tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40389456680924127562024-03-13T11:54:51.089+02:00Hands-on Technical TipsA collection of info that I think would be useful to others. Info ranges from useful tools, money saving tips, energy saving tips, crime busting, security, etc...HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.comBlogger303125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-23252615485498736882021-06-13T12:02:00.002+02:002021-06-13T12:06:39.002+02:00eBucks This is how I chose whether to upgrade from Gold (Aspire) to Premier or Private Client or Private Wealth (with/without Spouse)<p>As you know FNB has pretty much killed earning eBucks on the Gold account – they have renamed it “Aspire” and dropped the tier levels from the rewards on the Aspire account. Which means the rewards/CashBacks/eBucks are limited and the 40% off discounts from their Shop. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.ebucks.com/web/eBucks/earn/fnb-premier-2021.jsp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="837" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-65iSo8HH8ng/YMXVY0V_DSI/AAAAAAAAAs8/8Jiic7sOmWc2J-f2-WGtgzMkK2kUWtd5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2021-06-13%2BEarn%2BeBucks%2Bon%2Byour%2BFNB%2BPremier%2BAccounts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>To see how they have changed, go to the eBucks page and check out how to qualify, and how to earn eBucks: <a href="https://www.ebucks.com/web/eBucks/earn/fnb-aspire-2021.jsp" title="https://www.ebucks.com/web/eBucks/earn/fnb-aspire-2021.jsp">https://www.ebucks.com/web/eBucks/earn/fnb-aspire-2021.jsp</a> As you can see the rewards are very limited:<p></p><ul><li><strong>Up to R150 back</strong> in eBucks at Checkers, Shoprite or USave</li><li><strong>Up to R150 back </strong>in eBucks at Clicks</li><li><strong>Up to R150 back</strong> in eBucks at Engen</li><li><strong>Up to R150 back</strong> in eBucks at InterCape – I mean who goes on an InterCape trip every month?</li></ul><p>…and, to get the maximum of R150 back in eBucks, per partner, you would have to spend R3,000 or more at a partner, <br /><strong><em>and</em></strong> have an active Credit Product <strong>or</strong> have an investment account with a minimum balance of R150,000.</p><p>An additional “boost” is available: R1,500 towards a pair of shoes. (Really?)</p><p><br /></p><p>OK, so… moving on – it’s time to either ditch eBucks and go with DiscoveryBank OR move to Premier or Private Clients or Private Wealth – with or without the Spousal option (to earn extra 1,000 tier points, and to earn more eBucks on Spouse’s spend)?</p><p>See here for the eBucks page explaining how to qualify, and how to earn eBucks for each of those accounts: <a href="https://www.ebucks.com/web/eBucks/earn/fnb-premier-2021.jsp" title="https://www.ebucks.com/web/eBucks/earn/fnb-premier-2021.jsp">https://www.ebucks.com/web/eBucks/earn/fnb-premier-2021.jsp</a></p><p>Having read all of that, and estimated my highest possible monthly spend at FNB, I came up with this calculator taking the account fees into account and other personal criteria – like my Discovery Card miles, linked to my Discovery Life’s “Discovery Card Integrator” which says that if I spend at least Rxx per month then my Life premium is lowered (a bit).</p><p><b>The main decision criteria for me were: </b></p><ol><li>How easy/difficult is it for me (and Spouse) to get to tier 5 every month</li><li>How many eBucks could I reasonably expect to earn by making minor changes to my current spend habits</li><li>Still use my Discovery Card to earn partner store Discovery Miles (I’m still on the “old” non-VitalityMoney plan): BP, Pick ‘n Pay, Nando’s, Dischem</li><li>Via DiscoveryInsure: Still use my Discovery Card to earn 50% cashbacks on BP (up to earned DQ points)</li><li>Still spend the minimum on my Discovery Card to satisfy my Discovery Life’s “Discovery Card Integrator” policy</li><li>Still use my Woolworths card for 3% cashback at Woolworths plus additional 5% on various items </li><li>All other non-cashback spend would then move from the above to FNB card to earn eBucks (Clicks, Checkers, Engen, SmartSpend)</li></ol><p>To assist me with the decision, I put together this calculator (which is open for feedback, as I’m sure there are many gaping holes and errors) which laid out the figures based on my current spending habits and other decision criteria. </p><p>The aim was to use my predicted FNB spend and compare that with the banking fees and predicted eBucks and SmartSpend rewards, and so help me decide which account to upgrade to – and decide whether it was best to go up to a higher account type (and have to deal with the more difficult tier earning criteria) OR to take the Spousal account option (and pay 50% of the monthly banking fees).</p><p><strong><u>The calculator</u>:</strong></p><p>From the “ReadMe” worksheet:</p><ul><li>Worksheet "RewardsCalc_Premier_Jul2021"</li><ul><li>Use worksheet "RewardsCalc_Premier_Jul2021" to see how many tier points you and your spouse can earn</li><li>Fill in your figures in the green cells</li></ul><li>Worksheet "PersonalSpend_SmartSpend_Plan"</li><ul><li>Use worksheet "PersonalSpend_SmartSpend_Plan" to see how your monthly spend can be split across your current cards</li><li>Compare YOUR spend with the SmartSpend eBucks earn levels per FNB account type</li><li>Fill in your figures in the green cells</li></ul><li>Worksheet "AccountCosts+Cashback"</li><ul><li>Use worksheet "AccountCosts+Cashback" to see how your monthly spend will earn eBucks based on the caps per account type,<br />and whether getting a Spousal account is worth the banking fees and effort to earn (and maintain monthly) tier miles</li><li>Fill in your figures in the green cells</li><li>Cells marked in yellow are my choices based on decisions made using the above worksheets</li></ul><li>Use the SmartSpend plus Cashback at Checkers, Clicks, Engen to make your decision <br />ie: Add figures from worksheets: "PersonalSpend_SmartSpend_Plan" + "AccountCosts+Cashback"</li></ul><p><strong>Link to HTT's Calculator:</strong> <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LYhkySY_uQkcJR7zltNZKDWFwMn55Tc63EecSibBfZQ/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">2021_06_13_eBucks_Calculator_Gold_Aspire_Premier_Private-Blog.xls</a> (File->Download and enter your data into green cells - on your local, downloaded copy)</p><p><strong>From the above, I decided it was best for me to:</strong></p><ol><li>Upgrade ASAP from Gold to Premier (Bundled option: to get free credit card, plus set up an auto payment to earn 1,000 tier points per month)</li><li>Open a Spousal Premier account</li><li>Move all my non-Woolworths spend from my Woolworths credit card to my FNB Fusion Premier card</li><li>Get Spouse a FNB Connect SIM before end June – to benefit from the <em>monthly</em> free 1GB data allocation</li><li>Buy some streaming and online platform services: eg: GoogleOne for more space on my GMail accounts, NetFlix, Spotify, XBox;</li><li>FNB Pay: Change to use Virtual cards to earn double tier points (main and spouse)</li><li>Remember to do 6 financial transactions per month on FNB app(main and spouse)</li><li>
Set up SmartBudget on three categories, <strong><em>and </em></strong>check them every month (main and spouse)</li><li>Spousal: Check credit status</li><li>Set up monthly transfer of R1,250 to Savings (main and spouse)</li><li>
Maintain savings balance >= R13,500</li><li>Spouse: Monthly payment of >=R1,000 into FNB Tax Free Shares</li><li>Spouse: move salary into new Premier account</li></ol><p><br /></p><p>Your comments and corrections are welcome in the comments below.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Some useful resources</u>:</b></p><p>eBucks online calculator: <a href="https://www.ebucks.com/web/calculator/rewardsCalculatorAction.do">https://www.ebucks.com/web/calculator/rewardsCalculatorAction.do</a></p><p>MyBroadband forum: <a href="https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/tips-to-boost-your-ebucks-1-july-2021-to-30-june-2022.1137845/" target="_blank" title="https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/tips-to-boost-your-ebucks-1-july-2021-to-30-june-2022.1137845/">Tips to boost your eBucks July 2021 to 30 June 2022</a></p><p>FNB pricing guides from 1 July 2021: <a href="https://www.fnb.co.za/rates/Transact-Pricing-Guide.html" target="_blank">FNB Pricing Guides</a></p>HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17723577527358051173noreply@blogger.com0South Africa-30.559482 22.937506-60.478035257973687 -12.218744000000001 -0.64092874202630767 58.093756tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-75553041865424470502020-05-17T23:15:00.000+02:002020-05-17T23:15:09.823+02:00What's the phone for me? What's the data deal for me - in South Africa<div data-xf-p="1" style="background-color: #fafafa; box-sizing: border-box; color: #141414; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">
<b>I have been asked... What's the phone for me? What's the data deal for me?</b></div>
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I have taken out contracts - but only if the price of buying the phone plus data plus airtime makes sense. Otherwise, it's buy the phone for cash, and go PrePaid for me.</div>
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I like Samsung J70 Pro, and now their A71 - Telkom FreeMe deals were gr8 until 1st May 2020 when Telkom <i>reduced </i>their value so much so that I cancelled getting the new A71+FreeMe 1GB. </div>
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I decided to stay with my J7 Pro with its "expired" contract - which still has the "old" FreeMe 1G plan (free 3,000 Telkom to Telkom minutes (cell and landline), and 1GB data and 100 any network minutes included).</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", sans-serif;">I also like <a data-ved="2ahUKEwiQhqDX5bvpAhXCWhUIHaHIDdQQkeECKAB6BAgaECo" href="https://www.google.co.za/search?sxsrf=ALeKk00ztix5jFOiWy7I9h-EwIxde3OL4Q:1589749310038&q=Xiaomi&spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiQhqDX5bvpAhXCWhUIHaHIDdQQkeECKAB6BAgaECo" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2d3339; text-decoration-line: none; user-select: auto;" target="_blank">Xiaomi</a> phones - </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Redmi 4X dual SIM phone was a gr8 phone and still working well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All phones in my house are dual SIM. I purchase the following pre-paid deals for my family - depends on their use:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">365 days validity: <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">CellC </span>data 10GB for R599: <a href="https://www.cellc.co.za/cellc/get-databundles" target="_blank">https://www.cellc.co.za/cellc/get-databundles</a> (works out to 6c per MB)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #141414; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I am also considering moving them to Afrihost AirMobile</span><span style="color: #141414; font-family: Segoe UI, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, Fira Sans, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"> (PrePaid): </span></span><a href="https://www.afrihost.com/airmobile/prepaid#" style="color: #141414; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" target="_blank">https://www.afrihost.com/airmobile/prepaid# </a><span style="color: #141414; font-family: Segoe UI, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, Fira Sans, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">where you get 2GB for R69 on MTN - if you login to their app once a month.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(this works out to <span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #141414; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700;">3c per MB</span><span style="color: #141414;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: 15px;">)</span></span>Data lasts for at least 60 days.</span></li>
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HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-13751263123830641072020-05-17T16:38:00.000+02:002020-05-23T12:13:42.828+02:00FNB’s eBucks Compare: What’s the difference between FNB Gold, and Premier, and Private accounts?<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4038945668092412756" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I recently started taking advantage of FNB’s eBucks rewards program and have managed to get to Level 5. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here are the steps that I took:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1) “Downgraded” from Premier cheque account to Gold Fusion: Reasons: R199 pm fee went down to R109 pm, *and* I get 1,000 points per month *and* I get a “Free” credit facility (30 days free credit as opposed to 59 days – but there are no credit charges as long as you pay by due date) Note: interest charges are higher if you don’t pay it all off.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2) Use the FNB calculator to see what I needed to do to earn points per month: <a href="https://www.ebucks.com/web/calculator/rewardsCalculatorAction.do" target="_blank">https://www.ebucks.com/web/calculator/rewardsCalculatorAction.do</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Use the Account selector to see your goals:</span><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kz2tY-Po7w8/XsFTKs7pzyI/AAAAAAAAlyA/OfNZF5UJmsw7k8-c-he9GxduNbrJhryKQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/2020-05-17%2BCalculatorSelectAccount.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="375" height="209" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kz2tY-Po7w8/XsFTKs7pzyI/AAAAAAAAlyA/OfNZF5UJmsw7k8-c-he9GxduNbrJhryKQCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/2020-05-17%2BCalculatorSelectAccount.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3) With the help of the calculator, I made the following changes (based on <em>Gold Fusion </em>account) – target is 9,500 points to get to Level 5):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a) started using the FNB app (2,500 points pm), </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">b) Spend more online – using my Fusion card (1.5% back in eBucks – limited to R7,500 pm) (>R2,000 gives 2,000 points)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">c) Converted my Gold account to a Gold Fusion account (1,000 points pm) – no charges incurred when doing this</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d) Stopped drawing cash from ATMs – use tellers at Pick ‘n Pay and Checkers (2,000 points)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e) Spend more than R5,000 on Fusion card pm (1,500 points)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">f) Use Fusion card for 100% of spend (2,000 points) => <span style="color: red;">11,500 points reached</span> => reached the <b>target of 9,500 points</b> to get to <b>Level 5.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">g) Scheduled an auto-transfer of R500 per month to FNB savings account (500 points pm)</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I then could take advantage of the eBucks – earning at level 5 (from the bottom of the <a href="https://www.ebucks.com/web/calculator/rewardsCalculatorAction.do" target="_blank">eBucks Calculator page</a>):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span id="goog_1814514374"></span><span id="goog_1814514375"></span>I then quickly hit the limits – check by entering a large amount in each cell in the calculator:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then I thought: what would the limits be if I “upgraded” to a FNB Premier account, or Private, or Private Wealth account?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, I used the calculator to see… but it was difficult to see them side by side using the FNB eBucks calculator <b>:(</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, I put together this table to see them side by side (<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/tp9z3usyca7vwrk/FnbEbucksCompare.pdf/file" target="_blank">downloadable pdf here</a>) (<a href="https://www.mediafire.com/file/g4dk5b9nbc86nyd/2020_05_17_eBucks_Compare_Gold_Premier_Private.xls/file" target="_blank">downloadable xls here</a>). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and the rewards comparisons:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is also a great forum for tips here: <a href="https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/tips-to-boost-your-ebucks-1-july-2019-to-30-june-2020.1028674/page-366" target="_blank">MyBroadband forum Tips-to-boost-your-ebucks-1-july-2019-to-30-june-2020</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and a WhatsApp group <a href="https://chat.whatsapp.com/Gx9gUtNteN39qyVwQfzO51" target="_blank">click here</a></span>HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-7199727820639199182019-08-04T14:03:00.002+02:002019-10-03T22:06:00.161+02:00Discovery Bank – I got "invited" and here’s my research: DiscoveryBank, VitalityMoney... and here's why I CLOSED my account<span style="font-family: "arial";">OK, so my invitation has arrived, and here’s the info that I collected to try and find all the small print, and limits, and “ifs and buts”:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><strong>“</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Hi HTT, your new Discovery Card is waiting. Join Discovery Bank today!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">We’re pleased to invite you to be one of the first to get a new Discovery Card with Discovery Bank. We’ll seamlessly transfer your current balance, any linked debit orders and your credit limit to your new Discovery Card.<br /><strong>Download the Discovery Bank app</strong> and select <strong>Join the bank</strong> today!<br />You need to take the first step to move your Discovery Card to Discovery Bank. It will take you less than five minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><strong>A banking product that helps you bank healthier</strong><br />As the world’s first behavioural bank, we’ll help you manage your money well, and reward you every step of the way. Sign up for your new Discovery Platinum Card or full banking suite. If you have any secondary cards, the cardholders will be invited to register on the Discovery Bank app when you are done. </span><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/accounts" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Read more</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial";"> about the features, benefits and fees of your new Discovery Card, or browse our full banking suite and savings products.