Cheapest way to keep a sim card active for one year

[patrick]

I've got a tracking system that needs a sim card, and I'd like to go pay as you go. It'll use hardly any data, so you can imagine it just needs the line to be active, and I can add a few rand as needed. So, what is the cheapest way to keep a sim card with some data active on the network for a year.

Cell C have the R399 for 3GB per year, but for my application that's overkill in terms of data. Vodacom offer their M2M service which would be ideal if I could do it pay as you go. They keep the line open for R5 a month and you pay for data. Otherwise for R7.50/month you'd get 5MB of data, which may actually be enough for me. What I don't know is will they offer that to individuals, and will I be able to pay as you go with it.

Anyone know more about that, or of a better offer? A 500mb valid for one year at R100 would be just great

[iAmThePope]

Why not just load up like 150 bucks of airtime and use OOB? Then the line will always stay active

[patrick]

Why not just load up like 150 bucks of airtime and use OOB? Then the line will always stay active

Never expires? Could you tell me more, which network? What do I need? That would be great.

[Jola]

Maybe you could program your software to send an SMS every three months ? This would be required on MTN (I think that they do not acknowledge data use to keep the SIM going).

AFAIK VC does acknowledge data use as activity, but they have a short airtime window.

I almost think that 8ta has the longest airtime window.

[patrick]

I almost think that 8ta has the longest airtime window.

Thanks for the tip. I found this document on the 8ta website: http://www.8ta.com/media/heita/web/l...oice_terms.pdf

Airtime allocation
Subscribers on the Pre paid Voice Offering shall be permitted to use the service as long
as a positive airtime balance is maintained in the pre paid airtime wallet.
Each airtime voucher purchased and activated (re charged) carries a Value for usage and
an Airtime Window period as detailed below:

Seems to suggest I could use out of bundle, and buy R6 every two months and keep the account active. I'll have to get hold of 8ta to see if this is true.

[Jola]

Yes, I have a relative that does not use her 8ta sim often, I found that by making fairly small contributions every few months I could keep it going quite effectively.

[Terencek]

You need to be careful if going for the OOB solution offered earlier in this thread, i.e. simply loading a bunch of airtime and paying for data at the full rate.

Vodacom rules, unless they have changed, keep a prepaid SIM active for seven months without activity. Data use constitutes activity to Vodacom, so that's okay.

But MTN by contrast has a very awkward system (again, unless they recently changed it), where you have to make a paid one-minute-or-more CALL (i.e. not an SMS or data!) every three months or they zap the SIMcard. Happened to me with a shedload of data bundle still on the card, which I lost despite aggrieved protest. So unless they have come to their senses on this, MTN is definitely not the way to go for this query.

[ginggs]

But MTN by contrast has a very awkward system (again, unless they recently changed it), where you have to make a paid one-minute-or-more CALL (i.e. not an SMS or data!) every three months or they zap the SIMcard.

Sending an SMS does count as a 'billable event' and will prevent an MTN SIM from being zapped.

...MTN is definitely not the way to go for this query.

I agree.

[patrick]

Vodacom rules, unless they have changed, keep a prepaid SIM active for seven months without activity. Data use constitutes activity to Vodacom, so that's okay.

So a vodacom sim with enough data loaded for a year could be set and I could forget about it. Wouldn't the data expire if I didn't use it in a month?

[patrick]

Yes, I have a relative that does not use her 8ta sim often, I found that by making fairly small contributions every few months I could keep it going quite effectively.

I wonder if this will work for their data airtime. I see for R40 you get 100MB, and according to the table above R40 will keep the link open for 180 days. If so that's R80 a year, with enough data for me to do a reading twice a minute. Since I really only need an update once a minute this is plenty...

Edit. Damn scratch that:
I have recharged my modem with a 8ta Prepaid data bundle. When will it expire?

The validity rule for bundled data is: a bundle is valid from the day of activation until the last day of the next month. In other words, whether you buy your data on 1 April or on 30 April, it will be valid until 31 May. Therefore it is most beneficial to buy your data on the first day of a new month in order to have a 2 month validity period for that bundle.

[ajax]

You can keep a Vodacom sim active for free by sending Yebo Millionaires sms's

[patrick]

Since I need 100MB a year, with 8ta @ R1/meg I'd be buying R51 twice a year and using out of bundle data which should be fine. I don't think I'll be able to beat R8.50 a month anywhere else...

[Terencek]

Sending an SMS does count as a 'billable event' and will prevent an MTN SIM from being zapped.

Not unless they've changed the rules since last year, when I lost a SIM with more than R100 of airtime on it for not making a 'minimum 1-minute paid voicecall' and I fought it all the way to the top, and lost. The ultimate ruling I was told was that an SMS also did not count -- had to be that paid voicecall.... Ridiculous rule, so if it has since been changed (are you sure?) then it's of course to be welcomed.

[ginggs]

Not unless they've changed the rules since last year, when I lost a SIM with more than R100 of airtime on it for not making a 'minimum 1-minute paid voicecall' and I fought it all the way to the top, and lost. The ultimate ruling I was told was that an SMS also did not count -- had to be that paid voicecall.... Ridiculous rule, so if it has since been changed (are you sure?) then it's of course to be welcomed.

No, SMS is not a new rule. I kept an MTN SIM alive for most of last year by sending an SMS approximately every 90 days, I definitely did not make a '1 minute paid voicecall' on it.
At work we also have a couple of temperature alarms with prepaid MTN SIMs, they have been running for years and only send SMS.

Edit: Anyway, it is irrelevent whether SMS keeps a SIM active or not, the point is data usage does not and therefore MTN should be avoided.

[Telkom Mobile]

Hi Guys

We have received feedback from our product specialists. 8ta currently does not suspend/cease SIM cards due to inactivity. A change will be made to this soon where a SIM will be suspended and then ceased due to inactivity. 8ta will see data traffic as activity and will not suspend or cease the service.
@patrick - as per the Ts and Cs: Pre-paid internet bundles will expire at the end of the next calendar month from the date of activation so you will have to go with the out-of-bundle option.

Regards,
Social Media Team