.

Install now, start when you land

A phone showing full signal beside a plane that has just landed
Install on Wi-Fi at home. It starts when you land.Install now, start when you land

Do I need an eSIM in South Africa?

Yes, and your own data matters here because so much runs through apps.

Vodacom, MTN, Telkom and Cell C are the South African networks, and the list on this page names the ones your plan uses.

Coverage is thin inside the big game parks and up in the Drakensberg.

Local plan or World eSIM?

South Africa plan

Country list to be confirmed

World eSIM

One country, or one eSIM for the whole trip.

For a trip in South Africa only, the local plan costs less.

South Africa plans compared with World plans of the same size
PlanSouth AfricaWorld
10GB, 30 days38.95 Australian dollars25.95 US dollars34.95 Canadian dollars19.95 British pounds22.90 euros86.95 Australian dollars56.95 US dollars78.95 Canadian dollars43.95 British pounds49.90 euros
20GB, 30 days78.95 Australian dollars51.95 US dollars71.95 Canadian dollars39.95 British pounds45.90 euros152.95 Australian dollars100.95 US dollars138.95 Canadian dollars76.95 British pounds88.90 euros

Going to several countries? See the World eSIM

Questions about South Africa eSIMs

  • How much is an eSIM for South Africa?

    It depends on how much data you need.

  • Will I have signal in Kruger National Park?

    Out on the gravel roads and up in the north of the park it goes, and the camps and gates are no promise either.

  • Does Uber work in South Africa?

    In the big cities, yes, along with Bolt, and both need data to book and to pay.

  • Does WhatsApp work in South Africa?

    It is the default here.

Everything about using your eSIM in South Africa

Good to know

  • Phone number

    None. Keep your usual SIM for calls and texts.

  • WhatsApp and chat apps

    They run on mobile data, so they work.

  • Top-ups

    You can top up without reinstalling

  • Extra fees

    None. The price is the total you pay.

  • Your phone

    It needs to support eSIM and be unlocked. Check my phone

  • Installing

    Install on Wi-Fi at home, before you fly. Install now, start when you land

  • If it won't connect

    Email us and we'll get you connected. support@ryvosim.com

Network details

South Africa:
Vodacom (5G)
Traffic routed through:
To be confirmed

In short

2 South Africa plans are on sale, with fixed totals from 10GB up to 20GB.

Every South Africa card prints its cap, its days and its price per day before you pay.

A South Africa plan starts when you land, not when you buy it.