<br /><strong>Banking that gives you better rewards</strong><br />Get rewarded for banking well with </span><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/vitality-money" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Vitality Money</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial";">. Track your progress on the app – how much you get is up to you. You’ll benefit from interest rates that flex monthly – get higher interest rates on savings and positive balances, as well as up to 4% less on your credit.<br />You’ll also enjoy a world of new rewards like up to 50% off local flights, up to 50% cash back on HealthyFood, HealthyCare and HealthyGear items, up to 15% back on fuel, Uber rides and more.<br /><strong>Bank on the go – it’s safe and secure</strong><br />Enjoy complete control with your bank branch in the palm of your hand. Bank anytime, anywhere, and with extensive mobile banking security. You’ll be able to pay safely and faster than ever before with innovative features like having your phone contacts become payment beneficiaries and the ability to complete easy payments linked to your health plan.<br /><strong>We’re moving to a better way of banking</strong><br />Some of the ways that you used your Discovery Card in the past will change for the better – </span><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/credit-card/migrating-to-discovery-bank" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial";">read more</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial";"> about the details. Remember, you can continue to use your current Discovery Card until your new card arrives. If you have any questions, please call us on 0860 11 2265 (BANK) or email us at </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="font-family: "arial";">service@discovery.bank</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">It’s time to bank healthier.</span><strong><span style="font-family: "arial";">The Discovery Bank team<br /><strong>“</strong></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "arial";"><strong><br /></strong></span></strong>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><strong>So, I read all the links provided… and more – </strong>in fact there are so many links that I lost track of them when I wanted to review the information so I made a list of the links that helped me decide whether to take up the offer<strong>:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><strong></strong></span><br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Bank Healthier</span></td><td width="404"><u><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/bank-healthier"><span style="font-family: "arial";">https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/bank-healthier</span></a></u></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><strong>Vitality Money</strong></span></td><td width="404"><u><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/vitality-money"><span style="font-family: "arial";">https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/vitality-money</span></a></u></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Vitality Rewards</span></td><td width="404"><u><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/vitality/rewards"><span style="font-family: "arial";">https://www.discovery.co.za/vitality/rewards</span></a></u></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Vitality <strong>Money</strong> Rewards</span></td><td width="404"><u><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/vitality-money-rewards"><span style="font-family: "arial";">https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/vitality-money-rewards</span></a></u></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Vitality Money Tools and Goals</span></td><td width="404"><u><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/vitality-money-tools-and-goals"><span style="font-family: "arial";">https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/vitality-money-tools-and-goals</span></a></u></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><strong>3point</strong>: Vitality Money: How it works</span></td><td width="404"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><u><a href="http://michaelrobert.co.za/how-vitality-money-works" target="_blank">http://michaelrobert.co.za/how-vitality-money-works</a></u></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Credit card comparison</span></td><td width="404"><u><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/discovery-credit-card-comparison"><span style="font-family: "arial";">https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/discovery-credit-card-comparison</span></a></u></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Airport lounges</span></td><td width="404"><u><a href="https://www.loungekey.com/ssavisainfinite"><span style="font-family: "arial";">https://www.loungekey.com/ssavisainfinite</span></a></u></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Credit card FAQs</span></td><td width="404"><u><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/credit-card/faqs"><span style="font-family: "arial";">https://www.discovery.co.za/credit-card/faqs</span></a></u></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Migrating to Discovery Bank</span></td><td width="404"><u><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/credit-card/migrating-to-discovery-bank#show0"><span style="font-family: "arial";">https://www.discovery.co.za/credit-card/migrating-to-discovery-bank#show0</span></a></u></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><strong>3point</strong>: 10 things before moving your Discovery Card</span></td><td width="404"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><u><a href="http://michaelrobert.co.za/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-moving-your-discovery-card-to-discovery-bank" target="_blank">http://michaelrobert.co.za/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-moving-your-discovery-card-to-discovery-bank</a></u></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Accounts</span></td><td width="404"><u><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/accounts"><span style="font-family: "arial";">https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/accounts</span></a></u></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Banking suites comparison</span></td><td width="404"><u><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/discovery-banking-suite-comparison"><span style="font-family: "arial";">https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/discovery-banking-suite-comparison</span></a></u></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Banking suites fee: OneFee</span></td><td width="404"><u><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/discovery-banking-suite-fees"><span style="font-family: "arial";">https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/discovery-banking-suite-fees</span></a></u></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Banking suites fee: Pay-as-you-go</span></td><td width="404"><u><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/discovery-transaction-fees-pay-per-transaction"><span style="font-family: "arial";">https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/discovery-transaction-fees-pay-per-transaction</span></a></u></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Savings accounts comparison</span></td><td width="404"><u><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/discovery-savings-comparison"><span style="font-family: "arial";">https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/discovery-savings-comparison</span></a></u></td></tr>
<tr><td width="198"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Savings fees</span></td><td width="404"><u><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/discovery-savings-fees"><span style="font-family: "arial";">https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/discovery-savings-fees</span></a></u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://mybroadband.co.za/news/banking/314891-here-it-is-discovery-banks-account-prices-and-discounts.html"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">https://mybroadband.co.za/news/banking/314891-here-it-is-discovery-banks-account-prices-and-discounts.html</span></a><br />
<a href="https://businesstech.co.za/news/banking/306820/discovery-bank-hints-at-fee-structure/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">https://businesstech.co.za/news/banking/306820/discovery-bank-hints-at-fee-structure/</span></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><strong>Some things I wanted to highlight for myself </strong>(and for you):<span style="font-family: "arial";"><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr><td width="501"><strong>Vitality Money</strong></td><td width="236"></td></tr>
<tr><td width="501">Dynamic interest rates</td><td width="236"></td></tr>
<tr><td width="501">Monthly fee</td><td width="236"></td></tr>
<tr><td width="501">Local flights discount</td><td width="236"></td></tr>
<tr><td width="501">Discounted gym membership</td><td width="236"></td></tr>
<tr><td width="501">Discounted borrowing rate</td><td width="236"></td></tr>
<tr><td width="501">Automatic warranty extension of up<br />
to 24 months</td><td width="236"></td></tr>
<tr><td width="501">Online training: R750</td><td width="236"><u><a href="https://worth.co.za/"><strong>https://worth.co.za</strong></a></u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
As a Discovery Bank client, you will<strong> </strong>earn <strong>Discovery Miles </strong>based on your Discovery Bank credit card spend. These will accumulate separately on the Discovery Bank app and you’ll be able to spend them from September 2019 in even bigger, better ways. <br />
<strong>I called Discovery Bank to confirm this: You’ll earn 1 mile for every R15 that you spend on your Discovery Black Card, <span style="color: red;">or R20 on your Discovery Platinum or Gold Card</span>.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Ummm, hold on </strong>– if the number of miles is reduced (from 1 mile per R15, to per R20 spend)<strong> that’s a <span style="color: red;">loss</span> of R67 per month on a monthly spend of say R40,000.<br /><span style="color: red;">That’s 25% less.</span></strong><br />
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr><td width="236"><div align="center">
<strong>"Up to" Cashbacks: Platinum Card</strong></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td width="236">Local flights: <= 60%</td></tr>
<tr><td width="236">Gym: <= 100%</td></tr>
<tr><td width="236">Healthy foods <= 50%</td></tr>
<tr><td width="236">Healthy Care <= 50%</td></tr>
<tr><td width="236">Healthy Gear <= 50%</td></tr>
<tr><td width="236">Fuel <= 15% (limited to R1,000 fuel per month) = R150</td></tr>
<tr><td width="236">Uber <= 15%</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span>
<strong>The accounts are broadly defined by income level:</strong><br />
<strong>Gold</strong>: Low to middle income (earning less than R350,000 a year);<br />
<strong>Platinum</strong>: Middle to high income (earning R350,000 to R850,000 a year);<br />
<strong>Black</strong>: High income (earning R850,000 or more a year);</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><b>Purple: </b>Invitation only for very wealthy customers.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Credit cards comparison:</strong> <a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/discovery-credit-card-comparison" target="_blank">https://www.discovery.co.za/bank/discovery-credit-card-comparison</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-36xQQuoVnMk/XUbHOM3OW0I/AAAAAAAAeXE/wmmUY4bOA3IFBTKdn4opLylyeFfhIJQgwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/image001.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-36xQQuoVnMk/XUbHOM3OW0I/AAAAAAAAeXE/wmmUY4bOA3IFBTKdn4opLylyeFfhIJQgwCK4BGAYYCw/s320/image001.png" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZG9T_UtLJp8/XUbHNzlDi0I/AAAAAAAAeWc/eVzKt_2LSi4VH7pAr20JOzVgZeV9In0fQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/image002.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="124" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZG9T_UtLJp8/XUbHNzlDi0I/AAAAAAAAeWc/eVzKt_2LSi4VH7pAr20JOzVgZeV9In0fQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/image002.png" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t3_Yetcm8EM/XUbHR7fwlWI/AAAAAAAAeXg/tpJ8pUTilWkSxyMZDyuLoqdAC-8iYjdawCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/image003.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t3_Yetcm8EM/XUbHR7fwlWI/AAAAAAAAeXg/tpJ8pUTilWkSxyMZDyuLoqdAC-8iYjdawCK4BGAYYCw/s320/image003.png" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lw8d1SxuSxM/XUbHOKcDM1I/AAAAAAAAeXI/c6JAI7TKofU1Lp8KSUFBoxZ_cO8YNYJbACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/image004.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="77" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lw8d1SxuSxM/XUbHOKcDM1I/AAAAAAAAeXI/c6JAI7TKofU1Lp8KSUFBoxZ_cO8YNYJbACK4BGAYYCw/s320/image004.png" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Transactional Banking </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>One fee</strong> for all your transactions as compared to <strong>Pay per transaction:</strong></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yg0G4pIDSnI/XUbILoUq4KI/AAAAAAAAeYA/SVCDTRwRHz03OvZnXPnpuYapFuFEYCcJwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/image005.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yg0G4pIDSnI/XUbILoUq4KI/AAAAAAAAeYA/SVCDTRwRHz03OvZnXPnpuYapFuFEYCcJwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/image005.png" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fmAnltBlX20/XUbILg-nAiI/AAAAAAAAeYE/A7rgzoPYqL4Crp4Fyn8wymuh9J1Fs_82gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/image006.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fmAnltBlX20/XUbILg-nAiI/AAAAAAAAeYE/A7rgzoPYqL4Crp4Fyn8wymuh9J1Fs_82gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/image006.png" /></a><br />
<strong><br /></strong>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Example costs</strong> on pay per transaction:</span><br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr><td width="124"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b></b></span></td><td width="67"></td><td width="64"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Total:</span></b></td><td width="82"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> R 230.00 </span></b></td></tr>
<tr><td width="124"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Monthly</span></b></td><td width="67"></td><td width="64"></td><td width="82"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">60.00 </span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="124"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vitality money</span></b></td><td width="67"></td><td width="64"></td><td width="82"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">25.00 </span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="124"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Payments</span></b></td><td width="67"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">12</span></td><td width="64"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2.50</span></td><td width="82"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">30.00 </span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="124"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Debit orders</span></b></td><td width="67"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">18</span></td><td width="64"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3.75</span></td><td width="82"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">67.50 </span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="124"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cash withdraw</span></b></td><td width="67"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">14</span></td><td width="64"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2.00</span></td><td width="82"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">28.00 </span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="124"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ATM withdrawal</span></b></td><td width="67"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1,000.00</span></td><td width="64"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">19.50</span></td><td width="82"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">19.50 </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vitality Money information</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you are a member of Vitality Drive and Vitality Money, then the discounts get added.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Note: </strong>the Vitality Money cashback has a <span style="color: red;">limit of R1,000</span> petrol purchase – so, if you are on the “up to 20%” cashback on Vitality Money, then the maximum cashback will be R200 per month.</span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mwAit2jI3Bo/XUbHOIc43YI/AAAAAAAAeXA/T8ZdfajFhMUjWAyO2A-nf45P7ARJQEnigCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/image008.png" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="92" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mwAit2jI3Bo/XUbHOIc43YI/AAAAAAAAeXA/T8ZdfajFhMUjWAyO2A-nf45P7ARJQEnigCK4BGAYYCw/s320/image008.png" width="320" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">DiscoveryCard spend bands and other “small print”</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On one of my calls to the Discovery Bank call centre <strong>I asked</strong> about the BP cashbacks: If I spent R1,500 per month on petrol, and I managed to get onto Silver Vitality Money status, then what would my cashback be?<br /><strong>Answer</strong>: Well, that depends on your credit card colour, <em>and</em> credit card spend, <em>and</em> Vitality Money status – and there are <strong><span style="background-color: yellow;">Discovery </span><span style="background-color: yellow;">card spend band matrix</span></strong> that map spend to cashbacks; and it is <span style="color: red;">limited to R1,000</span> petrol spend (same limit on all cards: Black, Platinum, Gold cards)). The Vitality Drive cashback benefit is <em>also </em>paid out. For platinum card, a spend over R25,000 per month the cashback is 20% = R200.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Platinum Discovery Card spend bands:</strong> <br />R5,000 (spend band 1) to R25,000 (spend band 4) per month <br />=> <strong>Silver</strong> <strong>status </strong>on <strong>spend band 4 </strong>gives 12% cashback => max R120 (since petrol spend is capped at R1,000 per month).