Our Methodology

What DataCost Measures

DataCost focuses on practical prepaid and mobile-data decisions: bundle price, included data, validity, bundle type, estimated cost per GB, operator restrictions, USSD routes, and common billing problems such as out-of-bundle usage or unwanted content-service charges.

A comparison page is intended to answer one clear user question. For example, a 1GB guide should help users compare 1GB-style bundles, while a monthly-data guide should focus on longer-validity options instead of mixing daily, social, night, and uncapped products into one misleading ranking.

We prioritise repeatable consumer signals over operator marketing language. A bundle called a "deal" is not automatically ranked first; it still has to be assessed by price, usable data, validity, eligibility, and practical fit.

Data Sources and Source Hierarchy

We compile information from public operator websites, public plan pages, official support pages, network apps, and USSD self-service menus where practical. When a user reports a correction, we treat that report as a signal to investigate, not as a final source on its own.

• Primary sources: official operator pricing pages, terms pages, support pages, and publicly accessible product pages.
• Practical verification: operator apps and USSD menus where a menu path can reasonably be checked.
• Context sources: public support documentation, user correction reports, and consumer-facing operator notices.
• Excluded as sole sources: social-media screenshots, reseller claims, forum comments, or old price images unless a primary source supports the information.

If two sources disagree, the most direct operator-controlled source normally takes precedence. If the official source is unclear, the page should use cautious language and explain the limitation rather than present a doubtful number as certain.

Cost-per-GB Formula

Cost per GB is calculated as total bundle price divided by the included GB amount. For example, a R99 bundle with 3GB of usable data is shown as about R33.00/GB.

When a bundle combines anytime data and night-only or app-specific data, we avoid treating all included data as identical unless the page clearly explains the split. If a bundle is social-only, night-only, promotional, or restricted to a device or location, it should be compared inside the correct category rather than against normal anytime bundles.

Prices are rounded for readability. Final operator checkout pages and in-app confirmations always take precedence over a DataCost estimate.

Ranking Principles

• Prioritise transparent pricing over marketing labels.
• Use category-specific comparisons rather than a single universal winner.
• Highlight known limitations such as coverage context or night-only usage windows.
• Prefer clarity for consumers over network promotional language.
• Separate cheapest upfront price from best value, because those are often different choices.
• Do not allow ads, sponsorships, or referral relationships to control editorial rankings.

Personalised Offers and Limits

Personalised offers can be excellent value, but they are not universal. Examples include Just4You, Boosta, Mo'Nice, Made4U, app-only deals, recharge campaigns, loyalty offers, and SIM-specific promotions.

DataCost may mention these channels as places to check, but we do not treat a personalised price as a guaranteed national price unless the offer is publicly available and clearly documented. A user on a different tariff, usage history, region, or SIM profile may see a different menu.

DataCost also cannot see an individual user's live account, credit eligibility, customer-segment pricing, retailer checkout, throttling status, or local network performance. For that reason, every buying page asks users to verify final pricing and terms before purchase.

USSD Codes, Network Pages, and Guides

USSD pages focus on common prepaid tasks: balance checks, buying bundles, account self-service, subscription checks, and support routes. Because operator menus can differ by SIM, tariff, promotion, and account type, we use cautious wording when a direct shortcut is not clear.

Network pages combine public bundle tables with plain-English notes about validity, bundle type, coverage context, and practical watch-outs. Guides are written around one search intent per page so users get a direct answer before browsing related pages.

Problem-solving guides focus on actions a user can take immediately, such as checking active subscriptions, confirming data balance, disabling mobile data before topping up, or collecting evidence before contacting operator support.

Update Cadence and Priority Pages

We review key network, USSD, and money pages on a rolling basis, with higher-priority checks for pages that affect buying decisions, airtime loss, subscription cancellation, or balance troubleshooting.

Priority pages include the homepage comparison experience, the USSD directory, cheapest-data guides, best-data guides, operator buy-data guides, data-disappearing guides, WASP/subscription guides, network hub pages, and trust pages such as About, Methodology, Editorial Policy, Contact, Privacy Policy, and Terms.

If pricing changes faster than our refresh cycle, live operator checkout pages, app confirmations, USSD confirmations, and official terms take precedence.

Corrections and Independence

Correction requests should include the DataCost URL, network name, observed price or code, date checked, and source. We verify against higher-priority sources before updating, and we avoid silent overclaims when a menu can vary by user.

Advertising, referrals, sponsorships, or partner relationships do not decide ranking order. If a commercial placement is used, it should be distinguishable from editorial comparison content.

DataCost is independent from the mobile networks it compares unless a page clearly discloses otherwise.