Can data still expire?

[The_Mowgs]

I know there was a ruling earlier stating that data is not allowed to expire anymore (if I understood the article correctly) but I received the following sms from MTN this morning

Your Data Bundle expires in 48Hrs. To avoid Out of Bundle rates dial *136*2*999# to purchase another data bundle.

Is data bundle expiring still a thing or not?

 

[Nobody Important]

I know there was a ruling earlier stating that data is not allowed to expire anymore (if I understood the article correctly) but I received the following sms from MTN this morning

Your Data Bundle expires in 48Hrs. To avoid Out of Bundle rates dial *136*2*999# to purchase another data bundle.

Is data bundle expiring still a thing or not?

Yep still expires. Remember when you bought the bundle, there were different prices depending on whether you chose daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, etc. So they say you chose the expiry date.

I only found out this week that it's still a thing, when I had to start relying on mobile data since the ADSL in my area is kaput for the foreseeable future.

 

[The_Mowgs]

Yep still expires. Remember when you bought the bundle, there were different prices depending on whether you chose daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, etc. So they say you chose the expiry date.

I only found out this week that it's still a thing, when I had to start relying on mobile data since the ADSL in my area is kaput for the foreseeable future.

I am on a contract which is now running month to month. Does this then still apply? What if I buy data from my banking app which does not state the amount of days that it is valid for?

 

[Nobody Important]

I am on a contract which is now running month to month. Does this then still apply? What if I buy data from my banking app which does not state the amount of days that it is valid for?

Yes. I am also on a month to month contract. It still applies to bundles purchased separately.

On my banking app (Capitec) it does state the amount of days if I choose MTN. What banking app are you using?

I usually just buy airtime via the banking app, and then convert to a data bundle via *141#.

I think you get a slightly better deal than buying data via the banking app, could be mistaken about that though.

 

[The_Mowgs]

Yes. I am also on a month to month contract. It still applies to bundles purchased separately.

On my banking app (Capitec) it does state the amount of days if I choose MTN. What banking app are you using?

I usually just buy airtime via the banking app, and then convert to a data bundle via *141#.

I think you get a slightly better deal than buying data via the banking app, could be mistaken about that though.

Im with Standard Bank. So even though the law changed my data which I receive monthly, still expires? So then nothing really changed then did it?

 

[Nobody Important]

Im with Standard Bank. So even though the law changed my data which I receive monthly, still expires? So then nothing really changed then did it?

I can't comment on the law changing, I didn't follow all the articles. As far as I am aware that was with regards to networks automatically charging out-of-bundle rates once the bundle expired. Someone else will have to advise on that.

 

[The_Mowgs]

I can't comment on the law changing, I didn't follow all the articles. As far as I am aware that was with regards to networks automatically charging out-of-bundle rates once the bundle expired. Someone else will have to advise on that.

Thanks for the explanation.

 

[Daisy Cloudskitter]

Im with Standard Bank. So even though the law changed my data which I receive monthly, still expires? So then nothing really changed then did it?

Article Feb 19 mentioned data rollover :
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/v...kom-new-data-rules-icasa-out-of-bundle-2019-2

The new rules also require that companies send you 50%, 80% and 100% data depletion notices.

MTN
MTN said it has been offering data rollover for a number of years, and therefore is already fully compliant.
Contract customers can already roll over data automatically up until two months of the date of purchase.
Prepaid costumers’ data bundles will be rolled over, as long as the customer buys another bundle before the existing one expires.

 

[The_Mowgs]

Article Feb 19 mentioned data rollover :
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/v...kom-new-data-rules-icasa-out-of-bundle-2019-2

The new rules also require that companies send you 50%, 80% and 100% data depletion notices.

MTN
MTN said it has been offering data rollover for a number of years, and therefore is already fully compliant.
Contract customers can already roll over data automatically up until two months of the date of purchase.
Prepaid costumers’ data bundles will be rolled over, as long as the customer buys another bundle before the existing one expires.

Thanks for this

 

[Nobody Important]

Article Feb 19 mentioned data rollover :
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/v...kom-new-data-rules-icasa-out-of-bundle-2019-2

The new rules also require that companies send you 50%, 80% and 100% data depletion notices.

MTN
MTN said it has been offering data rollover for a number of years, and therefore is already fully compliant.
Contract customers can already roll over data automatically up until two months of the date of purchase.
Prepaid costumers’ data bundles will be rolled over, as long as the customer buys another bundle before the existing one expires.

Thank you. The way I read it is that the data that is given as part of the contract, can roll over. But what about a data bundle purchased as a top-up for that contract sim? My assumption is that that would fall under the "prepaid" bracket. Clarity is needed. Anybody have some experience?

 

[Dairyfarmer]

Your Data Bundle expires in 48Hrs. To avoid Out of Bundle rates dial *136*2*999# to purchase another data bundle.

Is data bundle expiring still a thing or not?

They send this sms every month. You can roll your data to a maximum of twice the contract bundle ammount.

If you get 1Gb per month and you only use 500Mb then next month you will have 1.5Gb. If you then only use 400Mb the next month, then only 1Gb rolls over. Same with sms's and voice minutes.

 

[The_Mowgs]

They send this sms every month. You can roll your data to a maximum of twice the contract bundle ammount.

If you get 1Gb per month and you only use 500Mb then next month you will have 1.5Gb. If you then only use 400Mb the next month, then only 1Gb rolls over. Same with sms's and voice minutes.

Thank you for the clarity. I was under the impression that it never expires.

 

[Dairyfarmer]

From what I know it doesn't expire, you just can't roll over more that the next bundle

 

[Darkjo]

Data is like bread, goes stale

 

[Pineapple Smurf]

Yup, my Vodacom bundle expired last weekend, konts. I still had 760MB on it. Thieves

 

[Nobull]

Someone once used the analogy of the fuel station claiming the remainder of the fuel in your tank if you don’t use it within 2 months.

 

[Nobull]

Data is like bread, goes stale

No, it doesn’t.

 

[marioat1]

No, it doesn’t.

It does, it stops after expiry date

 

[Nobull]

It does, it stops after expiry date

The whole point is data shouldn’t have an expiry date. It’s a commodity like airtime or any other commodity which you paid for. After payment there is a transfer of ownership and the previous owner has no right to reclaim it just because you didn’t use it.

The analogy of bread going stale is a weak example.

 

[marioat1]

The whole point is data shouldn’t have an expiry date. It’s a commodity like airtime or any other commodity which you paid for. After payment there is a transfer of ownership and the previous owner has no right to reclaim it just because you didn’t use it.

The analogy of bread going stale is a weak example.

Unfortunately it's the truth, saying to uninformed people that rules and regulations are in place, doesn't matter if the mobile operators are sitting on the edge of theft daily. Rational thinking won't help.