<br />=> <strong>Diamond status </strong>on <strong>spend band 4 </strong>gives 20% cashback => max R200 (since petrol spend is capped at R1,000 per month).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Vitality Money</strong> <strong>status</strong> [points... not confirmed - I think...<i>from call centre calls</i>] (<strong>Blue</strong> (39,999), <strong>Bronze</strong> (40,000 to 59,999), <strong>Silver</strong> (60,000 to 69,999), <strong>Gold</strong> (70,000 to 79,999 <span style="color: red;">plus </span><em>Discovery</em> Savings account of R40,000), <strong>Diamond</strong> (over 80,000 plus <em>Discovery</em> Savings account of R100,000) is dependent on 5 factors: 1) Debt management, 2) Savings, 3) Savings for retirement, 4) Short <strong><em>and</em></strong> long term insurance (medical aid, and life insurance, and sort term insurance), 5) Assets or property. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">See here for more info: <a href="http://michaelrobert.co.za/how-vitality-money-works" target="_blank">http://michaelrobert.co.za/how-vitality-money-works</a> </span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkh3uKIFoug/XUbHOEmUQHI/AAAAAAAAeWw/tO3u5MNUNT4iA0Hn7b0IRZ47257LqA5_ACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/image009.png" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="56" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkh3uKIFoug/XUbHOEmUQHI/AAAAAAAAeWw/tO3u5MNUNT4iA0Hn7b0IRZ47257LqA5_ACK4BGAYYCw/s320/image009.png" width="320" /></span></a><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HEMEr8JiEbA/XUbHOBRpRWI/AAAAAAAAeXM/VXf3GOtv8NEEW7_d80UrJZCgr6oZ4tnLgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/image010.png" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HEMEr8JiEbA/XUbHOBRpRWI/AAAAAAAAeXM/VXf3GOtv8NEEW7_d80UrJZCgr6oZ4tnLgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/image010.png" width="320" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you haven't already... then please read this excellent post from <b>MichaelRobert.co.za:</b> <a href="http://michaelrobert.co.za/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-moving-your-discovery-card-to-discovery-bank" target="_blank">10 things before moving your Discovery Card</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I al</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">so asked if there’s a 3 year “timer” to get from Gold Vitality Money status level to Diamond – and there isn’t. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-USo-PPEVYAo/XUbHOHXf6YI/AAAAAAAAeW8/44zItp2eg_E65gBrK5Y0_Aj4XpDBPpq5ACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/image011.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-USo-PPEVYAo/XUbHOHXf6YI/AAAAAAAAeW8/44zItp2eg_E65gBrK5Y0_Aj4XpDBPpq5ACK4BGAYYCw/s400/image011.png" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let me know in the comments below if you have found some more small print or ifs-and-buts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Update 1</b></span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> (4th Aug 2019)</b><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, everyone has been asking me... so, what did you do? Did you join?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, if it wasn't for all the open questions that I had - the main one being the Discovery Miles... I would have joined <i>immediately</i>. I downloaded the DiscoveryBank app (<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=bank.discovery.banking.production.release&hl=en_US" target="_blank">Android</a>, <a href="https://apps.apple.com/za/app/discovery-bank/id1451167079" target="_blank">Apple</a>), took my selfie, read the terms and conditions, called their call centre (0860 11 2265) </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a few times, and investigated a <i>bit </i>;)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then, I clicked the "<b>Accept</b>" button. Then: "Great choice HTT... let's finalise your application": Employment status, Employment sector, Employment division, Occupation, Employer, Marital status and type, Address;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Foreign tax and citizenship info</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Additional cards (R30 each per month),</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Verify email address, enter OTP,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Declare that all info provided is correct,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Congratulations, your application has been submitted - we will notify you when your account(s) are open. Please keep using your existing Discovery Card until you receive your new one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Update 2 (4th Aug 2019): </b>A few minutes later, two SMSs and two emails:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Discovery Bank: Your
new card is being prepared. Expect a call from DSV couriers to confirm delivery</span>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Congrats and welcome! Your credit card account is now open. Log in to the app to start banking with us. Regards, Discovery Bank"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">my wife got an SMS asking her to download the app.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Update 3 (10th Aug 2019): </b>After 5 days of not being able to login to the Discovery banking app, and calli</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ng the call centre twice (hanging on for over 12 minutes each time), I figured out a workaround - so it's sort of, SOLVED. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I logged in on another phone fine and while playing with it, I figured out that the problem was caused because I disallowed the app access to my Contacts ('permission' was OFF). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the other phone, it was off too - but logged in fine. <br />Giving the app access to my Contacts on my phone "fixed" it :( (<span style="color: red;">I <b><i>hate</i></b> giving apps access to my Contacts</span>)</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Update 4 (10th Aug 2019): </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">maximum points that I can receive on Vitality Money</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> on a Platinum card is: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Retirement: 10,000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Debt Management: 25,000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Savings: 25,000 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Insurance: 25,000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Property: 15,000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Proof of (non-Discovery products) contributions need to be provided within 150 days to keep benefits.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Points awarded for achieved goals in 55 days :(</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Update 5 (11th Aug 2019):</b> Browsing the Discovery Vitality web site: <a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/vitality/rewards-not-qualifying" target="_blank">https://www.discovery.co.za/vitality/rewards-not-qualifying</a> I found that I now need to deposit a monthly amount of R17,500 into the account - now what is a "</span><span class="font-weight-bold" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0.176px;">Discovery 1+</span><span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.176px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.176px;">account</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"</span><br />
<span style="color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.176px;">"</span><br />
<span style="color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.176px;">If you don't make the</span><span style="color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.176px;"> </span><span class="font-weight-bold" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0.176px;">minimum required deposit</span><span style="color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.176px;"> </span><span style="color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.176px;">for your</span><span style="color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.176px;"> </span><span class="font-weight-bold" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0.176px;">Discovery 1+</span><span style="color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.176px;"> </span><span style="color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.176px;">account, you'll still qualify for Dynamic Interest Rates. You'll get the rate applicable to the Discovery 1 account, but only if your account is</span><span style="color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.176px;"> </span><span class="font-weight-bold" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0.176px;">in good standing</span><span style="color: #292b2c; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.176px;">. You can view your Dynamic Interest Rates on the Discovery Bank app.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Update 6 (3rd Oct 2019):</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I CLOSED my DiscoveryBank account.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bottom line - they are not ready for me as a Client - the info available and rules are not available on the web pages. The app isn't ready for me (and I suspect many others) to use.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">DiscoveryMiles aren't available yet (I have just seen a Tweet that you get 1 mile for R50 spend! (As compared to R15 per mile with the "old" DiscoveryCard (powered by FNB).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I never received my secondary cards - no response to my emails (and no call backs), and I wasn't going to wait in the call centre queues for another 20 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was getting charged the R60 monthly fee for VitalityMoney and I was getting no value (since I didn't activate my new DiscoveryCard because I didn't have my secondary cards.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was getting charged the monthly credit card fee and I hadn't activated the new credit card.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I didn't fancy the idea of swiping the separate Vitality Food card as well as my new DiscoveryCard.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The spending bands were not published and I had to ask the call centre staff to send the info to me (after seeing some tweets about this).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I seem to remember the full banking suite monthly charge changed after this blog post... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The savings goals seems way out of reach for me... so I doubt that I would ever be in the top tier rewards bracket.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.com1South Africa-30.559482 22.937505999999985-56.7802775 -18.371088000000015 -4.3386864999999979 64.246099999999984tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-84436650753891582682017-03-19T18:21:00.001+02:002017-03-19T18:21:21.689+02:00Calling all Virgin Active and Planet Fitness Gym paying members: Why pay for your gym membership if you can pay for life cover instead?<div align="justify">
Confused, well it is, a bit – so read this carefully: by paying the gym membership amount into a Discovery Life policy, you can get your gym membership (and more) for free! <br />For a detailed explanation (and professional assistance) , go to the <a href="http://www.gymforless.co.za/" target="_blank">GymForLess</a> web site: </div>
<a href="http://www.gymforless.co.za/index" target="_blank"><img alt="image" border="0" src="https://lh3.ggpht.com/_JBOFF7Hli-w/TOQ_r-dzkOI/AAAAAAAABos/Tv4ByFDj6Ik/image%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" height="94" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="image" width="377"></a> <br />Navigating the newly revamped web site is really easy and fast and it explains in detail the steps needed to “<strong>swop” your gym membership</strong> for life cover and Vitality membership, <strong><em><u>and</u> </em></strong>gym membership. <br /> <br />So, to repeat: if you are <strong><em>not</em></strong> on Discovery Health, you <strong><em>can</em></strong> still benefit from the Discovery Vitality ‘world’. <br />You <strong>do not need to belong to Discovery Health</strong> to benefit from this deal – in fact, it’s cheaper to purchase an “entry level” life policy than to join Discovery Health. You will also benefit from the Vitality benefits too. <br /> <br />The web site also explains the benefits of getting a <strong><em>Discovery Credit Card </em></strong>and their cash back schemes. <br /><img alt="image" border="0" src="https://lh6.ggpht.com/_JBOFF7Hli-w/TOQ_s27CGFI/AAAAAAAABow/vRrTW_6sU-k/image4.png?imgmax=800" height="107" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="image" width="146"> <br /><strong><em>From the Gym For Less web site</em>:</strong> <br />How to get the Discovery Life Insurance and the Vitality Benefit: <br /> <br /><strong>Step 1: </strong>Purchase a life insurance policy with Discovery Life for a <strong>minimum monthly premium of R350</strong>. <br /> <br /><strong>Step 2: </strong>Attach the Vitality Benefit at an additional <strong>R116 per month</strong>. <br /> <br /><strong>Step 3:</strong> Discovery Life and Vitality members are entitled to savings and benefits and can join either Virgin Active or Planet Fitness for a <strong>R595 once off activation fee</strong>. <br /><strong>Result: For only R466 per month – almost the same price as you would pay for a regular gym contract – you get:</strong> <br /> * Life insurance with Discovery Life. <br /> * An 80% saving on the monthly fees at either Virgin Active or Planet Fitness. This saving can be increased further with a Visa DiscoveryCard. <br /> * Access to the entire Discovery Vitality Benefit without being on Discovery Health! <br /> * Huge savings with Kulula, British Airways, Imperial Car, Southern Sun, Clicks, Ster Kinekor and many more! <br /> * A saving of up to 25% on over 10,000 HealthyFood™ products at Pick ‘n Pay. Save 100’s of Rands every month! <br /> * Vitality members can get up to 25% of their life insurance premiums paid back to them every 5 years, tax-free! <br /><strong> <br />For more information, why not go to the <a href="http://www.gymforless.co.za/" target="_blank">Gym For Less web site</a>, and contact them if necessary by <a href="mailto:info@gymforless.co.za" target="_blank">email</a>. There are also <a href="http://www.gymforless.co.za/how_to_join" target="_blank">online forms</a> that you can fill in for prompt action (at bottom of the web page). <br />This is not a scam nor joke – it works. See here for their Financial Services Provider details: <a href="http://www.gymforless.co.za/disclosure" target="_blank">True2Life Financial Services (Pty) Ltd details</a> <br /> <br />Note:</strong> the joining fees and gym monthly payments <strong>will change in 2011</strong> – so act before 17Dec 2010 to benefit from 2010’s scheme and prices – if you join now, then you won’t be affected by the new scheme. <br />
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HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-23955661144076235932017-03-18T16:56:00.001+02:002017-03-18T16:56:21.369+02:00How much cashback will I be losing out now that I’ll be earning 10x Discovery Miles? [Calculator]<p>I received another “good news” email from Discovery Card the other day… Subject = “Now MORE places to earn up to 10x more Discovery Miles”, and I read it with the good news anticipation that it called for… until I got to the last paragraph.  Lucky I was used to receiving these emails with misleading subject lines.  See here for more info: <a title="https://www.discovery.co.za/portal/individual/credit-card-news-cashback-miles-benefit" href="https://www.discovery.co.za/portal/individual/credit-card-news-cashback-miles-benefit">https://www.discovery.co.za/portal/individual/credit-card-news-cashback-miles-benefit</a></p> <p>Here’s the paragraph that “takes it away”:  “As Incredible Connection, Toys R Us, Babies R Us, Reggies and The Pro Shop become Discovery Miles Multiplier partners, from 15 April, you will no longer earn cash back when shopping at these stores.” <br /> <br />Ok, so how much cashback hath Discovery taken away? <br /> <br />Well, I’m on Diamond Vitality level, so I get 20% cashbacks calculated on a maximum monthly spend of R10,000. <br />To do that, my total credit card bill needs to be 5x the spend, so that’s a total bill of R50,000. <br /> <br />That means a cashback of <strong>R2,000</strong> taking the purchase down to R8,000. <br /> <br />What will that same purchase cost from 15th April 2017, ie: how much will I be losing out? <br />I have a platinum credit card – so the monthly miles cap is 10,000. <br /> <br />Well, according to my calculations, it will be R1,333 less in my pocket <img class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-sadsmile" style="border-top-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none" alt="Sad smile" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eqHkAI_yhIg/WM1Khi069iI/AAAAAAAAAbE/O4p5a0xXHxY/wlEmoticon-sadsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /> <br /> <br />Here’s the tabulated figures for someone that is on Diamond (and has been on Vitality for more than 5 years): <br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5CjkAKS2YSU/WM1KiUPRUYI/AAAAAAAAAbI/kaMjbXBJ91Q/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="image" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--JeHzYRFBLw/WM1KkisUgmI/AAAAAAAAAbM/bsPYrLEMTpQ/image_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="779" height="397" /></a> <br /> <br /> <br /><strong>The miles are also capped per month</strong>… which isn’t mentioned in the email. <br />The cap is linked to the type of Discovery credit card that you have: <br />Blue or Gold cards: 5,000 miles per month… Platinum card: 10,000 miles per month. <br />(see here for the info’s hiding place: terms and conditions: <a title="https://www.discovery.co.za/discovery_coza/web/linked_content/pdfs/card/terms_and_conditions/discovery_miles_ts_and_cs.pdf" href="https://www.discovery.co.za/discovery_coza/web/linked_content/pdfs/card/terms_and_conditions/discovery_miles_ts_and_cs.pdf">https://www.discovery.co.za/discovery_coza/web/linked_content/pdfs/card/terms_and_conditions/discovery_miles_ts_and_cs.pdf</a>) <br /> <br />As you can see there are (true to form) lots and lots of loops to jump through – and it’s not surprising that people are so “accepting” of all these changes! <br /> <br />To see how much you are losing out, use my handy calculator and change the 3 <font style="background-color: #9b00d3" color="#ffffff">purple</font> cells: <a title="http://www.mediafire.com/file/efp58w0ezkpj3q2/DiscoveryMilesComparedToCashbackCalculator_2017.xls" href="http://www.mediafire.com/file/efp58w0ezkpj3q2/DiscoveryMilesComparedToCashbackCalculator_2017.xls">DiscoveryMilesComparedToCashbackCalculator_2017.xls</a></p>HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17723577527358051173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-44734230974489808032015-08-16T10:39:00.001+02:002015-08-16T10:39:04.282+02:00Where to spend all those hard earned Discovery Miles?