Best Arusha SIM Card Buying Guide: Tanzania Travel Tips to Avoid Common Pitfalls
Today I visited two mobile carriers in Arusha town for comparison – turns out Vodacom offers better deals than Airtel (I’ve included Airtel’s address and package rates in Figures 4-5 for your reference). But here comes the frustrating part!
At Vodacom, I inquired about getting a SIM card. The staff (let’s call her Agent A) quoted me 2000 TZS for the card plus package fees (see Figure 3). When asked about payment methods, she assured me card payments were accepted. The registration required:
[一R] Passport
[二R] Clear photo of entry stamp
[三R] Live photo taken on-site
After 5 minutes of struggling to insert the SIM (requiring assistance from Agent B), we were told to pay for the package first. That’s when the drama began.
We selected the 9.8GB monthly plan and prepared to pay by card. Suddenly, after some rapid Swahili exchange between the agents, they claimed the POS machine was broken. Suspicious, I questioned why they’d confirmed card payments earlier. More whispering ensued before they changed their story completely – “company policy doesn’t accept cards.”
Frustrated, I called them out: “Why say yes initially? We wouldn’t have proceeded without cash!” (Truthfully we had cash but preferred card payments). Agent A suddenly found the floor very interesting.
Their new solution? Pay just the SIM fee now and return later for the package. Reluctantly, I paid 22,000 TZS (2,000 for SIM + 20,000 package). That’s when I spotted Agent A handing most bills to what appeared to be a manager – while discreetly pocketing an extra 1,000 note.
The lightbulb moment: The actual SIM fee was only 1,000! This whole charade was about skimming an extra dollar (less than 3 RMB) – which wouldn’t work with traceable card payments.
As I left, I calmly informed them: “If you wanted a 1,000 tip, you could’ve just asked. I know the real SIM price.”
Future visitors to this branch (address in Figure 2) – beware this scam! Honestly, had they been upfront about wanting a tip for expedited service, I might have happily paid it. But this dishonest game? Completely unacceptable.
