The cost of data in Nigeria is at an all-time high, with some trusted data services increasing their plans by a whopping 200%. In the face of this injustice, many Nigerians are scrambling to find an affordable plan that still suits their tastes. From this search, many have come across Night plans and bonus offers, which are both cheap and effective.
Even with their advantageous find, many Nigerians are not utilizing either service to its full potential. Here are a few ways night plans and bonus offers can be used most beneficially.
What are Night Plans and Bonus Data?
Night Plans.
Night plans are discounted data bundles that the user can only access for a set period. The hours a plan can be used depends on the network provider, but in most cases goes from 11 pm to 6 am. Because of the most-day use restriction, these plans are cheaper than regular data bundles and ideal for downloading large files, streaming, or heavy browsing.
Bonus Data Offers.
Bonus data is extra data that comes with certain subscription plans. These can be welcome bonuses, double data offers, or promotional bonuses. However, utilizing bonus data for everyday use is hard as it often has usage restrictions, such as validity periods or limited access to certain apps.
How to Maximize Night Plans
1. Plan Your Downloads and Updates
Because of the time-sensitive nature of night plans, it is good to schedule high-data consumption activities to occur during the Night Plan period. This includes any downloads, software updates and large file transfers.
Be sure to schedule them before midnight so they begin once the plan activates so will your downloads, and if you have multiple downloads in a night, set them at different times to avoid overworking your phone.
2. Use a Download Manager
To help with these downloads, invest in a good download manager. This helps speed up downloads and prevents interruptions in case of disconnections. It ensures you don’t waste your night data on incomplete downloads.
3. Turn Off Background Data
Background apps consume data even when you’re not actively using them. Disable auto-updates and close all apps you don’t plan to use in the next 5 minutes. This ensures your night plan is only used for what you need.
4. Optimize Streaming Quality
Watching a video in 720p or any higher definition is a quick way to drain data. Reduce video quality on platforms like YouTube and Netflix to 480p or lower to make your night data last longer.
How to Make the Most of Bonus Data
1. Check the Terms and Conditions
Not all bonus data can be used for everything. Some are limited to social media, streaming, or specific websites. Additionally, some can than only be used in specific areas, so make sure you read the stipulations to determine when, where and how you can use these bonus plans.
2. Prioritize Bonus Plans Before Regular Data
If you have a bonus offer and a main bundle enabled at once, many network providers will deduct data from the main bundle first, and when this main bundle finishes the bonus may have already expired. To avoid this, check your balance and switch SIM settings if necessary to ensure bonus data is used first.
3. Use Bonus Data for Background Tasks
If your bonus data is restricted to certain apps, use it for social media browsing, messaging, or other permitted activities, while saving your main data for everything else.
Conclusion
Night plans and bonus data offers remain great ways to save money on mobile data. By adhering to the specific techniques on this list, you can stretch your data plan out for as long as the due date lets you while still indulging in all your regular activities.
Are there any techniques we failed to mention? Let us know down below.