<p>I think the best way of spending miles is to <strong>buy vouchers</strong> from the online DiscoveryMall: <a title="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-1646-vouchers.aspx#&panel1-2" href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-1646-vouchers.aspx#&panel1-2">http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-1646-vouchers.aspx#&panel1-2</a>  <br /> <br />List of vouchers available: <br /><b><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/p-14993-itunes-code-this-product-will-be-sent-via-email.aspx" target="_blank">iTunes voucher code</a></b> <br /><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-2639-sunglass-hut.aspx" target="_blank">Sunglass hut</a> <br /><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-1668-babies-r-us.aspx" target="_blank">Babies R Us</a> <br /><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-1665-naartjie.aspx" target="_blank">Naartjie</a> <br /><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-1670-reggies.aspx" target="_blank">Reggie’s</a> <br /><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-1671-toys-r-us.aspx" target="_blank">Toys R Us</a> <br /><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-3871-majors-for-minors.aspx" target="_blank">Majors for Minors</a> <br /><b><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/p-12505-hirschs-r-100000-email-voucher.aspx" target="_blank">Hirsch’s vouchers</a></b> <br /><b><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/p-13121-r1-000-mangwanani-african-day-spa-voucher.aspx" target="_blank">Mangwanani African Day Spa</a> <br /><b><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-1656-health-spa-guide.aspx">Health Spa vouchers</a> <br /><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-1653-camelot-spa.aspx" target="_blank">Camelot Spa</a> <br /><b><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/p-3922-r1000-yuppiechef-voucher.aspx" target="_blank">Yuppiechef Vouchers</a> <br /><b><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/p-15043-r600-superga-voucher.aspx" target="_blank">Superga Vouchers</a> <br /><b><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/p-14991-r995-bibo-voucher.aspx" target="_blank">Bibo Vouchers</a> <br /><b><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/p-14911-r500-tempur-voucher.aspx" target="_blank">Tempur Vouchers</a> <br /><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-1667-cape-union-mart.aspx" target="_blank">Cape Union Mart vouchers</a> <br /></b></b></b></b></b></b><b><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-1652-home.aspx" target="_blank">@home Voucher</a> <br /><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-3868-stuttafords.aspx" target="_blank">Stuttafords vouchers</a></b> <br /><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-3915-superga.aspx" target="_blank">Superga vouchers</a> <br /><b><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-1659-spilhaus.aspx" target="_blank">Spilhaus Vouchers</a></b> <br /><b><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-3852-tempur.aspx" target="_blank">Tempur Vouchers</a> <br /><b><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-1661-yuppiechef.aspx" target="_blank">Yuppiechef Vouchers</a> <br /><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-1673-cycle-lab.aspx">Cycle Lab vouchers</a> <br /><a href="http://www.vitalityshop.co.za/c-1674-the-pro-shop.aspx">The Pro Shop vouchers</a></b></b></p> <p> <br />They can also be <strong>converted</strong> to Avios points and SAA Voyager miles <br /><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/portal/individual/card-miles-partner-avios">https://www.discovery.co.za/portal/individual/card-miles-partner-avios</a> <br /><a href="https://www.discovery.co.za/portal/individual/card-miles-partner-saa">https://www.discovery.co.za/portal/individual/card-miles-partner-saa</a> </p> <p> </p> <p>You can also <strong>spend</strong> your Discovery Miles <strong>online: <br /></strong><a href="http://www.actiongear.co.za">http://www.actiongear.co.za</a>              <br /><a href="http://www.activitar.com">http://www.activitar.com</a>                <br /><a href="https://www.bidorbuy.co.za">https://www.bidorbuy.co.za</a>                <br /><a href="https://www.bigconcerts.co.za">https://www.bigconcerts.co.za</a>            <br /><a href="http://www.caffeluxe.com">http://www.caffeluxe.com</a>                <br /><a href="http://www.capeunionmart.co.za">http://www.capeunionmart.co.za</a>            <br /><a href="http://www.daddysdeals.co.za">http://www.daddysdeals.co.za</a>            <br /><a href="http://dischem.co.za">http://dischem.co.za</a>                    <br /><a href="http://www.eterniti.co.za">http://www.eterniti.co.za</a>                <br /><a href="http://www.flook.co.za">http://www.flook.co.za</a>                    <br /><a href="http://www.hirschs.co.za">http://www.hirschs.co.za</a>                <br /><a href="http://www.hpshop.co.za">http://www.hpshop.co.za</a> <br /><a href="https://www.incredible.co.za">https://www.incredible.co.za</a> <br /><a href="http://www.istoreonline.co.za">http://www.istoreonline.co.za</a>           <br /><a title="http://www.kulula.com/payment-options/discovery-miles" href="http://www.kulula.com/payment-options/discovery-miles">http://www.kulula.com/payment-options/discovery-miles</a>  <br /><a href="http://www.loot.co.za">http://www.loot.co.za</a>                    <br /><a href="http://www.lovetodogood.org.za">http://www.lovetodogood.org.za</a>            <br /><a href="http://www.netperfume.co.za">http://www.netperfume.co.za</a>                <br /><a href="http://www.netgifts.co.za">http://www.netgifts.co.za</a>                <br /><a href="http://www.netflorist.co.za">http://www.netflorist.co.za</a>                <br /><a href="http://www.onedayonly.co.za">http://www.onedayonly.co.za</a>                <br /><a href="http://www.sterkinekor.com">http://www.sterkinekor.com</a>                <br /><a href="http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.co.za">http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.co.za</a>    <br /><a href="http://superbalist.com">http://superbalist.com</a>                    <br /><a href="http://www.takealot.com">http://www.takealot.com</a>                    <br /><a href="http://www.theproshop.co.za">http://www.theproshop.co.za</a>                <br /><a href="http://www.volpes.co.za">http://www.volpes.co.za</a>                    <br /><a href="http://www.wantitall.co.za">http://www.wantitall.co.za</a>                <br /><a href="http://www.yuppiechef.co.za">http://www.yuppiechef.co.za</a>            <br /> <br />See here for more info: <a title="https://www.discovery.co.za/portal/individual/card-miles-lo" href="https://www.discovery.co.za/portal/individual/card-miles-lo">https://www.discovery.co.za/portal/individual/card-miles-lo</a></p> HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17723577527358051173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-48272784453364395242014-12-28T22:13:00.001+02:002014-12-28T22:23:40.882+02:00If you are on Vodacom PrePaid then check your package and change…. <p>If you are on a Vodacom PrePaid cell phone plan, then make sure that you change your plan from the <strong>expensive</strong> default plan (<strong>4U PrePaid</strong>) which charges R2,75 per minute to the much cheaper “<strong><em>Vodacom PrePaid 79c per minute</em></strong>” plan (billed per second). <br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-W6RdDaV77lk/VKBkWG8QAiI/AAAAAAAAAWw/C14jEPu-Dt0/s1600-h/image%25255B8%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-sDB2eK6wF_g/VKBkXblFeLI/AAAAAAAAAW4/Is_rt5nk1os/image_thumb%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="303" height="85" /></a>Register and login to the the Vodacom portal: <a href="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za">https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za</a> then click on “Account Summary” and click on “Free Change” to change your plan: <br /> <br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-WkmfN0IcsNs/VKBkYtfVpUI/AAAAAAAAAXA/0SF_1CCDsKY/s1600-h/image%25255B6%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-nGebLE3zoJY/VKBkaFK6NbI/AAAAAAAAAXI/Na6RFjSuNbc/image_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="386" align="left" height="252" /></a> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /></p> <p> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Here are the costs per plan so that you can see which suits you best: <br />1) <a title="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/shopping/plans/vodacom-4-less" href="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/shopping/plans/vodacom-4-less" target="_blank">Yebo Vodacom 4 Less</a>: R2.89 per minute (<strong><font color="#00ff00"><font color="#000000">billed</font> per second</font><font color="#000000">)</font></strong>; SMSs (peak): 80c;  Up to 100% discount on calls throughout the day, plus other rewards.  <br /><strong>See here for more info:</strong> <a title="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/shopping/plans/vodacom-4-less" href="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/shopping/plans/vodacom-4-less" target="_blank">Vodacom-4-Less</a>  <br />Read the <strong>terms and conditions</strong> carefully: <a title="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/terms/vodacom-4-less-terms-and-conditions" href="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/terms/vodacom-4-less-terms-and-conditions" target="_blank">Vodacom-4-less-terms-and-conditions</a> <br />2) <a href="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/shopping/plans/daily-free-calls" target="_blank">Daily Free calls</a>: R1.20 per minute (billed <strong><font color="#ff0000">per minute</font></strong>); SMSs (peak): 80c; Pay for the first 3 minutes, get the rest of your call Free (to Vodacom numbers)- Guaranteed 57 FREE minutes on every call (to Vodacom); plus other rewards;  <br /><strong>See here for more info: </strong><a title="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/shopping/plans/daily-free-calls" href="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/shopping/plans/daily-free-calls" target="_blank">Daily-Free-Calls</a> <br />Read the <strong>terms and conditions</strong> carefully: <a title="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/terms/daily-free-calls-terms-and-conditions" href="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/terms/daily-free-calls-terms-and-conditions" target="_blank">Daily-Free-Calls-terms-and-conditions</a> <br />3) <a href="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/shopping/plans/anytime-per-second" target="_blank">Anytime per second</a>: R1.20 per minute (<strong><font color="#00ff00"><font color="#000000">billed</font> per second</font><font color="#000000">)</font></strong>; SMSs (anytime): 50c; Get Free Night Shift: 60 minutes free calls between midnight and 5am for 7 days with every recharge of R12 or more;  <br /><strong>See here for more info: </strong><a>Anytime-Per-Second</a> <br />Read the <strong>terms and conditions</strong> carefully: <a title="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/terms/anytime-per-second-terms-and-conditions" href="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/terms/anytime-per-second-terms-and-conditions" target="_blank">Anytime-Per-Second-terms-and-conditions</a> <br />4) <a href="https://help.vodacom.co.za/personal/faq/155065/How-will-I-be-billed-for-Prepaid-79c/2816/32761" target="_blank">Vodacom Prepaid 79c</a>: <font size="3">R0.79 per minute (<strong><font color="#00ff00"><font color="#000000">billed</font> per second</font><font color="#000000">)</font></strong>; SMSs (anytime): 50c;</font>  This promotion runs until Tuesday 31st March 2015 at 23:59, whereafter you will revert to your previous plan. <br /><strong>See here for more info: </strong><a href="https://help.vodacom.co.za/personal/subtopics/2816/-Promotions/32761/Vodacom-Prepaid-79c" target="_blank">Vodacom-Prepaid-79c</a><strong><strong><strong><strong> <br /></strong></strong></strong></strong>5) <a href="http://vodacombusiness.co.za/personal/phonesandpackages/vodacom4uprepaid?ModPagespeed=noscript" target="_blank">4U PrePaid</a>: R2.58 per minute (<strong><font color="#00ff00"><font color="#000000">billed</font> per second</font><font color="#000000">)</font></strong>; SMSs (peak): 80c;  This is the default plan for older SIM cards <br /> <br />Vodacom Prepaid customers can opt in to the Service via FreeChange, by calling 1181 or by dialling *111# from their Vodacom cellphone, or by using the “Free Change” button on the “Account Summary” page: <a title="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/personal/myaccount/accountsummaryprepaid" href="https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/personal/myaccount/accountsummaryprepaid">https://myvodacom.secure.vodacom.co.za/personal/myaccount/accountsummaryprepaid</a>  <br /></p> <p><strong>Free calls:</strong> <br />100 Recharge <br />111 Customer care <br />112 Emergency <br />121 Voicemail <br />1181 Change price plan</p> <p> <br /> <br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uKeKf_nL8dk/VKBkbbKH84I/AAAAAAAAAXQ/mZrv8thUYKI/s1600-h/image%25255B11%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2DVDwtT3s3A/VKBkcKTpSUI/AAAAAAAAAXY/XCjzeS2x3HQ/image_thumb%25255B5%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="186" height="55" /></a></p> HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17723577527358051173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-21179863782652703202014-10-19T17:20:00.001+02:002017-03-19T18:11:11.196+02:00Samsung Galaxy S4 WiFi “Unable to obtain IP address” problem [SOLVED]I have managed to solve a colleague’s problem with his Samsung Galaxy S4 phone on his home WiFi network: Error “Obtaining IP address”, then error: “Failed to obtain IP address”. <br />
<br />
The problem appeared after he had installed a WiFi range extender device in his home. All other devices like iPhones, iPads, Blackberries were “happy” and connected to the now (very) extended WiFi network without any problems and with greater range in the house. So, for them, the problem of no coverage in their bedrooms was solved.<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Uu3S82v6qEw/VEPWY6-Y5II/AAAAAAAAAR4/JUEq74yZY0c/s1600-h/SolvedStamp%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img align="right" alt="SolvedStamp" border="0" height="154" src="https://lh5.ggpht.com/-kzpheKY1k8A/VEPWbJ5pYEI/AAAAAAAAASA/0Tvd_AQ5Uh0/SolvedStamp_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: right; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SolvedStamp" width="244" /></a> <br />
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The initial connection was successful for a few hours (and sometimes for a whole day), but then the connection was dropped and the S4 phone was unable to connect and showed an error: “Unable to obtain IP address”. A restart of the TP-link extender usually fixed the problem for another (short) period of time. <br />
<br />
<strong>Main ADSL router:</strong> Billion BIPAC 7300G/NA <br />
<strong>Security: Security:</strong> WPA2-PSK (AES), AES-CCMP <br />
<strong>WiFi extender:</strong> the <a href="http://www.tp-link.co.za/products/details/?categoryid=1247&model=TL-WA850RE" target="_blank">TP-Link TL-WA850RE (EU)</a> Ver: 1.25 {great device, by the way – and the after sales support team is fast and friendly} <br />
<strong>S4 phones: </strong>Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 <br />
<strong>Android version: </strong>4.4.2 <br />
<br />
<strong>Debugging steps: </strong><br />
1) I took the the WiFi extender to a friend’s house to test with the S4s and iPhones – all seem to be connecting well with no “Unable to obtain IP address” problem on the S4 – the duration of this test was too short, so I couldn’t really isolate the problem. In fact, the friend also decided to buy one of those TP-Link extenders for themselves. <br />
2) Change the channel to another unused channel – I used the Android app “WiFi Analyser” – this is a great free app and it has helped me extend the range of many-a-friend’s WiFi signals by reducing interference from nearby signals: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer">https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer</a> <br />
3) I changed the TPlink extender to have a different SSID from the main WiFi router – this is not ideal as I want the devices to auto-switch between the APs (Access Points) – this was a good workaround – but not ideal – and I wanted to get back to using the same SSID in the WiFi extender as on the main WiFi router. So, reverted back to the original configuration of having a single, seamless SSID for the main WiFi router and the TPlink extender. <br />
4) I contacted the friendly <strong>support team</strong> at TP-Link – they too were unable to solve the problem (they suggested many of the steps below) <br />
5) I changed the config on the main WiFi router to give the S4 phone a <strong>fixed IP address</strong>. <br />
6) I borrowed another brand new S4 phone – it had the same problem! <br />
7) I changed the config on the main WiFi router to give the TPlink extender a <strong>fixed IP address</strong>. <br />
8) I reset the TPlink WiFi extender (to factory default settings) and reconfigured it. <br />
9) I looked at the TPLink system log files (system tools->system log) when the S4 failed to connect to WiFi. <br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>So, what was the solution?: </strong>After Googling a lot, I found some explanations describing how some old WiFi routers were released before the final WiFi protocols were defined – and suggested upgrading the WiFi router’s firmware. This wasn’t applicable to the Billion router, because there was no new firmware on the manufacturer’s site <img alt="Sad smile" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-sadsmile" src="https://lh4.ggpht.com/-6R-sDn9BSw0/VEPWcUXnKbI/AAAAAAAAASI/q0jNJQUvE6I/wlEmoticon-sadsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none;" /> <br />
