Best plan for students in Saudi Arabia: student data packages from stc, Mobily and Zain side by side

By the tiswa editorial team, from the official sources listed at the end of this guide. How we write our guides

A student in university housing pays SAR 34.5 every four weeks on the cheapest stc plan, and exactly the same at Mobily.¹³ The classmate who streams recorded lectures on the bus pays more than double. The carrier name is not what separates them. Data off Wi-Fi is.

Which student data packages in KSA are worth buying?

The prepaid plans below are the ones that fit a student budget at the three carriers, side by side. Every price is from the carrier's official page and includes VAT.¹⁴⁵

Read the data column before the price column. The two cheapest plans give 1 GB, which runs out fast if you open Blackboard and download lecture slides on mobile data.

Is there an stc student plan?

No. The official sawa prepaid page has no plan named for students or youth.¹ It sells prepaid plans to everyone, and the cheapest is sawa basic: SAR 34.5 with 1 GB data, 1 GB social media and 100 minutes to local networks. Send 7030 to 900 to activate it, or pick it in the mystc app.

The same page lists a sawa basic eSIM at SAR 40.25, about 17% more, but its 100 minutes include calls to 70 international destinations.¹ For an international student phoning family abroad, that is the better buy. Further up, sawa like plus costs SAR 86.25 for 20 GB data, 20 GB social media and 600 minutes, activation code 7175.

Postpaid at stc starts with mofawtar basic+ at SAR 90 a month: 10 GB data, 15 GB social media and 300 minutes inside the stc network.² We would keep a student on prepaid. When the balance runs out, it stops, and no bill arrives in the middle of finals.

What does Mobily offer students?

No student plan here either, but Mobily has something the other two do not at this price: a weekly plan. Prepaid Weekly is SAR 28.75 for seven days with 2 GB data, 2 GB social media and 100 minutes.⁴ It is a trial, not a habit. Four weeks of it costs more than three times Prepaid 30.

Prepaid 30 is SAR 34.5; the 30 in the name is the price before VAT.³ Prepaid 75 is SAR 86.25 with 10+10 GB data, 10+15 GB social media and 500 minutes.⁴ You activate a plan by sending its number to 1100. It renews every four weeks on its own, and these plans are for prepaid customers only.

How much is Zain Shabab?

Shabab starts at SAR 49 for four weeks, and the prices include 15% VAT.⁵ It is the only plan of the three carriers named for young people: Zain launched it as a prepaid package for the youth generation.⁶ Even so, its page lists no age condition and no student check.

• Shabab 49: 2 GB data, 2 GB social media, 250 local minutes.
• On Shabab 79 you get 15 GB data and 15 GB social media. The minutes differ between Zain shop pages, so read them on the order page itself.
• Shabab 119 adds unlimited social media to 30 GB data and 1,500 minutes.
• Unlimited local minutes come with Shabab 169.
• A "build your own plan" option lets you choose the data, social media and minutes.

Order the SIM in the Zain online shop. If you already have a Zain prepaid number, pick the plan on the same page.⁵

How much data does a student actually use?

Check your phone's data counter before you buy. On an iPhone it is under Settings > Mobile Service (or Cellular); on most Android phones, Settings > Connections > Data usage. Reset it on day one of a plan, leave it for two full teaching weeks, then double the number.

Under 2 GB and the cheap plans are yours. Over 10 GB and a small plan will cost you add-ons every week. Plan for the week before finals, when summaries and recordings come down and usage climbs, not for a quiet week at the start of term.

How we compared the plans

We used only the three carriers' official pages, not comparison sites. We compared the price with VAT for four weeks, then the price of one gigabyte of general data, since social media gigabytes do nothing for Blackboard or a 40-page PDF. On that measure a gigabyte costs about SAR 4.3 on sawa like plus, about SAR 5.3 on Shabab 79 and under SAR 4 on Shabab 119.

Which plan should a student pick?

1. sawa basic or Prepaid 30

   For students who live between campus and dorm Wi-Fi. SAR 34.5; choose by which network is stronger in your district.

2. Shabab 49

   If 100 minutes is not enough. About 42% more than the two above, for 250 minutes.

3. Shabab 79

   For lectures and video on mobile data: 15 GB for about 8% less than sawa like plus and Prepaid 75.

4. sawa like plus

   A clean 20 GB and 600 minutes, and the pick if stc covers your area best.

5. Prepaid 75

   For a current Mobily customer who does not want to move the number. Same price as sawa like plus.

6. Shabab 119

   If social apps are most of your usage: unlimited social media plus 30 GB data.

7. Prepaid Weekly

   One trial week in a new city before you settle on a network.

What do students get wrong when choosing a plan?

• Hunting for a plan that asks for a university card. None of the three carriers has one.
• Counting social media gigabytes as general data.
• Forgetting Mobily's auto-renewal before the summer break, so the balance goes while you are away.
• Taking a postpaid line in first year, then paying a full monthly bill through the holidays.

To fit the phone bill into the rest of your spending, see the student budget plan, and start the plan after the stipend date, not before.

Can I save more on the phone than on the plan?

Usually, yes. Two plans differ by a few riyals a month, while devices carry student pricing at some brands. The details are in iPad and laptop student prices, and the discounts students actually use are in the Student Discount Index.