March 12, 2022.

BTC vs. Aliv prepaid.

With inflation on the rise, who doesn't want to save as much money as possible? Until recently, Bahamians had to pay a pretty penny to use cellphones. With the entry of a second mobile provider, hope was in the air for cheaper rates and more features.

Today both mobile carriers are in a heated competition. A competition for our dollars (or Sand Dollars) has created an anomaly; Bahamians have a real choice (albeit only 2) when it comes to telecommunications.

See, when cellphones were first made available here there was only one option. Either you paid extravagant prices or you didn't use a cellphone. Prices went down slightly and prepaid options were made available, but it was easy to burn a hole in your budget by buying quickcell minutes. When Aliv came to be it was far from the full alternative we hoped for. Aliv to Aliv calls were treated differently than Aliv to BTC and vice versa. You had to get a new number, which would mean giving up the one you had for years. Calling between the two providers was like playing Russian roulette. To top it off, Aliv cell service was not available everywhere. 

Fast forward to today and we have arrived at what we hoped for all these years. A choice of mobile service providers that offer suitable coverage, the choice of keeping our number and seamless calling between the providers.

So with all that said... Which one is better?

We'll keep this comparison strictly focused on prepaid options available to date. 

BTC, the originator, has vastly improved its mobile offerings from the Quickcell days.

Highlights:

Unlimited WhatsApp and Facebook messaging.

Unlimited minutes.

Lowlights:

Only 1 option for 30 day plan.

Aliv, the new kid, has also improved from its humble beginnings of calls dropping.

Highlights:

 Multiple 30 day plans

Rewards program. 

Lowlights:

No free data included. 

Best overall plan (30 days) :

BTC 30 day combo. $38.30(VAT included).

4GB Data. $30 Aliv plan has 3GB and $45 Aliv plan has 6GB.

Unlimited minutes for The Bahamas, United States and Canada. To get unlimited minutes with Aliv have to purchase the liberty 140 plan for $140.

1 hour of YouTube data included. No such option with Aliv.

Unlimited WhatsApp and Facebook messages. No such option with Aliv.

Roll over data. No such option with Aliv. 

The BTC 30 day combo plan is hands down the most you can get for your dollar right now. Of course this is on paper. Overall quality of service and customer satisfaction will be the next part of this topic.