I then found a forum that had <strong><a href="http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s4/715023-wi-fi-issue.html#post5807742" target="_blank">the answer</a>:</strong> a user called “Slug” suggested “…then the problem is most likely to be with your home Wi-Fi and not the handset. Check that your Wi-Fi router is running the most recent firmware, and also that it's using AES rather than TKIP encryption as I've had problems with several different Android devices connecting to APs using the latter.” <br />
Another user called “<strong>Soooperpotato</strong>” <a href="http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s4/715023-wi-fi-issue.html#post5821466" target="_blank">noted</a>: <br />
“ <br />
…S4 works fine except for WiFi. I noticed a limit of a 4Mbps download speed (upload is fine) when using WPA2-PSK (AES) or (TKIP/AES) security modes on my router. All other 802.11n phones and computers in the house are hitting around 30+ Mbps download on this setting. However, when I set the security mode to the older WPA2-PSK (<strong>TKIP</strong>), I get speeds at about 20 Mbps download on my S4. This is an improvement, but now using TKIP I've limited all other devices in my house to 802.11g speeds instead of the faster 802.11n speed that AES uses. <br />
” <br />
So, I decided to check my router’s security WPA2 algorithm, and sure enough it was set to AES – when I changed it to <strong>TKIP</strong>, then the connection problem went away. I was hesitant to say it was <em>fixed</em> until after I waited for 2 or 3 days… and sure enough, it has been at least 4 days now, and that error “Obtaining IP address”, and “Failed to obtain IP address” has not reappeared <img alt="Smile" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" src="https://lh3.ggpht.com/-iRirUFpuKB0/VEPWe2Mw45I/AAAAAAAAASQ/9zINePmUOGY/wlEmoticon-smile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none;" /> <br />
<br />
So, even though Soooperpotato says that the speed is only 20Mps instead of 30+ Mbps, I’m happy with the stability. <br />
<br />
So, if you are having this problem, go to your main router’s Wireless LAN settings page, and change the router’s security WPA2 algorithm from AES to <strong>TKIP</strong>: <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-T1WeHNK3K0M/VEPWhLcsV4I/AAAAAAAAASY/-ug9TxUt0RE/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="243" src="https://lh3.ggpht.com/-v40cUJn-C38/VEPWjgFZD3I/AAAAAAAAASg/ja0LqRV197k/image_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="729" /></a> <br />
<br />
Thanks again to the TP-link support team for trying to assist – I hope this information will also help them to help their customers. <br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-qh2e3opiz7M/VEPWlZwHl2I/AAAAAAAAASo/8cwpiG6rh8Y/s1600-h/image%25255B7%25255D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="241" src="https://lh4.ggpht.com/-bY-Jf-d01fw/VEPWntp2WbI/AAAAAAAAASw/IY6hd2DExOw/image_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: right; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a> <br />
Also, I found out that the TP-Link extender has an Ethernet port that allows the Extender to function as a wireless adapter to connect wired devices – this means that if you have a device (like a TV) that doesn’t have WiFi, then you can plug its LAN connection into the extender and the TP-link device will then connect over WiFi to your LAN. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-IlT0T7BOXjI/VEPWpEKcQ3I/AAAAAAAAAS4/8H5m6tANTO0/s1600-h/image%25255B10%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="64" src="https://lh6.ggpht.com/-69FaraqcncU/VEPWq9A_4fI/AAAAAAAAATA/Hk6_sDutdcw/image_thumb%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="199" /></a> <br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer" target="_blank"><img alt="image" border="0" height="233" src="https://lh4.ggpht.com/-3idGsTXHNNU/VEPWtJ5cjRI/AAAAAAAAATI/iIjGEJ2HFcU/image%25255B15%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="371" /></a> <br />
<br />
<br />
I purchased my TP-link <strong>WiFi extender for only R359 (with free delivery) from here: <a href="http://www.takealot.com/tp-link-300mbps-universal-wireless-n-range-extender/PLID28719941" target="_blank">Take-a-lot.com</a></strong>HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17723577527358051173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-24856935509285657502014-03-06T17:00:00.001+02:002014-03-06T17:00:48.400+02:00How to figure out when your power will be cut in Cape Town with the 2014 load shedding schedules from Eskom<p>To figure out when your power will be cut…  follow these easy steps:</p> <p><strong>Step 1) </strong>Go to the Eskom page and see what “Shedding Stage” Eskom is in: <a href="http://loadshedding.eskom.co.za" target="_blank">http://loadshedding.eskom.co.za</a> <br /><a href="http://loadshedding.eskom.co.za" target="_blank"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9fvlPLNyKKg/UxiNmY-35-I/AAAAAAAAARQ/Y9I2TEzcimU/image%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="244" height="73" /></a> It can be one of Stage 1 or Stage 2 or <font color="#ff0000"><strong>Stage 3</strong></font>. (Stage 3 is much worse than Stage 1)</p> <p><strong>Step 2) </strong>Next step depends on which stage Eskom is in. <br /><em>Step 2a) </em>If Eskom is in <b><i>Stage 1</i></b> or <b><i>Stage 2</i></b> then:  <br /><strong>i.</strong> Go to this page and click on the area where you live: <a href="http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/electricity/Pages/LoadShedding.aspx">http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/electricity/Pages/LoadShedding.aspx</a> <br />If your area doesn’t appear – then (I think) you are lucky that you will not be affected by Stage 1 or Stage 2 shedding. <br /> <br /><strong>ii. </strong>If in<b><i> Stage 1</i></b> then the areas in those maps will <b><i>only</i></b> be load shed on <b><i>certain days of the week</i></b>. <br /><strong>iii.</strong> If in<b><i> Stage 2</i></b> then the areas in those maps will be load shed on <b><i>every day</i></b> of the week.</p> <p><em>Step 2b)</em> If Eskom is in <b><i>Stage 3</i></b> then: <br /><strong>i. </strong>Go to this page <a href="http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/electricity/Pages/LoadShedding.aspx">http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/electricity/Pages/LoadShedding.aspx</a>   and click on “map” to see which area you live in <br /><b>and</b> the 3 times that you will be affected which is <b>printed on the top right of the map: </b><a title="http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/CSRM/Documents/LoadshedMar2014Stage3rev2.pdf" href="http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/CSRM/Documents/LoadshedMar2014Stage3rev2.pdf">http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/CSRM/Documents/LoadshedMar2014Stage3rev2.pdf</a> <br /><a href="http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/CSRM/Documents/LoadshedMar2014Stage3rev2.pdf" target="_blank"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-V47peGU388U/UxiNnHSRPYI/AAAAAAAAARY/ci0yfoymVjw/image%25255B8%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="335" height="114" /></a> </p> <p></p> <p>I hope this makes it easier to figure out what’s going on?</p> HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17723577527358051173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-72399661629737343202013-11-18T23:51:00.001+02:002013-11-19T00:06:44.662+02:00TopTV changes to StarSat – what’s gone and what’s new? (and for how much)<p align="justify">So, the message arrived on my TopTV decoder this evening telling of the channel changes and the new pricing.  For December, we will get the new bouquet for the same pricing as for the “old” TopTV offering but from 1 Jan 2014 the pricing will change. <br />So, what will be added and removed from my package you might ask? <br />Well, a visit to the new TopTV web site redirects you to the new StarSat web site, so it’s a bit difficult to compare :( <br />So, I dug up my old calculator and started modifying it to see what’s new and what’s been removed. <br /> <br />To summarize (and what they don’t tell you on the new <a href="http://toptv.co.za/packages" target="_blank">StarSat web site</a>): <br />These are the channels that<strong><em> will not be</em></strong> on StarSat any more: <br />1KZN, Classica, <strong>Discovery Science</strong>, Fashion, Fuel TV, Magic TV, Natura, and Zee Cinema <br /> <br />These are the new channels to be added to the StartSat offering (a lot of <em><u>Chinese</u></em> stuff in these): <br />Animaux, Bollywood HD, <u>CCTV9</u>, <u>CCTV</u> News, <u>Chinese</u> 2, <u>CNC</u>, e Kasi, e Movies, eAfrica, Entertainment Stars, <strong>Extreme Sports Channel</strong>, Extremely Nigerian, Fox crime, <u>Kung Fu</u> 3, KZN TV, Nat Geo Gold, NBA TV, NBA TV HD, Novela E1, OH Africa, Science Channel, Smile of a Child, Star Africa 2, Star Bollywood, Star E1, Star Movies 1, Star Music, Star Novela E3, Times Now, Tshwane TV, Zing. <br /> <br />My main concerns and the reason why I’m probably going to say goodbye to TopTV/StarSat is that the 3 channels that we watch the most on our R169 pm bouquet (previously called Variety+Entertainment+Knowledge) are not available on the “Smart” offering for R149: <em>Discovery Science</em> and <em>Natura </em>(which – it seems - have both gone <strong><em>completely</em></strong> from StarSat) and <em>ID Investigation Discovery</em> (which is available on the “Super” bouquet for R199 pm).  <br />I don’t want to be forced into spending the extra R30 per month for those 2 channels and I may as well see what the DSTV people are offering for R199.  <br /> <br />Here’s the detail of my comparison of the old TopTV with the new StarSat bouquets: <br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-VaTHiuGn7bY/UoqPQrrEMjI/AAAAAAAAAN0/jsoSN1fCd-s/s1600-h/image.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-cLhvBmxVS9Y/UoqPT7lXGyI/AAAAAAAAAN8/quQeTBIBxi4/image_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="903" height="341" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-U9RiJ_CtsiA/UoqPVD1w2SI/AAAAAAAAAOE/q2cBixC54d0/s1600-h/image%25255B1%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-UC44WWwu-5E/UoqPXPH4ywI/AAAAAAAAAOM/2CodG7ala7w/image_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="905" height="316" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vAxlL9Yj-5A/UoqPa0Hg2WI/AAAAAAAAAOU/o7ND2vWjofU/s1600-h/image%25255B2%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-S_sZMroGM5Y/UoqPcqqmjpI/AAAAAAAAAOc/bd3ysbuf2TI/image_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="904" height="293" /></a>  <br />Luckily the old TopTV web site is still online on the <a title="http://www.ondigitalmedia.co.za/toptvwebsite/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=156&Itemid=249" href="http://www.ondigitalmedia.co.za/toptvwebsite/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=156&Itemid=249" target="_blank">www.ondigitalmedia.co.za</a> site if you want to do your own comparisons. <br /> <br />The DSTV site for comparing what your R169 or R199 per month can buy you is here: <a href="http://selfservice.dstv.com/get-dstv/compare-packages" target="_blank">http://selfservice.dstv.com/get-dstv/compare-packages</a></p> HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17723577527358051173noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-1296980378683385412013-11-18T18:47:00.000+02:002013-11-18T18:48:17.844+02:00iTunes Vouchers in South Africa – which vendor is the cheapest? [Solved] - Updated 18 Nov 2013It was time to start buying a few apps for my iPad and so I decided to do a bit of research which I am sharing here… where is the cheapest place to buy iTunes vouchers and pay with my South African credit card? <br />
I also wanted instant delivery by email – please double check the payment options and delivery methods for the various vendors before making your purchase. <br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="700" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhJwqeHQ2pc9dDN0eTMtOVlTQXEwTU1IMG9SeDdyanc&usp=sharing;single=true&gid=0&range=b3%3Aj50&output=html&widget=true" style="height: 999px; width: 1150px;" width="1000"></iframe> <br />
<br />
So, eVouchers seems to be the vendor with the lowest markup.<br />
Thanks to Anonymous who commented and prompted me to re-evaluate the vendors out there.<br />
<br />
Sorry, CheapCodes - your prices have been beaten!
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<br />HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-16132420000707150542013-09-30T00:26:00.001+02:002017-03-19T18:19:38.634+02:00Where to buy prepaid electricity from Eskom online with your credit card [Solved]Here’s an updated posting offering alternatives to <a href="http://www.paycity.co.za/" target="_blank">PayCity</a> that has now <strong><em>stopped</em></strong> selling prepaid electricity.<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-yJICOxLKfq0/UkipHRxm3iI/AAAAAAAAAMI/wwcAfBrStYQ/s1600-h/SolvedStamp3.jpg"><img align="right" alt="SolvedStamp" border="0" height="154" src="https://lh3.ggpht.com/-xGa6LM1rqeo/UkipIBqOxeI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/R4mbHHlDAlE/SolvedStamp_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="SolvedStamp" width="244" /></a> <br />
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My previous article “<a href="http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2011/10/buying-electricity-via-mobile-cell.html" target="_blank">Buying electricity via mobile cell phone or online</a>” listed many ways of purchasing prepaid electricity online and with a credit card. <br />
Most online sites offer the service for free and you still get your free units per month.<br />
I was looking for a service where I could purchase electricity (for no extra charge) using my credit card. <br />
I wanted to be able to use my PC or my cell phone's browser or use SMS to purchase. <br />
<br />
Using my credit card is much more convenient (no more queuing for cash, and for purchasing the electricity), and so it's safer too! [those ATMs are becoming dangerous] <br />
<br />
Additionally, if I run out of electricity in the middle of the night then I can purchase more by sending an SMS from home. <br />
Oh, and the cherry on the top is that the bill comes at the end of the month along with "reward points" and even cash back discount. <br />
<br />
<strong>Here is an updated list of sites that I’ve found that cater for City of Cape Town electricity: <br /> </strong>My preferred choice, after analysing all the options that I could find is <strong><a href="https://www.powertime.co.za/" target="_blank">Powertime</a></strong>. Their offering seems the most complete, with apps for most mobile devices as well as a nifty web site with add-ons like virtual meter and a graphical analysis of your electricity usage, and lots of energy saving tips. <br />
A couple of emails to their support email address relating to credit card fees were answered quickly and with the requested information (and more). <br />
<a href="https://www.powertime.co.za/"><img alt="image" border="0" height="106" src="https://lh3.ggpht.com/-4P6QB0tTnPo/Tp8_jDdPieI/AAAAAAAAB3M/5vIUW9cKdcg/image%25255B35%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="image" width="244" /></a> Powertime’s web site warns that purchasing using your credit card could attract a fee “… between 0% and 5% VAT inclusive of the transaction value”. An email query later, and I found out that this service fee depends on whether the municipality reimburses credit card costs or not. It turns out that there is <strong><em>no service fee for Cape Town</em></strong> meters. To be sure, send them an email with your meter number and they will confirm the service fee. <br />
<strong>Note </strong>that the purchase of electricity in Cape Town <strong><em>has to be done via SMS </em></strong>due to restrictions set by the municipality. <br />
You can setup SMS vending on the Powertime website in: “Electricity” –> “Buy Electricity” –> “Set up SMS vending” section. <br />
(EFTs are all free of charge. ) <br />
<br />
The service is available 24/7 via the following channels: <br />
<ul>
<li>Powertime Web site <a href="http://www.powertime.co.za/" target="_blank">www.powertime.co.za</a> or mobi site <a href="http://m.powertime.co.za/" target="_blank">m.powertime.co.za</a>, </li>
<li>iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch Powertime applications which can be downloaded from Apple App store on iTunes (<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/app/powertime/id345272537?mt=8" target="_blank">http://itunes.apple.com/app/powertime/id345272537?mt=8</a> or search for Powertime), </li>
<li>Android Powertime app, which can be downloaded from Google Play <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.methys.powertime" target="_blank" title="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.methys.powertime">https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.methys.powertime</a> or <br />the Samsung Android app store: <a href="http://www.samsungapps.com/topApps/topAppsDetail.as?productId=G00002564713" target="_blank">http://www.samsungapps.com/topApps/topAppsDetail.as?productId=G00002564713</a> </li>
<li>BlackBerry Powertime application on the RIM App store: <a href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/11271" target="_blank">http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/11271</a> </li>
<li>Nokia Powertime application which can be downloaded from the Nokia app store: <a href="http://store.ovi.com/content/105666" target="_blank">http://store.ovi.com/content/105666</a> </li>
</ul>
On these channels, you can use Visa, Diners and Master Card credit cards or the PayGenius wallet, which can be recharged by EFT or credit card. You can also use Debit cards as well on the Powertime Web site. <br />
Twitter: @powertime_za and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Powertime/106728772712494" target="_blank">Facebook</a> <br />
You can also pay your other municipality bills and cellular airtime too. <br />
