6 Smart Ways To Get Cheaper Internet

In Nigeria, data is still quite relatively expensive, especially now that there are many data consuming applications that we find difficult to resist. A lot of us panic when we see a “Dear Customer, your data balance low” notification. We scramble to check our account balance to see if we even have any credit balance, then dial the usual USSD code, accept whatever generic plan pops up on your screen according to how much credit balance we have or could spare for date, and watch another chunk of out hard-earned cash vanish into thin air.

In this day and age, internet isn’t so much of a luxury; it has come to stay as an invisible infrastructure of our daily lives. We use it to work, catch up with loved ones, stream on our favourite social media apps, and also navigate our cities. But somehow, buying data often feels like taxing and tasking our lives.

So if you are looking for cheap data, 3rd Party merchants are good at this.

BUY CLEAN DATA WITHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA BUNDLES

Have you ever looked at a data bundle and wondered why it comes with 2GB of “Instagram and TikTok access” when all you actually need is have enough data for a zoom meeting of WhatsApp video calls. These network operators love packaging bundled data because it looks massive to the eyes. They throw in allocations for social media apps under the assumption that everyone use those apps. But if you are not a heavy user of those specific platforms, that “bonus” data remains unused until it expires. You are essentially paying for something you would not use option but when you look at the option before subscribing, it seems massive.

Imagine buying a plan of 5Gb but 3Gb is actually tied to YouTube you rarely visit. Effectively, you bought a 2Gb plan for that amount but psychologically, they made you think it is 5Gb.

So, always look at the fine print. Always opt for clean, direct, unconditioned data. Buy a straightforward gigabyte allocation that goes wherever you go, rather than a fragmented bundle that locks your browsing into apps you barely open.

So why do you buy data of one week validity or one month validity when you actually consume it in two days?. Seeing a long validity period is a kind of psychological trap because instinctively, you would tell yourself that if you do not finish consuming this data in a short time, at least it could remain in your phone for a longer time. It feels safe mentally. But you might be lying to yourself. You could finish up that data in just 24 hours.

Why this is important is because packages with short validity period are beefier. You might get 1Gb that is valid for one week or 3Gb that is valid for 2 days for the same amount. Consider the package that is valid for 2 days. If you monitor your usage patterns, you will realize that data bought in shorter bursts often comes at a significantly cheaper rate per gigabyte

By matching your purchases to shorter, active windows, you buy precisely what you need at a fraction of the cost, eliminating waste from idle days.

It is important to actively check and choose plans with data rollover capabilities. Rollover ensures that the data you paid for today rolls over to support you tomorrow. It bridges the gap between your fluctuating usage habits and rigid carrier expiry rules. It ensures that something remains for the rainy day. Trust us, you would need it when you least expect.

And choosing plans that roll your unused megabytes over into the next cycle guarantees that you get 100% of what you pay for.

BAND TOGETHER WITH FRIENDS/FAMILY AND BUY IN BULK AND SHARE

It is no secret that the more data you buy the less expensive it gets. This is a classic bulk purchase discount in sales, much like the very first option above where 3rd Party merchants buy bulk data as corporate organisations and resale. However, this time, you are banding together with a few friends and buying bulk data, then using the share USSD code to share it equally or according to the ratio of your contributions. Banding together with family, close friend or colleagues to purchase a large bulk or family data plan unlocks bulk pricing that individual buyers never afford.