What is a Safaricom international calling bundle? It is a bundle that gets you minutes you can use to call the following countries:

• USA
• Canada
• China and
• India

These bundles are effective for calls to USA, Canada, China and India only.

Note that Airtel Kenya & Telkom Kenya international bundles can be used to call the same countries as well as UK fixed lines / landlines.

Read these two articles for more info:

• How to Buy Airtel Kenya International Bundles: 30 Days, 14 Days, 7 Days, 24 Hours + Check Balance (Minutes to Call India, China, Canada, USA & UK Fixed Lines)
• Telkom Kenya Talk, Text & More: Niaje + Holla Bundles, Voice, SMS and International Bundles

At the time of writing this post, Safaricom only has three international bundles. One lasts 24 hours. Another one lasts 7 days. Then there is the 30 day bundle.

List of Safaricom international calling bundles you can purchase

• 6 Minutes at KSh 19 valid for 1 day
• 40 Minutes at KSh 99 valid for 7 days
• 170 Minutes at KSh 399 valid for 30 days

Safaricom vs Telkom Kenya vs Airtel Kenya international calling bundles

How do these bundles compare with similar offerings from Airtel Kenya and Telkom Kenya international calling bundles?

Telkom only has one bundle – a 160 minute bundle valid for 30 days. It goes for Kenya Shillings 500 bob. So, that’s 200 Shillings more than Safaricom’s own monthly bundle (which gets you 10 more minutes). I guess the addition of UK Fixed Lines by Telkom more than makes for the extra 10 minutes they trimmed off their bundle.

If you’re not going to call UK lines, go with the Safaricom bundle. If you are going to be using your line to call UK landlines, go with Telkom’s own bundle. Or a data bundle + Skype.

Unlike Safaricom, which only has a 24-hour, 7 day and 30 day bundle, Airtel Kenya offers a 14 day bundle as well – a 50 minute bundle at 100 Shillings.

Here’s a look at the other Airtel Kenya bundles:

• 30 day bundle: 300 minutes at Kenya Shillings 500
• 7 day bundle: 20 minutes at Kenya Shillings 50
• 24 hour bundles – Airtel actually has three: 20 Minutes at KSh 40, 10 Minutes at KSh 25 and 5 Minutes at KSh 15.

Click these links to learn more:

1. Telkom international bundles.
2. Airtel international bundles.

How do you purchase the Safaricom bundles?

Dial *100# to buy Safaricom international calling bundles minutes

To purchase the Safaricom weekly bundle for example, here’s what to do:

• Dial *100# on your feature phone, smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer (if using your SIM in a modem or router)
• Select option 6: Products & Services
• Select option 6: International Calling Bundles and press Send
• Enter 98 to go to the next page on the menu
• Reply with 2 for the 40 Min @Ksh 99 valid for 7 days
• Pay with either 1. Airtime or 2. M-PESA. Reply with 1 for airtime and press Send
• You’ll see the following: ‘Please confirm purchase of weekly bundle of 40 Min @Sh 99 valid up to 13-10-2019 (only applies for calls to China, USA, Canada and India)’
• Reply with 1 to Accept or 2 to Cancel
  Wait for a text message confirming the success of the transaction

Dial *456# to buy Safaricom international calling minutes

Let’s say you want to purchase the 30 day bundle, what do you do?

• Dial *456#
• Select option 1: Buy
• Scroll down and select option 8: International Calling Bundles
• Enter 98 to view more items on the menu
• Select option 3: 170 Min @ KSh 399 valid for 30 days and press send
• Reply with 1 to pay with Airtime or 2 to pay with money in your M-PESA account
• ‘Please confirm purchase of monthly bundle of 170 Min @Sh 399 valid up to 05-11-2019(only applies for calls to China, USA, Canada and India)’
• Press 1: Accept or 2: Cancel

How to check bundle balance (Safaricom international calling bundles)

Check balance via the *100# Safaricom USSD code.

• by dialing *100#
• selecting option 6: Products & Services
• selecting option 6: International Calling Bundles
• entering 98 to view more items on the menu
• selecting option 4: Check Bundle Balance
• you’ll then receive your balance via SMS

Check balance via *456#

• by dialing *456#
• selecting option 1: Buy
• selecting option 8: International Calling Bundles
• entering 98 to go to the next page on the menu
• selecting option 4: Check Bundle Balance
• waiting for an SMS with your balance details
  If you have zero balance, the text might read as follows: ‘Your current balance is 0. To look at your detailed usage, login to https://selfcare.safaricom.co.ke/’

To check frequently asked questions about Safaricom international calling bundles

• Dial *100#
• Select option 6: Products & Services
• Select option 6: International Calling Bundles
• Enter 98 to go to the next page on the menu
• Select option 5: FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Items under the FAQs menu:

1. Eligible Countries (The International Calling bundles enable customers to purchase a bundle for calls to USA, Canada, China and India.)
2. Purchase (Customers will be able to buy the international calling bundles via USSD (100# & *200#)
3. Balance Check (To check your bundle balance, dial *100# and *200#, Select Products and Services then select ‘International Calling Bundles’ then select Check Balance.)
4. Rollover (You can rollover the unused minutes if you purchase another bundle before expiry of your current bundle.)
5. More information (Go to www.safaricom.co.ke. )

Enjoyed reading this post? Read my other articles in the Safaricom category here.

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