<a href="https://www.powertime.co.za/en/index/index" target="_blank"><img alt="image" border="0" height="124" src="https://lh5.ggpht.com/-irXmeKLzvm4/UkipJjjeASI/AAAAAAAAAMY/Y-4QG2mgCno/image4.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="image" width="307" /></a>You can even make some money by <strong>referring your friends</strong> to Powertime – Login, then follow the “Refer a friend” link to send your friend an email. When they spend their first R350 on electricity, then you will get R30 in your PayGenius wallet :) <br />
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<strong>Here is some more info on Powertime:</strong> <br />
<a href="https://moneysmart.co.za/community/2012/06/save-electricity-and-save-money-with-powertime" target="_blank">https://moneysmart.co.za/community/2012/06/save-electricity-and-save-money-with-powertime</a> <br />
<a href="http://ventureburn.com/2013/03/the-city-of-cape-town-cant-keep-a-good-startup-down-powertime-is-back" target="_blank">http://ventureburn.com/2013/03/the-city-of-cape-town-cant-keep-a-good-startup-down-powertime-is-back</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Another company </strong>that offers purchasing prepaid electricity online and using SMS is <a href="https://www.itronenergy.co.za/itronConsumer/index.jsp" target="_blank">ItronEnergy</a>. <br />
<a href="https://www.itronenergy.co.za/itronConsumer/index.jsp" target="_blank"><img alt="image" border="0" height="58" src="https://lh6.ggpht.com/-Xoc8gaZ5YzA/UkipK6kiVBI/AAAAAAAAAMg/TffliCgPkXw/image9.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="image" width="89" /></a><br />
<strong> <br />FNB</strong> mobile: <a href="https://www.fnb.co.za/cellphone-services/prepaid-electricity.html">dial *120*321#</a> from your cell phone and navigate thru the menus. <br />
<a href="https://www.fnb.co.za/cellphone-services/prepaid-electricity.html"><img alt="image" border="0" height="131" src="https://lh5.ggpht.com/-R_Css42XPaA/Tp8_dICRRcI/AAAAAAAAB2s/VI0-DNH7_6o/image%25255B19%25255D.png?imgmax=800" title="image" width="244" /></a> <br />
<a href="https://new.easypay.co.za/bmeter.aspx">https://new.easypay.co.za/bmeter.aspx</a> <a href="https://new.easypay.co.za/bmeter.aspx"><img alt="image" border="0" height="116" src="https://lh5.ggpht.com/-_5ah1dz_os4/Tp8_eiA3XbI/AAAAAAAAB20/M3smukPgj3s/image%25255B23%25255D.png?imgmax=800" title="image" width="223" /></a> <br />
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<a href="http://www.ibuy.co.za/">www.ibuy.co.za</a> you can save your setting so that you can easily buy from your phone (no fees, as far as I can see): <br />
<a href="https://www.ibuy.co.za/" target="_blank"><img alt="image" border="0" height="143" src="https://lh4.ggpht.com/-WixWxWG9UGA/Tp8_mME009I/AAAAAAAAB3c/pr4upJ5KdRY/image%25255B7%25255D.png?imgmax=800" title="image" width="141" /></a> <br />
<br />
<strong><u>Other options</u>:</strong> <br />
<strong>EFT only - no credit card: </strong><a href="http://www.prepaid24.co.za/" target="_blank">PrePaid24.co.za</a><a href="http://www.prepaid24.com/index.php?comp=content2&page=electricity"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="126" src="https://lh5.ggpht.com/-eEO__YOP3Y8/Tp8_oYDsPXI/AAAAAAAAB3k/4ebA-Gm6KTU/image%25255B11%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a> <br />
<a href="https://www.myprepaid.co.za/" target="_blank">MyPrePaid.co.za</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.prepaidelectricitymeters.co.za/online-electricity-purchase.php" target="_blank">PrePaidElectricityMeters.co.za</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.prepaid24galore.co.za/index.php?comp=content&id=211" target="_blank">PrePaid24Galore.co.za</a> <br />
<a href="http://prepaidxtreme.co.za/index.php?comp=content2&page=electricity" target="_blank">PrepaidXtreme.co.za</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.prepaid24online.co.za/index.php?comp=content2&page=electricity" target="_blank">PrePaid24Online.co.za</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.cellpower.co.za/consumer">http://www.cellpower.co.za/consumer</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.cellpower.co.za/site/consumer-start"><img alt="image" border="0" height="182" src="https://lh3.ggpht.com/-d3B3tP-b61c/Tp8_ktetVTI/AAAAAAAAB3U/hvx_0QwFMLk/image%25255B39%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="image" width="187" /></a> <br />
No credit card purchases, but EFTs are processed under 5 minutes (24/7). Also offers airtime.HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17723577527358051173noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-1036944493815973862013-08-10T19:05:00.001+02:002013-08-10T19:05:19.928+02:00How to search for stuff in your old Skype messages [Solved]<p>When searching through old Skype messages it’s often difficult because you need to know <em>exactly</em> which chat or chat-group the message was in before being able to press Ctrl-F to find the text that you are looking for.  So, if you have a lot of chats or chat groups then this can be an impossible task.  <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ybZbuilrmgs/UgZyxTEEWjI/AAAAAAAAAKs/L3RSdl1pnnc/s1600-h/SolvedStamp3.jpg"><img title="SolvedStamp" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" border="0" alt="SolvedStamp" align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Dg-GenFGCbo/UgZyyW8Z7ZI/AAAAAAAAAK0/dkkHnXODKN8/SolvedStamp_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="154" /></a> </p> <p>Here’s an easy method to search all your messages for specific test without knowing the specifics about which chat it was in. <br /> <br /></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Skype stores all its information about past chat in a database called SQLite.  So, you need to use a free database browser called SqliteBrowser to use browse/search/extract the data. <br />Download <strong><em>SqliteBrowser</em></strong> for free from here [7MB]:  <a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/sqlitebrowser">http://sourceforge.net/projects/sqlitebrowser</a> </p> <p><a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/sqlitebrowser/files/latest/download" target="_blank"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ml7G0nyTyxk/UgZyzfiJowI/AAAAAAAAAK8/nV4OobkqVvs/image6.png?imgmax=800" width="362" height="281" /></a> </p> <p>Open your Skype account’s database file eg: C:\Users\<<your windows username>>\AppData\Roaming\Skype\>>your Skype username>>\main.db <br />The messages are stored in the “<strong>Messages</strong>” table. <br />If your sql statement writing skills are good then use the “Execute SQL” tab to find the information, <br />OR, if your Excel filtering skills are better than your sql skills, then you can export the data to a .csv file and then process it using Excel: <br />File->Export->Table as csv file->select “Messages” table and give it a filename. <br /> <br />Open the csv file in Excel and use its search and/or filter tools to find the data that you are looking for. <br /> <br />Hope this helps?  Tell me in the comments… </p> HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17723577527358051173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-41871848882364256592013-07-02T22:47:00.001+02:002013-07-02T23:10:58.522+02:00How to setup MyPhoneExplorer on Samsung Galaxy S4 – SOLVED!<p>Trying to connect your Samsung Galaxy S4 to your computer’s USB port so that you can use your computer’s keyboard can be an irritating experience.  (See here for my original article on how to <a href="http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2012/02/control-your-android-phone-from-your-pc.html" target="_blank">Control your Android phone from your PC</a>) <br /> <br />The error that I kept on getting was “Connection to phone could not be established: No device connected to USB”.  I had been successful previously connecting an older phone to <a href="http://www.fjsoft.at/en/downloads.php" target="_blank">MyPhoneExplorer</a> (MPE), but it seemed that the new S4’s Jelly Bean <strong>4.2.2</strong> operating system wasn’t too kind when it came to connecting. <br /> <br />I Googled a bit (no, really a lot this time), and found some interesting articles which eventually got the problem <strong>solved</strong>.  <br /> <br />There are a few checks that I needed to do – as listed here: <a title="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2144709" href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2144709">http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2144709</a>  The main check points are the following:  <br />1) Install the latest version (1.8.4) of MPE from here: <a title="http://www.downloadbestsoft.com/MyPhoneExplorer.html" href="http://www.downloadbestsoft.com/MyPhoneExplorer.html">http://www.downloadbestsoft.com/MyPhoneExplorer.html</a> <br />2) Check what version of adb (=Android Debug Bridge) you have installed by opening a command window and typing the following:  <em>cd C:\Program Files (x86)\MyPhoneExplorer\DLL\adb.exe</em>   and then  adb.exe   version     If the version displayed is 1.0.31 or later then you should be fine. <br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ODsvR12TUyA/UdM8PiAWPMI/AAAAAAAAAJc/zAnh6allNws/s1600-h/SolvedStamp4.jpg"><img title="SolvedStamp" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" border="0" alt="SolvedStamp" align="right" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_juR0FjPOL4/UdM8QTN7RaI/AAAAAAAAAJk/cIGio6kBEcs/SolvedStamp_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="150" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-o4Zc6k2lcP0/UdM8Q3qZS1I/AAAAAAAAAJs/2Y_av9Zhr8c/s1600-h/image3.png"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-pnz5r8-RVEQ/UdM8RpBb5sI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/t73ZwE5Bjc0/image_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" width="527" height="48" /></a> <br /> <br />2b) If an earlier version is present on your PC then download <a href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1724500&d=1360704125" target="_blank">this file</a>, unzip the files and copy them over the files in this folder:   <em>c:\Program Files (x86)\MyPhoneExplorer\DLL</em> <br /> <br />3) Now you need to put your phone into Developer mode, then also turn on “USB debugging” mode.  This is a pretty well hidden “feature” in the Android OS: <br />3a) Using the <em>Settings </em>menu, then "<em>More</em>" tab, and then <em>Software information</em>. <br />Then look for "<em>About device</em>" at the bottom. Tap it. <br />Then tap the <em><strong>build number </strong></em>seven times.  You'll get a little prompt saying you're about to unlock the developer settings. Hit that button one final time -- seven! -- and they're unlocked. <br />{Thanks to this article for helping me find it: <a title="http://www.androidcentral.com/how-get-developer-settings-galaxy-s4" href="http://www.androidcentral.com/how-get-developer-settings-galaxy-s4">http://www.androidcentral.com/how-get-developer-settings-galaxy-s4</a> } <br />That tapping also UnHid another menu option “<em>Developer options</em>” <br /> <br />3b) Now to turn on the USB debugging option: in Settings->More->”<em>Developer options” </em>tick <em>“USB debugging” <br /> <br /></em>4) Now plug in the USB cable and startup MPE.  <br />then File->Settings and “connect via USB” <br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MqJehV3fK1s/UdM8SXqlLPI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/e2813pzBUaI/s1600-h/image8.png"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lRIBeOjwgGk/UdM8TAHhDnI/AAAAAAAAAKE/RXK7itoR8dk/image_thumb4.png?imgmax=800" width="409" height="296" /></a> <br />then File->Connect to connect via USB… hopefully, the connection is successful and you can use your PC to control your Samsung S4 Android phone. <br /> <br />Let me know if it works for you! <br /> <br />If it doesn’t then here’s a more complex, but more complete set of checks for you: <a title="http://www.androidsim.net/2009/08/how-to-1-how-to-install-usb-driver-on.html" href="http://www.androidsim.net/2009/08/how-to-1-how-to-install-usb-driver-on.html">http://www.androidsim.net/2009/08/how-to-1-how-to-install-usb-driver-on.html</a></p> HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17723577527358051173noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-72209151607645997182013-05-14T23:16:00.001+02:002013-05-14T23:16:35.861+02:00Uncapped ADSL (after hours+weekends) for only R59 per month<p>I discovered this deal from @lantic.net that offers “Bolt-on” uncapped ADSL (after hours) for only R59 per month (month 2 month).  <br />That means after 18h00 each <strong>weekday</strong> you will get free bandwidth until 6am the next morning, plus on <strong>weekends</strong> from Friday 18h00 until Monday 06h00.  <br />All of this for only R59 per month – there is a once-off setup fee of R50 for the bolt-on uncapped ADSL plus R50 once-off setup fee for the basic home ADSL package (called Gig4Gig) which includes 1GB free per month (and WiFi HotSpot access of 100MB/month and 25 free SMSs per month)  (R15 per GB topup thereafter). <br /> <br /><a href="https://www.lantic.net/connectivity/adsl/capped-adsl/adsl-gig4gig" target="_blank"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--ZGnfxAUxFA/UZKpbJJIBAI/AAAAAAAACzg/6OkI4XfWEWo/image%25255B24%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="134" height="96" /></a>   <strong>plus</strong>   <a href="https://www.lantic.net/connectivity/adsl/uncapped-adsl/adsl-uncapped-bolt-on" target="_blank"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-G1kkk1SvfuI/UZKpdbBiBaI/AAAAAAAACzo/-5H9Mmr0DhE/image%25255B22%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="257" height="98" /></a>   <strong>with</strong> <a href="https://www.lantic.net/" target="_blank"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-65tVUWSx4dY/UZKpgIW0a1I/AAAAAAAACzw/-KmJjz5vkv0/image%25255B25%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="180" height="78" /></a> <br /> <br /><strong>So, to recap:</strong> pay your setup fees of R50 + R50 = R100, and subscribe for the monthly after-hours bolt-on uncapped ADSL for R59 per month and there you have it: uncapped after hours for R59 per month. <br /> <br /><strong>The freebies:</strong> <br />25 free SMSs per month <br /><a href="https://www.lantic.net/vas/sms-online" target="_blank"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-IYS7a9aGAO4/UZKpihjA2AI/AAAAAAAACz4/ST8PTS99lr0/image%25255B29%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="244" height="76" /></a> <br />Login on the SMS portal here:  <a href="http://sms.lantic.net/Log-In.aspx">http://sms.lantic.net/Log-In.aspx</a> <br /> <br />and <strong>WiFi HotSpot access of 100Mb/Month</strong>. <br /> <br /><strong><u>Speed test local (SA) on 1MB line using @Lantic capped Gig4Gig account</u>: <br /></strong><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-GqpmmCvRse0/UZKpktQBr0I/AAAAAAAAC0A/4fAQHsQ4Z2M/s1600-h/image%25255B41%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jfhnZPje3Ac/UZKpm7JqB2I/AAAAAAAAC0I/Ru4Z8MXczZE/image_thumb%25255B13%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="324" height="179" /></a> <br /> <br /><strong><u>Speed test (International) on 1MB line using @Lantic capped Gig4Gig account</u>:</strong> <br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3gCwAY_LChI/UZKppLLzcBI/AAAAAAAAC0Q/JfFUCK80_Pw/s1600-h/image%25255B37%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9jPfjIMWvjs/UZKprAuAPdI/AAAAAAAAC0Y/InM-RJjhcR0/image_thumb%25255B11%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="328" height="174" /></a></p> HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-46986800475732068632013-05-04T13:18:00.001+02:002013-05-04T13:18:32.789+02:00How to use CrashPlan but not suffer from using so much RAM memory<p>I use CrashPlan to backup my data as mentioned in a <a href="http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/10/backup-backup-backup-youve-been-told.html" target="_blank">previous article</a> – it’s free for local backups and for sharing HDD space using multiple friends’ HDD space.  I have noticed that the RAM usage goes up in proportion to the number of files that you have selected to backup – even during the time when the backups are disabled.  <a href="http://www.crashplan.com" target="_blank"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-JkRd1wbgBPw/UYTuHmZSQeI/AAAAAAAACwY/EtD971jn9tE/image%25255B41%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="230" height="50" /></a>My CrashPlan settings are set to backup only during the hours that I’m not working on my PC and when I’m connected to my home network (where my external HDD is connected).  I’m also not working at those times so when CrashPlan is accessing the HDD it doesn’t slow down my PC. <br />The settings to limit the time that CrashPlan does the backups can be found in the CrashPlan Desktop interface under “Settings->Backup->Between Specified Times”.  I have selected From 18:00 to 08:00 and ticked each day – so that backups only happen at night daily. <br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Up5WPjNnhBw/UYTuIYdWk6I/AAAAAAAACwg/586cqgE1Pic/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Gq_Ybu3SJdM/UYTuJ9pIa2I/AAAAAAAACwo/VDf9lm-lX4k/image_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="378" height="118" /></a> <br />I noticed that even when the backup was <strong>disabled</strong>, the CrashPlanService was using a lot of RAM memory (over 500MB) – and I found my PC swapping to disc all the time – which was slowing my PC down – a bit of a waste!  