BlackBerry Social & Email Plan

Who can use the BlackBerry® Social & Email Plan?
Contract, Saver and Prepaid customers can purchase or subscribe to this service.

Where do I purchase or subscribe to this service?
Contract or Saver customers can request the Blackberry Social & Email Plan with their contract application, or call the call centre on 081 180 so that 8ta agents can activate the service for you. Prepaid customers can purchase or subscribe to the service by dialing *180*3*1# on their BlackBerry and choosing the option to Add BlackBerry service. Then choose the Social & Email Plan and follow the prompts to confirm.

What is the difference between BlackBerry® Internet Service (BIS) and the BlackBerry Social & Email Plan?
BlackBerry® Internet Service has all the features of BlackBerry enabled, including up to ten personal email addresses. BlackBerry Social & Email Plan service offers most of the standard features of BIS, except that only one BlackBerry email address and one personal email account like Gmail or Hotmail can be added.

Do I get the 500MB YouTube Data bundle when I subscribe to this plan?
No, 500MB is only offered to BIS or BES Plus customers. In addition, if you migrate from BIS or BES Plus to this Plan, the 500MB bundle shall be removed.

How long is the service valid for?
For contract and saver customers, the service is valid for the duration of the contract, or month to month if it was a bolt on to an existing contract or saver package. In the case of prepaid customers, you are subscribed to the service on a monthly basis and the subscription is renewed each month on the same day of the month as the day you activated the service.

As a postpaid customer, how am I going to be billed if I subscribe in the middle of the month?
Contract and saver customers are charged pro-rata for the activation month and in full for the next month on the first invoice. Thereafter, the monthly rate applies.

As a Prepaid customer, when do I renew my service?
The renewal is automatic, as long as you have airtime worth a minimum of R30 in your prepaid account on the day of renewal. The renewal day is the same as the date of activation e.g. the 7th day of every month. (unless months have 28, 29 or 30 days, where subscriptions are bundled into the last day of the month for simplicity).

What will happen if I use my BlackBerry smartphone as a modem connected to my computer accessing the internet?
If you have additional data bundles on your account, they will be used for internet and if you don’t have any data bundles you will be charged out of bundle rates.

Can I keep my existing Prepaid R59 BIS subscription when I activate the Social & Email Plan?
No, you cannot keep the exiting service. If you are an existing Prepaid BlackBerry customer you are allowed to cancel your existing BIS or BES Plus and activate a new Social & Email Plan.

What features will be removed when I migrate to Social & Email Plan?
You will only be able to access 1 of your current 10 personal email addresses (e.g. Gmail).
The 500MB YouTube data bundle shall be removed.

Can I change to the Social & Email Plan while I have an existing BIS or BES Plus on my contract or saver package?
Yes, if it is not part of a 24 month contract or saver package, you can change from BIS or BES Plus to the Social & Email Plan. However, you cannot migrate if you purchased a package which included BIS or BES Plus or any other plans as part of a 24 month contract.

Can I activate the Social & Email Plan while I have an existing Prepaid BlackBerry subscription?
No, you will have to first remove the current BlackBerry service on your account. Then you can purchase a new Prepaid BlackBerry Social & Email Plan. It is best to do this the day before your renewal day as any unused days are forfeited when you cancel a BlackBerry service. All these actions can be performed using the BlackBerry USSD menu by dialing *180*3*1# and following the menu options.

1. The BlackBerry Social & Email Plan shall be available to contract, saver and prepaid customers.

2. A BlackBerry smartphone is required to make use of the BlackBerry Social & Email Plan.

3. Customers shall not be provisioned with the free 500MB YouTube streaming bundle for this BlackBerry plan.

4. The free 500MB YouTube streaming bundle shall be removed if the subscriber is downgrading from BIS or BES Plus to Social & Email Plan and shall only be provisioned if the customer is upgrading from Social & Email Plan to BIS or BES Plus.

5. Subscribers to BlackBerry Social & Email Plan shall have access to their free BlackBerry email address and only one personal email address.

6. Certain BIS or BES Plus features shall be unavailable if a subscriber migrates to the BlackBerry Social & Email Plan. The subscriber may wish to check the BlackBerry website for the latest features and functionality of BlackBerry Social & Email Plan before downgrading their service.

7. Subscribers will be charged on a pro-rata basis in the activation month for postpaid customers. The pro-rata portion will be added to the second month’s subscription charge, and will be reflected on the first invoice received.

8. A prepaid BlackBerry Social & Email Plan subscription shall be valid for approximately 30 days from the date of purchase. – The subscription will be renewed on the same date each month, which will be the same as the date of activation.

9. Any prepaid BlackBerry subscriptions may be cancelled at any time via USSD, but all remaining days shall be lost and no refunds are possible.

10. Existing BIS and BES Plus month to month (bolt-on) subscribers who are not committed to 24 month contracts that include BIS or BES+, shall be allowed to migrate to the Social & Email Plan.

11. Conversely, migration from BlackBerry Social & Email Plan to BIS or BES is also allowed if no contract or deal commitments are in place.  

12. Existing BlackBerry Gr8 Deal subscribers (R90x3 months + 21 months xR139) shall not be able to migrate to the BlackBerry Social & Email Plan during the 24 month contract period.

13. Standard prepaid BIS and BES Plus rules also apply to BlackBerry Social & Email Plan (Activate, suspend, renewal, cancellation).

14. Existing postpaid customers with no BlackBerry service may add the BlackBerry Social & Email Plan subscription as a bolt-on to their existing subscription, as per standard BIS and BES Plus rules and processes. This shall be a month to month subscription.

15. Month to month BlackBerry Social & Email Plan subscribers may migrate to BIS or BES Plus.

16. Despite the above general conditions, the migration rules of the particular contract, deal or plan shall prevail.

17. If a subscriber’s service reaches their spend limit or credit limit, then all recurring, paid-up services (including a BlackBerry subscription) will continue to function. If the renewal of the subscription fails due to insufficient spend limit or credit limit or non-payment, then the BlackBerry subscription shall be suspended until payment is made as per normal processes.