So, I found a way to create a schedule that stopped the CrashPlanService just after 08h00 and start it again just before 18h00. <br /> <br /><strong><u>Creating a scheduled task to kill the service</u>:</strong> <br />Open the “Control Panel->Administrative Tools-> Task Scheduler”  <br />Click into “Microsoft->Windows”:  <br /><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-IvXCPjZ2Y_o/UYTuLLEaSlI/AAAAAAAACww/KppmSpd4mz8/s1600-h/image%25255B10%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-M_Hi6Q5-oZk/UYTuMQMIKGI/AAAAAAAACw4/0x90WQB6RDs/image_thumb%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="214" height="149" /></a>Click on “Create Task”: <br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8DVu1Cp4Hs4/UYTuNtgL6EI/AAAAAAAACxA/BovPJ95sQl4/s1600-h/image%25255B13%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MsjtVP5Lcw4/UYTuO5FIISI/AAAAAAAACxI/Dzl07GnHsno/image_thumb%25255B5%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="155" height="120" /></a>Enter name: “Turn OFF CrashPlan service”, under “Triggers” tab: <br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WbepOCeK_vE/UYTuQf-jsuI/AAAAAAAACxQ/WEt3uZskWho/s1600-h/image%25255B40%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RE_T3gZ9SAE/UYTuVF2V5xI/AAAAAAAACxY/rbiRAIqGEr4/image_thumb%25255B18%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="334" height="172" /></a>Under “Actions” tab: enter Program to run:  C:\Windows\System32\taskkill.exe <br />and under “Add arguments” enter:    /IM CrashPlanService.exe /F <br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-pV8w4tlNfB8/UYTuWTpmJYI/AAAAAAAACxg/VzqVJnrEZUM/s1600-h/image%25255B21%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-kL2gCvxd5Ho/UYTuXmU2RFI/AAAAAAAACxo/J0bEiKPcizg/image_thumb%25255B9%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="353" height="196" /></a>Click OK to save the scheduled task. <br /> <br /> <br /><strong><u>Creating a scheduled task to start the service</u>: <br /></strong>Click on “Create Task”: <br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8DVu1Cp4Hs4/UYTuNtgL6EI/AAAAAAAACxA/BovPJ95sQl4/s1600-h/image%25255B13%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MsjtVP5Lcw4/UYTuO5FIISI/AAAAAAAACxI/Dzl07GnHsno/image_thumb%25255B5%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="155" height="120" /></a>Enter name: “Turn ON CrashPlan service”, under “Triggers” tab: <br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-P7N3PNzBLIc/UYTuYupde6I/AAAAAAAACxw/pN0nm1IiP2Q/s1600-h/image%25255B25%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-iMmBTjy1RG8/UYTuZsalKXI/AAAAAAAACx4/rK4zHTAvimc/image_thumb%25255B11%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="307" height="156" /></a>Under “Actions” tab: enter Program to run:    C:\Windows\System32\net.exe <br />and under “Add arguments” enter:    start CrashPlanService <br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1W8IAR6csi8/UYTua7gx38I/AAAAAAAACyA/omjyI8NdzjI/s1600-h/image%25255B29%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0YZ6PK-GkSI/UYTucMf5G1I/AAAAAAAACyI/52ht3IJn5Ds/image_thumb%25255B13%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="320" height="174" /></a></p> Click OK to save the scheduled task. <br /> <br /> Your tasks list should look like this: <br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xP0mgwO0dWY/UYTudtoy-NI/AAAAAAAACyQ/o3hrUGHD3AI/s1600-h/image%25255B33%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lp8CoxFWak0/UYTufBdYB7I/AAAAAAAACyY/at8WDXruWsg/image_thumb%25255B15%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="645" height="55" /></a> <br />You can test the tasks by right clicking the task and selecting “Run”: <br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-RdJAQQpmRFQ/UYTugNZvELI/AAAAAAAACyg/cwiGQ1mfNKM/s1600-h/image%25255B39%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-5GgOhC7zqO0/UYTuhQjYAcI/AAAAAAAACyo/gvs1DE-jNGc/image_thumb%25255B17%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="156" height="154" /></a>  <br /> <br />With thanks to <strong>Scott Granneman</strong> for his blog that describes the <a href="http://www.chainsawonatireswing.com/2012/04/08/how-to-use-crashplan-but-keep-the-java-process-from-constantly-using-ridiculous-amounts-of-ram/" target="_blank">steps to do this in Linux</a>. HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-29330490642222688852013-04-07T17:23:00.001+02:002013-04-07T17:28:53.692+02:00How do I get stuff delivered when Amazon will not ship to my address in South Africa? [Solved]<p>Have you also been disappointed by <strong>Amazon</strong> when you decided to place that order and then found out that your great deal could not be shipped to your address in South Africa?  <br />The error/important message goes something like this: “Important Message: <<Your item name>> cannot be shipped to the selected address.  <em>This item cannot be shipped to the address you selected. (</em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=ox_multi_address_shipping_restriction_help?ie=UTF8&nodeId=468634&pop-up=1" target="_blank"><em>Learn more</em></a><em>.) You may either change the shipping address or remove the item by clicking Delete.</em>”<a href="https://www.amazon.com"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LwZy1rR5XDI/UWGPR4oOpVI/AAAAAAAACvI/DmPMynDYJzc/image%25255B19%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="181" height="51" /></a>If you were like me, I screamed some loud swear words into the Universe… it didn’t help my shipping problem. but it did make me feel a little better :) <br /> <br />In <strong>my example</strong>, the original price direct from Amazon was the equivalent of R710 – I estimated about R100 to get it delivered to South Africa… plus unknown import duties and VAT.  As it turned out, my article didn’t attract any SARS import duty – just 14% VAT.  <br />So, if I was able to get it from Amazon, then my bill would have been R710+R100 (delivery) + R99 (14% VAT) = <strong>R909. <br /></strong> <br />I then went on the hunt for <strong>alternative solutions</strong> which could bypass this problem. <br /> <br /><a href="http://www.myus.com/en/compare-memberships/" target="_blank"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-YAiccc38uLo/UWGPSmO_PDI/AAAAAAAACvQ/5ObEroLL7As/image%25255B11%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="244" height="75" /></a>I had heard of other sites that I could tell Amazon to ship to, then they would redirect the parcel to my South African address.  <br /><strong>One of these is </strong><a href="http://www.myus.com/en/compare-memberships" target="_blank"><strong>MyUS.com</strong></a><strong>.</strong>  There’s an initial membership fee of $10 (see here to compare membership <a href="http://www.myus.com/en/compare-memberships" target="_blank">options</a>).  They take 10% (min $10) for the service fee (if paying by credit card).  Plus you pay for shipping to South Africa – I have heard their shipping rates are quite pricey – but fast.  Don’t ignore the SARS duties and taxes when it arrives in South Africa.  <br />So, if I was to get it from Amazon and ship it to MyUS.com, then my bill would have been R710+R100 (delivery to MyUS.com) + R93 (=$10 service fee) +R93 (=$10 account setup) + say R250 (shipping to SA) + R99 (14% VAT) = <strong>R1,345</strong> (which is R436 more than getting it directly from Amazon.com). <br /> <br /><a href="http://importitall.co.za/" target="_blank"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-hUSTa5Xk-rc/UWGPUbxh3_I/AAAAAAAACwE/7TXZvP6IOGM/image%25255B22%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="288" height="66" /></a>Another <em>local</em> site is <a href="http://importitall.co.za/" target="_blank">ImportItAll.co.za</a> where you can search for the product in the USA and UK.  This site is run by the well trusted <a href="http://ngrcomputers.co.za/" target="_blank">NGR computers</a> team.  I was lucky enough to find my product listed on the web site and the price was R1,141 = R59 (delivery to Cape Town) = <strong>R1,200</strong> which includes all SARS duties and VAT (which is R291 more more than getting it directly from Amazon.com).  Delivery takes 10 to 20 working days though  This beats MyUS.com in price. <br /><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HBADdp5f6Jg/UWGPVImpAHI/AAAAAAAACvo/aVy2CtVSkI0/s1600-h/SolvedStamp%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="SolvedStamp" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" border="0" alt="SolvedStamp" align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-vXulzsHfpqk/UWGPWLWfmVI/AAAAAAAACvw/0i2rtVGGGCQ/SolvedStamp_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="164" height="104" /></a> <br /> <br /><a href="http://www.have2have.co.za/getmethis.php?store=amazon" target="_blank"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-418HSWrWI0g/UWGPXB7iv3I/AAAAAAAACv4/i2y_WW0J0DI/image%25255B18%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="251" height="87" /></a>Another <em>local</em> site is <a href="http://www.have2have.co.za" target="_blank">Have2Have.co.za</a> which allows you to request any product – my product wasn’t listed on their web site, so I decided to ask them to source it and provide me a quote for the item.  <br />I used this page to request the item: <a title="http://www.have2have.co.za/getmethis.php?store=amazon" href="http://www.have2have.co.za/getmethis.php?store=amazon">http://www.have2have.co.za/getmethis.php?store=amazon</a> and <strong><em>within 2 hours</em></strong>, the item was listed and ready to be ordered. <br />The price was R1,060 = R70 (delivery to Cape Town) = <strong>R1,130</strong> which includes all SARS duties and VAT (which is R221 more more than getting it directly from Amazon.com).  <br /> <br />So, there you have it – 2 great options to getting items imported into South Africa – even when Amazon refuses to do so… and without bothering your family or friends abroad. <br /> <br /><strong>Note:</strong> when purchasing items outside of South Africa you will probably <em>not</em> be able to use the warranties from agents in South Africa – they will probably say that these are “grey imports”.</p> HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-75519471841398404712013-01-26T19:51:00.001+02:002013-01-26T19:51:47.581+02:00Installing Waze on an Android 2.1 phone [Solved]<p>So, I found an old Android phone and wanted to set it up with all my favourite apps, but I was upset when Waze wouldn’t install from the Google Play<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ykbu1pFG2fw/UQQXgPigwTI/AAAAAAAACsU/aoTlDmzgeNg/s1600-h/SolvedStamp%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="SolvedStamp" border="0" alt="SolvedStamp" align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-LUd3wqg7PlU/UQQXhSp3O-I/AAAAAAAACsc/m1kXkMJcZTk/SolvedStamp_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="154" /></a> store – the app store told me that the app was “not compatible with your device” :( <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-NP6txoOHATM/UQQXig99jdI/AAAAAAAACsk/r1ra3eB-4-4/s1600-h/image%25255B8%25255D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-pN2cK2E1FEg/UQQXkKx7hfI/AAAAAAAACss/8N1aO9kqo5w/image_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="411" height="265" /></a> <br />Now, if my sense of direction was good then I wouldn’t need this awesome all to help me get around… so, I tried a bit harder and after a bit of Googling I found a link which mentioned a download for my specific phone: <a href="http://www.freeware4android.net/" target="_blank">Freeware4Android</a>: <br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-3b_7kVo9hSs/UQQXlVcHUDI/AAAAAAAACs0/B5x3tC93Wqk/s1600-h/image%25255B17%25255D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-tNCcrJg9ajc/UQQXmvfuuvI/AAAAAAAACs8/F6rUyt_MDLc/image_thumb%25255B7%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="289" height="62" /></a> <br />I opened the browser on my phone and clicked on the link and the file download started.  When it was complete I clicked on it and (to my surprise) it started to install :)  After the celebrations I started the app and it installed fine! <br /> <br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-u-HMnm0HMQA/UQQXpCvNkOI/AAAAAAAACtE/iWGmmvkT7ug/s1600-h/image%25255B13%25255D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-T6lHpxvOlqM/UQQXq1B_iWI/AAAAAAAACtM/3nU88L0Jbq8/image_thumb%25255B5%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="286" height="117" /></a>  <br /> <br /> <br />Click here to <strong>download Waze for Android version 2.1:</strong> <a href="http://www.freeware4android.net/vodafone-845-device-1569/waze-get-15899.html">http://www.freeware4android.net/vodafone-845-device-1569/waze-get-15899.html</a> <br /> <br /><a href="http://www.freeware4android.net/get-software-15899.html" target="_blank"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-yEx2-CjbugU/UQQXsLivewI/AAAAAAAACtU/NDcWkzlrqmE/image%25255B19%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="282" height="123" /></a></p> HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-75310376650419095502013-01-22T00:57:00.001+02:002013-01-22T00:57:28.658+02:00Blackberry Desktop Manager hangs in “conflict resolution” window [Solved!]<p>Further to my post “<a href="http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2011/06/blackberry-desktop-manager-sync-error.html">Blackberry Desktop Manager Sync Error 0x80040fb3 and 0x8004fceb [Solved!]</a>”, I have found another workaround for a problem when the Blackberry Desktop Manager (version 7) hangs after syncing with MS Outlook - when the "conflict resolution" window is displayed but no actions can be taken – all mouse clicks are locked and do nothing. <br />The problem occurs when conflicts are found and the BDM app asks the user to decide which data to use for each conflict.  The user needs to click on each conflicting entry and tell the app which is the correct data to keep.  However, sometimes (no, most times) the app hangs (application is not responding) and no items can be selected – no further action is possible, except to kill the BDM app from the task manager :(  <br /> <br />This is very frustrating and luckily I think I stumbled on a simple workaround: <strong>close MS Outlook</strong> <strong><em>before </em></strong>launching the Blackberry Desktop Manager app – then launch the BDM app and start the sync process.  It should then work fine.  BTW, I also decided to sync calendar <strong><em>then</em></strong> contacts – not both at the same time.  Once your sync has been successful, you can then reopen MS Outlook again. <br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-5XTboKJ_5mk/UP3Ht3WFoiI/AAAAAAAACp4/5QCIKlhEqI4/s1600-h/SolvedStamp21.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="Solved" border="0" alt="Solved" align="right" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-6C7xUSHsuzw/UP3HvFYUkYI/AAAAAAAACqA/LI257E4_Bo0/SolvedStamp_thumb19.jpg?imgmax=800" width="272" height="207" /></a></p> <p>Let me know if this works for you! <br /> <br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LXfhHHmVmuQ/UP3HwXoHJrI/AAAAAAAACqI/rBO5TeUn5j0/s1600-h/image3.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-96BGKBZ6fOk/UP3Hx4AGF1I/AAAAAAAACqQ/7v89i8liM3o/image_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" width="414" height="313" /></a> <br /> <br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--3tPx5V5pu0/UP3Hy2Xf8JI/AAAAAAAACqY/oerp8jvaRCk/s1600-h/image7.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-d5MU7c4hsgI/UP3H0tNUfBI/AAAAAAAACqg/G9WXrdgG-iw/image_thumb3.png?imgmax=800" width="411" height="245" /></a> <br /> <br /> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-5XTboKJ_5mk/UP3Ht3WFoiI/AAAAAAAACqo/SCJddbVrtKE/s1600-h/SolvedStamp20.jpg"> </a></p> HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-67532320767369820332012-12-01T16:23:00.001+02:002012-12-01T16:23:54.096+02:00Sign-in error for name@gmail.com on Android device [SOLVED!]<p>All of a sudden logging in to my Google Play account was giving an error and <strong>I seemed to be locked out!</strong>  Bad situation to be in – I couldn’t upgrade any of my apps – and I needed to do an upgrade because WhatsApp had expired – with error “This version of WhatsApp is too old – you need to upgrade”… OK, but I first needed to solve the error “Sign-in error for <a href="mailto:name@gmail.com">name@gmail.com</a>”. <br /> <br />I Googled a bit, then a lot more but nothing worked - then I decided to try something out – I changed the language of my account – I noticed that it wasn’t set to anything.  I logged in to my Google account, then clicked “Account” and saw the “Default languages”:  <br /> <br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-GAicQZa1Lhs/ULoS2HpetaI/AAAAAAAACnQ/aI_Un3Q0AqA/s1600-h/image%25255B15%25255D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-JptzObnStXs/ULoS3ig9OWI/AAAAAAAACnY/LCXog79uJqI/image_thumb%25255B5%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="609" height="178" /></a> <br />I changed it from “Select a language…” to English (United States): <br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-CEzjFy7cpp4/ULoS5K27RWI/AAAAAAAACng/Nuc7riZw3_c/s1600-h/image%25255B18%25255D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xCQQ97rYdb0/ULoS6qkk6GI/AAAAAAAACno/5gZTBvKPEVw/image_thumb%25255B8%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="607" height="253" /></a>  <br />Then I tried to login on my Android phone and to my absolute amazement I was logged in :)  No error, just logged in. <br />I could then switch to the WhatsApp upgrade warning message and update to the latest version – problem solved! <br />This is one of those out of the blue, accidental fixes that somehow worked… I was amazed and I hope this helps someone out there – please let me know by adding a comment. <br /> <br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-OUvJXgQ7Jxo/ULoS8TSiR3I/AAAAAAAACnw/iXDT1EGAb1s/s1600-h/SolvedStamp%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="SolvedStamp" border="0" alt="SolvedStamp" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-k2FcmcNr7NY/ULoS9pR2VvI/AAAAAAAACn4/qhZqVlD7RDQ/SolvedStamp_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="154" /></a></p> HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-81151684014543901992012-11-15T10:44:00.001+02:002012-11-15T10:44:30.260+02:00Checking your CellC data balance on your iPad with iOS6<p>Some people are battling to check their data balance on their CellC data account from their iPad… I use to use the iPad’s menu: <br />Settings->MobileData->SimApps->ProductsServices menu option… but for some reason - I think iOS 6.0 came along – then that stopped working.  <br /> <br /><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-OlmApQj0nZY/UKSrXbZ91pI/AAAAAAAACmg/x_--L8V6wr0/s1600-h/image%25255B2%25255D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-bSw5EdJfw2s/UKSrY1n9NKI/AAAAAAAACmo/t3MZ9_tZnds/image_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="205" height="118" /></a><strong>Here are various options that you can use:</strong> <br />1) put the SIM into a phone (you will need to purchase a MicroSIM adapter) and call the balance check *101# <br />2) from another Internet connection: go to <a href="http://cellc.co.za/my-account" target="_blank">http://cellc.co.za/my-account</a> and request your password via email, then go to: <br /> MyAccount->Dashboard-> UsageInformation for a listing of usage and remaining data <br />3) put the SIM into a phone (you will need to purchase a MicroSIM adapter) and SMS the word "balance" to 14302 <br />4) If you have iOS5: then use the iPad’s menu system: Settings->MobileData->SimApps->ProductsServices->BalanceEnquiry->Accept <br /> <br /><strong>Note: </strong>You can also read your SMSs (and voice mails) using the MyCellC->MyTools portal.  Register here: <a title="https://www.cellc.co.za/mytools/login" href="https://www.cellc.co.za/mytools/login" target="_blank">https://www.cellc.co.za/mytools/login</a> <br /> <br /><a href="http://cellc.co.za/my-account " target="_blank"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-WBXQxQYCRuc/UKSraj6hBvI/AAAAAAAACmw/thkdm_CfWSY/image%25255B13%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="845" height="354" /></a>   <br /> <br />Thanks to this forum for the information: <a title="http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/469242-Checking-data-balance-on-CellC-prepaid" href="http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/469242-Checking-data-balance-on-CellC-prepaid" target="_blank">http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/469242-Checking-data-balance-on-CellC-prepaid</a></p> HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-2872029279430425802012-10-14T12:18:00.001+02:002012-10-14T18:17:24.339+02:00Telkom ADSL speed upgrades… but you have to call to get itSeems like the current Telkom ADSL speed increases don’t “just happen”… you need to call them to actually get the speed increase – well, that’s what I had to do. <br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-CYO2fTe6E_4/UHqRSIqOIII/AAAAAAAACiA/he1uCEWyYT8/s1600-h/image%25255B3%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="91" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-EGhOuRlVdgM/UHqRTVBnOXI/AAAAAAAACiI/44wJ9cZcSj0/image_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="image" width="98" /></a> <br /><b>Here are the steps that are involved:</b> <br />1) Check whether you are in fact still at the old, slower speeds by using MyBroadBand’s speed test [use the “South African” option]: <a href="http://speedtest.mybroadband.co.za/">http://speedtest.mybroadband.co.za</a> <br /><a href="http://speedtest.mybroadband.co.za/" target="_blank"><img alt="image" border="0" height="242" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-b_lgKsRY1Qk/UHqTwQExo4I/AAAAAAAACjA/oXp9rC0w8f0/image8%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="image" width="392" /></a> 2) Check that your line speed has been increased at the exchange <a href="http://www.telkom.co.za/checkadsl">http://www.telkom.co.za/checkadsl</a> by entering your telephone number: <br /><a href="http://www.telkom.co.za/checkadsl" target="_blank"><img alt="image" border="0" height="264" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HyUWfFd5Lg8/UHqRZ9v2LjI/AAAAAAAACjI/HlQSTKiiDrA/image4%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="image" width="492" /></a>3) Then call 10210 (a toll free number if you are calling from a Telkom land line) <br />4) Navigate the voice menus to the DSL technical guys <br />5) Ask your friendly Telkom contact centre agent to increase your line speed – you will lose Internet connection and when it comes back you will have a faster connection to the Internet! :) <br />6) Check your <a href="http://speedtest.mybroadband.co.za/" target="_blank">speed again</a>… much faster :) : <br /><a href="http://speedtest.mybroadband.co.za/" target="_blank"><img alt="image" border="0" height="260" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-3ZNb5JTduN0/UHqRdQOAZ3I/AAAAAAAACjM/j0IRoFTxYNU/image13%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="image" width="413" /></a> <br />Thanks to <b>Michal Mierzwa</b> who commented on this article on MyBroadband: <a href="http://mybroadband.co.za/news/adsl/60938-new-telkom-adsl-speed-upgrades-start.html" target="_blank">New Telkom ADSL speed upgrades start</a>HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-75399328671476576762012-09-23T17:59:00.001+02:002012-09-25T09:18:32.028+02:00SARS eFiling: how to claim for medical expenses for mental or physical disability [updated 2012]<p align="justify">Since my initial posting some things have changed including some changes that SARS have made and some links are no longer working – so I decided to do an update.  A colleague has been asked numerous times for assistance on how to claim medical deductions from SARS for his son that has <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome" target="_blank">Asperger’s Syndrome</a> so he asked me to update this article so that others can also benefit from his experience… <br /> <br />The financial burden on parents should not be under estimated - the expenses range from therapies, treatments, medication, assessments, special schools, facilitators, extra lessons, gadgets, treatment programs, books, [...add your expenses here....] <br /> <br /><b><i>Disclaimer: </i></b>Please note that I’m no tax expert – I have found all of this out on my own and through discussions with various people. I could be wrong, so if you are not sure, then please <a href="http://www.sars.gov.za/home.asp?pid=18897" target="_blank">contact SARS</a> to confirm: SARS contact centre toll free on 0800 00 7277 (0800 00 SARS). <br /> <br />The information for my <a href="http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/sars-efiling-how-to-claim-for.html" target="_blank">original blog article</a> was gathered from an <a href="http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=332:ascon-aspergers-connections&catid=119:south-africa&Itemid=563" target="_blank">ASCON support group meeting</a> (ASperger CONnections) in <a href="http://autism.lovetoknow.com/Aspergers_in_South_Africa" target="_blank">Cape Town</a> held on 24th October 2007 where Lindsay Coetzee of SARS (South African Revenue Services) gave us information relating to tax deductions allowable and how to go about claiming these.  <br />As far as I can see, the main change relates to how one proves to SARS that one has a dependent with a disability/handicap.  Previously, a letter needed to be provided <em><strong>every year</strong></em> – it has now changed and there’s now a form needs to be filled in <strong><em>once every 5 years</em></strong>.  <br /><strong>Download</strong> the “Confirmation of Diagnosis of Disability” ITRDD form from here:  <a href="http://www.sars.gov.za/Tools/Documents/DocumentDownload.asp?FileID=57477" target="_blank">57477_SARS_ITRDD</a>   <br /><strong>Part A</strong> needs to be filled in by you, and <strong>part B</strong> needs to be filled in by a “duly registered medical practitioner specially trained to deal with the applicable disability” (like a child psychologist). <br />The form must <i>not</i> be submitted with your tax return but must be retained and only submitted to SARS on request. <br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-gjI_CH4dgEM/UF8xkZtRALI/AAAAAAAACgo/ZEuNMkL7wD8/s1600-h/image%25255B35%25255D.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-wU9wSCahPIA/UF8xmYXTB3I/AAAAAAAACgw/GBOBe1CvA-0/image_thumb%25255B13%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="116" height="114" /></a> <a href="http://peterstomdaley.blogspot.com/2012/07/focus-on-eltham-centre.html" target="_blank"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xW8GoRIHB5Q/UF8xoqfayxI/AAAAAAAACg4/cIizEAOkMIc/image%25255B31%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="136" height="106" /></a> <a href="http://www.asperger-syndrome.me.uk/" target="_blank"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-9Mh0rL_ofZY/UF8xqKSccQI/AAAAAAAAChA/79B9ZP1-iLw/image%25255B32%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="129" height="119" /></a> <a href="http://www.paperblossommarketing.com/blog/2011/09/06/aspergers-gets-a-new-logo/" target="_blank"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-cfTSAyAJx50/UF8xrxNkjUI/AAAAAAAAChI/PR10rEgqVxE/image%25255B33%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="142" height="109" /></a> <a href="http://asperger-symptoms.com/" target="_blank"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-LoKvBiDf82w/UF8xtYcf8RI/AAAAAAAAChQ/GqRg167GXYA/image%25255B34%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="117" height="109" /></a> <br /> <br /><strong>From the Mental Health Act: </strong>“mental illness” means any disorder or disability of the mind, and includes any mental disease and any arrested or incomplete development of the mind, and “mentally ill” has a corresponding meaning;" <br /> <br /><b>Claims can include:</b> occupational therapy, speech therapy, medication, school fees (if your child attends a "special school" e.g. Vista Nova, Pro-Ed, Oakley House, etc.), transportation costs to take your child to the special school, tutor/facilitator fees, etc. Basically, any extra medical treatment or activities or supervision that will assist your child. <br /><strong>Note: </strong>school uniforms cannot be claimed (since those would have been needed even if your child wasn't handicapped). <br /> <br /><strong>The rule of thumb </strong>is "anything you would not have had to spend on an NeuroTypical dependent, is deductible". <br /> <br />Things do become hazy when you'd want to claim back for computer expenses, private schools, and so on. However, for anything that you have a supporting letter from a certified professional, you can claim. For example, if the OT writes a formal letter that the child should do horse riding, it is deductible. Without the letter, it is not. <br /> <br /><strong>Rule of thumb:</strong> if you can substantiate expenses that you would <em>not have incurred</em> if you didn't have a handicapped person in your family, then you <strong>can</strong> claim it. But when asked about claiming back cost of books, courses and conferences, there was some uncertainty. So these items seem to be a gray area. <br /> <br />Additionally, medical expenses for the <strong><em><u>whole family</u></em></strong> can be included in the total medical expenses – <strong><em>NOT</em></strong> just the medical expenses for the handicapped/disabled dependent.  I think SARS recognises that having a handicapped/disabled dependent in the family puts a lot of stresses on the whole family so they allow the whole family’s medical expenses to be deductible.  <br /> <br /><a href="http://www.sarsefiling.co.za/" target="_blank"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JBOFF7Hli-w/Sx7R7KlyciI/AAAAAAAABbM/u5k2q9-rgv8/image%5B7%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="244" height="71" /></a> <br /><a href="http://www.sarsefiling.co.za/" target="_blank">SARS efiling</a>: What to do.... and where to find that field that will tell SARS how much you've spent on your dependant's medical expenses. <br /> <br />It's easiest to register for <strong>efiling:</strong> <a href="http://www.sarsefiling.co.za">http://www.sarsefiling.co.za</a> and submit your returns electronically. <br /> <br />Then fill in your Income Tax Return form (ITR12) online, <br />and on the section called <strong>"Medical Deductions"</strong> there’s a section that asks for the number of “members per month” <b>MEDIF01. <br /> <br />{see screen shot image below} <br /> <br /></b>Mark the ‘<strong>Y</strong>’ box next to “Are you, your spouse or any of your qualifying children a person with a <strong>disability</strong>?” <br />Mark the ‘<strong>Y</strong>’ box next to “If 'Yes', has this disability been confirmed by a duly registered medical practitioner as prescribed?” <br />{make sure that you have the SARS ITRDD form filled in a signed (as explained above)} <br /> <br /><strong> <br />The relevant fields on the SARS eFiling forms are:</strong> <br /><b>Field 4020:</b> for any medical expenses not recovered from your medical scheme (other than physical impairment or disability expenses) <br /><b>Field 4023:</b> for any disability expenses not recovered from your medical scheme <br /><i>(<b>Note:</b> on the 2012 eFiling form the <b>field 4022</b> has been removed)</i> </p> <p><b>So, to get the numbers for those fields:</b> <br />1. Figure <b>A</b>: Calculate ALL your medical expenses – the <i>grand total</i> of what you have had to spend for your <u><b><i>whole</i></b> family</u> – including therapy fees, travel to and from therapy, special school fees over and above the “main stream” school fees, etc. <br />2. Figure <b>B</b> is the amount that <b>is</b> covered by your medical aid scheme – it should be on your medical aid’s certificate of cover. <br />3. Figure<b> <font color="#ff0000">C</font> </b>is the<b> </b>amount that is <b><i>not</i></b> covered by your medical aid scheme – it should also be on your medical aid’s certificate of cover. <br />4. The <b>total out of pocket</b> medical expenses is then <b>A-B </b> <br />5. <b>Field 4020: </b>insert the<b> </b>figure <strong><font color="#ff0000">C</font></strong> <br />6. <b>Field 4023: </b>insert the result of calculation:<b> A-C</b> : let’s<b> </b>call that figure<font color="#ff0000"><b> D</b> </font></p> <p>So, as you can see, steps 1 through 6 result in the 2 figures that you need to put into those 2 fields (marked in red <font color="#ff0000">CCCCC</font> and <font color="#ff0000">DDDDD</font>): <br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1kt9srXrEHk/UF8xwVgcsII/AAAAAAAAChY/BkGnt0mAwck/s1600-h/image%25255B6%25255D.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-b-XjvOysg4A/UF8xzYkf3kI/AAAAAAAAChg/Qvxic-_CLvk/image_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="408" height="484" /></a>  <br />Once you are happy with your return's contents, then <strong>press the "File" button</strong> and it will be <strong>submitted</strong> to SARS for instant assessment. <br /> <br />If SARS want to query your submitted return<strong> then</strong> they will want to see proof of your expenses and the attached form. <br />I did my return 2 weeks ago – got an instantaneous assessment – within 5 seconds!  On screen, SMS and email all notified me almost immediately – and the refunded amount was in my account within 40 hours. <br /><strong> <br /></strong><strong>When reviewing your Assessment (IT34),</strong> take note that any amount representing a credit balance is followed by a minus (-) sign.... Look for a line that says "Balance of your account as on dd/mm/yyyy". If it says something like: "Due to you: 10,000.00 <strong>-</strong> " then <strong>start celebrating</strong>.... because this means that SARS are going to <strong>pay you R10,000 back</strong>. <br /> <br />The amount usually takes about 3 days to be transferred into your account. <br /> <br /><strong>If you are <em>not</em> happy with the assessment,</strong> then you have 30 business days from the date of the assessment to notify SARS in writing of your objection (providing reasons) - use the <strong>ADR1 form. <br /> <br /></strong>This, and more additional information is provided in the <strong>"Notes"</strong> section of the assessment form (IT34). <br /> <br /><strong>What is a deduction, and how much of my medical expenses can I hope to get back from SARS? <br /></strong>This is best explained by example: Let's say that you are <strong>taxed at 40%</strong> Once you've calculated the expenses that you've incurred for the Handicap that have not been covered by Medical Aid, let's say R10,000. Then R10,000 can be taken as a deduction which means you can expect to receive <strong>40%</strong> of R10,000 = R4,000 back from SARS. <br /> <br />If you didn’t know about these deductions until now, then  it’s <em>not</em> too late - revised assessments can be done up to 3 years in the past (calculated from your date of assessment). <br /> <br /><strong>Good luck! <br /> <br />The original posting can be found here: </strong><a href="http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/sars-efiling-how-to-claim-for.html" target="_blank"><strong>SARS eFiling: how to claim for handicapped medical expenses for Asperger’s or other Autism spectrum disorders</strong></a><strong> <br /> <br />Other web sites with similar or additional information: <br /></strong><a href="http://www.taxtalkblog.com/?p=345" target="_blank">TaxTalk Blog: Tax and “disabilities” – ITR – DD day!</a> <br /><a href="http://www.iol.co.za/business/personal-finance/tax/disabled-not-using-all-their-tax-breaks-1.1315200" target="_blank">Personal Finance on iOL: Disabled not using all their tax breaks</a> <br /><a href="http://www.specialkids.co.za/articles/12_Tax.pdf" target="_blank">Special Kids: Tax relief – Disability tax (Issue 12, Dec 2010)</a> <br /><a href="http://www.autismwesterncape.org.za/?page_id=363" target="_blank">Autism Western Cape - Plan for the future – Tax</a> <br /><a href="https://www.findanaccountant.co.za/content_autism-tax" target="_blank">Find an accountant - Tax “refund” season has begun for autism!</a></p> HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038945668092412756.post-4223677123385118792012-09-22T20:42:00.001+02:002012-09-22T20:42:40.869+02:00The best turn-by-turn navigation app – no need to worry about the new iOS6 maps problems<p>There are a lot of people reporting problems with iOS6 maps – but I don’t understand why people even bother trying anything other than Waze. It is a free turn-by-turn navigation app BUT with more – much more - it also provides free real-time traffic updates from other Waze users and provides search results directly from Yelp, Bing, Google, Yellow Pages and Foursquare. <br />Waze uses your phone’s data connection for maps and real-time traffic updates. <br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-l4yRo0KTs3c/UF4GkoC8e5I/AAAAAAAACf8/7VIg88kzWCo/s1600-h/image%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-DFdTEAxl9xY/UF4GmQvVVcI/AAAAAAAACgE/lgJoEJCWg5s/image_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="331" height="93" /></a> Simply put, if you are navigating along a route and other Waze users are ahead of you, then the Waze servers are constantly fed their speed information which it uses to figure out the fastest route to your destination.  Your information is in turn used to route Waze users behind you! <br />So, you can see it’s a win-win situation where you are helped by others ahead of you, and you help people behind you. <br /> <br />There is a large user base in South Africa and I use it daily in Cape Town to great success!   :) <br /> <br />Download from the iStore here: <a title="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/waze-social-gps-traffic-gas/id323229106?mt=8" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/waze-social-gps-traffic-gas/id323229106?mt=8">http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/waze-social-gps-traffic-gas/id323229106?mt=8</a> <br />Download from Google Play here: <a title="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.waze" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.waze">https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.waze</a>  <br />or just browse with your mobile device to:  <a href="http://m.waze.com">http://m.waze.com</a></p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-cW8TVHS86mE/UF4GnidCmTI/AAAAAAAACgM/edwJJuu3WBo/image%25255B8%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="337" height="150" /></p> HandyTechTipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01698347451679790076noreply@blogger.com0